How many times are you feeling guilty, thinking you need to repent to "get right with God"? Repentance isn't asking forgiveness every time you sin, so that you can get right with God. You are already right with God (righteous) if you accepted Jesus Christ. Repentance means "change your mind"; saying, "Lord, I'm done going my own way and I admit I need you." It is for those who have turned their backs on the Lord, which includes non-believers; but it's also for believers who decided they didn't want God anymore. As a believer, when you sinned, were you trying to turn your back on Him? Did you no longer want him or his will? If not, then you don't need to "repent".
This all boils down to the fact that if you feel like you have to repent all the time, out of fear you won't be right with God, you're sin conscious. You're focused on your sin, instead of focusing on Jesus and his grace. Psalm
103:10 "He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly
with us, as we deserve." Verse
12: "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west." Focusing on the law makes us sin conscious. Grace makes us Christ conscious. We can't follow all the laws from the Old Testament anyway, which is why God sent his son. It may make you feel good that you've prayed, went to church every week, were nice to people, did good works for the Lord, didn't kill anyone, lie, cheat or steal, but whose standards are you weighing yourself against? Because God's standard is perfect and you will never live up to it, which was the whole point of Jesus' sacrifice.
YOUR SIN IS GONE
What were Jesus' last words on the cross before he died? He said, "It is finished." He didn't say, "It is finished...unless you sin again." The Lord didn't just forgive your sins up to the point at which you were saved. If that were true, that would mean that Jesus' work was NOT finished. It would mean Jesus would have to die again, every time you sinned. When Jesus said, "It is finished", that's exactly what he meant. It is finished, once and for all. He fulfilled the righteousness of the law because it was weak through the flesh. He took ALL of your sin. There is literally NOTHING you can EVER do that will ever change your standing with God. Even if you turned your back on him completely; though there may be some discipline, he is still faithful, still with you and He will never leave you.
DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU'RE GOOD ENOUGH ANYWAY?
The video above is a scene from Left Behind, where the Lord uses Kirk Cameron's character to reveal the truth about someone's sin to them. God is PERFECT, his standards are perfect. He sent Jesus for a reason, because he knew we would NEVER be able to obey all the "laws", even after we were saved. If you're basing your standing, salvation or fellowship on your repentance, you're actually shortchanging yourself and not giving God the credit for the magnitude of Jesus' sacrifice.
What were Jesus' last words on the cross before he died? He said, "It is finished." He didn't say, "It is finished...unless you sin again." The Lord didn't just forgive your sins up to the point at which you were saved. If that were true, that would mean that Jesus' work was NOT finished. It would mean Jesus would have to die again, every time you sinned. When Jesus said, "It is finished", that's exactly what he meant. It is finished, once and for all. He fulfilled the righteousness of the law because it was weak through the flesh. He took ALL of your sin. There is literally NOTHING you can EVER do that will ever change your standing with God. Even if you turned your back on him completely; though there may be some discipline, he is still faithful, still with you and He will never leave you.
DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU'RE GOOD ENOUGH ANYWAY?
The video above is a scene from Left Behind, where the Lord uses Kirk Cameron's character to reveal the truth about someone's sin to them. God is PERFECT, his standards are perfect. He sent Jesus for a reason, because he knew we would NEVER be able to obey all the "laws", even after we were saved. If you're basing your standing, salvation or fellowship on your repentance, you're actually shortchanging yourself and not giving God the credit for the magnitude of Jesus' sacrifice.
Grace does not mean we can do whatever we want and "get away with it". Grace is being consciously aware of who you are in Christ; knowing you are righteous because of Him, not because of what you do, and that sin has been overcome for you. When you walk in the manner worthy of who you ALREADY ARE, the desire to sin will disappear. We are human and will sin, and that's the hardest time to go to the throne of grace. Don't receive condemnation, remember that Jesus died for it ALL and go boldly to His throne!
