The Work of Christ and Repentance

"Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and 

on the third day rise from the dead,

and that repentance and the forgiveness of sins 

should be proclaimed in his name to all nations."

Luke 24: 46-47

Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!

In this passage, often preached and taught around Easter, Jesus announces that the gospel has two distinct elements.  The first focuses on the objective work of Christ.  As He "opened their minds to understand the scriptures (vs. 45), Jesus announces that the OT always taught that the Christ would suffer and die.  Why?

In the spring, I briefly discussed Eastern Orthodoxy.  In EO, Christ suffered and died to "pay the devil his due."  It is incomprehensible for the EO that Jesus' death could have satisfied the wrath of God against sin.  How did the EO arrive at this position?

This view was one of the first articulated in the Eastern Mediterranean.  It was not the only view, but it did become popular.  Can anyone see a possible error in having this be the "only" possible understanding of Christ's redeeming work?

Well for starters, this early and incomplete view of Christ's work can easily lead to dualism.  God and the devil are the forces of good and evil in the universe.  The good God comes and rescues humanity from the evil God the devil.  Unfortunately, in the East this heretical understanding of God became ingrained within the culture.  One of the keys to understanding early Church history is understanding that these heretical views became the basis for theological reflection upon the teaching of the scriptures. 

Such reflection led to the Biblical articulation that there is only one true God.  The devil, sin, and redemption have to be understood in relationship to this one true God.  Honestly, it took centuries to understand the full scope of what Christ did on the cross.  I doubt we understand the full depth of it today!  I think it is safe to say that Jesus did set us free from the enslavement of sin and death, which is the power of the devil.  Yet, He also did so much more!

I cannot do this important theme justice in such a short post.  I apologize for this!  I will say that the gospel proclamation includes an emphasis on the objective work of Christ.  His life and death were not only talked about in the OT, but they also secured a victory of sorts.  Furthermore, His resurrection from the dead is a matter of history that fulfills OT prophecy.  At Easter, we celebrate this most important event in all of history!

So what does this message mean for us?  Christ did the work, but the application of the work is found in the second half of Christ's teaching concerning gospel message.  Christ's objective work is applied by active repentance and faith knowing that in Christ there is the forgiveness of sins.  

Repentance is the means of applying Christ's work.  It is both a confession of sin against God, others, ourself, or creation and a cry for mercy to change.  I will confess that this element of the Christian life is emphasized and understood well within Eastern Orthodoxy.  They should be commended for holding to this important truth!

Conversely, we should recognize that Protestantism has often neglected this important topic.  Why have we made this understanding of repentance the means of salvation, but not the means of life?  

First, I think we have accepted and believed a false view of humanity in the West for about 250 years.  The Enlightenment taught that humanity was "sin sick" and not really "sinners in desperate need of grace."  As a result of this understanding of humanity, it was taught that proper education will free us from sin (as well as poverty, evil, and everything else).  This understanding was particularly important in America.

What does this mean for Christianity and the Church?  Well, by and large, the church uncritically accepted this view.  Most in America just assumed that the proper education included Jesus and accepting Him as the Lord and Savior of your life.  When you did, you had the proper education to change.  It might take some discipleship and accountability, but you can and should do it!

So what happens when four years later you find yourself struggling with some sin tendencies?  Even worse the same sin tendencies you thought you put aside four years earlier!  Let's say control, anger, or lust?  You could find more accountability.  You could just memorize more scripture.  Or you could just try to change the subject!

What the scripture teaches is that while accountability and scripture memory/knowledge are important, repenting of our real sin is more important!  Do not deny the reality of the struggle, but confess and cry out for mercy to be transformed.  Since we have the forgiveness of sins because of Christ, we can be honest that our struggle has not ended, and it will not end until we die and we are set from from this body of sin and death.

In other words, we need to wholeheartedly deny our cultural assumption that proper education or knowledge will change our behavior.  It is simply not true!  How many of us know we should eat properly and exercise, and we still do not do it?  Education is not enough.  

No, we need a change of heart.  Such a change of heart does not happen instantaneously when we accept Jesus, but it is a process marked by continual repentance and faith.  Because our faith is based upon Christ's finished work and the forgiveness found in that work applied by faith, we can confidently face our sin and our incredibly complex and tangled hearts.

As Jesus finishes this brief teaching on the gospel, He tells his disciples, "You are witnesses of these things." (vs. 48)  Remember these disciples had recently abandoned the Lord.  They had doubted His resurrection.  They had fought over who was the greatest.  

"You are witnesses to these things."  How were they restored?  They repented and believed in Christ's love and mercy.  Why was Judas so different?  He was sorry for the consequences of his sin, but he never repented of his sin against God and believed in Christ's mercy.  In other words, the disciples lived and believed the life of continual repentance and faith because they knew first hand they needed it.

Are you witnesses also the amazing grace of God found in Christ?  Are you walking today in continual repentance and faith?  May God's mercy lead us all to this place of joy and freedom!