What
Shall We Do?
"The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness, but is longsuffering to us, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
2 Peter
3:9
How shall
a man be just with God? How may a sinner be made righteous?
When
we recognize our need, when convicted of sin and our fallen
nature, and of the rebellion of this world against our Creator;
and when we recognize that the Creator of heaven and earth
has loved us so very much that He sent His son, Jesus, "that
whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life" John 3:16, how ought we to respond? When we recognize
the rebellion of this world, and what our Creator has done
to save those who value what He has to offer; then, and only
then, can we recognize our need, and ask, "What shall
we do?"
John
the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea called for
repentance, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand" Matthew 3:2. Jesus also early in His ministry began
to preach, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"
Matthew 4:17.
On the
day of Pentecost, a multitude was convicted of sin, and they
cried out "What shall we do?" Peter said to them,
"Repent . . . every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ."
Shortly thereafter he said, "Repent . . . and be converted,
that your sins may be blotted out" Acts 2:37, 38; 3:19.
Repentance
includes the recognition of sin, sorrow for sin, and the turning
away from sin. We can not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness.
We will not turn away from an evil behavior until we recognize
the harm that it brings to self or to another. Until we turn
away from that which is hurtful and harmful to ourselves,
and to others, in our heart, there will be no real change
in our life.
Many
fail to understand the true nature of repentance. Multitudes
sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation
because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering
upon themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible sense.
They lament the suffering rather than the sin. Such was the
grief of Esau when he saw that the birthright was lost to
him forever (Geneses 25:32-34; Hebrews 12:16). Balaam, terrified
by the angel standing in his pathway with drawn sword, acknowledged
his guilt lest he should lose his life; but there was no genuine
repentance for sin, no conversion of purpose, no abhorrence
of evil (Numbers 22:23-35).
Judas
Iscariot, after betraying his Lord, exclaimed, 'I have sinned
in that I have betrayed the innocent blood' Matthew 27:4.
"The confession was forced from his guilty soul by an
awful sense of condemnation and a fearful looking for of judgment.
The consequences that were to result to him filled him with
terror, but there was no deep, heartbreaking grief in his
soul, that he had betrayed the spotless Son of God and denied
the Holy One of Israel.
"Pharaoh,
when suffering under the judgments of God, acknowledged his
sin in order to escape further punishment, but returned to
his defiance of Heaven as soon as the plagues were stayed.
These all lamented the results of sin, but did not sorrow
for the sin itself.
"When
the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the
conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern
something of the depth and sacredness of God's holy law, the
foundation of His government in heaven and on earth. The 'Light,
which lighteth every man that comes into the world,' illumines
the secret chambers of the soul, and the hidden things of
darkness are made manifest. John 1:9. Conviction takes hold
upon the mind and heart. The sinner has a sense of the righteousness
of Jehovah and feels the terror of appearing, in his own guilt
and uncleanness, before the Searcher of hearts. He sees the
love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy of purity; he
longs to be cleansed and to be restored to communion with
Heaven.
"The
prayer of David after his fall, illustrates the nature of
true sorrow for sin. His repentance was sincere and deep.
There was no effort to palliate his guilt; no desire to escape
the judgment threatened, inspired his prayer. David saw the
enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his
soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that
he prayed, but for purity of heart. He longed for the joy
of holiness - to be restored to harmony and communion with
God. This was the language of his soul:
"Blessed
is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no guile." Psalm 32:1, 2.
"Have
mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness:
According unto the multitude of Your tender mercies blot out
my transgressions. . . .
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before
me. . . .
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I
shall be whiter than snow. . . .
Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit
within me.
Cast me not away from Your presence; And take not Your Holy
Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation; And uphold me with
Your free spirit. . . .
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation:
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness."
Psalm 51:1-14. NKJV
"A
repentance such as this, is beyond the reach of our own power
to accomplish; it is obtained only from Christ, who ascended
up on high and has given gifts unto men.
"Just
here is a point on which many may err, and hence they fail
of receiving the help that Christ desires to give them. They
think that they cannot come to Christ unless they first repent,
and that repentance prepares for the forgiveness of their
sins. It is true that repentance does precede the forgiveness
of sins; for it is only the broken and contrite heart that
will feel the need of a Saviour. But must the sinner wait
till he has repented before he can come to Jesus? Is repentance
to be made an obstacle between the sinner and the Saviour?
"The
Bible does not teach that the sinner must repent before he
can heed the invitation of Christ, 'Come unto Me, all ye that
labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.' Matthew
11:28. It is the virtue that goes forth from Christ that leads
to genuine repentance. Peter made the matter clear in his
statement to the Israelites when he said, 'Him hath God exalted
with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give
repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.' Acts 5:31.
We can no more repent without the Spirit of Christ to awaken
the conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ.
"Christ
is the source of every right impulse. He is the only one that
can implant in the heart enmity against sin. Every desire
for truth and purity, every conviction of our own sinfulness,
is an evidence that His Spirit is moving upon our hearts.
"Jesus
has said, 'I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw
all men unto Me.' John 12:32. Christ must be revealed to the
sinner as the Saviour dying for the sins of the world; and
as we behold the Lamb of God upon the cross of Calvary, the
mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds and the
goodness of God leads us to repentance. In dying for sinners,
Christ manifested a love that is incomprehensible; and as
the sinner beholds this love, it softens the heart, impresses
the mind, and inspires contrition in the soul." The Path
to Peace, pp. 9-11.
"The
Lord is longsuffering to us, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
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