Welcome to Hank’s Place
Hank’s Place – a place of GRACE. Every genuine Christian has repented; changed their mind about sin, about Christ (He’s become their Savior) and all the great things of God. That’s a snippet from Charles Spurgeon. Any actions we take MAY demonstrate the fruit of repentance but are not repentance itself! The Father knows our heart, and matters follow from the heart.
Take the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Consider the father. Does the father convict the son of sin? No. Does the father inflict sorrow on the son? No. Does the father require the son’s confession first? No. Does he demand some actions, restitution, as proof the son has indeed repented?NO! In fact, he cuts the son off in the middle of his opening speech. Then most surprisingly the father starts organizing a party! There is much joy in heaven over a sinner who repents, who comes home. Luke 15:7. And the father in this story surely demonstrates this!
In the new covenant repentance means turning to God. If you define repentance as turning away from sin and stop there, well, you are still in an unholy, unrighteous condition.
In the previous message I was speaking about UNforgiveness. Well, how about forgiveness? The word forgiveness is an amazing word. Another word that the Cross changed the meaning of forever. Before the Cross the word forgiveness was mainly used as a verb. It was something to be done. The Psalms have many examples of people asking for and God granting forgiveness. But AFTER the Cross we find it is used typically as a noun, as something to be received. It is already DONE; we need to receive it like the prodigal.
This distinction, and it’s a very important one, is even more obvious if we look at the words of Jesus. Before the Cross Jesus also described forgiveness as something to be done. Used in the verb form. Yet after the Cross Jesus uses forgiveness as a noun and never as a verb.
Do not forget: we are not forgiven in accordance with our acts of confession or contrition, but in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. I encourage you: thank God that He has forgiven you; grant forgiveness to others as Jesus did. You’ll be free – you’ll COME ALIVE!
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