Six Stages of Repentance :: Rejoicing (6 of 6)
We will finish this series by looking at rejoicing - along with reconciliation and restitution it is how we walk out our repentance. Some may still think what Martin Luther said, "our Lord and Master Jesus Christ . . . willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance" is bleak or depressing. That could be the case if your purpose for repentance is religious: to keep God happy so he will continue to bless you and answer your prayers. Or it may be despairing because your repentance does not include rejoicing. If your repentance does not include rejoicing then it is not true repentance. Perhaps you have turned your affection toward the idol of self (making yourself better) and not toward Jesus who made you new. "In the gospel the purpose of repentance is to repeatedly tap into the joy of our union with Christ to weaken our impulse to do anything contrary to God’s heart" (Tim Keller).
As I said previously, the gospel dispels the lie that repentance is despairing. The gospel dispels the lie that we will never make much progress. The gospel dispels the lie that you should go inward with your conviction. The truth of repentance is the way we become more like Jesus. Conviction is his kindness, which leads to repentance. A life marked by pervasive repentance is one of progress and joy.Rejoicing is essential to repentance. In repentance we are turning from and forsaking our idolatry and turning to behold Jesus. Releasing our sin and shame and grabbing onto the glory of God. Moving our worship from creature to Creator. Shunning the lie and believing the truth. Mike Wilkerson, in his book Redemption, describes repentance as "the step-by-step walking out of our redemption, the bit-by-bit turning of our hearts from the corruption of idolatry to the sweetness and rest in treasuring God above all (see Psalm 51)."In this restored worship our eyes are fixed upon Jesus and we celebrate. We celebrate his character - who he is. We celebrate his work - what he has done on our behalf. We celebrate our new identity - who he has made us. We celebrate the good news. We deserved death and we were given life by Jesus' substitutionary death. We deserved wrath and separation and we were given peace and sonship as the Father poured out his wrath on his son Jesus. We deserved shame and guilt and we were given acceptance, no condemnation, and his righteousness because Jesus bore our shame and guilt.
"We celebrate the good news. We deserved death and we were given life by Jesus' substitutionary death."
We rejoice, worship, and celebrate because of the truth of the gospel which then promotes and perpetuates more repentance, belief, and worship. Repentance is not a bitter pill to swallow, even if it is painful sometimes, it is a gift to rejoice in. "It is the best sign that we are growing deeply and rapidly into the character of Jesus" says Tim Keller.So may we not see repentance as despairing or a single event but embrace it as joyful and a way of life.You can read the previous blogs in this series here: Conviction, Confession,