MORE THAN FORGIVEN
It’s a pattern that I’ve seen repeatedly as a pastor over these last 40 years. Someone falls into what we might call a ‘besetting sin’ - their struggle with that issue is continuous. After many attempts to tame their temptations, they succumb to a pattern of failure, followed by apology to God and accepting his grace, followed by stepping into the same sin again. Life becomes a circle of shame and defeat. And for some, theirs is almost a cavalier attitude towards sin - ‘Well I know I can get forgiven, so I’ll go ahead and do what I know is wrong, because I know that God will always do the right thing and forgive me anyway’.
But not only is that attitude a misuse of grace, but it fails to understand what true repentance is about. To repent is not just to be sorry, but it is to embrace a whole new world view, an alternative way of thinking about what is right and wrong - it’s even bigger than morality and sin, but is a call to accept God’s agenda on everything rather than our own. And then repentance is a journey, not only to forgiveness, but transformation too. David asks God not only to cleanse him, but to change his heart as well.
Christianity is not just a sin-management system, a way to feel better about the way we are, but is a call to Holy Spirit fuelled transformation, as daily we walk with God by faith, and discover all that we can become in Christ. We’re invited to be ‘transformed by the renewing of our minds’, (Romans 12:2). Let’s not just ask for cleansing from God, but change that only he can bring, as we cooperate today.