Continuing from
Steps to Christ--
'Chap. 3 -
Repentance
How shall a man be just with God? How shall
the sinner be made righteous? It is only through Christ that we can be brought
into harmony with God, with holiness; but how are we to come to Christ? Many
are asking the same question as did the multitude on the Day of Pentecost,
when, convicted of sin, they cried out, "What shall we do?" The first
word of Peter's answer was, "Repent." Acts 2:37, 38. At another time,
shortly after, he said, "Repent, . . . and be converted, that your sins
may be blotted out." Acts 3:19.
Repentance includes
sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we
see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real
change in the life.
There are many who
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. 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. 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.
But 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 cometh 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 Thy loving-kindness: According
unto the multitude of Thy 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 Thy presence; And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore
unto me the joy of Thy salvation; And uphold me with Thy free spirit. . . .
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation: And my tongue
shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness." Psalm 51:1-14.
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.
It is true that men sometimes become ashamed
of their sinful ways, and give up some of their evil habits, before they are
conscious that they are being drawn to Christ. But whenever they make an effort
to reform, from a sincere desire to do right, it is the power of Christ that is
drawing them. An influence of which they are unconscious works upon the soul,
and the conscience is quickened, and the outward life is amended. And as Christ
draws them to look upon His cross, to behold Him whom their sins have pierced,
the commandment comes home to the conscience. The wickedness of their life, the
deep-seated sin of the soul, is revealed to them. They begin to comprehend
something of the righteousness of Christ, and exclaim, "What is sin, that
it should require such a sacrifice for the redemption of its victim? Was all
this love, all this suffering, all this humiliation, demanded, that we might
not perish, but have everlasting life?"
The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to
be drawn to Christ; but if he does not resist he will be drawn to Jesus; a
knowledge of the plan of salvation will lead him to the foot of the cross in
repentance for his sins, which have caused the sufferings of God's dear Son.
The same divine mind
that is working upon the things of nature is speaking to the hearts of men and
creating an inexpressible craving for something they have not. The things of
the world cannot satisfy their longing. The Spirit of God is pleading with them
to seek for those things that alone can give peace and rest--the grace of
Christ, the joy of holiness. Through influences seen and unseen, our Saviour is
constantly at work to attract the minds of men from the unsatisfying pleasures
of sin to the infinite blessings that may be theirs in Him. To all these souls,
who are vainly seeking to drink from the broken cisterns of this world, the
divine message is addressed, "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever
will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17.
You who in heart
long for something better than this world can give, recognize this longing as
the voice of God to your soul. Ask Him to give you repentance, to reveal Christ
to you in His infinite love, in His perfect purity. In the Saviour's life the principles
of God's law--love to God and man--were perfectly exemplified. Benevolence,
unselfish love, was the life of His soul. It is as we behold Him, as the light
from our Saviour falls upon us, that we see the sinfulness of our own hearts.
We may have
flattered ourselves, as did Nicodemus, that our life has been upright, that our
moral character is correct, and think that we need not humble the heart before
God, like the common sinner: but when the light from Christ shines into our
souls, we shall see how impure we are; we shall discern the selfishness of
motive, the enmity against God, that has defiled every act of life. Then we
shall know that our own righteousness is indeed as filthy rags, and that the
blood of Christ alone can cleanse us from the defilement of sin, and renew our
hearts in His own likeness.
One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of the
purity of Christ, penetrating the soul, makes every spot of defilement
painfully distinct, and lays bare the deformity and defects of the human
character. It makes apparent the unhallowed desires, the infidelity of the
heart, the impurity of the lips. The sinner's acts of disloyalty in making void
the law of God, are exposed to his sight, and his spirit is stricken and
afflicted under the searching influence of the Spirit of God. He loathes
himself as he views the pure, spotless character of Christ.
When the prophet Daniel beheld the glory
surrounding the heavenly messenger that was sent unto him, he was overwhelmed
with a sense of his own weakness and imperfection. Describing the effect of the
wonderful scene, he says, "There remained no strength in me: for my
comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength."
Daniel 10:8. The soul thus touched will hate its selfishness, abhor its
self-love, and will seek, through Christ's righteousness, for the purity of
heart that is in harmony with the law of God and the character of Christ.
Paul says that as
"touching the righteousness which is in the law"--as far as outward
acts were concerned --he was "blameless" (Philippians 3:6); but when
the spiritual character of the law was discerned, he saw himself a sinner. Judged
by the letter of the law as men apply it to the outward life, he had abstained
from sin; but when he looked into the depths of its holy precepts, and saw
himself as God saw him, he bowed in humiliation and confessed his guilt. He
says, "I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came,
sin revived, and I died." Romans 7:9. When he saw the spiritual nature of
the law, sin appeared in its true hideousness, and his self-esteem was gone.
God does not regard
all sins as of equal magnitude; there are degrees of guilt in His estimation,
as well as in that of man; but however trifling this or that wrong act may seem
in the eyes of men, no sin is small in the sight of God. Man's judgment is partial,
imperfect; but God estimates all things as they really are. The drunkard is
despised and is told that his sin will exclude him from heaven; while pride,
selfishness, and covetousness too often go unrebuked. But these are sins that
are especially offensive to God; for they are contrary to the benevolence of
His character, to that unselfish love which is the very atmosphere of the
unfallen universe. He who falls into some of the grosser sins may feel a sense
of his shame and poverty and his need of the grace of Christ; but pride feels
no need, and so it closes the heart against Christ and the infinite blessings
He came to give.
The poor publican who prayed, "God be
merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13), regarded himself as a very wicked
man, and others looked upon him in the same light; but he felt his need, and
with his burden of guilt and shame he came before God, asking for His mercy.
His heart was open for the Spirit of God to do its gracious work and set him
free from the power of sin. The Pharisee's boastful, self-righteous prayer
showed that his heart was closed against the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Because of his distance from God, he had no sense of his own defilement, in
contrast with the perfection of the divine holiness. He felt no need, and he
received nothing.
If you see your
sinfulness, do not wait to make yourself better. How many there are who think
they are not good enough to come to Christ. Do you expect to become better
through your own efforts? "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the
leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do
evil." Jeremiah 13:23. There is help for us only in God. We must not wait
for stronger persuasions, for better opportunities, or for holier tempers. We
can do nothing of ourselves. We must come to Christ just as we are.
But let none deceive
themselves with the thought that God, in His great love and mercy, will yet
save even the rejecters of His grace. The exceeding sinfulness of sin can be
estimated only in the light of the cross. When men urge that God is too good to
cast off the sinner, let them look to Calvary. It was because there was no
other way in which man could be saved, because without this sacrifice it was
impossible for the human race to escape from the defiling power of sin, and be
restored to communion with holy beings,--impossible for them again to become
partakers of spiritual life,--it was because of this that Christ took upon
Himself the guilt of the disobedient and suffered in the sinner's stead. The
love and suffering and death of the Son of God all testify to the terrible
enormity of sin and declare that there is no escape from its power, no hope of
the higher life, but through the submission of the soul to Christ.
The impenitent
sometimes excuse themselves by saying of professed Christians, "I am as
good as they are. They are no more self-denying, sober, or circumspect in their
conduct than I am. They love pleasure and self-indulgence as well as I
do." Thus they make the faults of others an excuse for their own neglect
of duty. But the sins and defects of others do not excuse anyone, for the Lord
has not given us an erring human pattern. The spotless Son of God has been
given as our example, and those who complain of the wrong course of professed
Christians are the ones who should show better lives and nobler examples. If
they have so high a conception of what a Christian should be, is not their own
sin so much the greater? They know what is right, and yet refuse to do it.
Beware of procrastination. Do not put off the
work of forsaking your sins and seeking purity of heart through Jesus. Here is
where thousands upon thousands have erred to their eternal loss. I will not
here dwell upon the shortness and uncertainty of life; but there is a terrible
danger--a danger not sufficiently understood--in delaying to yield to the
pleading voice of God's Holy Spirit, in choosing to live in sin; for such this
delay really is. Sin, however small it may be esteemed, can be indulged in only
at the peril of infinite loss. What we do not overcome, will overcome us and
work out our destruction.
Adam and Eve
persuaded themselves that in so small a matter as eating of the forbidden fruit
there could not result such terrible consequences as God had declared. But this
small matter was the transgression of God's immutable and holy law, and it
separated man from God and opened the floodgates of death and untold woe upon
our world. Age after age there has gone up from our earth a continual cry of
mourning, and the whole creation groaneth and travaileth together in pain as a
consequence of man's disobedience. Heaven itself has felt the effects of his
rebellion against God. Calvary stands as a memorial of the amazing sacrifice
required to atone for the transgression of the divine law. Let us not regard
sin as a trivial thing.
Every act of transgression, every neglect or
rejection of the grace of Christ, is reacting upon yourself; it is hardening
the heart, depraving the will, benumbing the understanding, and not only making
you less inclined to yield, but less capable of yielding, to the tender
pleading of God's Holy Spirit.
Many are quieting a
troubled conscience with the thought that they can change a course of evil when
they choose; that they can trifle with the invitations of mercy, and yet be
again and again impressed. They think that after doing despite to the Spirit of
grace, after casting their influence on the side of Satan, in a moment of
terrible extremity they can change their course. But this is not so easily
done. The experience, the education, of a lifetime, has so thoroughly molded
the character that few then desire to receive the image of Jesus.
Even one wrong trait
of character, one sinful desire, persistently cherished, will eventually
neutralize all the power of the gospel. Every sinful indulgence strengthens the
soul's aversion to God. The man who manifests an infidel hardihood, or a stolid
indifference to divine truth, is but reaping the harvest of that which he has
himself sown. In all the Bible there is not a more fearful warning against
trifling with evil than the words of the wise man that the sinner "shall
be holden with the cords of his sins." Proverbs 5:22.
Christ is ready to
set us free from sin, but He does not force the will; and if by persistent
transgression the will itself is wholly bent on evil, and we do not desire to
be set free, if we will not accept His grace, what more can He do? We have
destroyed ourselves by our determined rejection of His love. "Behold, now
is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." "Today if
ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." 2 Corinthians 6:2;
Hebrews 3:7, 8. {SC 34.2} "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the
Lord looketh on the heart"--the human heart, with its conflicting emotions
of joy and sorrow; the wandering, wayward heart, which is the abode of so much
impurity and deceit. 1 Samuel 16:7. He knows its motives, its very intents and
purposes. Go to Him with your soul all stained as it is. Like the psalmist,
throw its chambers open to the all-seeing eye, exclaiming, "Search me, O
God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any
wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139: 23, 24.
Many accept an intellectual religion, a form
of godliness, when the heart is not cleansed. Let it be your prayer,
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within
me." Psalm 51:10. Deal truly with your own soul. Be as earnest, as
persistent, as you would be if your mortal life were at stake. This is a matter
to be settled between God and your own soul, settled for eternity. A supposed
hope, and nothing more, will prove your ruin.
Study God's word prayerfully. That word
presents before you, in the law of God and the life of Christ, the great
principles of holiness, without which "no man shall see the Lord."
Hebrews 12:14. It convinces of sin; it plainly reveals the way of salvation.
Give heed to it as the voice of God speaking to your soul.
As you see the enormity of sin, as you see
yourself as you really are, do not give up to despair. It was sinners that
Christ came to save. We have not to reconcile God to us, but--O wondrous
love!--God in Christ is "reconciling the world unto Himself." 2
Corinthians 5:19. He is wooing by His tender love the hearts of His erring
children. No earthly parent could be as patient with the faults and mistakes of
his children, as is God with those He seeks to save. No one could plead more
tenderly with the transgressor. No human lips ever poured out more tender
entreaties to the wanderer than does He. All His promises, His warnings, are
but the breathing of unutterable love.
When Satan comes to tell you that you are a
great sinner, look up to your Redeemer and talk of His merits. That which will
help you is to look to His light. Acknowledge your sin, but tell the enemy that
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" and that you may
be saved by His matchless love. 1 Timothy 1:15. Jesus asked Simon a question in
regard to two debtors. One owed his lord a small sum, and the other owed him a
very large sum; but he forgave them both, and Christ asked Simon which debtor
would love his lord most. Simon answered, "He to whom he forgave
most." Luke 7:43. We have been great sinners, but Christ died that we
might be forgiven. The merits of His sacrifice are sufficient to present to the
Father in our behalf. Those to whom He has forgiven most will love Him most,
and will stand nearest to His throne to praise Him for His great love and
infinite sacrifice. It is when we most fully comprehend the love of God that we
best realize the sinfulness of sin. When we see the length of the chain that
was let down for us, when we understand something of the infinite sacrifice
that Christ has made in our behalf, the heart is melted with tenderness and
contrition.'
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