Basic Lesson #1: Lifestyle of Repentance (Part 2)

One common obstacle to repentance is condemnation, the fact that we feel lousy at not being "good enough". One of the comforting things that I want to share is that repentance is not all about turning away from evil and turning to good. (If you can understand this, this lesson would not have been in vain.) Most of the time, repentance is about turning away from what is acceptable to what is God's most perfect way, turning away from what is good to what is better. (Sidenote: the repentance that involves moral issues is often easy enough to understand and to recognise. So I'll talk about it later.) In other words, sometimes it's got nothing to do with you being good enough or not. It's got to do with being willing to learn. And some of us, understandably, may feel bad at having to learn. Can I reassure you that there's no shame in learning? :) None of us, myself included, ever knew whatever we knew from birth. Someone had to teach us, change our diapers, guide us in the ways of life, teach us even the language we use(!). And most of us have spent at least a good 12 years of our lives learning intensely before having some kind of stability to handle life as an individual. If this is true of earthly issues, what more of spiritual issues? If this is true so that we can live on earth a measly 70 years, what more of the spiritual education that is meant to last us until eternity? :) God is a great master teacher. You remember the best teacher you ever had? The one who wouldn't give up on you, the one who always believed in you, the one who would make complicated stuff seem simple by explaining it in such a concise way, the one who demonstrated how to throw the ball, saw the wood, and even took you by the hands when you really really could not even start? Our God has all these attributes and more. He will never despise your learning, i.e. your repenting. Just repent, i.e. be willing to change your mind and heart.

What about moral issues? As Romans 8:1-2 says, "Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death." Now this is the solution to all feelings of condemnation! Firstly, it means we are truly and bluely not under condemnation (despite whatever our feelings may tell us). :) Believe His word! Secondly, there finally is a solution to our lifelong problem with sin and addiction. Take note of what the Word of God says: "Through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death". You see, if all we had was "we are not under condemnation", we'll just ignore our feelings of guilt. But I trust you identify with me when I say "you can't run from it forever". Right? Somehow, or the other, our sense of fallenness catches up with us, and it can be very demoralising. Point 2 here is very very useful. What will set us free from the power of sin? The Spirit of life. Did you realise that "the law of sin" here is referring to the power that sin has over our lives, not an actual law? So what's the law of the Spirit of life? Not another set of principles and rules to follow follow follow, but the power and control of the Holy Spirit over our lives. In other words, in the same way that sin and death used to control us and dictate our lives to the extent that we treat it as a given fact of life, the Holy Spirit is able to control us and dictate our lives in a way that is completely counter-cultural and counter-worldly. And in the same way that sin 'naturally' exerts power over our lives, without us having to psych ourselves to do sin, the Holy Spirit, as God himself, will exert his power over our lives, setting us miraculously free, if we will let him do so. Holiness will not be a psych-ing thing anymore. It will stem supernaturally, from the Holy Ghost.

Some people say, "That hasn't happened for me!" Time for point 3: notice the words "has set me free"? That's the kind of certainty the Word of God promises us about our victory. It's not whether it will happen. But that it will surely happen. It's so certain that the best way to express it is to use the past tense. For as surely as Jesus has died for us and has cleansed us with his blood, so is it equally as certain that he has set us free, and that in specific, unpredictable moments in our life, we will see the realisation of this holiness which he has already provided for us.

In short form, take heart! God is at work in your life. Nothing you can do, but if you trust Him, he will make a miracle of your life. And you will see it!