Things the Church Needs to Talk About: Humility and Repentance

All too often, many in the church talk about "your best life now," and how "God wants you to realize your dreams." The thing is, I've searched the scriptures and I can't find either of these (or anything like it) within the Scriptures. As a matter of fact, I can't think of one person within Scripture who had wealth, wisdom, and an easy life from beginning to end. Those who had wealth either had to constantly atone for mistakes they made, and those who had wisdom usually ended up doing things to glorify themselves. And, I will add, no single person in the whole of scripture had an easy life from beginning to end. What those of a godly heart DID have were two qualities the church needs to teach, talk about and embrace: humility and repentance. I think of David, often, when I think on these two words. David was a sinner, and even an adulterer and a murderer, all of his sins, according to the law, punishable by death. What set him apart as being after God's own heart? When he blew it, he humbled himself, literally on his knees in prayer and fasting at times before God, and he repented. What is this word repentance? Is it admitting your mistakes? Yes. Is it being sorry for what you've done? Absolutely! But it's also more than that. It's recognizing your need for a savior, and turning from rebellion (sin) to God solely for that purpose. Through Christ, God saves us. We can't save ourselves. All throughout Scriptures, the prophets call Israel to repentance. Since Jesus, Jesus, the apostles, and prophets of the New Testament did the same. God desires our repentance; there is no salvation without it! We can't be saved if we continue deliberately in sin. Repentance always requires humility, recognizing that God is on the throne, we're deserving of death, but His Grace and Mercy on us keeps us from obliteration! Jesus died and rose again so that we can live in repentance towards God, and walk in humility and love and the power of the Holy Spirit, as He did. As we talk about Sin, let us also talk about humility and repentance toward God, that, by Grace through faith, all who are willing may be saved! 1 John 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.