October 31st is commonly known as Reformation Day, which is the anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing of his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg. The very first thesis states that the life of the believer should be a life of repentance. But, what does that mean? It’s a big statement, and maybe a little discouraging at first glance. Am I really that bad that I need to spend every moment of my life repenting? Not exactly, but kind of.
The bottom line is that, as you are probably aware, we come up painfully short of God’s righteous standard every waking day of our lives, from the thoughts we have, to the things we say, to the way we treat others. However, the key here is that my life of repentance is focused on the fact that I have wronged God, not others.
When Erica and I were engaged, I still had some ugly habits in my life that needed to go. However, when I was first confronted with the ugliness of my sin, I was grieving only for the harm and the loss in my relationship with Erica, not the fact that my sin separated me from God. How selfish! I was wrapped up in the consequences of my sin, instead of grieving the mere existence of my sin.
Even the smallest of sins dooms me to eternal separation from God, but because of Jesus’ sacrifice, I can approach the throne of God with no fear of condemnation (Romans 8:1). When this life of repentance and freely approaching God becomes like breathing in my life, I am more quick to admit my sin, and I start skipping past the denial of how bad my sin really is, past the excuses I make for my behavior, and past the lies I tell myself about how my sin doesn’t really affect anyone else.
Tim Keller puts it like this: “The more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you. But on the other hand, the more aware you are of God’s grace and acceptance in Christ, the more able you are to drop your denials and self-defenses, and admit the true dimensions of your sin. The sin under all other sins is a lack of joy in Christ.”
I still have a long way to go in this, but working on this in a life of repentance creates a humility (or an attempt at it) where I, when good things happen, can say, “I don’t deserve this, and it’s only by the grace of God,” and when bad things happen, I can say, “I deserve so much worse than this, and by the grace of God, I won’t get it.” A life of repentance keeps me humble, always knowing how fully I depend on God’s grace and nothing else.
I can’t wait to see all of you again soon! In the meantime, stay safe, and keep relying on the grace of God everyday.
Scott Dienner