REPENTANCE IN LIGHT OF THE TENSION BETWEEN STRUGGLE AND VICTORY IN THE BIBLE
The Bible depicts suffering and struggle side by side with blessing and victory; the relationship between them is complex and is not inappropriately termed a mystery.
It is possible to inappropriately declare mystery in Scripture when we simply haven’t done the prerequisite hard, humble work of digging in to discern what is actually clearly stated. This fits with the amorphous, pluralistic, privatized spirit of the age.
However, in some parts of the church, the other extreme exists, where all of Scripture is reduced to clear, concrete doctrines.
This hyper-doctrinal focus is pragmatic and efficient. It is analogous to a consumer, factory model where fruit is processed and canned. It can be neatly stacked and stored, ready to be accessed and consumed any time we want. In a similar way it is convenient to have the words and deeds of God, that are revealed in Scripture and in the life of Jesus, reduced to doctrine that is stored in a neat, unchanging, accessible form. Every situation we face can quickly be met with a doctrinal solution.
However, I believe the Bible itself teaches that the Word of God is living and active and cannot be reduced to a “canned” form. A more appropriate analogy for working with Scripture is dealing with a complex, living fruit orchard.
Just, like working with an orchard, you need to keep returning to the Bible. You have to keep checking all it says and interacting with all parts of it. You have to keep bringing the changing circumstances and seasons of your life, along with the changing problems and questions that occur with these seasons, to the living God. As we place ourselves under the authority of the indissolubly linked Word and Spirit, God brings illumination and guidance.
WE NEED TO AVOID BOTH EXTREMES
We must not reduce the living word of God to oversimplified, sterile doctrines. Nor must we declare mystery, paradox and tension until we’ve examined all the relevant Scripture; until we have personally and worshipfully struggled with the scriptures like Jacob wrestling with God in the Old Testament; until we have worked with all parts of the Bible in a careful, nuanced, systematic fashion – like Solomon building the temple according to clear instructions (i.e. established and reliable interpretive principles).
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT CHRISTIAN PERFECTION
So let’s look at what Scripture seems to say about the issue of Christian perfection, so that we can have appropriate expectations when it comes to walking in a lifestyle of repentance.
It does seem clear that the declaration of our new identity in Christ with a genuine new nature is a solid biblical fact that we can build on. It is an accomplished reality, as many verses declare:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2Cor 5:17).
“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,” (Eph 2:6).
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:3-11).
At first glance, it seems quite clear that we are a new creation and we shouldn’t be sinning at all.
However, there are an equally impressive number of scriptures that can be marshalled to show that this reality is not something that we can easily live up to with absolute consistently. I’ve yet to find someone who can say they have consistently lived in this state through their whole life. The following Scripture attest to the incompleteness of our current state:
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently” (Rom 8:22-25).
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Php 3:12-14).
“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2Co 5:1-5).
“So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; (43) it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; (44) it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body” (1Co 15:42-44).
THE TENSION BETWEEN STRUGGLE AND VICTORY
There remains, then, a clear tension between struggle and victory in the Bible.
If you want to defend the victorious emphasis you could say, “Yes but none of these verses of struggle have to do with sin. They have to do with persecution or living in this fallen world.” However, Scripture does not make a neat demarcation between our struggle and weakness being only of one kind and not of another. We are a unified being. We struggle in every area and we have a promise and a victory in every area. Working out our salvation involves all areas of our being and life contexts.
When we look at the Scripture it talks of one Salvation, one type of Christian, one Calling. This is clear from Ephesians 4:
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; (5) one Lord, one faith, one baptism; (6) one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph 4:4-6)
One could easy then be tempted to say we should have one message with a single expectation of Christians. Some insist on victory and sinlessness as the single message, while others claim that struggle and Grace until we get our Resurrection bodies is the true message.
However, while there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Christian life -with no second class citizens and no half-baked commitments allowed, this single reality is received and expressed differently by different people, as well as differently by the same people at different stages of their life.
GOOD AND BAD REASONS FOR OUR DIVERSE RESPONSES (…BUT GOD GIVES MORE GRACE)
The diversity of responses to the uncompromising call of the gospel is inevitable, for both good and bad reasons, and the Bible, with its usual brilliance, understands and accommodates this reality.
In terms of good reasons, these differences reflect God’s sovereignly decreed diversity.
When we read Ephesians 4:4-6 we often omit verse seven, which precisely talks about this variety.
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; (5) one Lord, one faith, one baptism; (6) one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (7) But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it” (Eph 4:4-7).
Similarly, the whole of 1 Corinthians 12 talks of a single body with great diversity. Romans 12:3-8 also talks of a single body with different functions. And it is quite certain that God’s sovereignly willed diversity extends beyond functions, to personality, styles, values, commitments, etc.
This has nothing to do with first and second class citizens, allowed to display varying levels of commitments. God only has first class citizens and calls everyone to be fully committed. Romans 14 also deals with diversity (around food and sacred days). Although differences are related to a weaker or less developed faith or conscience there is still the single call for each one to be fully convinced in his or her mind and live fully unto God.
In terms of bad reasons for diversity, this too is inevitable and does not make a dent in God’s purposes and victory-guaranteeing grace. These differences occur because of a lower commitment to God and His purposes. Here we have a different response to the call of the gospel, not because of God-decreed diversity but because of unbelief and resistance in our hearts.
When you read the whole Bible you see this reality reflected. God continually calls his children to move beyond half-hearted responses to full commitment, but He does not withhold salvation or abandon us as His children, any more than a natural parent does. We do however, suffer and miss out because of our compromise:
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. (11) For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. (12) If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, (13) their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. (14) If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. (15) If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames” (1Co 3:10-15).
ACCOMODATING DIVERSITY THROUGH AN UNCOMPROMISING FAITHFULNESS TO ALL OF SCRIPTURE
So we have to avoid compromising or collapsing the full gospel and the full message of repentance into a lazy, oversimplified form, where we try make our lives easier by only accommodating one kind of response. There is only one high calling, but it’s given with grace and understanding and patience.
We must preach the full gospel in all its tensions: with all its warnings and rebukes as well as all its encouragements and promises, as Paul did with Timothy:
“Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops” (2Ti 2:3-6).
Yet when Paul addresses the whole church and gives instructions of how to relate to people he says, “… warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1Th 5:14).
There is clearly not the presentation of one super-victorious, motivating gospel calling all to be top-level soldiers straight away.
Nor is there a weak, compromised, cheap-grace gospel saying, “It’s okay, stay in hospital for the rest of your Christian walk.”
Our only option is to keep returning to the Bible, repeatedly pressing into its message so that we can consistently interpret and proclaim it with integrity. We must flee all attempts to reduce it to a complete and controllable set of exhaustive doctrines as well any tinkering and tweaking of the core gospel message. This challenging tension is reflected in Ecclesiastes:
“Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise— why destroy yourself? Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool— why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes” (Ecc 7:16-18).
We must courageously present this full gospel, without meddling; courageously preaching every part, in its light and shade, with its hard and gentle parts, fully facing the kindness AND the sternness of God (Rom 11:22).
If we do this, we will automatically meet the needs of the diverse body of Christ, the new believer and decades-old one, the fully committed and the half-hearted.
If you are in a church and you’re not really converted but you consistently hear the full gospel there’s a chance that you will have false assurance removed and be convicted by the Holy Spirit and genuinely repent and be saved. Similarly, if you’re a new Christian and you are shaky in your foundations or you’re an older Christian who’s grown compromised, you will be encouraged to make your calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10), i.e. stable, steadfast and fruitful. And if you are blessed to be in a state of revival and commitment, you will receive the appropriate mixture of warning and encouragement to keep going and persevering; in humility, staying ever watchful.
Let us joyfully and consistently receive God’s love and grace through warning…
“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. (12) So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1Co 10:11-12)
…and through encouragement:
“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— (25) to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen” (Jud 1:24-25).
