Repentance Is The Only Leg Faith Has To Stand On

If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows. [Psalm 7.12-13] 

In his effort to improve his condition and remedy suffering, man is in a constant state of learning about himself and the world in which he lives. Consequently, the knowledge and solutions of yesterday appear ignorant and brutish compared to the knowledge and solutions of today as man perpetually learns more about the intricacies of life and living.

Biblically speaking, "to improve his own condition" should come as no surprise as man, created in the image of God, does so in his inherent creative power. If we believe the Bible, it is only natural that man, like God Who created him, would operate in the same creative manner. But, there is a problem...

If the Bible is true, man's inherent creative power has a limitation. God, as Creator, and therefore, the One in charge, placed a boundary upon man to function and exist (in his inherent creative power) only according to God's will. God warned man of imminent death if he disobeyed God utilizing his inherent creative power for his own selfish outcomes. Man, at the encouragement of Satan, first turned his inherent creative power against God in the thought, "Has God really said...?" What followed was God's forewarned death played out in daily suffering until consummated in physical death. God sharpened His sword; He bent and strung His bow. God prepared His deadly weapons and began shooting His flaming arrows.

We have no record that Adam and Eve ever repented. What started with Adam and Eve, operating in their inherent creative power but outside God's will, remains man's fallen condition today. No matter how much man attempts to "serve himself" with his knowledge and abilities, it is, and never will be, enough. Man's solutions (idols) of debt, insurance, medicine, technology, and even religion all exist today as man's effort to serve himself. Is it any wonder that these solutions never really eradicate man's problems, but merely extend those problems over a longer period of time ruthlessly milking every dollar possible from man as he attempts to improve himself?

For all the "remedy" that man's ever-advancing solutions offer, God's simple solution is repentance. It is a fool's errand for man to continue to use his inherent creative power to provide solutions for himself instead of repenting. This is precisely why man is trapped on the endless "treadmill" of "new and emerging" yet "quickly obsolescent" ways of man to remediate his suffering that have grown into calculated, blood-sucking, for-profit industries whose very existence is entirely dependent upon man's continued suffering. The fact that man disobediently turns to (trusts in) these industries instead of turning to (trusting in) God alone insures their ongoing existence.

If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows. [Psalm 7.12-13] 

"Oh, but Jesus brought us grace!" one might defensively argue... But in full disclosure, and in consideration of Jesus' own words, how can we assume grace when there is no repentance?

“The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” [Mark 1.15] 

Every sin of man begins with "self." "Self" is the driving force of idolatry. In all of man's focus upon "self" (debt, insurance, medicine, technology, and religion) he remains in idolatry - he remains unrepentant - he continues to provide for himself his own solutions - his own ways - instead of God's solution of repentance.

If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows. [Psalm 7.12-13]

With all man's ways to care for himself as the alternative, Jesus clearly defined God's will:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Giving up our own way (our inherent creative power turned selfish and disobedient) is to turn away from it and turn to Jesus (in inherent creative power without selfishness and disobedience). "Repent" means to turn away. And, to turn away from something is to turn to something else. Jesus was explicit regarding what we are to turn to: our cross. As Jesus selflessly lived His entire life in the shadow of - in anticipation of - His cross, we are to selflessly live our lives in the shadow of - in anticipation of - our own cross. But we will never even see our cross as long as we are looking to the idols of our own ways.

Regardless how the "faith movement" tends to overlook it, faith is never the solution without repentance (Jesus said “Repent... and believe...”). And, regardless how those who oppose the "faith movement" depend on it, faith is not abstract. Since repentance is an action of "turning away and turning to," faith depends on repentance because:

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. [James 2.14-17]

So this brings Godly light to Jesus saying give up your own way (turn away (repent) from selfishness), take up your cross (turn (repent) to selflessness - deference to others), and follow Me. 

Repentance is not a bad word. Repentance is the only leg faith has to stand on. Repentance is not a feeling, but an action - the selfless action of love as James described it above and as Paul confirms below:

For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. [Galatians 5.6]

Father, help us to see the truth of Your Word as You reveal it through the Bible. May we see the entire Bible (Jesus in the Old Testament, Jesus in the New Testament, and the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus in our lives) calling us to repentance. So be it.