S133P2 – Words to live by: repentance matters
Lk. 13:1-5
There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
She lived her life in sin before learning about the Lord, which is how it is for everyone. She said the prayer she was told to pray, and she started studying with the church. As time progressed, she learned the folly of her ways and the reasons why so many aspects of her old life were leading her toward destruction. Years passed, and she learned more, but there were some parts of her old life she felt she could not escape. These were not just temptations for her, but she internalized them as part of who she is, as part of her identity. She decided there were some things she could not overcome or change or resist, so she continued in those ways, hoping for grace to make up the difference for her on that day.
Many will read these words of Christ as a correction of the idea that some are more sinful, more lost, more originally bound for judgment and destruction than others. His words tell the listeners that they are no less sinful than the ones who died such terrible deaths, who met such horrible ends as he describes. While this is true, there is perhaps a more fundamental truth here. No matter how seemingly good or bad, how seemingly sinful or holy, the key to salvation for everyone is repentance. Change is necessary in order to be saved. God’s love does not allow for eternal communion with him for all regardless of repentance. It reserves this relationship only for those who yield to change in order to conform to his character, image, and likeness.
There is a progressive teaching today that tells us God will save us all because He is too loving to do otherwise. That teaching ignores the fact that God cannot countenance sin; He cannot accept it. Salvation is about making a choice. We do not choose to be born lost, but we must choose whether we want to remain lost or avail ourselves of the free yet wildly costly gift God has for us. No one is so bad that repentance would be ineffective, and no one is so good that repentance would be unnecessary. The words of Christ make it clear: unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Father, refresh our understanding of the doctrine of repentance, and bring us to a place of sincerely laying down our sin.