2/20/20 Keith (to see video click HERE)
When it comes down to it, that’s the main question we must
face as we think about our own mortality.
We have already sinned, so it’s not like any amount of repentance or
good works can make us less guilty on judgement day.
For a young man named Keith, who had grown up attending the
family apostolic church, his relationship with God seemed to center all around
repentance, and for him the fact that he knew he would probably just turn
around and sin again was a major stumbling block to his faith.
Keith felt like he needed to achieve such a level of repentance
that he would be absolutely sinless in order to enter God’s holy and perfect
heaven. He seemed to feel like some of
the older members of the family church, those who regularly display signs that
they have “caught the Holy Ghost”, have somehow achieved that level of
perfection.
So my question seemed to catch him off guard a little: What about the sins we have already
committed? Can any level of repentance
wipe our slate clean as if we had never sinned in the first place? Can repentance “wash away our sins”?
Well, what does the Bible say? There are many passages that refer to having
our sins washed away or being cleansed from sin. No doubt Keith’s church, with its emphasis on
the work and power of the Holy Spirit, has focused in on those passages related
to the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the early church, such as this one from
Acts 2, when Peter preached in the power of the Holy Spirit on the day of
Pentecost: “Now when they heard this,
they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,
"Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them,
"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Indeed, in our conversation, Keith did place great
importance on repentance and, secondly, baptism, for salvation.
Maybe Peter, who had just been filled with the Holy Spirit
himself, wanted to fast-track his listeners to the same experience he’d had, so
he gave them some solid steps to take – “repent and be baptized”. But was this meant for all time as step by
step instructions for salvation? From
the way he described it, Keith had been there and done all that, and was now
finding himself falling back into the ways of the world. It sounded like he is on a roller-coaster
ride from one spiritual experience to another.
Keith and I also talked about the importance of reading
Bible verses in context, and that would be my advice for making sense of the
large number of verses and reference to cleansing and the washing away of
sins. Many were initially directed
toward an Old Testament Jewish audience.
Others were directed toward unbelievers needing salvation, and still others
were directed toward people who were already believers, intended to give
assurance of salvation and wisdom for godly living in Christ.
Was this passage from Acts intended for unbelievers or
believers? They had already been “cut to
the quick” by Peter’s preaching of the Gospel, and they wanted to know what
they could do next. Isn’t that the
natural reaction of new believers? “Lord,
you’ve saved me, you gave your life for me.
Now how can I give my life to you?”
Jesus had a ready answer for believers wanting to show him
their love and gratitude – “If you love me, keep my commands.” But this wasn’t meant as step by step
instruction for salvation or spiritual cleansing.
Repentance, baptism in a local body of believers, good works, and sanctified living are all important aspects of our life in Christ, but they can’t cleanse us initially for salvation. Maybe the famous hymn answers the question most simply. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
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