Embracing Repentance: Unveiling the True Nature of God’s Love
Zechariah 1-3; Revelation 16; Ecclesiastes 12
Are we dealing with an angry God? Are we abandoned in our sin?
More and more, I’m asking the Lord for revelation on what the Gospel is and what it isn’t. The more I press in, the more I see that we have gotten off track—off in our understanding, off in our knowledge of God. The Gospel is the Good News because it is the finished work of Jesus. Whether or not we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and King does not determine whether He is the Lord, Savior, and King. Our recognition of Him only determines whether we become today’s beneficiaries of this ultimate reality.
The invitation we have in Christ is so unexpected, so glorious, which is maybe why we seem to miss it. We are not being invited into a set of Kingdom principles, although surely His Kingdom operates with principles. We are being invited into the union of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are being invited to enter into their relationship with one another. We are included!
Maybe I sound like a broken record, harping on this one thing. But from what I hear, this record doesn’t get played enough. We settle for a “gospel” that rests on our works, on our goodness, which, if you don’t already know, is no gospel at all.
Why did Jesus come?
Namely, to reveal our Father to us. We had lost the plot. Attributing to the One who loves us best and most, a harshness and coldness that is so other than His character, was it any wonder we continued to run away rather than toward Him?
Jesus begins His ministry with one word: Repent.
It means more than changing our behavior. It goes deeper than that. It means to have a complete change of mind. But a change of mind about what?
And here’s the point. Repentance isn’t the call to be more concerned and consumed with our own waywardness. And yet certainly, we have all gone astray. Repentance is to see and remember something about our Father that isn’t rooted in a lie. It’s the call to see Him again as He is: Altogether loving. Altogether good. Altogether merciful.
When we see Him, we will come home. When we see Him, we also see, maybe for the first time, our filthiness. It’s only when we come into the light that we see our darkness. We can’t see our true state without His light.
Let’s look at this passage together from the reading:
Zechariah 3
3 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.
First of all, who is the accuser? It’s not the Lord. The Lord isn’t accusing. Satan, the enemy of God, and thus our enemy, stands accusing.
Who defends? The Lord! The Lord defends. The Lord rebukes Satan, that liar and corrupter.
Joshua, covered in filth, just like all of us at one point or another, stands helpless. He can’t defend himself. He stands in his own filth condemned. He has no defense for himself.
And then who clothes? The Lord! The angel of the Lord removes the old covering, and dresses Joshua in pure vestments. The angel of the Lord takes away Joshua’s iniquity. The Lord does the work here!
Joshua is the recipient! He stands. He allows. But the work, the exchange, is all done by the Lord.
This is the Good News.
We get this so wrong. The church jumbles all the roles. Somehow, we’ve cast God as our accuser, the enemy as the silent party, and we’ve made ourselves the central actor in the salvation story. Is it any wonder we are experiencing burnout? Is it any wonder our instinct is still to run and hide from our God?
The central actor in the salvation narrative is the Godhead. The original casting is best!
If you find yourself hiding and running away from the One who loves you best and most, revisit who you’ve got cast in what role. In other words, if you find yourself pointed in the wrong direction, repent. It’s as simple as that.
Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompts
- Understanding the Nature of God: Reflect on your current view of God. How does it align with the loving, forgiving nature described in the Gospel? How might misconceptions about God’s character be influencing your spiritual life?
- Repentance and Perception: Journal about what repentance means to you. How does changing your perception of God alter the way you approach repentance? Consider instances where a deeper understanding of God’s mercy might encourage you to turn towards Him rather than away.
- Role Reflection: Who have you cast in the roles of accuser, defender, and savior in your spiritual narrative? Reflect on any times you might have mistakenly viewed God as an accuser or yourself as the central actor in your relationship with Him.
- The Gospel as Good News: Write about the last time you truly felt the Gospel was good news. What made it feel so vital and liberating at that moment? How can you reclaim that feeling amidst current challenges or spiritual weariness?
- Living Out the Gospel: Consider practical ways you can live out the reality of being “clothed in pure vestments” by God. How does this image affect your daily interactions, your self-perception, and your commitments to others in your community?
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