Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Feb/72

Contributor - Frank De Vries

Title - The Door to Humility

Topic - Repentance

TIME, June 21st issue, reported concerning the Jesus movement. This feature article is entitled The New Rebel Cry: Jesus is Coming! The closing sentence of this article reads: "Enthusiasm may not be the only virtue but, God knows, apathy is none at all." Mrs. J. Vander Molen in a very fine article on the unity of the Lord's people (May issue Pioneer) writes about confusion - warnet van richtingaanwijzers. Apathy and confusion describe very well the general spiritual condition of the Church today. However there is also present what I would like to call, 'holy restlessness'. The world as well as the Spirit of the, Lord are disturbing the people of the Lord. This article is an attempt to assist in clearing up some of the confusion, remove some of the apathy and wherever needed cause either rest or restlessness.

Why have many Christians such an apathetic, lukewarm spirit? Why do we seem to be such powerless Christians, incapable of getting out of deep run ruts? Why are we not free to move? There may be many reasons. However two are basic. In the parable oi the 'Prodigal Son' our Lord presents us with a story in which two brothers have an important role. Both men display a certain spiritual state of mind. They show peculiar attitudes to the love and grace of their Father. For example the youngest son is dissatisfied with home or, perhaps more accurate, with the fences - restrictions, rules, regulations. His, passions for pleasure and being himself (who doesn't want to be) force him to go 'outside' to, join the world i.e. to become a slave of his passions and ambitions. Without qualms of conscience he squandered his father's property. Seemingly he was not aware of the simple fact that he, a son, and the material things his father gave him, belonged in essence to his father. In his foolishness he used himself and the money as if they belonged to him; and he used them to glorify himself. He was a bad son indeed! The second son can be called a 'good' son. He stays at home; inside the fence. He does not mind the restrictions, regulations and rules; he faithfully lives according to good traditional family mores; he served his father well. But he was also a bad son. Why was he bad? Because he thought that he had a right to be honoured on account of his obedience to the rules and regulations. He deserved to be honored! The youngest son openly rejects the love of his father, and the oldest son takes it for granted. Neither of the two appreciated the love and faithful care of their father. Two pictures of two types of Christians. The youngest son symbolizes not only those Christians who completely have exchanged life with the heavenly Father for a life in the world, but also those Christians who consistently keep on going (running) in and out of the world. These are the people who live a 'minimum' life for the Lord - minimum prayer, minimum Bible reading, minimum sharing in the life of the congregation, minimum SELF DENIAL.

The oldest son symbolizes the Christian who faithfully lives according to Christian rules. He has been taught to believe and trust in the Lord but he does not know the meaning of them. Through the years Christianity has become a meaningless empty shell for him. He does not know the abundant life the Lord talks about in John 10 : 10. How come that many Christians have come to this point where faith in Christ has become an empty concept? As I see it, they have grown accustomed to the love and grace of God the Heavenly Father. Living in the Christian community has become 'natural'. It has become normalized. They have never asked: what shall we do" to be accepted by God (Acts 2 : 37). They do not need to. Their spiritual pride does not allow them to see their need for a change of heart. Consequently and seemingly they take God's costly grace and miraculous love for granted. Something we take for granted we do not appreciate nor take serious. This is why there are so many unhappy Christians, unsure Christians, unloving Christians, proud and critical Christians; Christians who in their ignorance and blindness resist and oppose the Holy Spirit in their own lives and in the congregation. The oldest son was very unhappy with the conversion of his youngest brother. Imagine! He was very critical of his loving father. He opposed him. He concluded that his irresponsible brother should have been thrown in outer darkness. The pharisees cried out, 'Throw this Jesus out'.

'Better than thou' attitudes grow very well on the fertile soils of the ignorance of God's love. This is the reason why people leave a Christian fellowship which according to them is not up to the standard of their knowledge of faith or so called spiritual experiences. What will change the world oriented life of the one son, and the 'normalized' home-life of the other son? Jesus gave a clear answer: rebirth and repentance. The youngest son 'came to himself' (rebirth) and returned home (repentance). The process of coming to himself and returning home is conversion. When he met his loving, forgiving father, he said: 'Father I have sinned . . .'. The oldest son must have bowed his head in shame when his understanding father said to him: 'My son, all that is mine is yours.' In other words, open your eyes to the truth of my love for you. Be Grateful!

Repentance is the gate to the abundant life in Jesus Christ. Only repentance will revitalize the apathetic Christian. It seems to me that this is what Rev. J. Opmeer s saying in his article, The Truth in the Charismatic Movement (se e Pioneer May '71), in which he states that "This gift of the Holy Spirit must be accepted appropriated, released, expressed, if there is to be power of Christian life and witness." By repentance, made possible by regeneration, a Christian appropriates and. actively accepts the gifts of the Holy Spirit. At this point confusion exists. A person does not receive the Holy Spirit by making an easy decision for Christ at the appropriate time and place; nor does he receive Him by making confession of faith according to the accepted form; some kind of forced or suggested experience does not open a heart for the Holy Spirit. On the gate allowing entrance into the Father's home we still read: REPENTANCE! (Every person in our Reformed Church should learn Hymn -274, The Hymnbook, by heart).i Yes, the heavenly Father comes to meet us in Jesus Christ to give His love and pardoning grace, 'but only a contrite repentant heart shows that it is ready and willing to receive His love and grace, through the Holy Spirit.

The fact is that Jesus came to give repentance. In the book of Acts we read- "God exalted Him ('Jesus) at His right hand as Leader and Saviour to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins." This is true for the Israelites as well as for the now Jews. For in Acts 11 : 18 we are able to share in the joy of the apostles when "they glorified God, saying, 'Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto life'." To whoever the Lord grants this repentance, to that person He will give the Holy Spirit. Whoever resists this repentance, resists the Holy Spirit and rejects the Son of God -and therefore the love of God, the Father. Peter declared on Pentecost: "Repent, and be baptized and you will receive the Holy Spirit." Repentance is a basic necessity both before and after baptism. Baptism (infant or adult) is closely related to repentance. Baptism - especially infant baptism - is God's kindness to man; and "God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance" (Rom. 2 : 4). If baptism' does not lead a person to repentance, it has either been a useless ritual, or and most likely so the baptized have used their freedom in Christ "as an opportunity for the flesh" (Gal. 5 : 13).

It is a grim reality in Reformed Churches that we have not taken our baptism - rising to new life in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit - serious enough. Of course, taking our baptism serious is the most painful aspect of the Christian faith - rising, means dying; dying of our natural, yes, even our spiritual egos! Since death, even spiritual death, is a nasty subject, we force our thoughts about it into our subconscious minds. Thanks be to God, who forces us today, through His Spirit, to face the real issue - rising to an abundant new life in Christ! Repentance is a basic ingredient of this rising - Peter wept. Let us be assured that repentance is a primary Charismatic gift - a gift of grace. Anyone who does not possess this gift is not prepared to receive the Lord's special gift for the upbuilding and edification of His, body - as for example these gifts are found in Rom. 12 : 3-8 and 1 Cor. 12. Only he who has turned away from worldly living or an empty formalized Christian way of living is able to "earnestly desire the higher gifts" (1 Cor. 12 :31).

The highest gift to be desired is Love. We are called in the first place to aim for this gift. He who manifests love in his life manifests the presence and wonder of the Holy Spirit. All other minor gifts must be subject to and be controlled by this primary gift Love. This love is patient and kind; this love is not jealous or boastful; this love does not insist on its own way. This love the Heavenly Father has revealed and shown us, and what is so marvelous, He is still giving it today to people who reject it and take it for granted. He is yet anxiously waiting to pour this love into the hearts of those who hunger and thirst for it; to give it to those who respond to the call:

Come to the Saviour now,

He gently calleth thee;

In true repentance bow,

Before Him bend the knee;

He waiteth to bestow

Salvation, peace, and love,

True joy on earth below,

A home in heaven above.

Hymn- 261 (The Hymnbook)

Love received through repentance will give us the humility we so desperately need to actively and enthusiasticly serve the Lord and one another. -

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