A few more thoughts on repentance…

A few more thoughts on repentance…The Greek word for repentance is “metanoia” which simply means a “change of mind.”  Repenting means to change your mind or your attitude about a particular sin.  As we was in my last blog, if we equate repentance with a change in behavior, that can result in some serious errors. 

Rick Downs is right when he says repentance should not be seen as a behavioral category—“I am doing something different.”  Repentance should be seen as a relational category.  We should think of repentance within the context of how we relate to God and Paul says repentance comes in response to the kindness of God.  That’s a relational category—God relates to us in this way—he is kind to us and we relate back to God this way—we repent of sin.  Think of it this way.  Have any of you ever walked into a sewage treatment plant or even closer to the point, a slaughtering house?  If you have, you know your first reaction is to recoil at the absolutely hideous stench.  I had an uncle that worked for years in a slaughter house (or meat packing plant) and he lost all sensitivity to the smell—along with most other smells.  When we are in sin, we are in effect walking around either not noticing or even enjoying the slaughter house aroma—it’s like our sense of smell is horribly perverted to the point of what really smells terrible, actually smells neutral or good to us.  That’s part of the mystery of iniquity.  When God works in our life to bring repentance, in his kindness, he turns our sense of smell back on and we recoil in revulsion.  And because we can smell again, we resolve to leave that place at the earliest possible moment.  Repenting or regaining our spiritual sense of smell and developing a new attitude toward the sin is NOT the same as leaving the plant.  That’s the fruit of repenting?  Augustine said, “Love God, and do as you please.”  He meant that if you truly love God, then you would by nature what pleased you would be consistent love for God.  We could change his maxim to say, “Repent, and do as you please.”  If you repent—that is, think of sin differently, you unconditionally change your behavior.  And as Luther said, this is a life-long process. Sanctification is a process where we are regularly gaining a new sense of smell toward certain sins by God’s grace and leaving those sins because we can’t stand them anymore