Surrender Control – BT3:  Repentance is our part in the divine exchange of propitiation or atonement

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Surrender Control – BT3:  Repentance is our part in the divine exchange of propitiation or atonement

 

 

Please follow the BLOG Etiquette to stay on topic and pass the moderator’s check.  Bold, underlined text below = future links to the BLOG pages.

 

This ‘divine exchange’ of propitiation or atonement between our powerless self-control/mastery and Christ’s perfect self-control/mastery does not just automatically occur for all men, and so all men are NOT saved.  It only occurs as we surrender control of our asthenes and opheleo “inherent weakness, feebleness, impotence, worthlessness, uselessness, and failure of the flesh” or our “might and power” (a) by ongoingly having trusting-relying-faith (b) in Christ’s perfect self-control/mastery.  This is the essence of “repentance (c) for the forgiveness of sins” that is the basis of the Great Commission Jesus gave to the apostles to preach to the world (d) for salvation. <Notes> a) Matthew 26:41; John 6:63, b) pistis: relational conviction of trusting reliance, c) metanoia, metanoeo, d) Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3, 5:32; 24:47; Acts 2:38, 5:31.

 

Metanoia repentance literally means “an after-effect of mind/heart/inner man, implying an internal conviction and personal inward ‘turning’ activity, where the ‘activity’ is defined by the context.”  So what is the “activity” in our particular case?  When we are confronted with “The Truth,” who is Jesus Christ (a) and His “Great News” gospel logos message of The Truth of our salvation (b), there should be an inward conviction.  That’s God’s desired response! <Notes> a) John 14:6, b) Ephesians 1:13.

 

Paul gives us very long lists of self-evident sins and says:  “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who practice such things will absolutely-in-fact-NOT inherit the kingdom of God (a) because “the flesh is absolutely asthenes and opheleo ‘inherently weak, feeble, impotent, worthless, useless, and a failure” (b) and so that there is absolutely-in-fact-NOT one that is righteous, no, absolutely-in-fact-NOT one one . . . for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (c).  This should cause an inward “conviction of sin, Christ’s righteousness, and the judgment to God of Satan and all those you are not saved by Christ” (d).  That’s God’s desired response!  <Notes> a) Galatians 5:19-21, b) Matthew 26:41; John 6:63, c) Romans 3:10, 23, d) John 16:8.

 

But “repentance” is more than a feeling of conviction.  It involves an an essential inward turning!  It is a turning away from what was before the conviction to the object of the conviction, in our case, from self to Jesus.  And certainly it should work itself out into a change of actions, for John the Baptist, who was water-baptizing Jews for repentance for the forgiveness of sins, said to the hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees, “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Poieo ‘make/create to produce’ fruit axios ‘that is worth-for-worth value on a balanced-scale with’ repentance” (a).  The apostle Paul preached that people, “should repent and/coupled turn to God, performing deeds axios ‘that is worth-for-worth value on a balanced-scale with’ their repentance” (b).  This is Morality 101!  There should be a “walk” to prove your “talk.” <Notes> a) Matthew 3:7-8; Luke 3:7-8, b) Acts 26:20.

 

As you are having this conviction “activity” occur inside you, you are having to decide whether to continue on “the way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death” (a) or choose another path to take – to surrender control of your own life and confess “Jesus is Kurios Lord, Supreme Master/Owner” (b), the earliest known Christian public confession at water-baptism that was also the first Christian Creed, thus giving Him complete control over you life!  You are now longer “the captain of your own ship.”  This is where we ‘turn from’ the unholy triune self of “me, mine, and I” and we ‘turn to’ the Holy Triune God of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  That is the saving “activity.”

 

Paul reminds Christians of this decision:  “Or you do you absolutely-in-fact-NOT eido mentally ‘see’ to perceive/know that your body actually is ongoingly a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have [received] from God?  You are absolutely-in-fact-NOT YOUR OWN, for you were bought with a [ransom] price [as a slave by the Lord who is the Master-Owner].  So glorify God in your body” (c)!  This is exactly the radical transition between covenants of Zechariah 4:6’s “absolutely-in-fact-NOT by [man’s] might nor power, but by My [God’s] Spirit.”  But we find throughout the NT that this “let go and let God” surrendering decision is not a one-time public event at our water-baptism during our public confession of sin and Jesus as Lord, but a daily private decision.  That’s what we will discuss in the next BLOG! <Notes> a) Proverbs 14:12, b) 1 Corinthians 12:3, c) 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musician, we will not experience the dynamite-like enabling power of the Holy Spirit until we surrender our powerlessness daily to Christ.  If we want the “By My Spirit” powerful experience, we have to abandon the illusion that we have the “might and power” to live our lives.  This is the essence of repentance – turning away from ourselves and the enticements of the world and turning to Jesus Christ as the sole Owner of us, the “Captain of our ship.”  Now we no longer live for ourselves!  Now we live for Christ.  He is our Lord!

 

 

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Spiritual Education, Propitiation, Atonement, Exchanging our unrighteous control for Christ’s righteous control, Repentance by confession is our part in salvation for forgiveness of sins, Repentance is a conviction to inwardly turn from self to Jesus, Repentance is surrender of might & power control to Christ as Lord to then control you, Repentance is a daily decision

Categories: Surrender Control

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