Repentance and God's Promises

Devotional

In his book The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning makes an incredibly astute observation of those who are poor in spirit. He writes, “The saved sinner is prostrate in adoration, lost in wonder and praise. He knows repentance is not what we do in order to earn forgiveness; it is what we do because we have been forgiven.” To be poor in spirit is to live in a constant state of repentance founded on the already promised forgiveness of a just and loving God.

Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” By the grace of God you and I are promised forgiveness every time we repent. We never have to question whether or not we have been forgiven. Every drop of Jesus’ blood proved God’s commitment both to justice and forgiveness. By the powerful sacrifice of Jesus, you and I have received reconciliation to a holy God, the greatest accomplishment of God’s continual forgiveness.

If we are going to experience the fullness of life made available to us by God’s continual forgiveness, we must seek to be poor in spirit. When we live as though we have it all together we blind ourselves to our continual need of repentance and forgiveness. When we compare our righteousness to other believers rather than God’s command in 1 Peter 1:16, “You shall be holy, for I am holy,” we adopt a posture of being rich in spirit. To believe we are spiritually rich is to miss out on the continual provision of God to those who are in need. Not one of us is spiritually rich in and of ourselves. Not one of us is without need of God’s forgiveness. Not one of us can step outside of completely depending on God and live the life Jesus died to give us.

By contrast, those who live in a constant state of being poor in spirit experience the abundant joy and peace that comes from being wholly met by God’s unconditional love. You and I don’t have to clean ourselves up to come before our heavenly Father. We don’t have to get our act together before we receive forgiveness for our sins. In fact, the quicker we turn to God in the middle of our mess the more we experience the ever-open arms of our heavenly Father running out to meet us (Luke 15:11-32).

There is joy in a holy, perfect God coming down to us at our greatest point of weakness. There is peace in knowing we are already accepted and loved by our heavenly Father. True life in the kingdom of God comes to those who respond with awe, reverence, humility, and an acknowledgment of their own depravity to God’s open invitation to receive his forgiveness and grace. Open your eyes to see your great need of God’s forgiveness and grace. Take an honest look at your life. And seek continual, immediate repentance for your sin knowing that you will always be met with instant forgiveness and compassion from the Father.