Real Repentance

The greatest and most dangerous lie that holds modern Christians in captivity is told in the majority of churches every Sunday. The lie is this – You should rededicate yourself to God. “Why,” you might ask, “would it be a lie to tell people they should rededicate themselves to God?” I respond to your question with a question – “What does it mean to rededicate ourselves to God?” Most would say, “Well, it means that we turn away from our self centeredness, our sins of omission and commission and assure God that, with His help, we intend to do better.” It sounds so noble. That’s what makes it so sinister.

Consider the story of the prodigal son. He left the pig pen fully intending to rededicate himself to his father. Would you agree with that? His plan was to go home and tell his father that he had sinned and that, from this point on, he would serve him better. (“I’ve sinned against heaven and in your sight and am not worthy to be your son. Make me as one of your servants.”) “I’ve sinned, but promise to be a good servant now.” Can this be called anything other than “rededication?”

I propose to you that, when he got home, the father rejected his attempt at rededication. He insisted on something greater – repentance. Repentance from what? Pig pens and far country excursions? No, repentance from rejecting his father’s unconditional love and acceptance.

I believe Jesus had the father pour out his love on his son before he gave his speech to show that the father didn’t want the son to make a connection between his father’s acceptance and his own rededication. The bewildered son wasn’t given the chance to make any promises. His only choice was to either relax in his father’s arms and accept his acceptance, or pull away. The way the story unfolds shows us which choice he made.

He never did rededicate himself. Instead, he repented right there in his father’s arms. Don’t jump to the wrong conclusion about his repentance. I don’t mean he repented of his sins. That came in the process, but more importantly he repented of the faulty view he had held about his father. He had thought what his father wanted was better behavior, when in reality what his father wanted was Him.

I contend that his repentance didn’t happen in the pigpen when he decided to come home.

It happened in his father’s embrace, when his father wrapped his arms around his son and the boy gave up his silly notions of doing a better job and decided instead to simply rest in his father’s hug. He repented of a faulty concept of who his father was and that is what empowered him to never go back to the far country again. His decision in the pig pen to rededicate himself was well intentioned, but it was shallow and silly. His father’s embrace brought the revelation that what he needed wasn’t rededication, but repentance of the foolish concept he had held about his Dad.

Have you rededicated yourself again and again? I feel your pain. I did it a million times myself. I encourage you now to stop it. Stop it permanently. Don’t ever rededicate yourself to God again. Instead, repent. Your need is not to do a better job in a religious regiment. It was only when I repented of my false view of who my Father is that I began to experience freedom.
Repentance is a change of direction. To repent may require that your understanding of who God is and how you see Him turns one hundred eighty degrees. Our Father doesn’t want our promises. He just wants us. It is when we truly know that fact, that everything changes.