Lent is a time of preparation. It’s a time when we refocus our lives on what’s truly important—Christ and His Word. It’s a time of discipleship, or in other words, it’s a time of training in the Christian life. You can find lots of books out there that talk about what the Christian life is all about. Some of them teach from Scripture, but unfortunately most of them don’t. But in spite of the hundreds of books about the Christian life you can buy nowadays, the Christian life can be summed up in only two words: “repent” and “believe.” That’s how the Bible summarizes the entirety of Jesus’ message: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
We believe the Gospel when we believe in the Good News that Christ died to forgive our sins and rose from the dead to give us eternal life, which we celebrate each year during Good Friday and Easter. But repentance comes before believing, and Lent comes before Good Friday and Easter. So what is repentance, and how does it get us ready to believe in the Gospel?
A lot of people have a common misconception about repentance. They think that repentance first and foremost means “feeling bad.” They think that being repentant means having guilty feelings and even trying to feel guilty about things. When they hear that Christians are supposed to lead repentant lives, they think that means they need to go around making themselves feel bad all the time.
But in the Bible, repentance isn’t primarily a feeling. Yes, it’s a good thing to feel bad for your sins, but that’s not what repentance really is. Repentance means a change of heart from loving your sin to loving God. Repentance means looking at your life in the light of what God has said your life should look like, and acknowledging where it doesn’t match up. Repentance means being honest with yourself about the fact that you are a dying sinner in need of a Savior from sin and death. Once you realize that, then you will see why it’s so important that Jesus died to forgive our sins and rose to conquer death.
So during this Lenten season, take some time to repent of your sins. Don’t do it by scolding yourself over things that God has neither commanded nor forbidden in the Bible. Instead, take a look at your life in the light of the Ten Commandments. Think about what each commandment tells you to do, and what it tells you not to do, and meditate on the ways you haven’t lived up to what they say. If you need help getting started, the explanations of the commandments in the Small Catechism are very short and helpful.
Once you’ve taken the time to do that, don’t just sit around feeling guilty. Bring your guilt to the cross. Come to church and hear the pastor proclaim the Good News that your sins are forgiven. Listen to the preaching about what Christ has done for you. Receive Christ’s body and blood which were sacrificed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. Don’t just stop at being repentant. Repent and believe the Gospel. Because that’s what being a Christian is all about.
In Christ,
Vicar Wessel
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