whatever happened to being sorry?

“remorse”  - oil on canvas by peter lloyd (to purchase or browse, view his gallery)

 

Whatever happened to being sorry for what you’ve done?

Remorse, regret, responsibility, and repentance…

have been exchanged for excuses, explanations, exemptions, and exonerations.

• “Well, I didn’t mean it that way.  So I’m sorry if that’s how you took it.”
• “I hate that you were hurt by what I did.”  [Not "I hate what I did."]
• “Well, that’s just the way I am.  I can’t help it.”
• “I really had no choice in the matter.”
• “I think it all goes back to my upbringing.  My parents weren’t around and…”
• “Hey, who are you to judge me?!  The Bible says not to judge.”
• “Well, maybe it would be wrong for you, but it’s not for me.  My conscience is clean.”
• “Everyone else does it.”
• “It was only a small lie.”
• “Seriously, you’re going to hold me responsible for that.  I was drunk!”

Garrison Keillor writes (in jest):

In 1976, a major Protestant denomination narrowly defeated an attempt to destigmatize the Prayer of Confession by removing from it all guilt or guilt-oriented references:  “Lord, we approach Thy Throne of Grace, having committed acts which, we do heartily acknowledge, must be very difficult for Thee to understand.  Nevertheless, we do beseech Thee to postpone judgment and to give Thy faithful servants the benefit of the doubt until such time as we are able to answer all Thy questions fully and clear our reputations in Heaven.”

The apostle Paul writes (not in jest):

Even if the things I said made you sad, I don’t regret them.  It was really difficult to see you hurt like that, but because was your sadness was short-lived, I know it was for the better.  I’m really happy now — not because you were heartbroken — but because your sorrow prompted you to change your lives.  That’s because you were sorry just as God intended.  Godly sorrow brings a change in your heart, mind, and actions; and this is the path to salvation and true life.  Worldly sorrow, on the other hand, leads to depression and, eventually, death.  – 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 (my paraphrase)

And I write (not sure whether in jest or not):

I’m not sure Christianity the way we’ve done it is going to work anymore.

A few thoughts:

• As Christians, I don’t believe it’s within our job description — or within our power — to change the worldview of a nation.  So we ought not complain about the loss of remorse in modern-day America.  Rather we should focus on this next point….
• While we can’t put a stop to postmodernity, the loss of remorse in the church is a completely different story.  There is a sorrow that is Godly.  And without it, I fear we cannot have salvation. Some of us are just playing games.
• We also might do well to consider another way of first presenting the gospel to non-Christians in our communities.  I don’t know for how much longer the old “you-have-guilt-and-need-to-be-forgiven-through-the-blood-of-Jesus-Christ” thing is going to work as an introduction.  [I'd argue it probably already isn't.]  Perhaps we should think about some other portion of the good news with which to begin.  It just doesn’t make sense for us to have to convince people of their guilt, so that we can sell them our religion.  I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t know for sure that there exists a whole lot more good news than the forgiveness of sins spiel alone.  [For my idea of a more complete definition of the gospel, see this post and those preceding it: the full and complete gospel.]

What do you think?

the past is the past, or is it?

Last week I wrote a modern-day retelling of Luke 3:8-14.  That post, as most of my writings do, came out of my daily Bible study.  And that very same day, I also read the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19.  The two texts do a great job of complementing one another — John preaching repentance and Zacchaeus acting as a living example of it.  Look at these excerpts, the first is Luke 3:8-9, 12-13:

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

…Tax collectors also came to be baptized.  ”Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

And now Luke 19:7-10:

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ “

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

The crowd likes to find peace in, and determine spiritual standing by, past events:  I was born of Abraham.  I’ve been baptized.  I accepted Christ.  I was a good Jew.  I went to a private Christian university.  My dad’s a preacher.  I grew up in the Church of Christ.

John, however, doesn’t focus on the past.  Instead he looks to see if an individual is showing the fruits of repentance:  Do you make, and keep, more money than you need?  Do you eat your fill while others starve?  Do you give away one warm coat when you have two?  Are you content with what you have?  Do you have greater love for people or for things?

Zacchaeus has a rough past, but he seems to focus on the present:  ”Look, Lord. Here and now I give… to the poor.”

Jesus, too, seems to focus on the present:  ”Today, salvation has come to this house…”

And best of all, Jesus’ view of the present changes the past:  ”…this man, too, is a son of Abraham.”  Zacchaeus is born of Abraham  as an adult.  He’s born of Abraham at that moment in which he has and exhibits true faith.  As are we.

What I’ve learned:

• We can’t judge another by his/her past.
• We can’t rest on our laurels.
• Having been baptized at one time doesn’t necessarily mean anything.
• Going to a particular church doesn’t excuse me from loving my neighbor.
• If you want to know if I’m a Christian, look for fruits and not an ID card.
• Jesus loves the lost, and wants to change their present AND their past.  And he is capable of doing so.

Praise God for saving us from our pasts, for changing those pasts, and for making us new people.  Here’s to hoping we act like it.

i’ll have the fruits of repentance — no, the sushi

A (very loose) modern-day retelling of Luke 3:8-14.  John is preaching repentance and baptizing those who seek forgiveness for their sins.  You can read the actual text here.

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And stop comforting yourselves by saying you’ve been baptized and regularly attend church.  God can put a bunch of wet rocks in a church building.  I’m warning you — I can hear the chainsaws coming, and every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will become firewood.”

“And if we don’t want that to happen?” those who called themselves Christians asked.  ”What fruit exactly is God looking for?”

John answered, “The guy with two cars should share with the guy who doesn’t have one.  And the lady who eats expensive sushi meals should do the same.”

An entire boardroom of executives were baptized.  ”Sir,” they sent in a memo, “now that we’ve taken care of that bit of business, what’s next on the agenda?”

John answered, “Stop putting so much money in bank accounts and 401Ks.  Spend more time with your kids.  And cut it out with the viewing others as potential buyers.  They’re God’s dearly loved children, who are lost and need to be found.”

Then some college students texted him and asked,  ”Professor J.T. Baptist, what do WE do?  We’re just college students… [and will this be on the test?]“

Rather than texting, he called them back — actually dialing a number — to say, “Stop buying every new electronic gadget.  Spend more time serving meals to the homeless than tweeting your friends about what you did today — or retweeting what they did.  Worry less about the shape of your body, and more about the students nobody else on campus will be seen with.”

On the way to his lake house, an elderly man asked John, “And me?  What would God want me to do?”

John spoke loudly into the old man’s good ear, “Don’t give up on life, and quit claiming you’ve earned the right to relax.  Use your retirement years for the kingdom.  Fishing and golfing are fine, but take some young guys along.  Mentor them.  Quit complaining about their music; instead teach them to love one another and those in their community.  You were given wisdom and white hair for a reason.”

Let’s act like we’re saved;

Live like we belong to Christ;

And produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

…And for goodness sake, let’s stop hoarding the sushi.

You can read my thoughts on this text here.