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"Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.'” Luke 7:44-48, NIV
Have you ever wondered about “back door” revivals? A back door revival is where uncommitted people leave the church as fast as they enter it. What about all the sin issues that churches and individuals face? Why can some churches and people no longer discern between good and evil. Issues like abortion, homosexuality, capital punishment, etc. should not be controversial since the Word of God is clear. Why are they?
There are probably many reasons, but one important reason is that people come into the church with no sense of sin. They have had an emotional experience, been talked into it, or have seen it as a kind of club they join. They see Christianity as a self-improvement program or something to help them out of their current troubles. It is something they add to their lives. These kind of people have not had a real vision of who they are, they have not had a real heart conversion, they don’t know why they need a Saviour. They have never been confronted with their sin.
It is not surprising that they are uncommitted because they have never seen what is really happening. They love little because in their minds they have been forgiven little. They have not been brought face to face with the enormous offense their sin is to God. In actual fact, none of us knows how greatly we have offended and hurt God, but we must start with the acknowledgment that we HAVE sinned against God.
True repentance is shown by genuine sorrow over our sin. Without true repentance, there can be no true forgiveness. This doesn’t mean that we walk around in guilt and condemnation. We have been forgiven! Nevertheless, there is a Godly sorrow for sin that is often lacking in many modern conversions, and that leads to a half-hearted uncommitted life. Genuine repentance means a total commitment to Christ and doing things His way. It does not view Christianity as an improvement or an add-on to an already basically good life.
Does this mean that we go around condemning people for their sin and their being uncommitted? No. Sinners liked to be around Jesus. He didn’t turn them off. He lived His faith. He accepted and loved people - sinners or not - as a special creation of God. He was a Man they could come to with their problems and He would not reject them. He would show them the Truth and lead them to true repentance and life. We don’t lead people to Christ with sugar-coated words or condemnation. We live out real lives and let the Holy Spirit do His work. We are instruments of His hands not manipulators with good intentions.
For more information about Glenn Davis, see our About Glenn page or visit Glenn Davis Books.
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