Repentance | Knowable Word

Let’s Not Employ the Gospel as Justification to Keep Sinning

June 30, 2023 By Peter Krol

In Romans 6:1, the apostle Paul asks a crucial question to clarify a potential misapplication of his gospel: “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” In other words, does the grace of God give believers permission to continue in their sin without ever having to change?

By no means!

An Old Problem

Misconstruing God’s grace in this way was not unique to Paul’s mission or Paul’s gospel. This problem is not a strictly Pauline one. Consider Jeremiah’s fiery words in the Jerusalem temple of his day, shortly before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar:

Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel: …Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?
Jeremiah 7:3-11

The people of Israel committed all kinds of sin against their God, yet they trusted in God’s grace to get them through. They believed God’s grace was big enough to prevent them from having to actually change their behavior.

So the Lord goes on to tell them to look at the ruins of their previous sanctuary in Shiloh (from before the Philistines conquered them centuries earlier). This temple would end up the same way.

Today’s Gospel

Of course, we must be careful to preach Christ and him crucified whenever we lead Bible studies and teach the Scriptures. The good news about the Christ is the center of all of God’s revelation.

But we have misunderstood that message if we make it sound in any way as though people won’t have to change. As though coming just as they are means always remaining just as they are. As though repentance (change) were not the indispensable companion to belief (Mark 1:15).

I’ve found we must use caution with such phrases as “struggling with sin.” If by that phrase you mean that it is hard to put sin to death—but you are making progress in that direction—then well and good. Keep on keeping on!

But if by that phrase you really mean, “I’m sad about it, but I’m just going to have to live with it for the rest of my life,” then please reconsider what the whole point of the “struggle” ought to be (Col 3:5, Titus 2:11-14).

What We Miss When We Skip the Book of Ezra

August 15, 2022 By Ryan Higginbottom

The book of Ezra is an odd duck. It bears the name of a man who doesn’t appear in its first half. Though titled like a minor prophet, this is a book of history, one far shorter than most historical books in Scripture. And it is one of the few portions of God’s word set after the Babylonian exile.

I couldn’t find any data to justify this suspicion, but I would guess that Ezra is not commonly read or studied by modern Christians. I get it—among other barriers, there are long lists of names in chapters 2, 8, and 10.

Yet, this little book has much to offer!

God Works in the Hearts of Kings

God rules over kingdoms and kings—this is true everywhere and at all times. But it is made explicit with surprising frequency in the book of Ezra.

We see this in the very first verse of the book: “…the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing …” (Ezra 1:1)

We also read that the Lord “had turned the heart of the king of Assyria” toward the Israelites (Ezra 6:22). The author of the book blesses God “who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers” (Ezra 7:27–28). Finally, as part of his confession, Ezra thanks God that he “has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem” (Ezra 9:9).

In Ezra a group of Israelites journeyed from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of God. Since they left captivity, traveled through dangeous territories, and settled in an occupied land, these people needed the approval, help, and protection of the local and central rulers. God gave them this favor, often by creating in the rulers a desire to help God’s people.

In addition to these large examples, the Lord worked in large and small ways to bless his people through governmental (and even bureaucratic) channels.

Repentance Requires Radical Action

Shortly after Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, he learned of widespread sin among the people. They had “not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations” and had “taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands” (Ezra 9:1–2).

God’s people had taken wives who worshiped foreign gods. This was disastrous, as the Israelites were trying to reestablish a community of faith and these marital bonds were likely to lead them in the opposite direction.

It sounds shocking to our modern ears, but repentance in this situation needed to be drastic. Here was Ezra’s prescription.

You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives. (Ezra 10:10–11)

While the last two chapters of Ezra should prompt a longer discussion about marriage and divorce, one thing is clear. Ezra took sin and repentance seriously. His grief over his people’s transgressions would make the modern church stagger.

Worship is Central

The Israelites headed back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. They began with the altar and when that was finished, before any other part of the temple was constructed, they resumed the offerings, feasts, and festivals (Ezra 3:3–5). When they started to make progress on the temple itself, the people were moved: “And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid” (Ezra 3:11).

When the people finished the temple, they dedicated “this house of God with joy” and kept the Passover (Ezra 6:16, 19).

The narrative of the book then moves to the man Ezra, a priest and scribe. But this too is about worship. “Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). Though the people had resumed the temple practices, they needed the word of God at the center of their worship, so God sent Ezra.

All About Worship

The centrality of worshiping God is a central pillar of Ezra. Even the first two themes I mentioned in this article are connected to worship. (God’s work in kings helped the people build the temple; radical repentance was needed because the people were being led away from worshiping God.)

This is one way that Ezra connects to the overarching story of the Bible. We were made to worship God, but our rebellion means that we need a pure high priest to make our worship possible. Ezra reminds us of this central activity of the community of God and our dependence on him to draw us near.

Escape the Trap of Sexual Immorality

May 26, 2014 By Peter Krol

Sexual immorality follows this pattern: words, path, trap, death.

We hear and believe seductive words.
We follow immorality’s path of action.
We fall into the trap.
We find only death.

Last week, I showed this pattern from Proverbs 7:21-27, the final section in Solomon’s miniseries on wise sexuality. This week, I’ll cap the series with one last round of application.

Normally we don’t think anything’s wrong until we begin to experience death. “Death” in this sense refers to anything that does not advance our well-being (“life”). So we feel guilty. Or we experience the consequences of some stupid choice. Or we get caught, and we lose trust with the people we love. Or memories haunt us, or satisfaction eludes us.

Jaci Lopes dos Santos (2010), Creative Commons

If you know immorality’s pattern, you’ll know how God goes about breaking it. With the help of his Holy Spirit, you can undo the pattern and work backwards through it.

From Death to Trap

When you feel the weight of sin’s consequences, thank God for his mercy. In his love, he’s chosen to discipline you and not destroy you. He’s brought the consequences to bear so he might get your attention and turn you from your destructive choices.

But you won’t turn unless you feel desperate.

You must understand that you are well and truly trapped. You’re like a deer caught in the hunter’s snare. You cannot escape the trap on your own, and you need someone to rescue you.

From Trap to Path

If you feel trapped, you may sober up enough to see the path that led you to it. You’ll see that it wasn’t a single event, a single choice, that got you in trouble. It was a whole series of choices that led through the darkness.

Adultery is far more than a single act of intercourse. Intercourse, after all, follows foreplay. Foreplay follows the first kiss. That kiss only came after the first touch. The first touch resulted from that flirting, that testing of the waters to see if there could be “something more.” Looking for that “something more” followed the decision that you needed something “more,” which itself followed the belief that you didn’t have enough.

Whatever your struggle, trace your path. If you see how you got there, you’ll see how to get out. Small choices precede big ones, both for good or for evil.

From Path to Words

With the path illuminated before you, find the first step. What did you believe that got you into this situation? And what truth should replace that lie?

For example, if your path began with the belief that you didn’t have “enough” (romance, satisfaction, respect, love, etc.), you may find help in 2 Peter 1:3: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” Or in Ephesians 3:14-19, where Paul prays that we might “comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.”

If your path began with the need to escape from a difficult life and feel in control again, you may want to meditate on or memorize John 6, where Jesus claims that “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44).

If your path began with the simple belief that it would be fun and exciting and pleasurable, you may simply need to remind yourself that those who commit sexual immorality “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:19-21).

Ultimately, you can remember that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). Jesus died so you could have life. When he visited his fearful, denying, doubting, cowering disciples, his resurrected lips carried a message of peace (John 20:19, 21, 26). His resurrection brings the same message to you and me.

The trick is to get that message to sink in and direct our paths.

How to Resist Sexual Immorality

March 17, 2014 By Peter Krol

Christian Mayrhofer (2009), Creative Commons

We know easy sex will keep us from being wise. We know it will beat us down and knock us out. We know it can’t deliver what it promises.

But we still struggle with it because we’re prone to get the order of things all wrong. In the moment of temptation, we set aside the true God and bow to the god of self. We live for our comfort, our pleasure, our escape, our desire.

In those moments, we think truth becomes relative. Righteousness becomes undesirable. God appears absent. Self-actualization is everything.

Thus, Solomon’s counsel for resisting immorality doesn’t land where we usually land. We want to know what is the best internet filtering software. We want to find others who will hold us accountable.

But Solomon gets radical. He shows us how to restore things to their proper order, so we might bow to none but him who is all in all. What would it look like for you to live for such a gracious Master?

1. Guard the Commands

My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching. (Prov 6:20)

The word “keep” involves not only obeying but also guarding. Keep room in your life for time with Christ in his word. Participate actively in opportunities to hear the word and be known by others who will speak the word to you.

You will protect and defend what is most important to you. If your pleasure is most important, you’ll always find a way to gratify it. But if the Lord’s pleasure is most important, you’ll find ways to bask in it.

And when you’re alone at night, after a stressful day, you’ll face that tantalizing choice—the choice that is always a choice, because you’re not an innocent victim. You don’t have to be a slave to what will kill you.

By the power of God’s Holy Spirit, you can choose one thing and not another. You can guard the commands, dive into the Scripture, and drown yourself in its glory. You can set aside your self-love.

2. Memorize the Word

Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck. (Prov 6:21)

In the heat of temptation, God’s grace may lead you to remember that “He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away” (Prov 6:32-33). With the truth readily available to you, would it be easier to fight the lies?

And at just the right moments, the Lord might remind you to “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Prov 5:18).

3. Serve the Lord

When you walk, they will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you. (Prov 6:22)

We all serve something. We walk, lie down, and awake with our master’s will on our minds. As much as we like to think of ourselves as masters, we’re created to be servants.

Why not serve the best, most gracious Master? God promises you life, and he’s the only God who can actually give it. Idols can never give us what they promise.

You don’t need sex to make you happy. Whether you’re single, widowed, married to someone disobedient to the word, or married to a mature believer, you can bow to the lover of your soul and lay down your life for others as he did for you.

4. Annihilate the Folly

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life. (Prov 6:23)

Wisdom reproves you. Hear the rebuke and stop doing what you’re doing. You always have a choice.

Stop (Prov 1:22)! Turn (Prov 1:23)! I’ll give you my spirit (Prov 1:23)! Listen (Prov 2:1-2)! Call out (Prov 2:3-4)! Don’t forget (Prov 3:1)! Receive life (Prov 6:23)!

I have not lived as purely as I ought. Time and again, I fail to do what is right. What hope is there for struggling sinners like me?

“The reproofs of discipline are the way of life.” Do you want life? God delights to give it, so come to him and get your fill.