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Culpable Sinner

Culpable Sinner
True, repentance. The heart of a man who has sincerely repented of the sins he has committed is perhaps the greatest struggle between the depraved flesh and the ever more sanctified soul. In order for one to undergo a genuine change of heart and enter into full contrition for his sinful infractions requires understanding of whom he has harmed. Given a proper understanding of sin and the locus of malfeasance one can develop a perspective that considers God as the primary victim in any instance of iniquity. Thus, repentance requires more than a contrite and humbled spirit with regard to the moral implications of ones own sins. Repentance demands a respect, honor and appreciation for the sanctity of the Lord and savior. Regarding ones own sins as a personal affront to God’s own glory is the central concept of repentance, it is to see ones actions as the most heinous of crimes against the most glorious, Holy, perfect and compassionate of beings. Accepting full responsibility for the very inception of ones own sin and acknowledging that our decision to embrace the lesser of two disjunctives was solely our own doing. That is, realizing the reality that we have been given two fully executable options, one that is embracing of truth and leading to integrity and righteousness and the latter a path of self-Lordship and adoption of the lie that our own desires are superior to God’s gracious plan.

Our Lord the Victim
One must genuinely believe first that God is, then believe that all His Biblically defined attributes are true, His sovereignty, goodness, immutable love and His insatiable demand for justice, especially in regards to His own glory. Without these precepts one can not even begin to fathom the extent of their infractions, nor what is required of them in order to fully repent of them.

Denial and Remorse
The relational aspect of our faith and our own responsive love to God’s foremost act of loving us in our sin is the most central element to honest repentance. We must embrace the gift of faith that God has imbued upon our souls and from there grow to love and revere Him for this entirely undeserved gift. Thus, our sins can be understood as the denial of Christ's sacrifice and repentance as the humble return from this denial, back into faithful belief and sincere affection for our Lord. Accordingly, the knowledge of our sins comprehensive opposition and denial of God’s glory should alone convict and sicken our souls and in doing so “will” inspire us to a pure and sincerely reverent impetus for repentance, one that is ripe with remorse and honest contrition.

Pursuing God to Pursue Repentance
Thus, while embarking on a journey in itself can be perceived as a laudable exercise, it is perhaps more efficient to embark on a journey of growing to learn more of God. Through the exploration of God, His nature and His loving extension of salvation to us through an unsolicited sacrifice, we can begin to prepare our hearts for repentance and through prayer and the power of God the Holy Spirit, be moved and empowered to accomplish sincere contrition. After all, the act of apology, remorse, contrition, repentance and the desire to recover from our sins in a manner that restores our right relationship with God, is a capacity that was entirely stripped from us the moment man became sinful. For the capacity to repent and be forgiven was only made possible through sacrifice and that sacrifice has always been executed by God. As exemplified in a paradigmatic manner during the exodus from the garden as God sacrificed the first animals in order to clothe Adam and Eve, so Christ’s trans-temporal sacrifice on the alter of heaven was bilaterally efficacious so that all mans sins could be forgiven and the capacity to repent made accessible through the power of the indwelling spirit. Accordingly, man must acknowledge and respect his complete inability to repent were it not for the sacrifice of our savior and the extension of this sacrifice through God the Holy Spirit who indwells and empowers us to enact the right of repentance.

Synopsis
 In a simple synopsis of what has been said, all that is required of man is a given trajectory or declination of faith. We as depraved beings have no capacity to pursue or execute repentance, but all we can do is desperately seek God and be yielded and concede to Him. Thus, pursuit of God is the essence of repentance.

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