John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Let’s 22 skidoo! Any square knows that’s what all the young people are saying these days. Some words eventually go out of style but many churches would add repent to the list, preferring to stress a relationship, my professor said this week. There is nothing wrong with a relationship with Jesus. It is part of being in a covenant but it is not what saves you. It is a result of what saves you, which is repentance and belief. The people in Judea saw their need for confession of sins, another outdated word, and ran to the Jordan River to be baptized.
We can tell people that same truth and John the Baptist proves that it works. People long for relationships but they need salvation whether they know it or not. We do no one any favors by sugar coating the gospel to make it go down smoother. The gospel is offensive. It says we are sinners who cannot save ourselves. It is time we showed the love of Christ with gentleness and respect but also with the harsh truth of man’s utter sinfulness. They do not need to look far for empirical evidence. It is in the midst of that bad news that the Good News looks even brighter.
Dear Lord, thank you for saving us in spite of our sinful nature by sending Jesus to pay the penalty we deserve. Help us to display and preach repentance to someone today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church