“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.” Acts 26:19-20
What have we done with the message of the gospel?
Are we so afraid of mentioning works that we’ve castrated the message of Christ?
Paul makes it clear, towards the end of his life, that one central message should be preached to all people, Jew and Gentile, and that message was of repentance. Paul even called it the “heavenly vision.”
Repentance means turning from wrong and doing what is right. It is a shift of thinking that corresponds with a shift in behavior. The two are forever linked. Faith without works is not faith at all.
But in our modern American culture, telling people about repentance necessitates telling them they are sinners. That means telling them that they are wrong, that they are not “okay” despite what modern pop psychology tells them. That might make them feel bad about themselves and damage their self-esteem, the great god of modern humanism. But without the realization of sin, there is no conviction, no realization of eternal punishment, no motivation to truly change at our core, no repentance, and therefore no salvation.
Repentance was the message of John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, and Paul. Have we progressed beyond these men, even the Son of God? It seems like we think we have.
Let’s make the message of Paul’s life clear. He preached repentance AND that works should follow that are appropriate to a true change of heart, and this message is to be preached to all people.
If we are to follow Paul as he follows Christ, then that should be our message also, or else we have lost the “heavenly vision”. Instead we follow an earthly one.
Peace.