I’m at Urbana 06 in St.Louis this week, so while I’m away I’d like to point y’all to some of my old posts. They’re from a little while back, but still have some good content!
Here’s an excerpt from the series I did on “internal transformation“:
Some people think that repentance is just a complete 180-degrees turn from doing what they used to do. They are correct, but only in part. Just because you change your behaviour 180-degrees, does not mean that you have your heart and mind changed! And if you have not had a heart transplant yet, serving more–taking on a bigger ministry, leading musical worship, teaching more Sunday School, leading more Bible studies, and helping out on your Fellowship’s planning committee–doing all these good repentant-like things cannot and will not change your heart. External modification won’t cause an internal transformation. Sooner or later, and more likely sooner, as time goes by, as you keep on trying by your own strength to do good and repay your debt to God, Satan will tempt you and you will fail in your own self-power and self-trying to live a godly life. Everything that you have done is meaningless if it does not come from faith, in God the Father, who is the Healer, the Doctor, the life changer, pride breaker, the only Creator and Sustainer of all of mankind. As King David wrote in the above Psalm, God does not want a sacrifice of behavior from us and He won’t be pleased at all with us paying Him lip service by just doing better things for Him.
Changing your behaviour and just saying you are sorry will not change your heart and mind… No, it does not even come close to cutting it. You see, the English word “repent” comes from the Greek word “metanoeo”. It is a compound word. The first part, meta-, means movement or change; the second part, noeo-, refers to the mind and its thoughts, perceptions, dispositions, and purposes. And thus, to repent means to change the mind’s perceptions, and dispostions, and purposes. (Thanks to Piper for this definition) In order for true, genuine repentance to happen, we must be “transformed by the renewing of our mind” BY GOD’s Spirit so “that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” That’s Romans 12:2. And for us, whereas this symbol of our hearts basically entails our deepest dispositions and desires in life, this means that I need to be transformed by the renewing of my heart. I need my heart to be changed; I need a new heart.
