Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Three aspects of repentance

"When Peter calls his listeners to 'repent', he is calling them to change

  • their whole orientation toward God, as well as
  • how they view themselves and
  • [how they view] the world...

Peter, the close companion of Jesus, has been transformed in his own understanding of God, himself, and the world.

  • He, who first confessed Jesus as Messiah and believed this man would conquer as the new King, has recently witnessed his leader die a brutal death.
  • He, who once envisioned himself as loyal and righteous, is now painfully aware of his own sin and weakness through his denial and fear.
  • He, who had assumed Yahweh's concern and love was exclusively for the nation of Israel, now discovers with ever-growing clarity that God is concerned with the renewal of the entire world...

that necessarily entails a kind of disorientation and reorientation that simultaneously shakes up and revitalizes every area of his life."

(formatting mine, pp. 122-123, Kelly M. Kapic, with Justin L. Borger, God So Loved, He Gave: Entering the Movement of Divine Generosity)

0 comments:

Post a Comment