Repentance

Earlier this week I read something from Francois Du Toit. 

Here's what he said:

"No such word as repentance! It was manufactured by a massive religious lie to squeeze guilt money out of people; from the Latin, penance, then they added the 're' to get even more mileage out of sin consciousness! Re-penance! The word, repentance does not belong in the Bible! The original Greek text uses the word metanoia, from metanous, meta, together with, and nous, mind. From Is 55:8-11 it is clear that this word suggests to co-know with God! It is my mind intertwined with my Maker! So every time you read the word repentance, scratch it out and write, co- know with God (think what God thinks about me! Jesus is God's mind made up about me!)"

It really made me think. I have been chewing on repentance for the past few weeks. The main thought being that repentance isn't an awareness of sin, but an awareness of God. So he inspired me to write some stuff on Metanoia.  

The English word Repentance doesn't do the Greek word Metanoia justice! Repentance in the English Dictionary means:

1.deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing, or the like.

2.regret for any past action.

Metanoia means: 

Greek, from metanoiein to change one's mind, from meta- + noein to think, from nous mind

Metanoia is to change your mind. Metanoia isn't a sin consciousness! It is God consciousness! Metanoia isn't a deep sorrow for being naughty. It's a deep joy of being made new and good! To say that Metanoia is regret for any past action is wrong! God doesn't want anyone to have deep sorrow and regret for past sin. Listen, Jesus finished the work! Jesus destroyed the very nature of sin. To suggest that God want's us to have a deep sorrow for sin would be to suggest that the trinity has turned on it's self! We can't say in one hand that Jesus destroyed sin (Romans 5, 6, 7, 8) and then think that God wants us to have a deep sorrow for sin. He want's us to come into the deep joy of discovering the fact that He has set us free from sin! There is a word for deep sorrow for past sin and for feeling regret for any past action... That word is CONDEMNATION. But thank God the gift of no condemnation has been given in Christ Jesus! 

The fact is this, God loves you! God has set you free! He has destroyed the prison cell of SIN! Cut away the very nature of SIN and removed you from the land of SIN! Now you have been given to another! To Jesus! He is our righteousness! He is HOLY! You have been placed into the nature of HOLY! You have been moved to the land of HOLY! You have been given a new name! All your sins, past, present, and future have been wiped away by the cross of Christ! At the cross all your sins where in the future anyways. He already wiped them away, and not only that but He took away the nature of sin! God doesn't want you in a puddle of tears at an alter feeling sorry for yourself! He wants you feasting, rejoicing and celebrating because of what HE HAS DONE! Just like Isaiah 12 says: "With joy YOU will draw water from the wells of salvation" 

I will leave you with Romans 2:4. "...God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance (metanoia)" God's kindness, goodness, and love leads us to a mind change. Not comdemnation, sorrow for sin and judgement. His kindness! God is love! All that He does is good. 

Bless you!

-Micah