The road to looking like Christ involves confession and repentance. While many readily confess their sins, repentance is often more challenging. Psalm 119: 25-32 records the psalmist's struggle to repent, and the psalmist's dependence on the grace of God to help him repent. "Remove the false way from me and graciously grant me your law." (29) The Psalmist implores God to give him a gift he doesn't deserve, i.e., grace, and that gift is His law. The gift of God's law here refers to granting the psalmist's a love for God's law, whereby he can abandon false ways and repent. This dependence on the grace of God to repent is underscored by verse 32: "I shall run the way of Your commandments, for you will enlarge my heart." Grace enlarges the psalmist's heart, enabling him to repent and therefore fulfill God's law. The application for NT believers struggling to repent is straightforward. Grace doesn't just release us from the penalty of sin, it also changes us from within, giving us a new heart so we can honor God by obeying Him. We run the way of commandments because He enlarges our heart.
The Mirror of God’s Law
Citing Psalm 119:104, this episode highlights how God gets us to change our ways. "From your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way." God's precepts, one of the eight expressions of God's way and law used in Psalm 119, act as a mirror to show us where we have missed the marked. They reveal the psalmist's false way (and those of others) and he sees the obvious disconnect. Confession and repentance should be the response, and we observe this in Psalm 119:59: "I considered my ways and turned my feet to your testimonies." God's law reveals sin, and ideally the response is confession and repentance. The psalmist then reconsiders the law, here God's testimonies, and sees its inherent beauty. At one point the psalmist's petitions God: "Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things in your law." (18) This positive encounter with God's law is largely contingent upon the initial response to God's law where we confess and repent. The law consequently for NT believers is therefore very useful if we would become more like Christ.
“Lord, Show Us the Way!”
This episode addresses the means by which God would establish the psalmist's ways to keep His statutes. (5-6) These verses capture the goal of the entire psalm. On the road to receiving God's assistance, the psalmist acknowledges his faulty ways and repents: "I consider my ways and turn my feet to your testimonies." (59) This statement indicates repentance and directs the psalmist's to God's testimonies. Throughout Psalm 119 eight expressions of God's way (way, law, precepts, ordinances, commandments, testimonies, word, statutes) become the central focus of the psalmist. The more the psalmist reflects on God's testimonies, statutes, etc., the more the way of God is established in his life. In like manner, NT believers are called to consider God's testimonies, i.e., His kindnesses, and the reflection leads to repentance. (Rom. 2:4) The more we reflect on all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ, the Son Himself Who is the Way, becomes our way of life. God establishes our way as we abide in the Way.
Responding to Slander
This episode addresses how believers should respond to slander. The ultimate slanderer is the devil, who typically seeks to accuse believers based on their past failures. Just as Nehemiah confessed the sins of his people before being used by God, anyone pursuing ministry should initially come clean before God with prior failures (1 John 1:9) This helps inoculate the believer against possible accusations and slander made by carnal believers, tares, and unbelievers. The ultimate objective behind demonically inspired slander is to cause fear and derail the work of God. Nehemiah continued his work and entrusted the divine project and his reputation to God Himself, even when Sanballat and Tobias supposedly maligned the work among the nations. The lesson for believers is obvious: continue the work God began through you and trust God to vindicate you when opposition arises through slander.
God’s Kindnesses: Motivation to Repent
This episode unpacks Romans 2:4, where the kindnesses of God lead us to repentance. Reflection on the Lord's many kindnesses helps resolve the dilemma of many who're stuck in confession without repentance. Constant repentance, or turning to the Lord, is absolutely essential if anyone of us would make progress towards the beatific vision. Without it, veils and blockages obstruct our vision of the glory of God and transformation stalls. Part of the solution to unwillingness to repent is reflection on God's many kindnesses. We are called to reflect on God's bountiful gifts in Christ, how God canceled our ridiculous debt to Him. We reflect on the Holy Spirit's persistent shaping us into the image of Christ, even when we stubbornly resist Him. And how many times, has God intervened and delivered us out of dire circumstances that we ourselves created? God's many kindnesses, when deeply pondered, often lead to reconsideration of our stubborn rebellion, leading to repentance.
Stuck in Confession without Repentance?
This episode spells out the challenge of making progress in sanctification when one is unwilling to repent. Based on previous episodes, the uncovering of the glory of Christ is the means of transformation, but a veil to this glory often descends when we don't turn to the Lord, i.e., repent. So what do you do when the principal avenue of transformation, beholding the glory of the Lord, is cut off because you're obstinately on the wrong road and unwilling to make a U-turn? You simply don't want to repent. Navel-gazing and fixing yourself is not the answer, turning to the Lord WHERE YOU CAN is the solution. Romans 2:4 states that the kindness of the Lord leads to repentance. Believers stuck in confession without repentance are encouraged to reflect on God's abundant kindnesses. This mediation on God's work, echoing "I believe, help my unbelief," engenders honest confession and partial repentance, leading to more openness to making an about-face and embracing the straights paths of the Lord. The veil lifts more and more, we see our rebellion in light of God's glory, and we fully repent from the heart.