Preaching through Colossians, as with most of Paul’s letters, we are faced with a glorious explanation of the gospel. This has been a great privilege and also huge fun.
Possibly foolishly I suggested if there were questions that arose from our preaching people should raise them. We need to encourage or people to engage personally with scripture. For people to be mature in faith there needs to be a robust ‘searching’ of the texts.
Having preached through chapter 2 and sought to emphasise that our salvation is based on Jesus finished work and not our behaviour I was pleased that the question came back,
‘What about repentance?’
Another way of putting it is
‘What are we going for, grace or righteousness?’
The question is prompted because ‘grace’ is all one sided. God forgives our sin and causes is to be born again based on what Jesus has done and not on any action of our own. Even the ability to respond in faith is a gift. We were dead and have been made alive with Christ.
Repentance is both an event and an attitude – it is a response to the grace of God. The Gospel reminds us that we are sinners in need of a savour repentance is our response to that fact. It opens the way for God to regenerate us. It is also an attitude of heart, the first beatitude tells us that it is the poor in spirit, those who come to God repentant, not full of their own achievements that inherit the Kingdom. This gratutude, if genuine, doesn’t change to self-confidence once we are in that Kingdom.
The answer to the question, then, ‘is it grace, or righteousness?’ is that it’s both. Grace and only grace produces righteousness. I need the power of God to live out a righteous life, that power is given to me in responce to repentance, which it’s self is a gift from God.
11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives
Titus 2 : 11-12
Grace teaches us.