“Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father’s house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him.” (Ps 45:10–11)
The Psalmist tells us that those who desire to be the Lord’s should forsake their past life. They shouldn’t hold on to it, instead, they should let it go, turning to live as God’s people in His kingdom.
Something We Must Do
Forsaking our past life not only pleases God but it is something we must do in order to be Christian. We cannot worship two Masters. Nor can we live a divided life. We must give of ourselves fully to the Lord, allowing Him to lead and guide us. He must be both our Savior and Lord.
The Mistake We Make
Mistakenly, many believe coming to Christ doesn’t involve forsaking their past way of living. This error is partly the product of our sinful nature wanting to hold on to control, and it’s partly the product of a decisionism culture that tells us all we need to do it accept Christ and everything will be alright. While we must believe/accept/profess the gospel message about Jesus – that God saves repentant sinners through the death and resurrection of Jesus – we must also give our life fully over to Him.
Repent – What Does it Mean?
Repentance is a key component of becoming a Christian. When we repent, we are essentially doing a 180. We are turning from a life lived for ourselves to a life lived for God. We are forsaking our desire to be our own god, and we are recognizing God’s right to be the God of our lives. When we repent, we not only tell God we are sorry for sinning against Him, but we also tell Him that we want Him to lead and guide us. We tell Him that we recognize His rightful place as our King and that we are willing to submit to His lordship over our lives.
Repentance, then, is a necessary part of becoming a Christian. If we haven’t repented, we haven’t forsaken our old way of life, and we aren’t citizens in God’s kingdom.
Questions for Reflection
- Have you forsaken your old way of life?
- Have you repented?
- Do you recognize that God is the King of your life?
Christianity Matters 