Chesterton wrote, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting it has been found difficult and not tried.”Īnd making it even more difficult, a life dedicated to listening to the Holy Spirit concerns itself not only with personal repentance/metanoia, but also with the conversion of the nation. The respected English writer and theologian G.K. But this takes humility, honesty, much prayer and hard work. When we allow our heart to rest in God, we become a new creation, fully dedicated to advancing his kingdom. ![]() In his famous autobiographical “Confessions” he sums it all up so well: “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Augustine of Hippo turned from fleeting unmarried sexual pleasure and unsatisfying philosophical pursuits to a totally fulfilling surrender to the will of God. He went from persecuting the followers of Christ, to championing their cause and suffering with them. Think of some of the great saints who deeply repented, who truly experienced a metanoia. That’s what Jesus is calling us to when he says “repent.” Metanoia means a life-changing conversion. ![]() It happens when one changes course and turns around to walk in the right direction. In the Gospels the biblical word used for repentance is the Greek word “metanoia” – a radical change of mind, heart, soul and action. Striving to avoid sin and living virtuously is certainly part of what it means. With these two compelling sentences – as recorded in the Gospel of Mark – Jesus inaugurates his ministry and sums up what his mission is about: to break the shackles of sin that enslave humanity, to put us on the path of liberation from all oppression, and to teach us how to unconditionally love one another.
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