Theology

Repentance Made Possible

An Advent reading for December 8.

Advent Week 2: Sin and Redemption


John the Baptist played a crucial role in preparing people for the Messiah. This week, we consider what Scripture says about John’s purpose. We reflect on how his teachings about sin and repentance can speak to our own lives of Christian discipleship.

Read Luke 3:1–6.

We’re tempted to imagine the ancient world of the Bible as far more foreign than familiar. In phrases like, “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” (Luke 3:1), we hear the yammering of our high school history teacher. But Luke’s gospel introduces us to a recognizable world. A world where lust for power, celebrity, and wealth reigned supreme. In this world, political might made right. In AD 19, for example, Tiberius Caesar exiled the Jewish community from Rome—because he felt like it. In this world, religious loyalties were corrupted by political compromise. Archaeologists believe they may have found Caiaphas’s house—its multiple stories, water installations, and mosaic floors all bearing witness to the high priest’s coziness with the ruling party. Much like ours, this world was waiting for rescue.

John the Baptist may have been a member of one of the small holiness communities that fled Jerusalem because of the corruption. From the wilderness, John preached his “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (v. 3) and announced a loud cry of salvation (v. 6). As the forerunner of Jesus, John was making a way for people to see what Rome, despite its promises, could never provide.

In the Jewish imagination, repentance was a means for restoring the blessing of God. Although repentance reminded people of their sin, it was nevertheless emphatically good news. We see this clearly in the book of Deuteronomy. As Moses reprised the terms of the covenant God made with Israel, he reminded God’s people that sin would always be their ruin. To their own peril, he said, they “invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, ‘I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way’ ” (29:19). But despite the pleasure people may think sin affords, it is always cause for eventual catastrophe—as Israel learned the hard way.

Repentance is a call to turn from our sin and turn toward God. To say it differently, repentance is a call to turn from self-harm and turn toward self-preservation. Repentance is a lifesaving measure.

But as the message of John reminds us, this turning is only made possible because God sent a “word … to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness” (Luke 3:2). The good news announcement is that God himself has prepared the way for God’s people to return to him. During Advent, we remember that repentance is made possible because God enfleshes a Word—and sends him to speak, to serve, to save.

Jen Pollock Michel is a writer, podcast host, and speaker based in Toronto. She’s the author of four books, including A Habit Called Faith and Surprised by Paradox.

Consider Luke 3:1–6.

How is John’s emphasis on repentance essential in preparing the way for Jesus? When have you experienced repentance as “a lifesaving measure”? Pray, inviting God to deepen your understanding and practice of repentance.

Also in this issue

Many core tenets of the gospel reverberate powerfully throughout Advent’s traditional readings and themes. In these daily devotional readings from CT, we reflect on the mystery of the Incarnation, on Christ’s purpose as the long-awaited Messiah, on our sin and need for repentance, on God’s promises of salvation and justice, and on our firm hope in Christ’s return and everlasting kingdom. We prepare to celebrate the “newborn King” who was “born that man no more may die,” as Charles Wesley’s beloved carol declares. And we’re reminded again and again throughout Advent that the gospel is not just for us, but it is a message of “great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10)—it’s good news that’s meant to be shared.

The God Who Suffers

A Light to the Nations

Great Joy for All People

Quietly Hidden

Gospel Anticipation

A Pregnant Promise

Let it Be

Silent Time, Holy Time

What it Means to Be God

The Baby King

The Light Is Coming

The Messiah’s Mission

True Hope

Bringing Us Home

What Hope Looks Like

The Gospel of Advent: Good News for the Season

Behold the Lamb

Amazing, Cleansing Grace

Good, Severe News

The Rising Son

Comfort My People

He Won't Leave Us Alone

The Gospel Life in Person

Come, Lord Jesus!

City of Light

All Things New

Right or Left?

Watch and Pray

We Begin at the End

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