The LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live. The LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. Then you will again obey Him and follow all His commands I am giving you today. HSCB
The one difficulty of coming to know Jesus at an early age is holding on to your childhood theology. It is easy to understand the basic concepts of God’s love and actions and our appropriate response. Jesus loves me and died for me. Many of God’s other mysteries like sanctification or propitiation, become words mashed into the easier understood concepts.
Repentance was one of those concepts for me. At my conversion, I clearly understood that I repented of my sins when I asked Jesus into my heart. I enlarged the concept of ‘once saved, always saved’ to become ‘once forgiven, always forgiven.’
It is true, Jesus did his part one time. So, my ego projected my role was a one time event, as well. My prideful, immature self said, ‘Yes, I confessed I was a sinner once. How many times do I have to do it? No, I’m good to go, because Jesus died for my sins.
When I studied verses like 1 John 1:9, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ (HSCB), I wouldn’t find no application for myself. John is talking about those people who sin, but I’m covered be the blood of Jesus.
It doesn’t work that way. When I don’t recognize, confess and repent of my sins, guilt builds slowly until my entire physical. spiritual, emotional being, the building materials of my temple are compromised.
Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely. 1 Cor. 3:12-15 THE MESSAGE
I don’t want to survive judgement. I want a temple which passes inspection. What about you?
Lift the veil from my eyes,
Let me hear the words I say
Let me see the soul you see
Pierce me with my sin today.
I confess you as my Lord,
and as my sin flows from me,
Fill me with your cleansing love
Circumcise my heart for thee.