Repentance Granted to the Justified !
Repentance Granted to the Justified !
Remember the story Jesus told of these Two Lk 18:10-14
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Now let us notice that man which Jesus said went down to house Justified, rather than the other.
It was the publican of Vs 13 Now many will automatically jump to the conclusion that this publican was Justified because of what he did in Vs 13, how ever if that was the case, his case and or thinking was no different from that of the Pharisee who recited the things he did or did not do in Vs 11-12
You know what, we are all that Pharisee by nature !
Now first of all, the word Justified in Vs 14 as it pertained to the publican , its the word δικαιόω and means:
I.
to render righteous or such he ought to be
II.
to show, exhibit, evince, one to be righteous, such as he is and wishes himself to be considered
III.
to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be
And its a Perfect Passive Participle verb , meaning he was Justified in the past once and for all with results evidencing into the present !
You see the publican was under a real sense of his wretchedness and unworthiness, and his prayer was only in the Hope of God's Sovereign mercy, because as it is written Rom 9:15
15 For he saith to Moses
, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
God's Mercy cannot be claimed as due to anyone, its unmerited, and at the disposal of God's Sovereignty, so his prayer was only in hope, and not in conceit and self assurance, his thought was not that of a conditione he is performing or a meritorious act of his in any sense, in fact it evidenced a spirit of helplessness, if God does not hear him.
When he went back to his house, he had no ideal he was Justified, declared Righteous before God, that's what the Gospel would inform him of though. The point is this, The man was Justified before he went to the Temple to pray. His coming to the temple to pray for him evidenced he had been given by the Spirit of God, the spirit of Grace and Supplications Zech 12:10
10 And
I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
That word supplications means:supplication for favour, humble entreaty or petition; prayer
Now if the publican was not already justified before he came to the Temple to pray, the argument can be made that he also was trusting in himself, his own humility, as the Pharisee was in his self righteousness in Lk 18:11-12.
But alas, the Truth of the matter is this, all for whom Christ died and made Righteous Rom 5:19, shall at one time or other receive the Spirit of Grace and Supplication as per Zech 12:10, for the Just shall live by Faith !
