Repentance is for Sinners

“³¹And Jesus answered them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³²I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.’” — Luke 5:31-32 (ESV)

I read this passage in Luke this morning and was immediately reminded that it is me, a sinner, who should be seeking forgiveness through repentance. I am a sinner and will always be. Jesus came for me to give me the chance to be with Him.

I will say that I have looked at this passage in Luke from the perspective of I am to engage with sinners so that I have the opportunity to present the gospel to them so that they too can experience forgiveness through repentance. But this morning I see it from the perspective of Jesus came to be with me, the sinner. He came to offer up salvation to me. He did not come to spend His time with those that were righteous, they should be spending time with Him.

I need to repent daily for those thing I have done and those that I will do. I have to remember and acknowledge that I am a sinner and no better than anyone else. I have to be the example of accountability and responsibility for my sin. I have to demonstrate repentance and learning from those sins. I have to know and make known that I will make mistakes, however I also have a responsibility to not make the same mistakes again. I have to know that I will sin again, although it is my responsibility to avoid the same sins from occurring again as I have learned from them.

Sinners will sin and there is nothing that can be done about it. I am one and will always be. Jesus came to me in spite of my sin, in fact He came because of it. He came to be with me and provide the opportunity for my repentance and forgiveness and salvation. I have a responsibility to accountability to those sins and the overcoming of them to be with Him in glory.

What sins are you committing over again? Are you pretending that you are somehow above others and that Jesus should be spending time with you thanks to your righteousness? What if you admitted daily that you are a sinner and take responsibility to accountability for those sins to demonstrate your need and reliance on Jesus?