Title: Repentance and Renewal (Ephesians 04:21-24)
Content Repentance and renewal are the basic attitudes of Christians. And also the attitude of the church is prayer. The Greek term for repentance is 'metanoia'. 'Meta' means to exalt, and "noia" refers to consciousness. So repentance means the improvement of consciousness. Rather, it is to be restored to God. This means change and newness, a term that is synonymous with repentance.
First, Christians and churches must live in Jesus Christ.
Second, Christians and churches must put off their old self.
“Put off your old self, which is the old way of life (verse 22), which decays according to the lusts of temptation” refers to repentance. Because it is corrupting with greed". However, it is difficult to put it off by human strength. You must obtain the power of the Holy Spirit only. Repentance is allowing the Holy Spirit to let go of what I have until now. It's not willing to let things change or lose.
We, the Presbyterian Church in Korea, must cast off the old people who follow the old customs that are corrupting according to the lust of temptation. Among them is an old man whose history of division teaches us.
The first is self-righteousness and condemnation in division. We find our old man in the division of the "Koryo school". We must put off our self-righteous behavior of condemning and judging our brothers.
The ungodly old man found in the split with the second "millet". We need to get rid of the worldly behavior of laissez-faire.
The third division is the divisional struggle of the "joint side". We need to get rid of the old man of blind vigilantism that criticizes the ecumenical movement as a theology of Yonggong theology. Living in the age of division, seduced by the urgency of national security, we must cast off the "old customs" that have become more loyal to the ideology of rule and the kingdom of this world than the kingdom of God.
Third, Christians and churches must put on the new man.
Renewal refers to the word “renewal of the heart, and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and holiness of truth” (verses 23, 24). It means the new man, “created after God in righteousness and holiness of truth.” It is the action of a new man who seeks God's kingdom and God's justice before things of this world (Matt. To become a new creation, the messenger of God's reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
A new person is a person who is born again toward God. The renewal of the church is to make it a church ruled by the sovereignty of God. It is to become a man of God who obeys God's word by breaking free from the temptations of the world's political power and economic pongyo. A “clean heart” is created in me, and a “righteous spirit” is renewed in me (Psalm 51:10). It is to be “renewed” (Isaiah 40:31), “renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16), and “to be renewed even in knowledge” (Colossians 3:10).
Let the old man be put off, but the new man is not to take off, but to put on. It is “overlaid” with the mind of God and is “swallowed up” by the new life of the resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:2-4). The church must also be renewed as God's holy church, becoming God's "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for his own possession" (1 Peter 2:9). Now, let us pray that Christians and churches of our denomination will receive the power of the Holy Spirit for repentance and renewal.