Dear Elise,--The Heart of a Servant Leader: Letters from Jack Miller (P&R, 2004), 244-45
Thank you for your recent letter concerning your desire to know whether you have had a God-centered repentance. So set aside any fears that I might be unwilling to take time to help you. Perhaps I can help you if you will recognize that all I can do is be a small finger pointing to a large Christ. But if you trust yourself to Him be confident He is not only willing to help you but has the power to help you.
What do you need to know? . . . When you turn to Christ, you don't have a repentance apart from Christ, you just have Christ. Therefore don't seek repentance or faith as such but seek Christ. When you have Christ you have repentance and faith. Beware of seeking an experience of repentance; just seek an experience of Christ.
The Devil can be pretty tricky. He doesn't mind you thinking much about repentance and faith if you do not think about Jesus Christ. . . . Seek Christ, and relate to Christ as a loving Savior and Lord who wants to invite you to know him.
27 February 2012
Don't Seek Repentance: Seek Christ
In April 1983 Jack Miller wrote to a young woman, responding to her concerns as to whether she is truly repentant, a real Christian. Here is the opening to Jack's letter.
When we turn to Christ, and not our repentance, faith or works, are we in the Spirit at that moment and so controlled by His desires?
ReplyDeleteI am more and more wondering--experiencing--if walking by the Spirit is simply keeping our mind set on Christ through the courage the gospel gives us as we face decision after decision and circumstance after circumstance, weakness upon weakness. I feel like our eyes come off of Him on account of these things, and that is the source of our impotency.
Do you have thoughts on walking by the Spirit?