August 22, 2023
Dear Friends,
What does repentance look like?
John the Baptist gives us a helpful answer:
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John said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” (Luke 3:7-14)
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There are two things to notice here. First: repentance bears fruit. And just like you’d expect, that fruit is often simply quitting something sinful. In fact, the connection between repentance and quitting sin is so obvious that sometimes the two things get mixed together. So, for instance, if I’m in the habit of stealing Snickers bars every time I go to the gas station, you should tell me to repent. And you should expect that if I have repented, I will at least make an effort to quit. And so John tells the tax collectors to quit cheating and the soldiers to quit extorting. That’s the fruit of repentance in their lives.
But, notice this second thing: the fruit follows from repentance. That is to say, repentance and its fruit are not the same thing. Repentance is actually something inside you. It literally means a change of mind, or a change of heart. So think about it this way – it means you used to want to steal Snickers bars and now you don’t. It means the tax collectors no longer want to cheat, and the soldiers no longer want to extort. Naturally that change of heart shows itself in a change in behavior, but the key is this: repentance takes place in the heart.
All of that is important for understanding what’s going on with babies. Are they born with sinful hearts? Yes: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:21-23). Sin does not come into a person from the outside, but it comes out from within. And babies are made of the same sinful stuff as you and me.
Can their sinful hearts be changed? Yes: “Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts” (Psalm 22:9). The answer is yes because it is God who changes hearts. It’s God who works repentance. He does it by his Spirit, and he has made his Spirit available to all flesh, even babies.
This is where it gets confusing – what are the fruits of repentance in the life of a baby? Can we see them?
I like the example of John the Baptist leaping for joy in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary walked in the house with the Savior in her womb. That sure sounds like the fruit of repentance and faith! Rejoicing at the presence of Jesus!
But, that’s not a common experience among our babies. So what can we say? I’d put it this way: just because you and I cannot see the fruits of repentance doesn’t mean they’re not there or growing. Take the analogy of a tree. A bad tree produces bad fruit, and a good tree produces good fruit. But the fruit is not always ripe. Sometimes it is in blossom and other times it is still green. Nonetheless, it’s there. Just as you can’t always see the fruits of sinfulness in a baby, but they become clear as a child grows, so also you can’t always see the fruits of repentance in a baby, but they become clear as the child grows. What makes you confident that the fruit will be good? Well, it’s very simply that the tree has been made good.
This is what Baptism offers to everyone – it takes a bad tree and makes it good through the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Praise God that it’s on offer to absolutely everyone, including babies!
But. . .what if someone is baptized and then turns away? What does that mean for their baptism? That’ll be next week. Stay tuned for more!
God bless and keep you,
Pr. Buchs
COMING EVENTS:
September 23 – Pork Chop Dinner