Isaiah 43:18 says, “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” In a similar vein, Paul says, “Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13–14; italics added). And, in the words of our Lord, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God” (Lk. 9:62).[1]
Being in Christ means a commitment to complete change. In the language of Paul, it means no longer walking according to the flesh but according to the spirit (Rom. 8:4ff). This means turning over a new leaf. It means committing to a new creation ethic. Being a Christian is not ultimately about what God does for us but what God does in us and through us. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we agree to close all former chapters on our life and open an entirely new one.
In other words, discipleship is costly. Jesus said, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead” (Matt. 8:22). He also says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37).
With this, the word in the Old Testament meaning “repent” means to turn around and go the opposite direction. This is what the life of holiness is all about. Just like on the day of Pentecost in which God did something entirely new and launched a new era, when someone comes to faith in Jesus, a new era of life begins. Being in Christ means dying to oneself—to self-satisfying desires—to the power of sin one’s life. It means complete submission. This is what Pentecost is all about, this is what the normal Christian life is all about, and it is what holiness is all about: radical change. In the words of the psalmist, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will act” (Ps. 37:5).
[1] Also see Ps. 25:7; 51:10; 2 Pet. 1:8–9.
