Isa 55:11 …my word that goes out from my mouth… will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
God intends and brings about the repentance of his chosen-ones, by making certain the comprehension of his word, which communicates the reasonableness and desirableness of repentance. Once a person is informed and convinced, repentance is freely embraced.
The Bible’s reasonableness and truthfulness and unapologetic authority are used by God to light up the beauty of, “Repent and turn to God.” (Ac 26:20) But that beauty is not seen by all. All are not chosen, purposed, intended to see it.
Acts 9:22 Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. 23 After a while some of the Jews plotted together to kill him.
C.S. Lewis in “The Screwtape Letters” explains, “You see, God doesn’t wish to overwhelm us. He’s put us in a position where our will can go in either direction. We are responsible for our decision. It’s what we choose to see that matters. In order for us to have that choice, God leaves things so that we have to seek them.”
This is at best a slice of truth; an occasional explanation of God’s seeming-lack of involvement. This could only be said of those whom God allows to freely reject him, to those, whose eternity is determined by their choice rather than God’s choice.
Those God purposes, intends, chooses to repent, to those he grants the gift of repentance, “overwhelming” is exactly what he does. Consider Paul’s reason for choosing to repent.
Acts 9:3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” 5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
It is reasonable to say from this text that God “overwhelmed” Paul, so that Paul might see repentance as the best (and only logical) course of action. This devastating combination of inescapable accountability and conviction and despair and alarm and hopelessness and dread and obvious need for mercy and new willingness to cling to the mercy of God, is the force God uses to necessarily and certainly produce repentance in the hearts of those he purposes to transform through repentance.
Those God intends to justify and sanctify and glorify are brought initially and then, again and again to a certainty of the benefits of repentance, sometimes overwhelmingly so.
By his word, he continually convinces, by small measures and by large, that there is nothing better that we could do than to turn from our sin and turn to God.
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