What is in my hands?

This week I am learning the difference between these two:

I “repent” by trying to do it right the next time.

I confess that I don’t “have it right” and come to Christ, my righteousness.

One is the "repentance and rest" of Isaiah 30:15.  One is my own striving to make myself okay.


Does the necessity of repentance in conversion constitute a kind of work that detracts from the empty-handedness of faith? Does it compromise grace?

In a word, no. Sinners must always come empty-handed. But this is precisely the point. By nature, my hands are full (of sin, self, and my own “good deeds”). However, hands that are full cannot hold on to Christ in faith. Instead, as they take hold of Him, they are emptied. That which has prevented us from trusting Him falls inevitably to the ground. The old way of life cannot be retained in hands that are taking hold of the Savior.

Yes, repentance and faith are two essential elements in conversion. They constitute twin graces that can never be separated. As John Calvin well reminds us, this is true not only of the beginning but of the whole of our Christian lives.

--Sinclair Ferguson