This is a quick one that probably deserves more time. I want to get it down for now though, so I don't forget it. I have grown extremely suspicious of anything sounding like part of the gospel that requires a certain unknown quantity or quality of human action to be accomplished. Here's what I mean:
What if I didn't repent sincerely enough?
What if I don't have enough faith?
What if I don't love God enough?
What if I don't hate sin enough?
The first problem with all of these questions is the I. Did I? If I am relying on myself for repentance, faith, love of God or hatred of sin then I have a salvation that depends on me. Period. I have no assurance.
The second problem is that nobody can answer the questions. How do you know that your repentance was sincere? You don't. And no one else can tell you. If your salvation is based on the idea of sincere repentance and you can't know what that means, you can't know you are saved.
Lastly, they all come down to an attempt at justification by works. The inclusion of the quantitative term 'enough' indicates that we are expecting a reciprocal response from God once a certain unknown benchmark is met. This is the hallmark of law, and reduces these important elements of Christian life to human works.
All Christians would do well to steer clear of anything that is supposed to justify us but is left open-ended. The gospel tells us that God's love for us is complete and unconditional. We cannot work for it even by repenting 'more' sincerely or mustering up 'more' faith or love. God has done all of this for us so that we can stop worrying about it and get on with life. Real life without the 'what ifs'.
God Bless
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