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Las Vegas is now the promised land.
I was there recently for a conference and met two taxi drivers from Bulgaria. What are the odds? Apparently, pretty good. They both lived through communism and found their way to a city they had longed to see.
Thirty-five million people visit Las Vegas every year. Its hotels have an occupancy rate of 88 percent. Its themed-style resorts allow you to go from New York to Paris to Venice in less than an hour. And, of course, there is always the hope that gambling will make you rich. As I watched people playing the slot machines, I thought of C.S. Lewis’ quote: “We are far too easily pleased.”
But people don’t go to Vegas just to gamble—they also go there to live. It is the fastest-growing city in the United States of America. There are plenty of jobs, housing is relatively inexpensive, and there is lots of sunshine.
The lights, the entertainers, and the games attract people with dreams of cleaning the slate, of starting over. We don’t need anyone to tell us we have messed up, but we long for a place where we can begin again. For many, Las Vegas is that place. I met several people who had moved there after a divorce. It is ironic that so many try to transform their lives in a place nicknamed “Sin City.”
But there is a difference between trying to run from mistakes and actually addressing the sin in your life. That difference is called repentance. In his Systematic Theology, Louis Berkhof defines repentance as “that change wrought in the conscious life of the sinner, by which he turns away from sin.” He distinguishes three elements in repentance:
1. An intellectual element (the recognition of sin, even guilt, but perhaps no hatred of sin).
2. An emotional element (sorrow for sinning against a holy God).
3. A volitional element (an inward turning away from sin, and a disposition to seek pardon and cleansing).
True repentance is linked to true faith, for when we turn our back on sin we turn our gaze to God. Where there is true repentance, faith will be found. Some call repentance the “other side of the coin of faith.” And that faith is based upon the work of Jesus Christ and His righteousness. We are justified when Christ takes on our sin and clothes us in His righteousness. We are cleansed and forgiven. We are now in Christ and have peace with God. That is the surprise, the beauty, the payoff of the Gospel. In Biblical terms, it is the pearl of great price, the mystery of the ages. In Vegas, they call it a “jackpot.”
If you are not a Christian, “ ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ ” (Matt. 4:17b). If you are a Christian, seek this weekend to show a lost stranger the path to the eternal Promised Land.