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Ten Facts You Should Know About Repentance by Adebayor1(m): 6:50pm On Sep 07, 2014 |
“Repent,” urged Peter, “and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 ). These divinely inspired words, spoken on the Day of Pentecost, the annual holy day that became the “birthday” of the New Testament church, show that repentance is the first prerequisite for receiving the Holy Spirit. “Repent” was the first command issued on the day the church was “born,” the first word used to answer the all-important question, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (2:37). FACT #1: REPENTANCE IS A CHANGE OF MIND AND BEHAVIOR. To repent means to change , or “have a change of mind.” W.E. Vine states, “In the N.T. the subject [repentance] chiefly has reference to repentance from sin, and this change of mind involves both a turning from sin and a turning to God” (An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words , p. 953). This change of mind is a change of attitude and mental perspective, which results in a change in behavior. It means turning from the way of life that is contrary to God’s law, and turning to the way of life that is defined by God’s law, which consists chiefly of the Ten Commandments, but includes other commandments, statutes, and judgments, as well. Repentance means to surrender one’s life—one’s whole being, both mind and body—to God’s will as expressed in His revealed Word. FACT #2: THE CALL TO REPENTANCE IS AT THE HEART OF THE KINGDOM MESSAGE. As mentioned previously, John the Baptist, the divinely chosen herald of Christ’s first coming, came preaching a message of repentance: “Repent,” he urged, “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2 ). Jesus, too, called for repentance: “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 4:17 ). The apostle Paul went to the Jews and Greeks alike “preaching the kingdom of God,” a message of “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21 , 25 ). Notice how, in each case, the call for repentance is linked to the message of the Kingdom of God. Note also that the statements above are summaries of the things John, Jesus, and Paul preached. This is most revealing. It tells us that the call to repentance is at the heart and core of the Kingdom message. Jesus touched on many important subjects in His famous “Sermon on the Mount,” and illustrated truths about the Kingdom of God through scores of parables. Yet, interestingly, Matthew summarizes Jesus’ preaching ministry with a single line: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In truth, all that Jesus taught relates to repentance and the Kingdom in one way or another. FACT #3: THE MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE IS ESSENTIAL TO THE GREAT COMMISSION. Since the message Jesus commands His followers to take to the world is the message He brought, this fact is closely related to the previous one. The “great commission” Christ left for His disciples is summarized in Matthew 28:18–20 : And Jesus came and spoke to them [the eleven disciples— verse 16], saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The Son (Jesus) has “all authority…in heaven and earth.” He acquired His authority from His Father , and exercises His authority on earth through the ministries of Spirit- filled disciples (precisely the reason Jesus mentions “Father…Son…Holy Spirit” here). In other words, though Jesus is now bodily absent, His work continues through His disciples. He is spiritually present with them; and through them, He continues calling for repentance in preparation for the Kingdom of God . Jesus says “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47 ). The message of “repentance and remission of sins” began to be proclaimed in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, when Peter preached a powerful message showing that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and concluded with, “ Repent , and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 ). FACT #4: GOD COMMANDS REPENTANCE. Some “hyper-Calvinists” seem to believe that salvation is solely a matter of God’s sovereign will, completely aside from human free will. Heavy emphasis is placed on predestination, unconditional election, and irresistible grace. Human cooperation—including repentance and obedience—in the salvation process is considered a conditioned response, an action of divine grace alone. This means that the salvation God offers is not, in the true sense of the term, an “offer.” Though He commands all to repent, and punishes those who do not, ultimately casting them into a lake of fire, only those select few conditioned by divine grace will repent—only they can repent—and it’s not a matter of free choice. Those who repent choose repentance because they are incapable of resisting divine grace. Such a soteriology reduces God’s command to repent to so many empty words. What is a “command” if there is no option to obey or disobey? Are we to suppose that God’s command to repent is devoid of options? In “Fact #5” below we will see that repentance is indeed a gift of God, but this does not mean that the offer of salvation does not involve a real choice with real options. FACT #5: REPENTANCE IS A GIFT OF GOD. This is not a contradiction. God commands repentance; yet, repentance is a gift of God. If a “gift” is forced on someone, it is not a gift at all! The same is true of the gift of repentance. God doesn’t force anyone to repent; He simply makes the opportunity to repent available. This is the sense in which repentance as a gift should be understood. God exalted Jesus “to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts5:31 ). When certain Jewish Christians witnessed the conversion of Cornelius and his household, “they glorified God, saying, ‘Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life’” (Acts 11:18 ). Paul hopes that, through Timothy’s efforts in correcting certain offenders, “God perhaps will grant them repentance , so that they may know the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25 ). But how does the process work? Through what means does God “grant them repentance”? God, through His Spirit, leads a person to an awareness of both sin and righteousness, thus enabling Him to “hear” the command to repent. Jesus promised that, after His departure, the Holy Spirit would come and “ convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16:8–11 ). The Spirit convicts the world of sin and righteousness through the church’s preaching of the good news. God often uses the circumstances of day-to-day life in bestowing upon us the gift of repentance. The gift may come through the positive Christian example of a neighbor, or from reading a booklet on an intriguing biblical topic, or from watching the Armor of God television program, or from a chain of events spanning many weeks or months, or even years. Shocking events in the news, such as the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, may be the catalyst that enables a person to receive God’s gift of repentance. On the other hand, positive events, such as people coming together to help relieve the suffering of others, may have an awakening effect through which God can bestow the gift of repentance. God can and does use the events of life— ordinary and extraordinary—to awaken people to their need of repentance. FACT #6: REPENTANCE IS THE FRUIT OF GODLY SORROW. The apostle Paul says that “godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10 ). Godly sorrow is contrition motivated by a love for God. Such sorrow, says Paul, produces repentance. It is not the totality of repentance; it serves as a first step in the process of repentance, or change in attitude and behavior. The “sorrow of the world,” on the other hand, is nothing more than self-pity. It “produces death” because it is self-centered rather than God -centered. Contrition is important, but genuine repentance cannot be measured by how many tears a person sheds or how much time he has spent whimpering and sobbing while curled in the fetal position. Repentance involves deep feelings, but is not in itself a mere visceral response. As discussed above, it is a God-centered CHANGE of heart and mind. It is a choice , not a whim. It is based on love , not mere hurt feelings or self-pity. It is conviction and commitment, not an emotional state into which (or out of which) a person helplessly falls. The fruits of repentance do not flow naturally from a wellspring of tingling sensations or warm fuzzy feelings; they are actions requiring deliberate choices . Confession of sins John writes, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8–10 ). A major key to true repentance is confession. Unfortunately, our confession is often limited by what we are willing to admit. We humans have the uncanny ability of mentally revising past events, deceiving ourselves into believing that past sins were somehow less than sinful. We dupe ourselves into thinking that deadly sins are mere “weaknesses.” We hide our motives, not only from others, but also from ourselves. Somehow, we're able to shove our true motives into the darkened recesses of our minds, and pretend that certain of our past sinful actions were prompted by good intentions. FACT #7: REPENTANCE IS THE FRUIT OF GOD’S GOODNESS. Perhaps most of us associate repentance with fear of what might happen to us if we do not repent. That’s a healthy fear, and those who live immorally should be fearful. But fear of punishment or condemnation is not the only factor that may lead a person to repentance. Paul asks, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4 ). Similarly, Peter says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 ). God’s goodness is expressed in His patience with us. From the finite human point of view, God is “slow” in delivering His promises; but what we call “slowness” is really God’s patience with us. His desire is that we come to repentance, and He patiently gives us every opportunity to do so. Most people do not commit to a life of obedience to God’s law as soon as they come to a knowledge of the truth; it usually takes time— years , in some cases. Fortunate for us, God is merciful, rich in kindness and patience—He is good! When we do finally repent and surrender our lives to Him, He most graciously, and without hesitation, pardons our transgressions. FACT #8: REPENTANCE IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION. This statement may seem redundant for those who have read all the material up to this point, but it needs stating for the simple reason that some people, zealously opposing the notion of salvation by “works,” tend to underemphasize (or fail to emphasize at all) the necessity of repentance. If they do talk about repentance, they prefer to speak of it as something that God causes altogether, but not as something requiring our cooperation with God. They believe that when we speak of repentance as something we do in cooperation with the divine will, we are attributing salvation to our own efforts, which is tantamount to teaching “salvation by works.” Paul never said that salvation does not involve our cooperation with God. When he condemned the notion of justification by “works of the law,” he was specifically addressing the Judaizers, who wanted to require non- Jewish converts to perform certain ritualistic acts that God never required of them. His point was that there is nothing a person can do to cause God to owe him salvation. That’s not to say, however, that human cooperation, which involves the human ability of making free choices, is not involved in the process of salvation. Scripture is clear in pointing out that your decision of whether to repent while the window of opportunity is open to you has everlasting repercussions. Therefore, we should not hesitate to say that your decision to repent is an absolute requirement for salvation. As stated previously, “repentance from dead works” is the first of the foundational doctrines listed in Hebrews 6:1–2 . “Dead works” are, as the New International Version indicates, “acts that lead to death.” To repent of such acts is to stop committing them. To stop doing one thing means to start doing the opposite. If this change of direction can be described as “works,” then, in that sense, “works” are required for salvation! That still does not mean, however, that you have done something to cause God to owe you salvation. Salvation is a free gift of God, and repentance is a condition for receiving the free gift. FACT #9: REPENTANCE IS INSEPARABLE FROM “SAVING FAITH.” When a Philippian jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas gave him the answer: “ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30–31 ). In Mark’s version of the “great commission,” Jesus says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15–16 ). When an Ethiopian eunuch asked, “What hinders me from being baptized?” Philip replied, “If you believe with all your heart, you may” (Acts 8:36–37 ). When the Samaritans “ believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized” (Acts 8:12 ). Candidates for Christian baptism need only “believe.” But what does that mean? What kind of “belief” is required for salvation, and what does it have to do with repentance? Saving faith Can faith that produces no works save a person? James addresses this very question in his short epistle: What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:14–20 ). FACT #10: REPENTANCE DOESN’T END WITH INITIAL CONVERSION. Perhaps many of us think of repentance as a one-time act —something we do at the beginning of our walk with Christ. But there’s more to it than that. There is an initial repentance, but it is important to realize that repentance is also a process . It involves continuous introspection, frequent exposure to the Word of God, regular prayer, and perhaps occasional fasting. Perhaps the word that best describes repentance as a way of life is growth —a continuous chain of changes leading to maturity. Repentance as a process is more than an occasional act of contrition—though that is definitely a part of it. It is also a God-centered state of mind that influences every aspect of one’s life. It is sharpened through paying attention to the “nudging” of the Holy Spirit, which always directs one along the path established by God’s law; it is dulled through neglecting the Spirit’s convicting presence. Leaving the sphere of the Spirit’s influence is a serious matter. James was speaking to Christians who had lapsed into worldliness when he wrote: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:7–10 ). Christ’s admonitions to the seven churches of Asia Minor are filled with urgent warnings to repent and turn away from practices that conflict with God’s will (Revelation 2 and 3). Paul called upon the church at Corinth to discontinue fellowship with an immoral church member until he had repented of his sinful activity (1 Corinthians 5:1–5 ). “Your glorying is not good,” Paul said. “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (verse 6). Paul was calling for both individual and communal repentance. As stated above, repentance involves a state of mind, a disposition. More than a one-time act , it is a life of obedience that involves continual changes—spiritual growth—and a continuous desire to do the will of God, not merely for the purpose of reaping the rewards of obedience, but because it is right in the sight of God. #baron18 source. www.cgi.org/ten-facts-you-should-know-about-repentance/ |
Re: Ten Facts You Should Know About Repentance by busterr(m): 7:03pm On Sep 07, 2014 |
#fact 11. Repentance begins when people need something from God, maybe job, success in academics, admission, and they usually gets back to their sins when they achieve that. 1 Like |
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