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Job 33:27-30 Many new theologies today. Repentance has been replaced with reformation, or penance, or reparation. But that is not repentance. This has happened in Baptists circles today. Some believe it is not right to preach repentance, because:
The Bible is full of repentance. Job 33:27-30 states, He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; 28 He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. 29 Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, 30 To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living. This is repentance in the Old Testament. God causes a person to understand he has sinned and he then repents of his sins and God saves his soul. All of the Old Testament prophets preached repentance.
Repenting not brings the condemnation of God:
It was not that they did not have religion, or church houses, or religious exercises, or personal belief systems, or good works, or that they struggled to do right, or fought against social injustices. They were condemned because they did not repent. ************************ A Bible definition of repentance: Repentance is not a work, it is not a call to clean up your life. As long as you are trying to clean up your life and make yourself worthy of the grace of God, you will remain lost. Repentance will lead to a cleaning up of your life, or the cause of you cleaning up your life, so do not confuse the two. Do not corrupt the gospel message. Repent means a change of mind. Genesis 6:6 – God repented that he had made man on the earth. This does not mean that God was sorry he made man, but that he changed his mind about it. A Christian is someone who has had a profound change of mind. Repentance is not a new style of religion, but true repentance begins on the inside, and is reflected on the outside. II Corinthians 7:10 states, For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. We could say, Godly sorrow is the result of a different mind about sin. Having a different mind about sin causes a look to one who will help with our sin – to Christ who died that we might have life. This repentance is something we never have to change our minds about. But if we only have worldly sorrow, it will drive us to the grave. Repentance is inward, personal. When Christ begins to bring a person to salvation, he changes the way they think about themselves, about sin, about God, about eternity. An example is the prodigal son. Look how he changed his mind about material possessions, his dad, his family, himself and how he has sinned, and how he is very willing to accept responsibility for his own wickedness, not reflecting his sins to anybody else. The Bible states, he came to himself. He said he has sinned against heaven and against his dad. He declares first he has sinned against God, not just that he had mistreated his dad. He asks to be a hired servant, not a son. The publican smote himself on his breast, and did not look to the heavens, but confessed he was a sinner, asking God to forgive him. Repentance is a change of mind about sin. There is no justification of sin. They see things that are wrong, they have never seen as wrong before. Many people believe repentance is for others – those that are lesser than themselves. Hebrews 6:1 – we must repent of our religion, not of serving God, but of what we consider to be religion.
John 16:7-11 states, Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. Do not think the Comforter will not reprove the believer of sin, because he will. That is one of the very first things believers will be reproved of. Are we not a part of the world? Jesus Christ becomes the real issue, not us and what we have done. There is also a change of mind concerning the gospel. II Timothy 2:25 - In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; We do not expect the world to believe, but when a person is saved they have a change of mind about the gospel. There was a time in my life when God began to work. There was a total change of mind about holiness and what God expected of me. It is like I was one person before I was saved, and a completely different person after I was saved. I was blind, but now I see. Repentance is a grace. God commands us to repent, but it is also what God must do. Note II Timothy 2:25 – preachers must continue to be patient with people because they do not know they are in darkness, but they do not know they are in darkness. It just may be that God will grant them repentance.
Here is a command that all must repent, a believer desiring to repent, and God stating he will give a new heart. See how this works? I don’t know either. I only know it does not discourage anybody. We know God gets all the glory and credit, and we point others to Christ, not to doing something. Repentance is therefore a grace, not a work. Repenting is not what a man does apart from God. But it is God which leads us to repentance. Salvation is a duty of man, a command of God, but it is also a grace. Repentance is also an inseparable grace.
The difference between repentance and penance, reformation, and such is the repentant sinner always looks by faith to Jesus Christ, never looking to themselves, because they know they have absolutely nothing to offer God. In the Bible, when you see the word "repent", the word "faith is always included, even if the word is not there. When you see the word "faith", the word "repent" is always included, even if the word is not there. As repentant sinners will always look to Christ. God works in the heart of unbelievers, causing them to turn to Christ, while they are still in their sins. God uses repentance to make us see what we are, therefore we must have someone outside ourselves to help us. The sorrow of this world worketh death.
Repentance is manifested in outward actions.
Repentance is not the evidence of turning from sin. Turning from sin is the evidence of repentance. We do not preach clean up your life, and you will be accepted by God. We preach repent, then you will clean up your life. And all this will be by the power of God, because the heart is different. Repentance is permanent, as salvation is also permanent. When people feel bad and want to change – and declare they want God, they want relief, so forth. Then they get relief, and they are done with God, that is not salvation. Repentance is ongoing. When people miss a lot of services, then come to services and really enjoy the services, and proclaim how much they enjoy the services, that is not repentance. They will not come back to services because they have not repented. If a person has been away from the Lord, and they come to services, would not you have a broken heart over your sins? Would you not see how much you have wronged God? Would you not mourn over your sins, instead of rejoicing over the services? Would it not be like Psalms 51? False repentance gets what it wants, then is done with God. But Godly repentance is not to be repented of. Repentance is necessary, because all are guilty before God. Luke 13:1-3 - There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. All are alike sinners, and need repentance. |