“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?” (Acts 2:37)
The writer of the book of Hebrews places “repentance from
acts that lead to death” (Hebrews 6:1) at the head of a list of six “elementary
truths of God’s word” (5:12). Repentance is a part of the very “foundation” (Hebrews
6:1) of the true Christian faith, so is much too important to be glossed over
or neglected to any degree.
The importance of this essential doctrine is underscored by
the fact that New Testament narratives specifically mention repentance in their
summaries of the preaching of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), Jesus Christ
(Matthew 4:7), and the apostle Paul (Acts 20:21). This should not be surprising
since Jesus, who commissioned His followers to “make disciples of all nations”
(Matthew 28:19), said that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached
to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).
A correct understanding of repentance is absolutely
fundamental to our salvation. The candidate for Christian baptism must know
what repentance means, what to repent of, and how to distinguish between real
and counterfeit repentance. He or she should also have a solid understanding of
how repentance relates to godly sorrow, divine grace, and saving faith.
Paul informs us that “these times of (past) ignorance God
has overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).
Repentance, then, is a subject deserving of careful study. The admonition to
repent is for all man of all races and nationalities and is an essential
component of the good news of the Kingdom of God. It has been said that, “repentance
is the divinely appointed means of repairing the relationship between God and
mankind.” It is our hope to come to a good understanding of this “divinely
appointed means” of reconciliation and apply it to our lives.
The ten truths that follow, if carefully studied, will
supply us with a solid foundation of knowledge about this important subject.
Truth #1: REPENTANCE
IS A CHANGE OF MIND AND BEHAVIOR
To repent means to change, or “have a change of mind and
direction.” In the New Testament 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.” 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.
True repentance requires a turning from sin, which is defined
in 1 John 3:4 as “the transgression of the law” (KJV). Repentance means turning
to righteousness through a life of faith and obedience, the opposite of sin and
disobedience. Most of the commandments of God’s law are negative (they begin
with “You shall not…”), but each one has a positive side, as well. The
commandment forbidding the worship of false gods means “worship the true God.”
The commandment against idolatry means “worship God in spirit and in truth.” Repentance
entails putting away the sinful activities defined by the commandments and
adopting the godly attitudes and behaviors of God’s law.
The fruits of repentance
Repentance begins with a change of mind and results in a
change of conduct. In Acts 3:19, Peter urges his hearers to “repent…and be
converted" or turn and be changed! Turn to God by accepting His terms and
provisions, and then follow through with action.
When certain self-serving hypocrites came to the Jordan
River where John was baptizing, John challenged them to show proof of their
repentance: “produce fruit in keeping with repentance,” the Baptist said,
adding that “every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and
thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:8, 10). Luke’s account includes examples of the fruit of repentance:
“So the people asked him (John), saying, “what shall we do then?” He answered
and said to them, “he who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and
he who has food, let him do likewise.” Then tax collectors also came to be
baptized, and said to him, “teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “collect
no more than what is appointed for you.” Likewise the soldiers asked him,
saying, ‘and what shall we do?’ So he said to them, “do not intimidate anyone
or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages” (Luke 3:10–14).
John, whose ministry focused on repentance, and whose
baptism is even called a “baptism of repentance” (Acts 19:4), knew that those
who were truly repentant would prove their repentance by their actions.
Repentance is change, not only change of mind, but change of behavior, as well.
Paul’s understanding of repentance was the same as John’s.
Recounting his conversion before King Agrippa, Paul told of how he “declared
first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of
Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do
works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:20). Like John, Paul knew that the inner
state of repentance, if firmly rooted and nurtured, would inevitably express
itself through outward works.
“Repentance” that bears no fruit
Again, and again Scripture makes it plain that the inner
quality of repentance produces “works befitting repentance,” or a change in
behavior. When a person confesses repentance but has no change of behavior, no
“fruit in keeping with repentance”—then there is one of two possibilities:
either that person’s repentance was “short-circuited” by the cares of this life
or unforeseen circumstances (Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23), or it never truly existed
in the first place.
Internal and external qualities
The internal and external qualities of repentance are so
interwoven that one cannot be separated from the other. Behavioral science
informs us that just as our attitudes influence our actions, our actions
influence our attitudes. In other words, the internal quality we call
repentance (an “attitude”) influences the way we behave. It motivates us to
obey God’s commandments and accept His provisions for salvation. Similarly,
putting God’s instructions to practice influences our attitudes; it encourages
the mental disposition, or “attitude,” we call repentance.
Truth #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.
Repentance and the
heirs of the Kingdom
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expounds the
characteristics of the heirs of the Kingdom: They are not given to anger,
violence, or pride; they mourn the injustices of society; they long for
fairness and justice; they are merciful; they eschew immorality and perversion;
and they are willing to endure hardships of every sort rather than compromise
what they know to be right (Matthew 5:1–12). Heirs of the Kingdom are called
upon to acquire these qualities, but obtaining such qualities is not possible
for the impenitent. Repentance is required.
The whole of the Sermon on the Mount concerns the question
of what one must do to enter the Kingdom of God. It provides an overview of the
changes of mind and conduct heirs of the Kingdom are required to make: They
hold God’s law in high esteem (Matthew 5:17-20); recognize that sinful acts
such as murder and adultery begin in the heart and sometimes require radical
preventative measures (5:21–30); honor divinely ordained institutions such as
marriage (5:31-32); highly value truthfulness (5:33–37); are always willing to
put aside grievances and bear extra burdens in order to turn bad relationships
into good ones (5:38–48). They closely examine their own motives and priorities,
seeing to it that in all they think and do they “seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness…” (Matthew 6:33). Such qualities of character are rarely
seen in today’s world. They are the fruit of the radical commitment known as
repentance.
Parables of the Kingdom
Many of Jesus’ “kingdom parables” (parables that illustrate
the Kingdom of God through some common activity or situation; “the kingdom of
heaven is like…”) focus on the necessity and true nature of repentance. In the
parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24–30), the Kingdom is compared
to “a man who sowed good seed in the field.” The story involves a man who sows
a field with wheat, and an enemy who comes by night and sows tares among the
wheat. When the grain sprouted and produced a crop, it was discovered that
tares were mingled with the wheat. The owner of the crop instructed his
servants to let the wheat and tares grow together until the harvest, at which
time the wheat will be gathered into a barn and the tares will be burned.
Jesus interprets the parable this way: He who sows the good
seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of
the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed
them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the
angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will
be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they
will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice
lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing
and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew
13:36–43).
The “tares” are those who “offend” and “practice
lawlessness.” Lawlessness means “without law.” The tares disregard God’s law.
They display a spirit diametrically opposite of repentance. The “wheat,” on the
other hand, represents the “righteous.” The Psalmist declares, “For all Your
commandments are righteousness” (Psalm 119:172). The righteous, then, are those
who keep God’s commandments. They are the ones who have turned from sin and to
obedience. Like the “good seed” that produced a good crop, they produce “works
befitting repentance.”
In the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew
18:21–35), the kingdom of God is compared to “a certain king who wanted to
settle accounts with his servants” (verse 23). One servant, unable to pay his
debt, begged the king for mercy, and the king responded by forgiving the man his
debt.
The servant then went out and refused to extend the same
mercy to a man who was indebted to him. In the end, the unforgiving servant was
delivered to the torturers “until he should pay all that was due to him” (verse
34). The primary lesson for us appears in verse 35: “So my heavenly Father also
will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his
trespasses.” But there is also a lesson here about the nature of true
repentance. Genuine repentance is not mere self-pity; it is both a change of
mind and a change of behavior. It involves recognizing that the recipients of
mercy are doubly responsible for being merciful.
When a person truly repents of his or her past offenses
against God, and casts their self on God’s mercy, relying wholly on His
compassion and accepting His provisions for salvation, then that person can
know in their heart that their sins have been forgiven. If their repentance is
real—from the heart—and not mere self-pity, then they will be impelled (but not
forced) to extend to others the same mercy they have received. That’s the way
true repentance works.
Other Kingdom parables similarly illustrate the principal
components of repentance. The parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1–14),
for instance, stresses the importance of responding positively to God’s
invitation and accepting His provisions for salvation. The parable of the
talents (Matthew 25:14–30) urges diligence and faithfulness in carrying out the
tasks God has assigned to us. These are the actions and qualities of the
repentant heart, and the stories urging these actions and qualities are “Kingdom
parables” because no one will enter the Kingdom without a heart attuned to and
conditioned by the will of God as expressed in His commandments. It’s easy to
see why Jesus’ message is summed up in one line: “Repent, for the Kingdom of
God is at hand!” The good news of the Kingdom is a message of repentance.
Truth #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: Jesus came and spoke to them [the eleven
disciples] 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 said, “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).
Truth #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 truth #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.
A universal
command
The apostle Paul, disgusted by the idols he saw all around
him in Athens, informed the philosophers of the Areopagus that “these [past]
times of ignorance God overlooked, but now [through the preaching of the
gospel] commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). The accountability
to which God holds a person is in direct proportion to his knowledge of truth.
God had “winked at,” or “overlooked,” many of the idolatrous customs of the
past because of widespread deception, ignorance, and superstition. But now—now
that the good news of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom is being proclaimed, and the
light of truth is penetrating the darkness of this present world through the
preaching of the good news—God is commanding “all men everywhere” to turn to
Him in repentance!
The call for repentance is not restricted to any one race or
nation; it is for everyone (“all men everywhere”). Of course, there’s still an
overabundance of deception and superstition in the world. That doesn’t mean
that God is no longer calling men to repentance; it means that the church still
has much work to do. God’s command to repent is directly related to how well
the church does its job. The preaching of the Word is precisely how God
commands all men to repent.
A real choice!
Make no mistake, God’s command to repent demands a response.
Those who have ears to hear the command have a choice set before them: They can
obey God by repenting of their sins and accepting His provisions and
conditions, or they can refuse to obey Him and go on living life the way they
want to, thereby resisting the very grace that brought them the opportunity for
salvation in the first place.
Yes, grace can be resisted and rejected! The choice God sets
before us is as real a choice as the one He set before the people of Israel
when He commanded them to obey His law and warned them of the consequences of
breaking the covenant: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you,
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore
choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Today,
if you hear God’s call to repentance, you have the same choice set before you.
Choose life!
Truth #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, “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 Gospel.
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.
Truth #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, however, is not in itself a mere visceral response. As discussed
above, it is a God-centered change of heart, mind and direction. 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.
Confession means being completely honest with oneself, and
with God. It means admitting, privately, prayerfully, one’s true motives, and
resolving to never again pretend that those motives are other than what they
are. King David seems to have suppressed his guilt after committing adultery
with Bathsheba and sending her husband to a sure death on the front lines of
combat. But once he was forced to face squarely what he had done, he confessed
his sin and repented deeply and bitterly.
David’s confession: Have mercy upon me, O God, / According
to Your lovingkindness; / According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, /
Blot out my transgressions. / Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, / And
cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, / And my sin is
always before me. / Against You, You only, have I sinned, / And done this evil
in Your sight— / That You may be found just when You speak, / And blameless
when You judge (Psalm 51:1–4).
David allowed the light of divine judgment to penetrate the
darkness of his innermost being and expose his sins for what they were. Rather
than hide from reality by pretending that his transgressions were “not really
all that bad,” David confessed—from the heart—what he had done and threw
himself upon God’s mercy. His sorrow was Godly sorrow, not mere self-pity; and
his confession was wholehearted confession, not a self-serving cover-up.
Truth #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.
The purpose of human existence
There is another sense in which God’s goodness leads to
repentance. His goodness is revealed in His awesome plan for humankind. Many,
upon seeing what God has in store for His image-bearers, have come to see the
goodness of God as they never could before and, as a result, have turned to Him
in wholehearted repentance.
The awesome destiny of man is stated succinctly in Paul’s
epistle to the Romans:
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the
sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but
you received the Spirit of adoption [sonship] by whom we cry out, “Abba,
Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children
of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Romans
8:14–17). Believe it or not, you and I were born for the very purpose
of becoming a child of God; literally! It is a mistake to try to “metaphorize”
away the plain meaning of the above text. The expressions “sons of God,”
“Spirit of sonship,” “children of God,” “heirs of God,” and “joint heirs with
Christ” are not metaphors, as the immediate context and other passages clearly
show. God literally wants to share His divinity with His human creatures. He
wants to bring us into His divine family.
"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us,
that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know
us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it
has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is
revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who
has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 John 3:1–3).
It is this hope—knowledge of God’s plan for each of us—that
motivates us to “purify” ourselves or turn to God in wholehearted repentance
and surrender our lives completely to Him. True repentance, then, is not only a
product of Godly sorrow; it is also a product of the goodness of God as we
recognize it in His wonderful purpose and as we experience it in His influence
in our lives.
Truth #8: REPENTANCE IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION
This statement may seem redundant; however, it needs restating
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 “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. God wants each of us to receive the
free gift of salvation, but He requires us to cooperate with Him before He will
give it to us. Cooperation with God begins with repentance.
Repent or perish!
Jesus, commenting on certain fateful events of the past,
warned His listeners, “[Un]less you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke
13:2,5). Repent or perish! Ultimately, that’s the choice each of us will have
to face. Peter’s statement that God does not desire “that any should perish but
that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9) carries the same message:
Those who do not ultimately “come to repentance” will surely “perish.”
The message of the prophets God sent to Israel presented the
same choice:
“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one
according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent, and turn from all your
transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all
the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and
a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure
in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!” (Ezekiel
18:30–32).
Here, God is speaking to the people of Israel in terms
expressed in the Sinai Covenant, but the principle of “repent or perish” is
universal, and underscores the importance of our cooperation with God in the
salvation process.
Truth #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).
In this text, “having faith” and “believing” are synonymous.
However, as James points out, the kind of faith (believing) that produces no
fruit is useless. Even the demons, he says, have that kind of faith. It is
nothing more than intellectual assent. The faith, or belief, that pleases God, true
“saving faith”, is the faith that results in obedience to God’s law and
acceptance of His provisions for salvation.
True faith, the kind that saves, is a faith that produces
positive behavioral changes. It is a trusting conviction that motivates a
person to repent, change their mind and their behavior, and bring their life
into harmony with the will of God. This is the kind of “believing” the
scriptures cited at the beginning of this section refer to. “Believe on the
Lord Jesus and you shall be saved” does not mean that all who give intellectual
assent to the story of Jesus “shall be saved.” The “believing” that saves is
the kind of believing that results in repentance and conversion.
Examples of faith
The book of Hebrews states that “faith is the assurance of
things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews11:1). It was
assurance and conviction that moved the men and women of Old Testament times to
perform positive deeds in compliance with God’s will. “But without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and
that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (verse 6). Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph,
Moses, and many others “obtained a good testimony through faith” (verse 39). In
all these examples, we see the principle that James so plainly sets forth: that
genuine faith, “saving faith”, is the assurance and conviction that produces
action. Such faith, then, is interrelated with and inseparable from repentance.
Saved by grace
through faith
Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest
anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Some believe this statement conflicts
with James’ comments on faith and works. But nothing could be further from the
truth. Paul is writing of the kind of faith James commends. James commends the
faith that produces works, and this is precisely what Paul has in mind when he
says that salvation comes by God’s grace through faith, as his next statement
clearly shows: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (verse 10).
The author of Hebrews speaks of the “foundation of
repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God” (Hebrews 6:1,
niv). The way repentance and faith are put together here reflects the writer’s
understanding of these foundational doctrines: They are two interrelated
aspects of one important subject.
Truth #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 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 our 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 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.
Of course, none of us have achieved absolute perfection. We
occasionally slip and stumble, and sometimes fall headlong into sin.
Thankfully, God will accept our repentance and forgive us as soon as we turn to
Him and ask for His help. That the sinning Christian can cleanse himself
through repentance and be restored to God’s favor is clearly taught in
Scripture:
“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in
the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:2).
God’s desire is to bring all to repentance and grant us the
gift of salvation. As long as we yearn for His loving embrace, even if we’ve
temporarily strayed from Him, He is always there for us, always ready to
receive us back into full fellowship with Him.
What should you do?
If you have come to a knowledge of the truth, knowledge of
God’s law; of His way of life, particularly as expressed through His Ten Commandments;
of His provisions for salvation through Jesus Christ, who offered Himself for
the sins of the world; of the resurrection of the dead; of the Kingdom of God
and reward of the saved, and if you truly believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom, then Peter’s
timeless words are for you:
“Repent, and…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).
If you are one who previously came to a knowledge of the
truth, responded in repentance and baptism, and received the gift of the Holy
Spirit, but have since drifted away from God, perhaps returning to old habits
or allowing despondency and doubt to overwhelm you, then God’s Word has a
message for you, as well:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Whether you are new to the faith or are a “backslidden”
Christian, God desires to receive you into the loving fellowship of His family.
The decision is yours!
