Articles > Repentance

November 12, 2008

 

Repentance

 

There is a fine line between evangelism that never produces a false convert ---and evangelism that fails to produce ANY converts.  However, if you look at Christianity across the board today, something is tragically wrong.  Barna Research Group found in 1994, 1 in 4 professing Born-Again American adults believed Jesus sinned.  72% of Christian teens believed the Bible, yet 42% watched MTV weekly (more than 33% of non-Christians), 55% fornicated,  and 20% got drunk or used drugs. In 2003, it was reported that  1 of 10 Born Again believers also believed in reincarnation –and 50% believed a person can earn eternal life by good works!   While many factors play a role, the lack of true biblical repentance is a significant factor in why so many professing Christians show little evidence they possess eternal life.  A weak gospel produces weak converts, and without Biblical repentance, that’s what will be produced.  Jesus said Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3)  No repentance, no salvation.  False repentance, false conversion.

 

What is repentance?

Salvation is repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, Salvation is not in a prayer.  The Bible says repentance toward God, faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.  That is different than praying a prayer.  That is different than believing a prayer. 

Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.  As we will see below, repentance is more than a change of mind, and more than going from belief to unbelief.  It is more than a "hand caught in a cookie jar, sorry I got caught, Elliot Spitzer type apology".  Salvation is a supernatural miracle of God that no prayer, no program (ie, a wonderful organized banquet, a well done touching cantata, a moving funeral, a heart-felt song of invitation), and no profession can create. If someone repents and believes, they are saved whether they pray a prayer or not.  If someone doesn't repent, it doesn't matter how sincere their prayer is.  They are not saved.  Believing is not praying.

 If someone continues in a lifestyle of sin, according to the Bible they are not saved.  Salvation is not a one time deal, and what we have done is turned the supernatural miracle work of God into our own version of infant baptism.  We say it's by faith, but if someone wants to receive Christ they are told to pray a prayer.  If there is no change, we blame lack of discipleship.  Proof of salvation is the fact they naturally become a disciple, continue in the word, hear Jesus' voice and follow Him.  The devils believe and tremble. 

Proof someone meant their "I do" is they are still married!  It's not works, but a heart change that causes someone to commit to "til death do us part" means far more than how wonderfully poetic one's vows sound!  People are emotional after the wedding day.  If she bolts after the Honeymoon, the vows were empty words.  How much more should real salvation produce something real?  If man is fickle ---one day he says, "Hosana in the highest" and one day he shouts, "Crucify him!" -----then salvation can't be kept by man.  Yet God doesn't change.  God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  When God saves someone He likens that to marriage.  God won't divorce someone.  And think of this----God won't divorce himself.  God draws, the Holy spirit convicts, the person gets born again, and the Holy Spirit then indwells! He can't deny himself!  HE moves in, and it's for good!  How could someone not change?  If God promises that he will begin a good work, and will finish the good work ---if there is NO WORKING GOING ON, no turning from sin, no changed life, no desire to live for God, no inner drive to love God and go to church and serve GO ----then it should be obvious to all that GOD HASN'T BEGUN ANYTHING IN THAT PERSON!!!! They first need to get SAVED!!!!!!  We don't work to earn our salvation. We don't work to keep our salvation.  Yet if we are saved, GOD is going to get glory out of us, and He does that though WORKING THROUGH US!!!! We must see how much of a disgrace it is to God, and to our Christian fore-fathers when we liken salvation to an empty profession that allows people to continue to be innoculated to the true Biblical Gospel of a changed life that turns from sin, does works meet for repentance, and lives for God's pleasure and for God's will.

Faith without works is dead.  We are not saved by works, but just like apple trees produce apples, we naturally are hard-wired to produce fruit once we are saved.  Empty professions that don't change anyone is a slap in God's face---he saves us and changes us for his glory.  Just like the Jews lived differently to prove that they worshipped the true and living God, when we get saved, He changes us (some to a greater instant degree than others) right then and there, and continues to conform us to his image FOR HIS HONOR AND GLORY and to prove to the WORLD He is the true and living GOD.  He puts the fear of Him in us so we won't depart from Him.   HE that began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. 

Repentance isn’t praying a prayer.  Praying a prayer isn’t believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Sinner’s prayer has become the infant baptism equivalent of the Baptist and Protestants.  We must question our methods and find out if we’ve replaced Bible doctrine with Men’s Vanity. 

I. Repentance

 Words: Repent 43 Verses, Repented 32 verses, Repenting 1 verse,  Repentance 26 verses, Turn to God –30 verses,  New heart –4 verses, New spirit –5 verses, New Mind –0 verses, Change mind –Hab 1:11, New creature ---2 verses

Definition  -- a good Biblical definition:  it is a change of mind/ heart that leads to a change of action.

                A. Types of Repentance

                     1.  Wordily Sorrow

                                Worketh Death.  (2nd Cor. 7:10)

                                Ex:  Judas  (Matthew 27:3 Then Judas…repented), Pharaoh (Exodus 9:27 –“I have sinned this time”….)     The hand in the cookie jar-- sorry you got caught.

                                  Esau  --Hebrews 12:17 …he found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears.

            Here we have weeping and yet it's not Biblical repentance.   This again is merely worldly sorrow.

                     2.  Godly Sorrow

                               

              Broken and contrite heart.           

              Worketh salvation not to be repented of.  Psalm 51:17, Psalm 34:18, 2nd Corinthians 7:10-11 

                                Holy Spirit reproves of sin, righteousness and judgment.  Knowledge of sin is by the law written on our hearts.   Holy Spirit convicts, sinner sees lost condition, and looks to Cross of Calvary.  Sin is atoned for, fellowship with God is established, Holy Spirit moves in, and man’s hard stony heart is removed and replaced by a new heart of flesh and a fear of God, and regenerate man now can and wants to please Christ.  He is a new creature, born again from above.   –John 3:3, 2nd Cor 5:17, John 16:8, John 6:44, Romans 2:15, Romans 4:20, 7:7, Romans 8:15-16, Ezekiel 11:19-20, Jeremiah 32:39-40, Isaiah 45:22, John 3:14-15, Acts 3:19a –Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,   

                B. God’s Repentance

My spirit shall not always strive with man. (Gen 6:3) Genesis 6:6  And it repentedthe Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth….  (Gen 6:7)  And all flesh died… (Gen 7:21)