Over the next few weeks I am going to be studying certain words in the Bible, due to the fact that there is such a wide view that is held on certain words. You would be suprised the teachings I hear, or even the articles I read by “pastors” who are supposed to be teaching the flock the truth about salvation and their walk with Jesus Christ. Instead, in this apostate day, you are hard pressed to find one truth, one interpretation. And the defense from the church today becomes, “We just agree to disagree”. Well let me tell you, that is a lame cop-out and in the end could prove to be very dangerous. I have decided to look only at the Word of the Lord for the meaning, without someone else’s opinion. By faith we must believe that if we come to Christ hungry for the truth, with no personal agenda and ready to learn even if we were wrong that He will guide us into all truth.
So the many teachings I have heard on repentance go from one extreme to the other. One says repentance is absolutely neccesary, and the other says it dosen’t matter because that would be considered a work. One teaches repentance is from sin and you must change, the other says repentance is changing your mind about who can save you and you can’t quit sinning. Okay, so what does the Lord say?
First I looked up the definition for repentace. Repent means- to turn, change in behavior, turning from sin toward God. A changed life has new, different behavior. This shows salvation is real.
Several times we see repentance mentioned in the Bible. John the Baptist, the forerunner to Jesus started with this same message. Yet Jesus in Matt 4 :17 starts His own ministry with that very word. If repentace was not a condtion for true salvation, then there would by no means be any reason to mention it. In fact He could have started with the very word, “Believe”. I fear today, and all to often see that in the cheap grace that is preached, many individuals start by believing they can continue on the same path they are currently on. Someone tells them to say a prayer and believe. The preacher then tells them they are now a part of God’s family and are covered by grace. There is nothing they can do to be snatched away from God’s hands. So the so called “new believer” has been left with a feeling of security, from a human. They pick up that grace and continue on their same path, in the same direction. Now if somewhere along the way someone stops them on that path (which by the way really wouldn’t happen much today) and tells them their life is not pleasing to the Lord or that they must turn around and go in the opposite direction, they say “No, who are you to judge me or my salvation. I have grace, but your preaching works. That is legalism.” So they continue on thier way, same direction and sadly I know to the same destination (if they do not truly repent.) When John the Baptist came teaching about repentace what was the response of those who heard His cry? Matt 3:6 clearly gives us a picture of what that repentance was about. Confessing their SINS, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. I realize there is such a broad belief about what sin really is. Sin has been so watered down today, that the Church as a building does not even agree on what are true sins and what are just genetic problems. In fact, just like with divorce many teach that the Lord is not against it, but will even bless it. How is that any diffrent than any other sin? Before to long, you can’t really define sin and then it all becomes excusable. Others teach we are forgiven of all our future sins. Will someone please email me a scripture where it says that. Not for a debate, but because I need something in the Word that says that. Romans 3:25 speaks of past sins and I am aware that 2 Peter 1:9 teaches that we have been cleansed from our PAST sins, allowing us a new start, but where does it say future sins? The only thing I would ask is that the scripture “There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus”, not be used. After all my studies to keep it in context and just reading the scriptures around it, I see that this one scripture can be used to justify alot of wicked behavior. The Lord has already opened my eyes to the context of Romans 7 and 8. But any other verses would be great. Based on all the scriptures I have read once we repent and believe on Jesus Christ as our only Lord and Savior, we are cleansed of all our past sins and given a fresh start. We are also given a helper (the Holy Spirit). But we must continue to repent (meaning to acknowledge when we sin and turn from it) if our salvation is genuine and we would enter into eternal life with our Father. If repentance was not neccesary for one’s salvation or for the Church, then every letter to the Church in Revelation must be thrown out. Jesus was speaking to believers here, and yet in almost every letter He gave them a serious warning, Repent or else. For example, the Church of Sardis was warned to obey and repent. Those who repent and overcome will be dressed in white. Do you understand that just like the parable of the wedding banquet, you can not get in without the wedding garments. You must be dressed in white, not soiled garments. Repentance was not just spoken of by Jesus, or John the Baptist, but by Peter, Paul and many others. Paul speaks of it in Acts 26:20 where He told King Agrippa, “First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” Peter declared the same message to all who would hear in Acts 2:38. He asked for all to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. What need was their for repentance to be forgiven of sins. Why not just declare, “believe and be baptized?” Because dear friends, without true repentance we will never see our need for a Savior. Without true repentace and a disgust for what we once were, we will never feel the desire for Jesus to be Lord over our life. We will never want authority or “rules”, we will reject it. We will never be able to hear His way, we will only see our own way. The good news is not that Christ died to follow our path and cover us in spite of our sins, the good news is that while we were still sinners Christ died for us, to set us free from sin. It is not just pardon, it is power. Power to follow and obey His way, His desires and His authority over our lives. Equipped to obey, when we were once unable to because we were a slave to sin. There are many other scriptures on repentace that you can take the time to study if you would like. But I am firmly convinced, after prayer and the teaching of the Holy Spirit that repentance is not only neccesary, it is essential.
2 Peter 3:14 continues by stating that we (the beloved) “looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;”. A high calling indeed. Why as adults do we view repentence as a trivial deed? Do we not require repentence even among those relationships that we offend in order to restore and renew the bond? How much more necessary in a relationship with our Sovereign God?!
* On a side note, thank you for your visit to my humble little blog. I have been following Ingrid’s Slice of Laodicea for a few years and I found your link from there. I really enjoy your insight. You are in my prayers as you tackle the tough subjects. Loved the piece on Obama!*
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hi, i agree with what you said on the topic of repentence – that repentence is neccessary and essential.
but also like you said some of the sins are not considered sins by some people, as in some of the people cannot even agree on whether a certain action is actually a sin or not.
for example, pre-marital sex. The Holy Bible, though it tells us to abstain from sexual immorality, does not specifically tell us to abstain from premarital sex (i searched it and found no results). Exodus 22:16 said that if a man have sex with a virgin, he is to take her as a wife. so to someone, he might use the verse and said since he is going to marry that girl, it did not matter if they have sex before or after marriage.
of course i don’t agree on premarital sex, and this is only but one example, because to my knowledge The Holy Bible does not tell us every single sin a human is capable of. in my opinion (correct me if i am wrong) that will have to depend on The Holy Spirit to convict us of sin when we did something wrong, even though to the society it may not be (eg pre-marital sex).
since this is the case, it might be better to also pray that The Holy Spirit will remind and then convict people that they are sinning when they sin. if they do not know what they are doing is a sin, how can they repent?
your article pushed me to pray for the people that they know their own sin, so they may be able to repent. they need to know the sin, before they can repent. i too, need to know my own sin.
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I think the Bible does speak on pre-marital sex, just not in the term we may label it. I will have to do an article on that soon. Of course as I have seen with the Catholic church, many can make up man made sins as well, so we must be careful. I am speaking of sins that are specifically spoken of in the Bible. Man distorts the scriptures and out of emotion works really hard to make them fit his agenda or desire. Before to long many start justifying their sins with, “well that is no worse than this sin……” and so on and so on. Before to long there seems to be no real sins that have eternal conseqences if we continue in them, because there is nothing to repent from. I just believe we must look to the Word of the Lord for what sin is and yes I also agree, allow the Holy Spirit to prompt us in what we must repent of. We must pray for our own hearts to be right before the Lord, but also that many would recongnize their sins and repent and turn to Christ for the forgiveness and power to overcome!
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