Posted on 01/30/2022 1:25:49 PM PST by metmom
“From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 4:17).
The message that Jesus brought to the people—the “great light” He revealed to those “sitting in the land of shadow and death”—was always very clear: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Our Lord thus began with the same basic exhortation that His herald, John the Baptist, had begun with (cf. Matt. 3:2).
Repentance is a crucial but often neglected or omitted element of the gospel. “Repent” means to turn from sin, to change your orientation, and in so turning to seek a new way of life. The person who repents has a radical change of will and heart, and as a result, a change of behavior (cf. Matt. 3:8). The repentant sinner will radically change the way he or she views sin and righteousness.
Repentance was, is, and always will be the foremost demand of the gospel. It is quite simply the first part of the saving work of the Holy Spirit in the sinner’s soul. In his Pentecost sermon, Peter also issued a call for repentance: “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Paul reassured Timothy that repentance leads “to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:25). If repentance was crucial for the people of Jesus’ day, it is even more imperative for everyone today, because the kingdom is nearer than ever.
Ask Yourself
Like all of us, you’ve confessed many things, many times before. But today is another good opportunity to take repentance seriously. What sins need its corrective touch in your life? Bring them before the Father. Receive His mercy. Walk away refreshed and in freedom.
From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.
Studying God’s Word ping
Good post and message for anyone professing to be a Christian.
Much needed message today in these last days.
Of course, it’s part of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but since the beginning of the church age there has been the false teaching that repentance isn’t necessary for salvation and that God’s grace allows us to be “free” to live as we desire to.
Salvation. To REPENT is to change your mind, turning away from your past life as a filthy sinner in the sight of a Holy God, directing your God given FAITH towards God and recognizing that what Jesus Christ has already done for you and in your place on the Cross. Confess the BLOOD of Jesus Christ, shed for you, that once and for all washes away your sinful state and redeems you to God. Your rebirth in Christ changes everything on a spiritual level. Confessing your love for God and what Christ has done for you will begin your journey and walk with Him forever.
Remember, you were not a sinner because you sinned, you were born a sinner because you were of Adam’s seed. And the dead to God spiritual state you were in made it in your very nature TO sin. After your rebirth into the Spirit of God, on a spiritual level you are no longer a slave to sin like you were before. Not that you will now be perfect, because your body of flesh is still attached to this world and will gravitate you towards sin when tempted.
But the reality is that post redemption, you are “the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ”. When God looks upon you He no longer sees a filthy sinner, justly deserving of His wrath and damnation...He sees His Son, Jesus Christ, crucified for you and raised from the dead. So whenever you find yourself resorting to old ways, confess the truth, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ”. The further your walk with Him proceeds, the less and less likely that you will stumble and fall. You cannot become “good” on your own or by your own willpower, ONLY the Spirit of God that now dwells within is able you do that for you.
God says in the Bible that you are no longer under the curse of the Law, so do not attempt to live like you are. The Law brings death, but the Grace of God brings you life in Christ. Worry about walking with Christ daily, not the things you may have done in the past(they are washed away by the Blood of Christ), nor the stupid mistakes you may or may not make along the way(washed away also). Let go, and LET God.
“If a person commits a crime and doesn’t repent, what good did it do him? Someone else might just as well have committed the crime.”
Mark Twain
“Of course, it’s part of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but since the beginning of the church age there has been the false teaching that repentance isn’t necessary for salvation and that God’s grace allows us to be “free” to live as we desire to.”
I have never been in a Church nor talked to a redeemed believer who claimed that repentance is not necessary for salvation”. It is the first step OF being born again. But, it might all boil down to how you yourself personally choose to define the word “repent”. When a person comes to the realization that the path they are on is leading them to ruin, and they choose to turn away from that path and instead follow the path that Jesus Christ will lead them on, then they have “repented”.
People are also “repentant” for the misdeeds they have done that grieve the Spirit of God, they often feel remorse and seek resolution, but in NO WAY can THEY “atone” for those things. The Bible clearly states that without the shedding of Blood, there can be no remission of sin. That is why the Blood of Christ is so important in the life of the redeemed believer. Christ’s Blood has already paid the debt that the believer owes which he is fully unable to pay for himself by ANY means. Just more reason for a believer to cling to Jesus Christ in hos walk with God.
The point I think he misses is that it’s not just turning from sin.
What is necessary is also turning to Christ.
A non-Christian can turn from sin when they see how destructive it is to them, but without turning to Christ, it does not save them. It just improves their lives for the time being.
Acts 17:30
“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.”
While I do not disagree with the basic premise, the time and place of repentance differs with different people.
Repentance was a first and strong emphasis to the Jews - for many reasons. It was they first to whom the Messiah was sent, it was they who had all the prophets - the last being John the Baptist, to warn them of His coming. It was they who rejected and had Him killed.
Thus, repentance is a strong and beginning emphasis of Peter in his first message to the Jews.
BUT we must clearly note the completely different message that this very same Peter brought to the Gentiles in Cornelius home. It is a very different message. And notably - repentance is not mentioned. We must ask, “Why not?”
The answer would take a long message in itself, but look at what was the focus of Peter’s message to the Gentiles: the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus, and faith in Him. Repentance is missing. Why? Repentance is NOT the first requirement for faith for the Gentile. Faith in Christ Jesus and Him crucified is.
Repentance will indeed come in the life of every believer. BUT it is NOT a requirement for salvation. The Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles at Cornelius house before Peter could go any further in his message. In God’s economy, he had said all that was needed for the Gentiles to be saved, and saved they were.
Repentance in the life of the believer is a wholly different subject. It is not something we do when we are saved and then move on from. Just the opposite.
The more one grows in Christ, the more repentance is a daily, continuing attitude and action. It is a way of life.
The point I think he misses is that it’s not just turning from sin.
What is necessary is also turning to Christ
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I’m guessing that he was taking it for granted that anybody reading this already knew the importance of turning to Christ.
It doesn’t take much searching to find the false teachers who say that repentance is not necessary for salvation; in fact, there are some very well-known names who have stated it over the years.
The Greek word for “repent” is “metanoeo,” lit., to perceive afterwards, and signifies to change one’s mind or purpose, always, in the New Testament, involving a change for the better, and always, except in Luke 17:3, 4, of repentance from sin.
This short devotional by John MacArthur states the truth about repentance. Reading it made me think of a well-known person who, many years ago, opposed MacArthur’s saying repentance was necessary for salvation, and even wrote a book about it. Sadly, there are many who have been deceived.
Repentance is also granted by God, Acts 11:18.
I agree.
In order to repent, one has to have the knowledge and desire to and that does not come naturally to humans. I know some people say you can’t be saved unless you repent, but can you actually be capable of repenting without being saved? It seems to me that that is a work of the Holy Spirit.
When I came to Christ, I knew I was going to hell and needed Him to save me from that. It was after that that the repentance came in. And it’s an ongoing process as God reveals to me areas of my life that need to come under His control.
Amen. Scripture says repentance is a gift from God.
It is indeed a work of the Holy Spirit to reveal to the blind what sin is, and that we are sinners.
Good for those pretending to be as well.
Good point
amen
At the same time, repentance was at the end of Paul’s message to the Athenians in Acts 17 which is quoted above.
But if you look at all the messages of the gospel in the NT, repentance is not found in all.
To the Philippian jailer, Paul said simply, “Believe.....and you shall be saved.”
Man wants to define what it takes for a person to be saved. Neither scripture, nor God, will allow him to do that - though he sure tries..........
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