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"REPENTANCE" FROM SIN"
Melvin Elliott
REPENTANCE is one of the great themes of the Bible. Inasmuch as
all have sinned, no one shall see God in peace who has not
genuinely repented. 'And the times of this ignorance God
winked at: but now
commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts
17:30).
Observe,
please, "all
men" and "every where." This does not leave out one single
responsible person wherever he may be. If men and women live in
space or on Mars, all of them will have to repent. There is not
one exception. It is a command of God that is universal!
Not only is this fact sustained by many
scriptures, the converse, that unrepentant men will perish, is
also taught by many passages such as II Peter 3:9. Since such is
so emphatically set forth in the scriptures, it is certainly
essential that we know what is involved in repentance and how we
may comply with it.
It is fortunate indeed for man that those things which pertain
to salvation are so clearly set forth that it does not take
special intelligence nor education to understand them. We are
not given the details of Paul's thorn in the flesh or about
Lot's wife, but specific understanding of such things are not
essential to salvation. However, those things essential to
salvation are so clearly and completely taught that little more
than a casual reading of scripture makes abundantly clear what
God requires. Such is the case with repentance.
THE MEANING
OF
REPENTANCE
What is meant by the word repentance? If one
desires to take a moment to consider the original language, he
easily learns that the word means to change one's mind or
attitude toward sin. The results or proof of repentance is a
reformed life. This is clearly set forth in the scriptures. For
example, a man asked his son to go work but he said he would not
do so, "...but afterward he repented and went" (Matthew
21:28-29). He "repented" and "went." The repenting was not the
going nor was the going the repenting. The son repented, changed
his mind toward his father's request, and went, or reformed his
conduct. Paul, "...thought with myself that ought to do many
things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth" (Acts
26:9).
Paul had to change
his mind and reform his life to
be right with God (Acts
26:1-20).
John the Baptist demanded of certain people that they, "Bring
forth therefore [ruits meet for repentance" (Matthew
3:8). Evidently, John observed nothing in these
people to suggest they had repented. As reformation of life or
"fruits" follows a genuine change of mind, John had proof that
these had not repented and therefore refused to baptize these
people. As Paul demanded the same, such applies to us today
(Acts 26:20). In view of these things, that repentance is a
change of mind followed by a reformed life and it is demanded,
how in the name of common sense can we have those who teach that
one in an admitted adulterous marriage can be baptized and then
this same relationship becomes pure? Baptism does not make a
liar truthful, a horse thief honest nor adultery moral!
This is what repentance is designed to do. One must change his
mind about lying, stealing and adultery, which leads to
reformation of conduct and then and only then does he become
truthful, honest and pure in morals. Although repentance results
in this changed conduct, it does not remit the sins of one's
former life nor will it put one in Christ. This is the role of
baptism upon one's repentance. As repentance demands a reformed
life, an unreformed life proves that repentance had not
occurred. If one does not truly repent, although he may be sorry
for sin, he will perish either dry or wet by a so-called
baptism. Paul tells us, "...godly sorrow worketh
repentance..." (II Corinthians 7:10). But it is not
repentance.
Some will probably charge that we are requiring "penance." To
charge a thing does not make it so. Where is the proof? The
etymology
of the word is far
different than the word used by inspiration. Man
(Catholicism) requires penance but God requires a changed mind,
a turning from
sin and returning to God. Another has said, "Sackcloth for
the body and remorse for the soul are not to be
confused with a determined abandonment of sin and return to God.
Not material sacrifice but a spiritual change, is the inexorable
demand of God in both dispensations" (Psalm 51:17; Isaiah 1:11;
Jeremiah 6:20; Hosea 6:6). (The International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, p. 2559)
MOTIVES FOR REPENTANCE
What are some motives for repentance? We continue
in Acts 17. "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he
will judge the world in righteousness..." (v. 30). I believe
righteousness here to be the sum total
of his
will. God hates sin - we must hate sin. God will condemn unrighteousness
- we must condemn unrighteousness. Also, God loves good - we
must love good. God loves truth and right
- we must love truth
and right. Man must see the horrors of sin and the beauty of
holiness. David
said, "Therefore I esteem all thy precepts
concerning all things to be right,' and I hate every false
way"(Psalm 119:128). With this insight we under- stand why,
"...the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance" (Romans
2:4).
John held out the kingdom of God as a motive for repentance
(Matthew 3:2). We learn that, "...a sceptre of
righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom" (Hebrews 1:8).
The sceptre was a symbol of authority. That which would rule in
the kingdom would be righteousness. Christ's administration was
to be carried out in justice and right judgment. The kingdom is
the manifold wisdom of God from the ages by which God had
planned to redeem all those who hated sin and turned to God
because they loved righteousness (Ephesians 3:8-12). The
reign of righteousness necessitated repentance. Therefore,
seeing the nature of the kingdom, man must repent, change his
mind, that he may, like Christ, hate iniquity and love
righteousness (Hebrews 1:9).
RETURN
TO THE OLD WAY OF LIFE
As one
grows in "grace and knowledge," his resolve to shun evil
and pursue righteousness is strengthened. Thus, as one
understands more and it becomes clear that some belief or
practice is improper, he immediately reforms himself. In this
fashion one is continually "fine tuning" his life in turning
away even from the appearance of evil to doing all that God
requires. For your good, please read Colossians 3:1-17.
This in no way is to be understood to mean that man cannot
revert to corruption both in mind and practice. When Simon
desired to buy the ability to impart the Spirit, it suggests to
me that his mind had turned to his old way of pretending
greatness. Peter confirms this in that he said the thought of
his heart was not right. Simon had to "repent...and pray.
" Obviously, he had to change his mind, ask for forgiveness and
live accordingly. If he had never been really converted,
inspiration would not have been ignorant of it, and he would
have been instructed to sincerely repent and be baptized
(Acts 2:38; 8:9-25).
GOD'S
SECOND LAW OF PARDON
Here we have what we may call God's second law of
pardon. It is for one who is already in the church. When a child
of God turns away
and loves
unrighteousness again, he obviously has turned away - fallen -
from God's grace because such is appropriated by repentance
(Jonah
3:8-10).
Therefore, he must be restored to his former mind of faith and
love for that which is good
(Revelation 2:5); and upon his return to God, he will hear
his prayer for forgiveness.
The religious world fails to recognize this vital matter because
of their holding to a relic of Calvin: the perseverance of the
saints. Of more immediate concern is the failure of brethren to
comply with this requirement. The New Testament establishes that
a brother who sins is to repent, confess his sins and ask
forgiveness of both the church and God (Luke
16:8; 17:3-4; Acts
8:22). Today, when doctrine is violated and/or
people
abused, we often see the guilty in effect asking what it will
take to satisfy the offended
and especially what
it will take to silence those who
point out his error. In this way, many only want
settlement and appeasement.
Further, we often see and hear of those
who say
they didn't do what they should or have been involved in error
but do nothing further about
it. Do not we know
that
recognition and even admittance of error is not repentance?
How
many times have you
seen elders, promoters of harmful projects and programs, our
college administrators and professors, false teachers and those
who supported them,
say they
were wrong?
When have they said: We have sinned and repent -
we ask your forgiveness? What we have seen is
reorganization, change of policy, firings, threats,
resignations, slander, politics, pressure, compromise and
cover-ups. So sin in compounded, the effects broadened, and
fertile soil is cultivated wherein further corruption thrives.
CONCLUSION
Christ said if one comes saying "...J repent:
thou shalt forgive him " (Luke 17:4). When one comes
on the basis of the above and we decide to "sweep it under the
rug," we have bidden the sinful "God speed" and have
become 'partakers of his evil deeds," because we have
followed the rebellious and not God's law (II John
10-11).
All such is
rebellious and presumptuous sin. If I remember correctly, a
preacher of years gone by said the following, "I found some old
goats that had wandered on the
mountain of sin so long and fed on the devil's
commons until they didn't know sneezeweed from clover!"
Some brethren (unfaithful) must think highly of themselves to so
fly in the face of truth.
Surely the
Lord could also say of this generation,
"The men of Nineveh
shall rise in judgment with this generation and shall condemn
it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and,
behold, a greater than Jonas is here" (Matthew
12:41). |
