SermonIndex Audio Sermons
SermonIndex - Promoting Revival to this Generation
Give To SermonIndex
Discussion Forum : Scriptures and Doctrine : Biblical Repentance

Print Thread (PDF)

Goto page ( 1 | 2 Next Page )
PosterThread
Oracio
Member



Joined: 2007/6/26
Posts: 2094
Whittier CA USA

 Biblical Repentance

Leaving the Pigsty (by Ray Comfort)

There are certain words that aren't popular with today's popular preachers. One of them is the word "repentance." We are told that people don't understand its meaning.

If that's the case, we should then educate them as to what it means, rather than dumb down the message. Even the secular news doesn't do that.

When a criminal is unrepentant, the reporter will say "The man was unrepentant." He doesn't bother to explain the word. If you want to know what he's talking about, you have to come up to his standard of syntactic linguistic ambience.

But we want people to have an understanding of what we are saying, so we should use spiritual words and then take a moment to explain their meaning.

There are some preachers who use the word "repentance," but then explain that it means "a change of mind." While it is biblically correct to say that the word used in the New Testament for "repent" is metanoeo (which means to change one's mind), it can be misleading to say that that is all that is required when it comes to salvation.

This is why: The Bible says, "Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts: Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy; and to our God For He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:6-7).

Isaiah saw fit to tell sinners to forsake their "way" and their "thoughts." That is what happens with biblical repentance. The change of mind is clearly evidenced in Proverbs 28:13: "He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy" (Italics added).

To say that it is only a change of mind is to say that the prodigal son simply needs to change his mind about his state and his relationship to his father. The reality is that the genuineness of his change of mind is seen by his getting up and leaving the pigsty.

While it is correct to say that a sinner should change his mind about God, to fail to tell him that he should forsake the pigsty of his sins is like telling a child to change his mind about a stick of lit dynamite that he's holding.

If I care about the child, I'm going to tell him that he should change his mind in relationship to the dynamite, and then cast it away from him. Our obligation to the world, is to (with the help of God) give them understanding as to the way to be saved. He cannot change his mind about God without casting sin and the world behind him. He cannot continue to serve sin.

In Acts 14:15-16 Paul didn't simply tell idolaters to change their mind about their sin. He told them to turn from it to God: "And saying, Sirs, why do you these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach to you that you should turn from these vanities to the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways" (Italics added).

Someone told me that I was in error when I told sinners that "repentance" meant to turn from sin.He said that that was called "Lordship salvation." I suspect that he thought that I was saying we are saved by repentance.

Obviously we are not saved because we repent. We are saved by grace through faith (see Ephesians 2:8-9), but we access that grace through repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then the fruit of true repentance is evidenced by obedience to God -- "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him . . . " (Hebrews 5:8-9, italics added).


_________________
Oracio

 2011/1/20 12:01Profile
UntoBabes
Member



Joined: 2010/8/24
Posts: 1035
Oregon

 Re: Biblical Repentance

Thank you brother for this reminder that we aught no longer give people confusing messages about foundational Biblical truth.


_________________
Fifi

 2011/1/20 14:47Profile
Oracio
Member



Joined: 2007/6/26
Posts: 2094
Whittier CA USA

 Re:

Amen Untobabes. I hear that confusing message often still, but thankfully God has been restoring the real Gospel message in these last days.


_________________
Oracio

 2011/1/20 17:07Profile
knitefall
Member



Joined: 2010/3/2
Posts: 253


 Re: Biblical Repentance

yes, we ofter get "confession" and repentance switched. You repent of self provision.

 2011/1/20 21:41Profile
thomasm
Member



Joined: 2007/8/17
Posts: 116
Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada

 Re: Biblical Repentance

Who told the prodigal son to forsake the pig sty, who told him to leave the pig sty and go home? No one, without a change of mind there is no lasting change in lifestyle.
Repentance comes when we see the cross of Christ, and are convinced, that HE bore our sins, it causes us to turn in our hearts to him, and reject the lie we were believing,
causing Godly sorrow for our sins.
The the body only does what the mind orders it to do, the change of mind comes first, and the power of Jesus delivers us from the power of sin. Have you ever seen a man with no brain sin in the flesh, it's impossible.

I'm sorry but I believe in preaching John 3:16,17
I won't condemn a condemned man, I'll show Him the Love of the Father, which produces true repentance, anything else causes a change for fear of judgement that will not last.

Love in CHRIST tom


_________________
Tom weighill

 2011/1/22 2:55Profile
Oracio
Member



Joined: 2007/6/26
Posts: 2094
Whittier CA USA

 Re:

I would lovingly exhort any "Christians" who do not believe repentance should be preached to the lost, to prayerfully search the Scriptures to see if these things are so.

Both Old and New Testaments are filled with teaching and examples that make it plainly clear that repentance is a vital part of the Gospel.


_________________
Oracio

 2011/1/22 3:12Profile









 Re: Biblical Repentance

The 'man' Christ Jesus, though being Creator GOD, came in human flesh to be our only Example of how to walk the walk.

He emptied Himself and became dependent on the Father by The Holy Spirit. THAT was our Example.

The problem I see with this discussion, is that we're not seeing Jesus' method of 'evangelism'.

How did He treat the "sinners"?
Study Him!

He walked in The Spirit and when doing one-on-one, the Spirit would give Him insight into what this person He was speaking to had going on in their life.

When speaking to the crowds, He gave them the Sermon on the Mount.

When speaking to the Pharisees, He railed at them, for they should have known better.


When we come up with a "one size fits all" form of evangelism, we negate the indwelling Holy Spirit's job of following Christ's pattern.

I, just for one, only needed to hear the message that I could be forgiven. Like the woman at the well, I just needed Him to reveal to me that He was Messiah and what His Cross accomplished for me. I did not need condemnation, because I knew instinctively that I was a wretch.

If we would only learn that without Him we can do NOTHING - Evangelism included - we have done more harm to His Cause than any good.

I don't have time to give testimony after testimony of what GOD has done through yielded vessels, that first, "listened to Him" before approaching an individual. Stories like, GOD telling the Christian the person's life story before they start out to talk to that unsaved person and then giving the words to say that hit right at the target of that unsaved person's life - without condemnation but with an offer for a New Life in Christ and Eternal Life to follow.

I agree with our Brother above, in most cases, repentence comes once the spiritual eyes have been opened. As I had given testimony of what happened to me and to very many others that I know - As Soon As the person called out to GOD for Salvation/Forgiveness, 'then' at that same moment, the Holy Spirit came in and "played the video" (so to speak) of all that we had done wrong in our lives, JUST to Glorify Christ, by showing us All that we were being forgiven Of. The transformation was immediate.
How many times have we heard of non-believers suddenly coming to trust The LORD for thier Eternal destination and their entire countenence changes right before our eyes?

The problem with "evangelism" is that we don't Trust GOD that He will speak words of wisdom or knowledge to us and give us the exact words for each individual. We don't "study" how HE did it while here. We don't believe that He will show us the true state of each individual before we open our mouths. We just hammer them right off without knowing them or what type lives they've suffered through.

All I can say is, Study Jesus!

 2011/1/22 11:20
Oracio
Member



Joined: 2007/6/26
Posts: 2094
Whittier CA USA

 Re:

Jesus-is-God, thomasm, knitefall, you bring up some good points that I believe should be discussed one by one. Unfortunately I do not have much time at the moment to reply to each point. But I will do my best as time permits to engage the points and reply, unless someone else gives answers before me.

In the meantime, if anyone would like to graciously reply to those points, I would encourage you to do so. I believe this is a very imporant topic because it has to do with what lost souls need to hear preached and understand.

I will humbly ask these few questions for consideration for now. What is the full Gospel message that Christ and the apostles preached and did it include repentance? How is one saved or born again and does that include repentance? Does the Gospel message differ depending on who the addressed person is, or does the same message apply to every person regardless of who they are or where they are in life?


_________________
Oracio

 2011/1/22 14:45Profile
twayneb
Member



Joined: 2009/4/5
Posts: 2256
Joplin, Missouri

 Re: Biblical Repentance

Repentance should be the lifestyle of any believer. God is constantly bringing things before me and giving me the opportunity to repent and come into a greater revelation of His grace and a deeper walk with Him.


_________________
Travis

 2011/1/22 16:15Profile









 Re:

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.


Dear Brother Oracio, I forgot to put into my post what I was taught that "repent" means. To do a 180 degree turn around.
I don't think we'll differ that much. In my post and in this one, I just think it's the work of the Holy Spirit that causes a person to see what they need to repent of.

John the baptist was sent to the Jews, who should have known what to repent of. Many did and were baptised and then came Jesus! He spoke to all and if the Sermon on the Mount alone doesn't convict a soul, I don't what else could. Even we still fail just that part of His Words.

Jesus Bless you!

 2011/1/22 17:04





©2002-2024 SermonIndex.net
Promoting Revival to this Generation.
Privacy Policy