Repentance

[WRideout]

Repentance

When I was a youngster, in the fifties, I read and re-read a book by the author W. Ben Hunt, entitled The Golden Book of Crafts and Hobbies. I loved this book because it had detailed instructions for how to make many things a boy would use. It had instructions for how to build a boat, make a tooled leather knife sheath, and how to tan a deer hide.

The instructions for tanning the deer hide were especially interesting. It involved rubbing wood ashes on the hair side of the skin, wadding it up, and burying the whole thing in the ground a while. The caustic lye that leached from the wood ashes would cause the hair to slip, and when the process was complete the hair could be scraped off with any blunt edged instrument, like a butter knife.

As a child in Sunday School, I used to hear stories from the Bible about repentance; stories that usually involved sackcloth and ashes. I didn’t really understand any of that at the time. As I grew and matured, I began to have an understanding of the greater world, and life in the Middle East during Old Testament times. The Hebrews were people who had an intensely personal relationship with their God. There were no little things, when it came to God’s commandments. When they caught themselves in an act that dishonored God, or opposed his commandments, they were very likely to make their repentance public, by dressing in something like burlap, avoiding bathing for a time, and sprinkling ashes on their heads. They might also tear their clothes, as a visible sign of repentance.

Job, one of the more pitiable characters in the Bible, had many misfortunes fall upon him. However, even in his distress he recognized that he had sinned by questioning God’s intent for his life. As it says in Job 42:6, “Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” If we could have seen him, he would have been dirty, dressed in torn burlap, with patches of hair missing from his head. Anyone would know that he had indeed repented of his sin.

True repentance means not only acknowledging our sin, but turning away from it and living a righteous life. Although we may not wear sackcloth and ashes any more, would anyone know if we had repented? Could an outsider see that our lives were different, that we had followed Jesus’ instructions to “Go and sin no more”? If our lives show no visible sign that we are intentionally turning from sin, perhaps it is time to consider whether we have repented at all.

Wayne

[buckwheatpaul]

It does not really matter what others think....what counts is your relationship with Jesus....if it truly is a redemption and the grace that comes with forgivness then it will be written on your heart and your lips.....walk the walk and talk the talk of redemption, forgiveness, and of course the grace that God gives us .... but we generally dont deserve.....

Redemption for me is trying, and I emphasize try, to always do the right thing and ask God for help when I fail. I just keep plugging at it...and seems like it gets better every day....May God bless you for your post.....Paul

[Boaz]

Like a child I worry if I have done or said enough to GOD to right my wrong . But ultimately he knows what is in your heart .

I'm going to steal this from Paul's post , he said it better than I can .


Redemption for me is trying, and I emphasize try, to always do the right thing and ask God for help when I fail. I just keep plugging at it...and seems like it gets better every day....May God bless you for your post.....Paul

[davidheart]

Galatians 1:10 says that we are not to be men pleasers, else we couldn't call ourselves servants of Christ. (Paraphrase of course)
I see Paul's post and I see Wayne's post and I believe biblically you are both correct.

Our repentance must be continuous and sincere as we ask the Holy Spirit to reveal our sin to us that we might be refined. It is private and wholly to God.

Our private repentance will bear outward fruits of repentance that we may "show our faith by our works." And these works not to parade ourselves, but for the glory of God that man may turn from his sin to the Lord.

And as for ourselves, it is good to take humble notice to the observations of men toward us. In this way we may be able to either partake in the joy of the Lord that our walk in Him is effecting others positively or notice our lives are no different than a well behaved "sinner."

Sorry for any typos, using a cell phone...

[USMC87]

Thanks for posting truth.

[rl69]

If nothing has changed, nothing changed.

[Blackwater]

Good posts. Thanks. For me, I'm inclined to think that there's really nothing we could EVER do to "earn" our salvation. That comes by grace, and through the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross, that we might live, and have a chance at Heaven. I can think of nothing we could ever do, even in our wildest dreams, to earn that. We HAVE to depend on God and Christ's good will for us for that, and the shed blood that was given so freely and lovingly. Everything that is in the universe belongs to God, who created it all. The dust, the water, the sky, the light, the creatures, our bodies - all of it is His. The ONLY thing we have that He leaves entirely to us is our free will, and that we so often turn to our own wills and amusement rather than to service to Him who gave it all to us. And yet, even THEN He allows us to come back, make amends and atonements, and He'll take us back again.

One of the most marked personality traits of so many today is their certainty and haughtiness. Real Christians, I think, are the most humble among us. And they seem to have always been that way from my readings of the Bible now. They may have been bold at times, but never anything but humble in the doing of it. Most people think of mousiness and being recessive when we say the word humble now, but that's a mistake. A real Christian with real convictions states his beliefs without reservation or care about what others might think, or whether they might agree or not. To be "mousey" implies shame about what one believes. That's certainly not appropriate for a Christian!

For far too long, we've let the deniers say anything they want, and we've been quiet. And there really is a time for that when nothing is obviously to be gained and the adversary is just looking for a fight. But when people continually say things that demean and deny Christianity, are we not obliged to speak up, and let our little lights shine, so that others may see that Christianity is in no way, really meek or mild, except when dealing with our savior and lord? There's a time for reverence, but there's also a time for boldness, even if we're not the most knowledgeable person in the world. But THAT is why we're admonished to "study to show thyself approved," and many of us just plain haven't done that, and most of us don't even really know how.

Many are those who hunger and thirst for the word, but simply don't know who to look to for proper instruction. That's when simply remembering enough major Bible verses as we can comes in handy, along with our observations of the things that go on around us every day of our lives. If we but stop to think occasionally, we start seeing evidences of all those verses and their validity, and we start to understand their deeper meanings. I don't think anyone who has ever lived understands all the meanings of everything in the Bible. I doubt we have the mental capacity to do that.

But we CAN learn an awful lot if we truly seek to know. And that should be sufficient. I suspect God gave us so much to learn and understand because He wanted to keep us humble, since it seems the more we learn, the more questions I have and the more I realize there is yet to learn and understand so much more deeply. It's a never-ending process, and I for one have become appreciative of that. If we keep busy studying what we should, we'll have less time and inclination to be tempted. Ain't it funny how that works? Almost like He intended it to be that way from the start, isn't it?

[4given]

Here is a cut and paste from "Got Questions.org" that explains repentance pretty well:

"Many understand the term repentance (from the Greek word metanoia) to mean “turning from sin.” This is not the biblical definition of repentance. In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result in a change of actions (Luke 3:8-14 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Luke%203.8-14); Acts 3:19 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%203.19)). Acts 26:20 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%2026.20) declares, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” The full biblical definition of repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action.

What, then, is the connection between repentance and salvation? The Book of Acts seems to especially focus on repentance in regards to salvation (Acts 2:38 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%202.38); 3:19 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%203.19); 11:18 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%2011.18); 17:30 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%2017.30); 20:21 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%2020.21); 26:20 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%2026.20)). To repent, in relation to salvation, is to change your mind in regard to Jesus Christ. In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2), he concludes with a call for the people to repent (Acts 2:38 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%202.38)). Repent from what? Peter is calling the people who rejected Jesus (Acts 2:36 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%202.36)) to change their minds about Him, to recognize that He is indeed “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%202.36)). Peter is calling the people to change their minds from rejection of Christ as the Messiah to faith in Him as both Messiah and Savior.

Repentance and faith can be understood as “two sides of the same coin.” It is impossible to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior without first changing your mind about who He is and what He has done. Whether it is repentance from willful rejection or repentance from ignorance or disinterest, it is a change of mind. Biblical repentance, in relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ.

It is crucially important that we understand repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation. No one can repent and come to God unless God pulls that person to Himself (John 6:44 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/John%206.44)). Acts 5:31 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%205.31) and 11:18 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%2011.18) indicate that repentance is something God gives—it is only possible because of His grace. No one can repent unless God grants repentance. All of salvation, including repentance and faith, is a result of God drawing us, opening our eyes, and changing our hearts. God's longsuffering leads us to repentance (2 Peter 3:9 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Pet%203.9)), as does His kindness (Romans 2:4 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Rom%202.4)).

While repentance is not a work that earns salvation, repentance unto salvation does result in works. It is impossible to truly and fully change your mind without that causing a change in action. In the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior. That is why John the Baptist called people to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Matt%203.8)). A person who has truly repented from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ will give evidence of a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Cor%205.17); Galatians 5:19-23 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Gal%205.19-23); James 2:14-26 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/James%202.14-26)). Repentance, properly defined, is necessary for salvation. Biblical repentance is changing your mind about Jesus Christ and turning to God in faith for salvation (Acts 3:19 (http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Acts%203.19)). Turning from sin is not the definition of repentance, but it is one of the results of genuine, faith-based repentance towards the Lord Jesus Christ."

[Blackwater]

Great post 4given! Most of us usually just don't think as precisely and make the fine distinctions necessary to really understand the Bible and its principles and advice as fully as we really need to. Our failure to make these fine distinctions sometimes (among other things) tends to lead or allow us to make mistakes. Again, I suspect this is why we're admonished to "study to show thyself approved."

All efforts toward faith and understanding are beneficial, but the more finely we make our distinctions between righteousness and what's not, the better and more precisely we can do God's will. How could it be otherwise?

So thanks for a most excellent post. I've seen many who have freely admitted their sin, but kept on practicing it in spite of the acknowledgement. It's not real repentance unless there's some sort of result, the realization is just the first step to repentance, and is not repentance itself, at least not fully. And half measures with sin yield, at best, half benefits. It's not nothing, but it's far from the real deal. Many need to realize that, so they can become truly happier and more satisfied and faithful people.

[4given]

Great post 4given! Most of us usually just don't think as precisely and make the fine distinctions necessary to really understand the Bible and its principles and advice as fully as we really need to. Our failure to make these fine distinctions sometimes (among other things) tends to lead or allow us to make mistakes. Again, I suspect this is why we're admonished to "study to show thyself approved."

All efforts toward faith and understanding are beneficial, but the more finely we make our distinctions between righteousness and what's not, the better and more precisely we can do God's will. How could it be otherwise?

So thanks for a most excellent post. I've seen many who have freely admitted their sin, but kept on practicing it in spite of the acknowledgement. It's not real repentance unless there's some sort of result, the realization is just the first step to repentance, and is not repentance itself, at least not fully. And half measures with sin yield, at best, half benefits. It's not nothing, but it's far from the real deal. Many need to realize that, so they can become truly happier and more satisfied and faithful people.

http://www.gotquestions.org/ is a great resource! I use it a lot for online ministry.

[SSGOldfart]

Like a child I worry if I have done or said enough to GOD to right my wrong . But ultimately he knows what is in your heart .

I'm going to steal this from Paul's post , he said it better than I can .


Redemption for me is trying, and I emphasize try, to always do the right thing and ask God for help when I fail. I just keep plugging at it...and seems like it gets better every day....May God bless you for your post.....Paul
Very well said Sir

[castalott]

Wonderful thread..... I needed this...