Repentance: The First Word Of The Gospel

Repentance: The First Word Of Christ's Ministry


The beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ is forever linked with that of John the Baptist. Immediately following his statement about Christ baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire, John added, "His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Then later on in the passage we see Christ coming to John for baptism where we see the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove. (Matthew 3:12-17) From there, Christ was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days and nights of fasting and temptation at the hands of the devil. From there, Christ withdrew into Galilee. Then, leaving Nazareth, he settled into Capernaum and from that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). Mark noted that this event occurred after John had been taken into custody, and explained, "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15).
Both John and Jesus make an immediate tie between repentance and the kingdom. Why? There were two kingdoms then as there are two kingdoms now. Every mere human being then and every mere human being now is born into the kingdom of this world. The kingdom of this world is sometimes described as the kingdom of Satan, the kingdom of evil, the kingdom of time, the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom, death, the kingdom of unrighteousness. But there is another kingdom. It is known as the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of life, the kingdom of light, the kingdom of righteousness, the kingdom of Christ, the eternal kingdom. Citizenship is by birth. Dual citizenship is prohibited. All those born into the kingdom of this world remain in that kingdom unless, by a miracle of divine grace, they are born again, born a second time, born of the Spirit of God into the kingdom of God.
Repentance is not the entry ticket into the kingdom of God, but it is a condition of citizenship. Repentance is the insider's way of thinking.
Christ's message of repentance, as noted in (Mark 1:15), is linked with faith: "repent and believe in the gospel."
While citizenship is the result of the second birth, all citizens must live in repentance and faith. That is why John concludes his third chapter saying, " He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
(John 3:36)
Not only was repentance the first word of Christ's ministry, it was also the last.
Anyone called by God as a follower of Jesus Christ who fails to stress this message of repentance does so in express violation of a final command that Christ gave. following His resurrection, and immediately prior to His ascension, Christ "opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and he said to them, thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending forth the promise of the Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on High" (Luke 24:45-49).

Richarc Owen Roberts

Repentance: The first word of the gospel

To understand repentance we must understand that it is a gift of God. Therefore, man alone by himself unaided by the Holy Spirit is incapable of "true" biblical repentance. Scripture speaks of an earthly "sorrow" or repentance(2 Corinthians 7:10). Such as produced by Judas (Matthew 27:3). This earthly repentance results ultimately, in damnation. By preaching the gospel with a call to repentance we are appealing to the need of grace, not to human ability. The New Testament sees repentance as something that God grants ( 2 Timothy 2:24-26), (Acts5:31), (Acts 11:18)
The biblical idea of repentance is turning from serving self to serving God. (1 Thess 1:9-10) So, on to the next chapter........


Chapter 1
Repentance , The First word of the gospel

The first word of the gospel is not "love." It's not even "grace." The first word of the gospel is "repent."
Repentance: The first word of John's ministry.

As Zacharias stood in the temple to burn incense to the Lord, as was the custom. An angel of the Lord spoke to him and said (Luke 1:13). It was promised to him that he would have a son who would make straight the way of the Lord (Luke 1: 16-17).
Fast forward several years and we see Zacharias' son John, proclaiming repentance. (Matthew 3:1-3).
Not only is the word repent the dominant note in John's message, but he made the concept of repentance absolutely clear. Repentance makes the path straight between the lord and the repenting person. Repentance is like clearing the highway of holiness to and from God.

Luke spelled out the details of John's message "Make ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every ravine shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God".(Luke 3:4-6) Without repentance, no one can make their way to the Lord. Without true repentance the Lord will not make His way to us. John the baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. (Mark 1:4) One follows the other: repentance must precede forgiveness; forgiveness does follow repentance. There is something grossly unwise in supposing that a person can experience the forgiveness of sin while resisting or merely remaining ignorant of repentance.
We are made keenly aware of John's knowledge of the attitudes of the Pharisees and Sadducees who were coming to him for baptism, he said to them "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bring fruit in keeping with your repentance."(Matthew 3:7-8)
John's message is urgently needed today. Millions are trying to receive the Lord when their path has never been made straight by repentance. I beg you, don't think yourself a christian unless you are bearing fruit that is keeping with repentance.

Richard Roberts

Next
Repentance: The first word of Christ's ministry

The doctrine of repentance: The first Word of the Gospel

I am currently reading a book by Richard Owen Roberts. Repentance: The first word of the Gospel. No, not Oral's son. His book is on the doctrine of repentance. I believe this doctrine is one of the most misunderstood, taught and studied of all the doctrines in scripture. I want to post some of the thoughts and ideas he writes in his book. I have seen it written in other blogs and articles, that faith is not a gift of God. Which is the typical arminian interpretation of (Ephesians 2:8-9). Since repentance is so married to faith, I assume they would say that repentance is not a gift of God. The very fact that those who make such statements and write them, are even allowed to take their next breath, that very breath, is a gift from God. (James 1:17). Now certainly, repentance and faith are "good" things, so according to (James 1:17) they,(faith and repentance) obviously come from God. Repentance and faith are necessary for eternal life. Eternal life being a "gift" from God (Romans 6:23).

So, to start repentance is a gift of God. (2 Timothy 2:25), (Acts 11:18), (2 Corinthians 7:9-10)

This will take several posts to fit this in but I think it will be well worth the effort. I will refrain at this point from giving the definition of what repentance is, but ratherI will let the writer define the word repentance as he defines it through the means of biblical theology.

Introduction:
There are several reasons why the doctrine of repentance is so largely neglected and is having relatively little impact in the Church and society.

1. There is a general disregard for biblical doctrine in the church. Church leaders often say "doctrine is divisive and divides". That is a true statement. Preaching the great doctrines of the Bible divides the sheep from the goats. Without careful searching and doctrinal preaching the church becomes an assorted lot of flesh and spirit that is nearly impossible to pastor. A mixture of sheep and goats is a pastors nightmare. Further, the world cannot believe in Christ because it cannot believe in the mixed multitude that calls itself Christian. It has no means whatsoever of distinguishing between the sheep of Christ's flock and the goats of the world that sit side by side in the same sanctuaries and mouth the same religious jargon.


2. Portions of the church that still believe in doctrinal preaching have allowed themselves to become grievously negligent about the doctrine of repentance. Many who sincerely believe repentance is necessary have simply failed to allow the doctrine it's rightful place. They have sought to make converts who neither understand nor practice biblical repentance. Thus the strength of these churches is diluted by unrepentant and unconverted persons in the membership who, nonetheless tragically, suppose themselves "Christians." Massive confusion and ineffectiveness are the result.


3. There is an increasingly common failure in the church in understanding the mandatory nature of repentance. Some seem to be of the persuasion that repentance is an option. "One can repent," they say, "and maybe even should,but it certainly isn't mandatory." In consequence, multitudes have sought to turn to Christ withhout ever turning from their sins. Thus it is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish the church from the world.


4. Others have developed the preceding error into pernicious doctrine that is being widely taught and preached. This grievously erroneous viewpoint insists that repentance has nothing whatsoever to do with salvation. Repentance is described by these false teachers as a "work". They insist, "we are not saved by works, We are saved by faith alone." Their error is not so much in stressing salvation by faith alone as it is in failing to understand the irrevocable link that always exist between repentance and faith. To assume that sinners can turn to the Righteous One without turning from their own unrighteousness is the height of theological nonsense. In attempting to describe repentance as work," these teachers are much more successful in proving their ignorance of the Holy One. Sad to say, this grievous error is responsible for incredible damage throughout major portions of the church.


5. Repentance has been neglected because of a grievously distorted focus upon the positive. There is a widespread notion that Christianity must always be stated in positive terms. Some have gone so far as to say "If you can't say anything positive, don't say anything at all." Faith is perceived as positive whereas repentance, by such reckoning obviously falls into he category of negative.


6. The doctrine of repentance has suffered at the hands of the Church's large-scale commitment to success. Massive numbers of church leaders have a great love for commitment to ministerial success. Their tendency is to pick and choose the elements of both religious truth and pop psychology that will most readily facilitate the accomplishment of their purpose. A focus on the love of God, the role of faith in human happiness, the benefits of holistic living and the upbeat elements of a well integrated human responsibility, are seen as much more helpful in building large churches than thundering against sin, insisting upon repentance, and issuing warnings about judgement and hell. Consequently, there is a noticeable absence of any vital ministry of the Holy Spirit in these churches. Millions of churchgoers have no idea hat they need to repent because in their church there is an acute lack of the great work of the Spirit in convincing the world of sin a of righteousness and of judgement to come (John 16:8-11). When there is virtually no conviction, it can hardy be surprising that there is little or no repentance and virtually no true conversions.


7. There exists a tragic lack of moral earnestness among religious leaders. Even in cases where repentance is accurately taught and preached, it is commonly done with such lack of moral energy and vital spiritual concern that few indeed catch the urgency of biblically mandated repentance and respond accordingly. How does God feel when His doctrine are set aside? Does He smile in the realization that this new age in which we live and that the old fashioned truths are no longer relevant? Or does He rise in indignation against all those who seek to accomplish His purposes in their way instead of His? Read (Isaiah 63:10).

In urging your most careful consideration of the doctrine of repentance, I am reminded of two very urgent words of caution given by our Lord Jesus Christ concerning our hearing.

(1) "Take care who you listen to" (Mark 4:24)

(2) "Take care how you listen" (Luke 8:18)

In their context, both of these passages make it clear that what a person has, what is added to them, and what is taken from them is immediately affected by their degree of care in listening. These cautions place important responsibilities upon each of us. Our spiritual intake can have a dramatic effect on us. Some being careless about what they hear, will sit for years listening to unsound and unprofitable teaching and preaching and will suffer the loss in withered spiritual lives. Others sit under very solid biblical ministry but are careless about how they hear and, in consequence, the likewise experience little if any spiritual growth, and indeed they may even lose much of what they had earlier gained. These cautions affect all intake of truth and are applicable to reading as to hearing. Just as there are many very sloppy listeners who never really learn to heed neither what they hear or how they hear, so also there are careless readers who pay too little attention both to what they read and how they read. Some waste their lives reading worthless things. But others read important things that seem to make no lasting difference in their lives.

Next Chapter 1

Repentance: The first word of the Gospel

"Living life with the light turned on"

Our associate pastor made a statement this morning in the sermon he gave . "God has brought Christians out of the domain of darkness into his marvelous light, so we as Christians are people who are living with the light on."
Kinda fits well with this blog name. So, I think I will use his statement somewhere on this blog.
I have been reading and studying what biblical repentance is and what it looks like. In the aspect of someone experiencing the new birth and also repentance in the life of the believer.
Repentance in a lost man is achieved by the power of the Holy Spirit awakening that individual to his sinful condition and his need for a saviour.Lost man is dead Ephesians 2:1.
What he needs, in essence ,is for God to turn on the Light switch for him. As we emerge from darkness into Christ's marvelous light we still stumble but yet we are still in His Light.
The light of Gods word ever present, like a light house beacon shining in the distance to beckon us back to safe harbor. If we drift , which we no doubt at times will, because sin is ever present in us still. We are to live a life of repentance. There is the repentance that leads one into the kingdom, then once into the kingdom we still live a life of repentance. What does this biblical repentance look like on both sides of the kingdom?
I will start a series of posts quoting some of the great puritan writers on their views of biblical repentance . I want to start these posts off with this particular verse as a diving board if you will.
John 3:20-21
For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.

EXAMINING OUR REPENTANCE

Thomas Watson(1620-1686)

If any shall say they have repented, let me desire them to try themselves seriously by those seven effects of repentance which the Apostle lays down in 2 Corinthians 7:11

1. Carefulness: The Greek word signifies a solicitous diligence or careful shunning of all temptations to sin. The true penitent flies from sin as Moses did from the serpent.

2. Clearing of ourselves: The Greek word is apology. The sense is this: though we have much care, yet through strength of temptation we may slip into sin. Now in this case, the repenting soul will not let sin lie festering in his conscience, but judges himself for sin. He pours out tears before the Lord. He begs mercy in the name of Christ and never leaves until he has gotten his pardon. Here he is cleared of guilt in his conscience and is able to make apology for himself against Satan.

3. Indignation: He that repents of sin, his spirit rises against it, as one's blood rises at the sight of him who he mortally hates. Indignation is a being fretted ,(distressed) at the heart with sin. The penitent is vexed with himself. David calls himself a fool and a beast (Psa 73:22). God is never better pleased with us than when we fall out with ourselves for sin.

4. Fear: A tender is ever a trembling heart. This hornet has stung him and now, having hopes that God is reconciled, he is afraid to come near sin anymore. The repenting soul is full of fear. He is afraid he should, for want of diligence, come short of salvation. He is afraid lest, after his heart has been soft, the waters of repentance should freeze and he should harden in sin again.

"Happy is the man that feareth alway" (Proverbs 28:14) ....A repenting person fears and sins not; a graceless person sins and fears not.

5. Vehement desire: As sour sauce sharpens the appetite, so the bitter herbs of repentance sharpen desire. But what does the penitent desire? He desires more power against sin and to be released from it. It is true, he has got loose from Satan; but he goes as a prisoner that has broken out of prison with a fetter on his leg. He cannot walk with that freedom and swiftness in the ways of God. He desires therefore to have fetters of sin taken off. He would be freed from corruption. He cries out with Paul, "Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom 7:24). In Short, he desires to be with Christ, as everything desires to be in it's center.

6. Zeal: Desire and zeal are fitly put together to show that true desire puts forth itself in zealous endeavor. How the penitent does bestir(busy, or rouse) in the business of salvation!

How he does take the kingdom of heaven by force (Mat 11:12)! Zeal quickens the pursuit after glory. Zeal, encountering difficulty, is emboldened by opposition and tramples upon danger. Zeal makes a repenting soul persist in Godly sorrow against all discouragements and opposition whatsoever. Zeal carries a man above himself for God's glory. Paul, before conversion, was made against the saints (Acts 26:11). After conversion, was made for Christ's sake: "Paul, thou art beside thyself"(Acts 26:24). But it was zeal, not frenzy. Zeal animates spirit and duty. It causes fervency in religion, which is a fire to the sacrifice (Rom12:11). As fear is a bridle to sin, so zeal is a spur to duty.

7.Revenge: A true penitent pursues his sins with a holy malice. He seeks the death of them as Samson was avenged on the Philistines for his two eyes. He uses his sins as the Jews used Christ. He gives them gall and vinegar to drink. He crucifies his lusts (Gal 5:24). A true child of God seeks to be revenged most of those sins that have dishonored God most...David did by sin defile his bed; afterwards by repentance he watered his bed with tears. Israel had sinned by Idolatry, and afterwards they did offer disgrace to their idols: Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver" (Isa 30:22)...... The Israelite women who had been dressing themselves by the hour and had abused their looking glasses to pride, afterwards by way of revenge as well as zeal, offered their looking glasses to the use and service of Gods tabernacle (Exodus 38:8)....So those conjurers who used curious arts of magic...when once they repented, brought their books and, by way of revenge, burned them (Acts 19:19).

These are the blessed fruits and products of repentance. If we can find these in our souls, we have arrived at that repentance which is never to be repented of (2 Co 7:10).

From: The Doctrine of Repentance, Thomas Watson

Next up J.C. Ryle: The Necessity Of Repentance (1816-1900)