Repentance and Faith!
to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ Acts28:18
I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. Acts26:20
testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts20:21
The Biblical Characteristics of True Repentance: (as taught by early church and Apostles) 2Cor7:10-11 “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
For True Repentance to have Taken Place the following MUST have Occurred:
1) Season of Deep felt Godly Sorrow for sin. (Invoked by Spirit of Truth working, Jh16:8)
2) A Crisis of Conviction that Cuts to the heart! (Sin already being forsaken!)
3) A Zeal to CLEAR oneself of all Wrong Doing against God. (make restitution if necessary)
4) Indignation and Fear that leads to Vehement Desire to STOP Sinning!
5) Vindication and Finally PURITY of heart!
Every incident of Repentance in Scripture Follows this PROCESS. (DON’T Let anyone tell you it Doesn’t, and they will MOST certainly Try!) The Sin STOPS HERE, The Old Man DIES here, The Flesh is Crucified HERE! NOT Afterwards. The Desires and Conduct are CHANGED here. (Or never will be!)
OBEDIENCE to God follows in NEWNESS of Life and All things New! (Rom6:4-6, 2Cor5:17) If you have NOT Experienced this and have NO IDEA what it means, you are NOT BORN of the SPIRIT!!!
You may indeed have ‘RECEIVED’ Christ, and ‘Believed’ on His Name (repeated some words) BUT the Devils ALSO Believe! (James2:19) If a Person is SAVED by What he DOES and NOT by Faith Alone! (as James affirms, JS 2:24) The What he DOES PART, STARTS with This REPENTANCE! Called in Scripture: the Baptism of Repentance:
What is the Baptism of Repentance and WHY it is undeniably Connected with the Forgiveness of sins?
It Began with John the Baptist, who Christ Himself Called the ‘GREATEST’ of all Preachers.
He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Luke3:3
And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins Mark1:4
In this Process the Old Man DIES with Christ, is nailed to the Cross, Buried with Him! The New Man is BORN! The Blood of the Covenant is applied to the Living Sacrifice. Sin is PURGED from the Conscience! The New and Living WAY into God’s Kingdom is OPENED to the Soul!
(Rom6:4-6, Col1:14, 2:11-15, 2Cor5:17, Heb10:19-20)
The Ceasing of Sin Follows this Baptism of Repentance!
Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 1Pet4:1-2
Sin is not merely Covered, but REMOVED! “In ALL things you PROVED yourself to be Clear (PURE) in this matter!” 2Cor7:11. No Bondage remains. The Heart is Set Free in Christ! (John8:32) You Partake of Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross by SHARING in His Death, (Rom6:4-6) NOT having His Accomplishment Transferred to you. You are Forgiven by DYING with HIM to SIN, NOT HIM Dying in your place!
(He died unjustly on the Cross, Crucified by man, Acts2:23, 5:30)) He became our ‘Sin Offering’ (2Cor5:21) (Not sin itself) So we could FOLLOW His Example into NEWNESS OF LIFE!
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 1Pet2:21, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 1Pet2:24
For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a
heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve
the living God?
Heb9:13-14
You Were Bought With a PRICE! (The Precious Blood Of Christ! 1Pet1:18-19) REDEEMED from the Dominion of sin by the BLOOD of the Lamb. Now you are Debtors to the Spirit, (Rom8:12) not the flesh. That’s why those who belong to Christ HAVE ALREADY (once for all, not to be repeated!) CRUCIFIED the flesh with its passions and desires! (Gal5:24) The Old man is Dead and buried with Christ, Resurrect him and you Crucify the Son of God Afresh! (Heb6:6) and put Him to open Shame! Falling therefore into Condemnation and spiritual death. (Heb10:26-31)
For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.Rom8:13
The Purpose of Christ’s Death is to Provide a WAY to EXTERMINATE the Old Man of Sin, Put him to Death, once for all, Strip him of his advantage! (Col:2:15). This can ONLY Happen Through the BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE Shown in Scripture. The Growth Process is NOT sinning less and less, but the NEWBORN BABE in Christ Desiring the TRUE Milk of the Word that he may increase thereby. (1Pet2:2) Securing the Outcome of his Salvation as gold refined in the fire! (1Pet1:7-9)
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Phil3:10-11
Further Sanctification and or ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’ (if you prefer) DOES NOT come about to rescue you from the ravages of sin and immorality. THAT happened in REPENTANCE! The Sin STOPPED. Thus it is Shown in Scripture over and over again. (Zacchaeus, Matthew, Prodigal, Woman caught in adultery, even the thief on the cross)
God DID NOT Grant Forgiveness to man ‘in his sin’, HE DEMONSTRATED His Love Toward mankind by Sending Christ to Die while we were still sinners! (Rom5:8) He is NOT ‘Passing Over’ our sins, but WASHING them away in ‘regeneration’ (New Birth in process of repentance!) and renewing of the Holy Spirit! (Titus3:4-7) The Soul is Scrubbed CLEAN of defilement, ignorance and lust! These are CAST OUT of DOORS with the Old man to DIE with Christ! THEN the Holy Spirit can take up His Abode in a Clean Temple, not a Divided heart.
The Requirement of Salvation: is REPENTANCE and FAITH! (Acts20:21) Repentance PROVEN By DEEDS and FAITH WORKING by LOVE! (Acts26:20, Gal5:6) Sin is NOT a ‘Symptom’ or ‘Disease’ It’s a CRIME against God!!! Repentance was Granted by God Precisely for the Reason to CLEAN you UP in the PROCESS, CRUCIFY your Flesh, PUT to DEATH your Passions and Desires! NOT so He could forgiven you in your sins!
Keeping yourself Pure:
1) By Obedience to the Truth, 1Pet1:22
2) Adding to your Faith, 2Pet1:3-11
3) Renewing Your Mind! Eph4:20-24, Phil4:8-9, Col3:1-3
4) Walking in the Spirit, Rom8:1-4, Gal5:22-24
The Modern Church has this Process in Reverse!
Basically they teach:
1) God had to Punish (Beat) Jesus to appease His Wrath against sinful man
2) Jesus Lived a Sinless, Perfect life, fulfilling all Righteousness so God can apply that to us
3) Our Trusting in this arrangement Saves us Eternally
4) God Now sees man Acceptable (through the Jesus Filter) although he continues in his sin
Which has Resulted in the Demise of Repentance:
1) You Come to Christ ‘in your sin’…..no exceptions!!!
2) You Cannot Choose to STOP Sinning!
3) God Saves you and Then the Clean up begins!
To Access this Scheme usually involves a simple Prayer of Confession that you are sinful and need a Savior. Through this you supposedly get the benefit of Jesus Death on the Cross to Cover your sins. His Example was lived out NOT for you to ‘Follow in His Steps’, but so God could TRANSFER His Track Record to you, making you fit for the Kingdom in your sinful state.
There is No Conviction of sin or godly sorrow for that sin, NO Clearing can take place in the heart. (2Cor7:12) The Heart Cannot be made Pure by Faith! (Acts15:9, 1Pet1:22) No Obedience to the Truth will come about. The Old Man Remains alive, surviving to usurp his authority over the passions of the flesh that WERE NOT Crucified in Repentance! (Rom6:4-6) Therefore the Bondage to sin remains and NO Forgiveness can be Granted by God. (John8:34)
Sin has to be ‘Covered’ under their scheme of Redemption for TWO Reasons. First and foremost, because it has NOT been Washed or Purged OUT of the Conscience in the Process of Repentance. The Heart being defiled still MUST have some kind of assurance that Continuing in its Wickedness is protected against God’s Wrath. The ‘Covering’ provides that. Second, Confession is NOT Repentance!
Prevenient Grace:
1) Granted by God to Off Set man’s Corrupted will to Turn and Choose to follow Christ
2) Without it he lacks the ability to respond to the Gospel Message
3) This Grace offers the will the restored capacity to respond to grace, the person then may freely and increasingly become an active, willing participant in receiving the conditions for justification.
4) Through this teaching the Doctrine of Original Sin & Salvation by Grace alone can co-exit!
The Fallacy:
1) Free will does not exist where man must be Compelled to make the Choice
2) If God is Directly Responsible for the Good we do, He is also Responsible for the Bad
3) God then is Bound by Necessity to Act in a Certain way to activate your will
4) If you are Free to Choose Bad, the Reverse is ALSO Free!
Therefore under this Teaching Repentance is Out the Window! If man is Born with the INABILITY to Respond to God (Unless God enables him) he CANNOT Possibly OBEY the Command to Repent! (in the sense of stopping and forsaking any of his sin) Thus this Doctrine by Necessity Forces the sinner to be Saved ‘IN HIS SINS’ and NEVER achieve Victory over them no matter what!
HUGE Difference between Choosing Freely to Follow after God and Being Compelled by a Compulsion to Follow Him. How is that Free Will? If I have to Overpower you will to gain you Love, HOW will you ever be a Loyal Companion? Unless you FREELY Choose to be with me, I could NEVER Trust that your heart wasn’t Serving another master.
Common Grace:
1) This is God’s Universal Grace bestowed on all mankind by the Sovereign will of God
2) By it God is able to curb the destructive power of sin, maintains in a measure the moral order of the universe, thus making an orderly life possible, distributes in varying degrees gifts and talents among men, promotes the development of science and art, and showers untold blessings upon the children of men. (Thus: all Good Deeds is Attributed to this Grace)
3) This Grace makes it Possible for the world to exit as is and man to dwell in a generally orderly society, tolerable for further development.
4) Although it Does not improve man’s fallen Nature or restore any measure of free will he lost in Adam. (he can only respond to God if he is among the elect!)
The Fallacy:
1) This Makes God an Absolute Tyrant, Deciding arbitrary who is Saved or Lost.
2) If all Good is Attributed to God through this Grace, then all Bad is His Responsibility as well
3) God is then Bound by the Necessity of His Own Doing to Condemn the Non-elect!
4) To What Purpose would God extend His Kindness to man, Knowing he is going to reject it and perish?
Under this Scheme God must be shown to Maintain Absolute Sovereignty. In that He Initiates and Carry’s through the ENTIRE Process of Salivation by Faith! Nothing can be attributed to man in the slightest degree whatsoever or it cancels the gift. Faith is TRUSTING that the Process has taken place and has NOTHING to do with Obeying, Doing or Meeting any Conditions. All matters of Walking in the spirit or doing the right thing are subsequent to the initial act of Salvation. They DO NOT in any way add to, commend or improve your standing with God. Faith ALONE Saves.