Article15: Repentance That Leads To Salvation Series

ARTICLE 15 REPENTANCE AND SALVATION .

• £20:00 FAKE AND GENUINE IT’S NOT EASY TO SEE..... BUT THERE ARE CERTAIN WAYS WE CAN DISCOVER WHETHER ITS GENUINE OR NOT AND SO IT IS WITH OURSELVES AS CHRISTIANS THERE ARE WAYS WE CAN DISCOVER WHETHER WE ARE GENUINE OR COUNTERFEIT.

• 2COR 7. 10GODLY SORROW BRINGS REPENTANCE THAT LEADS TO SALVATION AND LEAVES NO REGRET, BUT WORLDLY SORROW BRINGS DEATH.

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD - THE BIBLE CLEARLY STATES THAT ALL HAVE SINNED ( ROM 3:23). WITHOUT EXCEPTION. AS A RESULT WE ARE SEPARATED FROM GOD BECAUSE HE IS HOLY AND WITHOUT SIN. BUTR THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT WE CAN ENTER BACK INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST THROUGH REPENTANCE AND FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. BUT THE BIG QUESTION FOR US - HAVE WE GENUINELY REPENTED AND COME TO A POSITION OF FAITH IN CHRIST?

1. WHAT IS REPENTANCE?

AN ACT WHEREBY WE TURN AWAY FROM OUR SIN AND TURN TO GOD FOR SALVATION. THE GREEK WORD FOR REPENTANCE IS METANOIA INVOLVES A CHANGE OF MIND (RECONGITION WE HAVE SINNED AND ARE SINNERS) IT INVOLVES A CHANGE OF HEART (EMOTIONAL ELEMENT WHERE WE EXPRESS A DEEP SORROW FOR SIN COMMITTED AGAINST A HOLY GOD- GODLY SORROW) AND A CHANGE OF ATTITUDE .(A CHANGE OF PURPOSE AN INWARD TURNING AWAY FROM SIN WITH THE NEED TO SEEK PARDON AND RESTORATION).

FACT! GOD ACTUALLY COMMANDS (NOT AN OPTION) EVERYBODY TO REPENT OF THEIR SINS (ACTS 17:30). ALTHOUGH GOD COMMANDS IT, PEOPLE ARE SLOW TO RESPOND, HENCE GOD’S PATIENCE ALSO LEADS US TO REPENTANCE (2 PET. 3:9) AS DOES HIS KINDNESS (ROM. 2:4). REPENTANCE IS IMPERATIVE TO SALVATION WITHOUT REPENTANCE THERE CANNOT BE ANY SALVATION.

IT WAS THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA FOR JOHN THE BAPTIST MATT. 3:1-2. REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS NEAR , FOR JESUS MATT. 4:17 . REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS NEAR, AND THE APOSTLES (MARK 6:12; CF. ACTS 2:38) THEY WENT OUT AND PREACHED THAT PEOPLE SHOULD REPENT. BEYOND REPENTANCE, FAITH IS NEEDED.

REPENTANCE IS INDISPENSABLE TO FAITH, AS FAITH IS INDISPENSABLE TO REPENTANCE. ACTS 20:21. TURN TO GOD IN REPENTANCE AND HAVE FAITH IN GOD.

SHOW A TWO SIDED COIN TO CONGREGATION: THEY ARE MINTED TOGETHER WITHOUT BOTH SIDES ITS ILLEGAL TENDER . REPENTANCE LEADS US TO FAITH AND FAITH LEAD US INTO ACTS OF REPENTANCE THROUGHOUT OUR FAITH. GOD CALLS US TO TURN FROM SIN AND TURN TO HIM.

• L BERKHOFF, SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, P. 487. WRITES....TRUE REPENTANCE NEVER EXISTS EXCEPT IN CONJUNCTION WITH FAITH, WHILE ON THE OTHER HAND, WHEREVER THERE IS TRUE FAITH, THERE IS ALSO REAL REPENTANCE. THE TWO ARE BUT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE SAME TURNING—A TURNING AWAY FROM SIN IN THE DIRECTION OF GOD…THE TWO CANNOT BE SEPARATED; THEY ARE SIMPLY COMPLEMENTARY PARTS OF THE SAME PROCESS.

2. A COUNTERFEIT CHRISTIAN. 2COR 7: BUT WORLDLY SORROW BRINGS DEATH .

BIBLICAL EXAMPLE - (MATT 27: 3- 5. ) CONSIDER JUDAS HIS SORROW WAS A WORLDLY SORRY BECAUSE IT DIDN’T LEAD TO SALVATION WITH NO REGRET- HERE WAS A MAN WHO PROFESSED TO BE A FOLLOWER BUT ALL THE TIME HE WAS DECEIVING THOSE ROUND HIM, HE WAS A THIEF AND HE BETRAYED THE LORD FOR 30 PIECES OF SILVER – AFTER HIS BETRAYAL AND THE ARREST OF JESUS JUDAS , HAD A CHANGE OF MIND V3( METAMELOMAI) - HE ACKNOWLEDGED HE HAD SINNED V4 , HE EXPERIENCED REMORSE AND GUILT (EMOTIONAL ELEMENT) BUT THIS YET IT WAS LESS THAN GENUINE REPENTANCE (METANOIA) THERE WASN’T A CHANGE OF HEART AND ATTITUDE.(A CHANGE OF PURPOSE) RATHER RIDDLED WITH GUILT HE COMMITTED SUICIDE.

AN UNKNOWN AUTHOR WROTE, “THERE IS A RADICAL DISTINCTION BETWEEN NATURAL REGRET AND GOD-GIVEN REPENTANCE. THE FLESH CAN FEEL REMORSE, ACKNOWLEDGE ITS EVIL DEEDS, AND BE ASHAMED OF ITSELF. HOWEVER, THIS SORT OF DISGUST WITH PAST ACTIONS CAN BE QUICKLY SHRUGGED OFF, AND THE INDIVIDUAL CAN SOON GO BACK TO HIS OLD WICKED WAYS. NONE OF THE MARKS OF TRUE REPENTANCE DESCRIBED IN 2 CORINTHIANS 7:11 ARE FOUND IN HIS BEHAVIOR. OUT OF A LIST OF 10 MEN IN THE BIBLE WHO SAID, “I HAVE SINNED,” WE BELIEVE ONLY FIVE ACTUALLY REPENTED. THEY WERE DAVID (2 SAM. 12:13), NEHEMIAH (NEH. 1:6), JOB (JOB 42:5,6), MICAH (MICAH 7:9), AND THE PRODIGAL SON (LUKE 15:18).” - H.G.B.

IN THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH TODAY THERE ARE COUNTLESS INDIVIDUALS WHO BELEIVE THEY ARE CHRISTIANS AND YET THEY ARE COUNTERFIET.

A. FOR INSTANCE SOME HAVE A RELIGIOUS FAITH AND BELIEVE IN THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS OR RITUALS RATHER THAN REPENTANCE WHICH LEADS TO SALVATION. THEY ESTEEM HIGHLY RITUALS LIKE CONFIRMATION - BAPTISM - LORDS SUPER - CHURCH ATTENDANCE – FAMILY CONNECTIONS (DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM) . YET THEY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED A GODLY SORROW WHICH BRINGS REPENTANCE LEADING TO SALVATION.

B. OTHERS ASK JESUS TO COME INTO THEIR LIVES AS THE ONE WHO CAN MEET THEIR NEEDS, GIVE THEM LIFE, EMPOWER THEM, FILL THE VOID INSIDE, GIFT THEM, WHO CAN SATISFY THEM DEEP DOWN. YET AGAIN THEY HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED GODLY SORROW WHCIH BRINGS REPENTANCE AND LEADS TO SALVATION.