Many Christians think that repentance is 'turning from sin'. But this might surprise you, this isn't in the Bible. Look for it. Believe me you won't find this definition anywhere in the word of God.
Acts 3:19
'Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.'
Acts 2:38
'And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'.
The concept of repentance in the Bible actually means to change your mind. It is where God draws us to Him and first changes our minds then our hearts. We repent of our rebellious nature and realise that we need a saviour, and that saviour is The Lord Jesus Christ.
It is very important to understand repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation. Salvation is not a list of rules a person must follow to earn their salvation. Of course Christians should turn from sin. But it is a characteristic of becoming a Christian, not a requirement of a rule to earn salvation.
The critical point is that Christians need to commit their life to focusing on Jesus and His finished work on the Cross. Saying that we need to work to defeat sin in our life is exactly that 'good works'. Because of our sin and sinful nature, we simply cannot earn our salvation through being perfect sin free Christians. We cannot defeat sin in this life as carnal 'fleshy' human beings. We cannot earn our salvation that way. We need someone to pay our sin debt for us. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ had to die in our place, to pay the price for us.
The belief that we must maintain our own salvation by our own good works and efforts is not remotely Biblical.
Titus 3:5
'He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit'.
If someone has sincerely repented from a rejection of God to a heartfelt faith in The Lord Jesus Christ then they will give evidence of fundamental changes in their life. And yes turning from sin is a characteristic of having a saving faith in Jesus. But this is brought about by Jesus working in us and transforming our hearts and minds.
Repentance is necessary for salvation. In the Bible repentance is defined very clearly as changing your mind about Jesus Christ and turning to God in faith for this salvation. It is the only way.
Salvation is not gained by faith, but then maintained by works.
Galatians 3:3
'Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?'
Turning from sin is not the definition of repentance. However, when a person turns to Jesus and changes their mind to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour then turning from sin is a very visible fruit of the spirit.
Acts 26:20
ReplyDeleteNew International Version (NIV)
20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.
Personally I believe repentence and turning from sin go hand in hand. If you don't change the behaviour, you are not truly repentant and vice versa. When I read the above, it is clear we have a responsibility to show our repentance, to prove it, by the way we live our lives. Otherwise are we not hypocrites? As Paul is saying in this verse, we need to do our bit. I believe if we make choices to honour God and turn from the lives we once lived, he will honour those choices and give us the strength to see them through. He gives us the ability to make our own decisions, even if we can't always do things on our own strength. This indicates that there is some work involved on our part. Not to secure our salvation but to prove that we are indeed saved, and different and, as Romans 12 says - that we don't conform any longer to the pattern of this world.
Thanks for your comments Karen.
DeleteI honestly believe repentance means a change of mind from rebellion to acceptance of Jesus in ones heart.
I'm not saying a Christian can then continue in their sins, no not at all. I would have very serious doubts about anyone who says they have repented (changed their mind and heart) and then continued in their sins, without changing their walk.
What I am saying is that true repentance means a sincere turning away, in both the mind and heart, from self to God.
Yes I accept and agree that repentance involves turning away from sin to focus on God. But repentance does not mean to turn from sin. It means to 'turn' or 'change' your mind from one thing to another.
From an unbeliever to a Christian AND consequently that means turning from a sinful lifestyle. With the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks again for your well thought out and eloquently delivered comments.
Andrew