The Importance Of Repentance

Tom:

The gospel, as I believe we’ve been demonstrating by discussing it for the past, (Dave it’s been a half year of programs) is a topic that’s so splendid, so rich in meaning that we haven’t come close to covering it.Yet it’s so simple, so uncontrived that even a young child can grasp it and have eternal life through receiving it.Even so Dave, when we or anyone else discusses the gospel, it doesn’t take much for a controversy to get underway.I’m thinking about a particular situation where you wrote a booklet entitled: The Non-Negotiable Gospel and someone wrote to you objecting to the fact that they could not find repentance in its pages.Your reply caused a flood of mail disagreeing with you.Now what could be so controversial about your viewpoint on repentance?

Dave:

Well, Tom, I don’t know.Sometimes you can become almost a little bit discouraged, if that were possible, because no matter how you try to clarify things—people have certain ideas and when they have once gotten that idea in their head that I am against repentance, which I am not, I believe in repentance, but when they once get that idea in their head, there’s nothing you can do to change it.Now all I said—

Tom:

Well, let’s lay it out. Let’s explain to people how this fits in, because it is an idea that would be easy to go astray.

Dave:

Right.The idea that we get from people who have written to us and so forth is if you do not use the word repentance in your presentation of the gospel, this is not the gospel.And all I tried to say was then I guess Jesus did not give the gospel to Nicodemus.We always turn people to John 3: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him (whosoever repents and believeth in him?).It doesn’t say that.Whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and we turn to John 3 because there Jesus is laying out conditions for salvation.He’s declaring very clearly that you’ve got to be born again and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness the son of man must be lifted up and so forth, but he doesn’t use the word repentance.So—

Tom:

But what does repentance mean?I mean what are we talking about here?He doesn’t use the word, but it’s there!Nicodemus has to repent.

Dave:

Well Tom let me finish with this now.

Tom:

Okay, go for it Dave.

Dave:

We don’t have the word there.And Paul says in Romans:1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
See All... “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth….” So you are saved through the gospel.Go to 1 Corinthians 15 and he tells you what the gospel is.He says this is the gospel that I preached unto you, by which you are saved, wherein you stand and so forth.How that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that He was buried, that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.Now again, you don’t find the word “repentance” and that was the original objection was that in the little booklet that I wrote: The Non-Negotiable Gospel, the word repentance wasn’t in there, but I think the idea of repentance—

Tom:

Well what are some of the ideas—there’s more than one idea about it.

Dave:

The idea is inherent within the gospel.In other words, when I believed that Christ died for my sins and I turned to Him as my Savior, surely I am repenting of being a sinner, I am repenting of having rebelled against Him and I am acknowledging that when He took my place, he had to suffer the judgment of almighty God.When I turn to Christ, I am turning from all my sin and from myself and I am turning to Him.So without using the word repentance certainly that is understood.But Tom you’ve got a lot you want to contribute on this, so let me keep quiet for a bit.

Tom:

No, Dave I don’t want you to keep quiet, but there are some aspects of repentance that I think— this is why we are getting so much mail, because it confuses people.You just identified, in effect defined repentance as turning—turning from us to Christ.Turning from our life to the life Christ has—from what we couldn’t do—to what He can do and did do.But Dave, we have a scripture that confuses it a little bit.Judas repented but he didn’t turn to Christ.See there is another sense of the word that confuses people. What does it mean that Judas repented and why doesn’t that fit into this?

Dave:

Well, I guess Judas repented of the consequences that he brought upon himself, you know.

Tom:
Right.

Dave:

His heart, I don’t believe had changed apparently, but when I turn to Christ I’m in effect, I’m repenting.For example: of the very idea that by my efforts I could please God or I could earn my salvation—when I’m turning to Christ and I’m putting my faith in Him and I’m believing the gospel, I am relinquishing everything.I am relinquishing all claim to my own righteousness.I am acknowledging that I am a sinner—I wouldn’t be believing in Christ if I were not acknowledging that I am a sinner and that I am sorry for my sin.How could I possibly thank Him for dying in my place without being repentant for the sins that nailed Him there.It is because of my sins that Christ died.So Paul says this is the gospel how that Christi died for our sins.I believe that.Am I not repenting of my sin and of the fact that it’s my sin that nailed Him there?So I think we have a little problem here with those who sometimes—I can impose my views upon someone to such an extent that I’m being unreasonable and I am not recognizing that the other person is perhaps saying the same thing but in different words.

Tom:

Yes, but there can also be distinctions, for example one concern that we have with regard to repentance is that some people see that as a precondition for salvation.Lord, I’m never going to do this again and I reject all that I’ve done and I am going to go out and live a good life and then I come to you.For example as you know and probably many of our listeners, I am a former Catholic.For Catholics the idea of repentance is not the same idea.The idea I had then is not the idea I have now as an evangelical.Then it was penitence.There were certain things that you had to do.As a matter of fact, in Catholicism the definition really comes from the Latin word: vulgate.The Latin word can be translated very easily as penitence.Expiation for sins—doing certain things before salvation can be gained.So there is confusion that way.

Dave:

Yes, and Tom that is one of the problems or one of our concerns.There is no work that I can do; there is no change that I can make in my life that will clean me up and make me acceptable to God.Some people would get that idea from the word repentance.Now you must repent.Well that means I’ve got to clean up my act, I’ve got to turn from all my sin.I am an alcoholic and I just can’t lick this thing and somehow I’ve got to turn away from that.When you turn to Christ and you put your faith in Him, this is what the Bible asks: “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifies the ungodly—his faith is counted for righteousness.

Tom:

Dave that has to be tied in with an understanding of Mark:1:15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
See All...: “…Repent ye and believe the gospel.”That’s what you are talking about.There has to be harmony between those two verses or you’ve got them conflicting with one another.

Dave:

Right and all I am trying to say is when I believe the gospel I am repenting.Because the gospel—what does it say to me?It tells me I am a sinner, tells me I am hopeless, unworthy, a wretch—that there is nothing I can do, I cannot please God, I cannot earn eternal life, salvation is a gift of God.It’s not by works of righteousness that we’ve done, but by his mercy he saves us.So when I turn to Christ, I am repenting, I am in repentance even though I don’t use the exact word, but that is what has happened in my heart.And when I come to Him and believe in Him, He does the work in my heart.I am born of the spirit of God, I am born again, I become a new creature in Christ Jesus, old things have passed away, all things are become new and the gospel is such good news Tom!It is so wonderful that all I have to do—of course there are objections from all the cultists—the Watchtower Bible Tract Society would say oh well then you believe all you have to do is believe and now you can live whatever life you want and so forth.No!If I am made a new creature in Christ Jesus, then He has become my life and He lives His life in me.He’s the one who changes me and it’s not by gritting my teeth and vowing to live a new life.It’s not by the works of the flesh as Paul said to the Galatians: “Having begun in the Spirit are you now perfected in the flesh?”Paul said “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ has come to live in me.”So this is the wonderful promise of the gospel to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness and Tom you know as a Catholic, you were under a burden to do all kinds of works, to engage in the sacraments and so forth.That really kept you from Christ, because you couldn’t believe that salvation was a free gift.

Tom:

Correct, and Dave just to sum up what we have been saying here—it’s a turning to Christ and my life is going to be transformed—the works, just as you have eluded to—the things that people say well you ought to do this as a Christian—we can now do, because we have Christ in our life and he enables us to do it.That’s the life in Christ.

Dave:

Amen, amen.