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Reclaiming Repentance in the 21st Century Church

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Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation by Larry A. Combs PREFACE This study has been an attempt to demonstrate the necessity of reclaiming “true biblical” repentance in the preaching event and in particular, the evangelistic invitation that most evangelical preachers include at the conclusion of their sermons. What is the relationship between faith, repentance, salvation, and sanctification? How do we make the preaching of repentance central to the evangelistic invitation today? In addition, how can the preaching for repentance be encouraged today? I divided this study into seven sections. Chapter One: The Introduction, sets the tone for enlightening preachers and laymen alike to the problem we face today in our churches of the lack of true repentance. This chapter also includes the definitions of terms associated with repentance. Chapter Two: The Literature Review, sets forth a thorough discussion of repentance from three perspectives: The Historical Perspective: with men such as Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and George Whitefield. The Scriptural Perspective: John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, and Luke the Doctor have been examined as to their teaching on the subject of repentance. Then from the Theological Perspective the debate between John MacArthur and his book, The Gospel According to Jesus: What Does Jesus Mean When He Says “Follow Me?” and Zane Hodges, Absolutely Free: A Bible Reply to Lordship Salvation, was used. Chapter Three: The Research Method and Design of this study was historical-comparative. Descriptive research aided in the formulation of concepts of reclaiming repentance in an evangelistic invitation. Chapter Four: Presentation of the Data: here I gathered data from congregations and pastors using a questionnaire. After analyzing the data, a conclusion is made, which verifies the great need for repentance inclusion in the evangelistic invitation. Chapter Five: Conclusions of the Study in which repentance is observed from three points of need: the Past, the Present, and the Future. Then recommendations are given. Chapter Six: Appendix “A” gives the questionnaire that was distributed to congregations and pastors that was used in the analysis of the data. Appendix “B” is a sample sermon on repentance. Appendix “C” is a sample sermon on John the Baptist. Appendix “D” is a sample sermon by John MacArthur. Appendix “E” is a sample sermon by Zane Hodges. Appendix “F” is a Counseling Procedure for the Evangelistic Invitation. Bibliography and Reference List is given.
Transcript
Page 1: Reclaiming Repentance in the 21st Century Church

Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation

by

Larry A. Combs

PREFACE

This study has been an attempt to demonstrate the necessity of reclaiming “true biblical” repentance in the

preaching event and in particular, the evangelistic invitation that most evangelical preachers include at the

conclusion of their sermons. What is the relationship between faith, repentance, salvation, and sanctification?

How do we make the preaching of repentance central to the evangelistic invitation today? In addition, how can

the preaching for repentance be encouraged today?

I divided this study into seven sections. Chapter One: The Introduction, sets the tone for enlightening

preachers and laymen alike to the problem we face today in our churches of the lack of true repentance. This

chapter also includes the definitions of terms associated with repentance. Chapter Two: The Literature

Review, sets forth a thorough discussion of repentance from three perspectives: The Historical Perspective:

with men such as Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and George Whitefield. The

Scriptural Perspective: John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, and Luke the Doctor

have been examined as to their teaching on the subject of repentance. Then from the Theological Perspective

the debate between John MacArthur and his book, The Gospel According to Jesus: What Does Jesus Mean

When He Says “Follow Me?” and Zane Hodges, Absolutely Free: A Bible Reply to Lordship Salvation, was

used. Chapter Three: The Research Method and Design of this study was historical-comparative.

Descriptive research aided in the formulation of concepts of reclaiming repentance in an evangelistic invitation.

Chapter Four: Presentation of the Data: here I gathered data from congregations and pastors using a

questionnaire. After analyzing the data, a conclusion is made, which verifies the great need for repentance

inclusion in the evangelistic invitation. Chapter Five: Conclusions of the Study in which repentance is

observed from three points of need: the Past, the Present, and the Future. Then recommendations are given.

Chapter Six: Appendix “A” gives the questionnaire that was distributed to congregations and pastors that was

used in the analysis of the data. Appendix “B” is a sample sermon on repentance. Appendix “C” is a sample

sermon on John the Baptist. Appendix “D” is a sample sermon by John MacArthur. Appendix “E” is a sample

sermon by Zane Hodges. Appendix “F” is a Counseling Procedure for the Evangelistic Invitation.

Bibliography and Reference List is given.

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2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. CHAPTER ONE – Introduction

A. Statement of the Problem

1. General Description of the Problem

2. General Background of the Problem

B. Definitions in the Study

II. CHAPTER TWO – Literature Review

A. Repentance from the Historical Perspective

1. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

2. Jonathan Edwards

3. John Wesley

4. George Whitefield

B. Repentance from the Scriptural Perspective

1. John the Baptist

2. Jesus Christ

3. The Apostle Paul

4. The Apostle Peter

5. Luke the Doctor

C. Repentance from the Theological Perspective

1. John MacArthur – Protagonist

2. Zane Hodges – Antagonist

III. CHAPTER THREE – Research Method or Design

A. Significance of the Study

1. General Objectives

B. Approach to the Study

1. Theoretical Implications

C. Research Methodology

IV. CHAPTER FOUR – Presentation of Data

A. Gathering of Data

B. Analysis of Data

C. Conclusion of Data

V. CHAPTER FIVE – Conclusions of the Study

A. Scope of the Study

B. Repentance in the Past – The Example

C. Repentance in the Present – The Error

D. Repentance in the Future – The Encouragement

E. Recommandations

VI. APPENDICES

A. Appendix A – Questionnaire

B. Appendix B – Sample Sermon on Repentance

C. Appendix C – Sample Sermon on John the Baptist

D. Appendix D – Sample Sermon from John MacArthur

E. Appendix E – Sample Sermon from Zane Hodges

F. Appendix F – Counseling Procedures for Invitations

VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCE LIST

Page 3: Reclaiming Repentance in the 21st Century Church

3

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author wishes to express his eternal gratitude to the late Dr. Stephen F. Olford and Dr. David Olford

of Olford Ministries International for their gracious encouragement to this author over the last several years.

Their Institute in Expository Preaching has provided this author a wealth of information, much of which will be

used throughout this dissertation. Their personal advice to this author in the preparation of this work was

invaluable. Both of these men personally challenged me to complete this work because they felt there is a great

need for this message to be heard. Dr. Stephen Olford encouraged me to compare great men of the faith by

using Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and John Wesley. Dr. David Olford suggested

that I compare Jesus, Peter, Paul and Luke. Without their input, this work perhaps would have never been

undertaken.

This author would also like to thank the many preachers and teachers through the years that have taught

him the truth about repentance of sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have used information that was either

said or printed; and through the years, I have forgotten where some of the material that I am using in this

dissertation came from. If I have quoted someone and did not give credit, it was not done intentionally. As

Solomon said, “there is nothing new under the sun.” I hope that I have not misquoted anyone in this paper;

however, if I did, I offer my sincerest apology and would be glad to correct it if these are pointed out to me. It is

an absolute certainty that I would never intentionally plagiarize anyone.

Gratitude also goes to my beloved wife and helpmate, Vicki, for her immeasurable patience as I

completed this work. Also to my four children: Amy, Leighton, Laramie, and Allison; thank you for loving dad

even when he was sometimes engrossed in studies that took away time from you.

Finally, I wish to thank my late father-in-law, David N. Freeman, who was my mentor in the ministry.

He taught me much of what I now hold as deep convictions. Thank you, David, for loving me and encouraging

me to study and preach the Word of God with fervor, passion and with repentance. I was able to thank him

personally before he passed away.

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“Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation”

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

Modern Christianity, with its ever-changing paradigms, has left confusion in the minds of many people

concerning repentance. Repentance is a timely and urgent message for the church today. Repentance must be

clearly taught, persuasively preached, enthusiastically urged among God’s people, and then faithfully

proclaimed to a lost and dying world. The days are desperate and dark, and the cloud of obscurity hangs over

this needed and forgotten truth. The only hope for this generation, which is rapidly spiraling downward, is to

reclaim the scriptural truth of repentance in our preaching of the Word of God. For over thirty-five years that I

have been preaching and pastoring churches in two different states (Texas and Oklahoma), without exception I

have witnessed first hand people who claimed to be members of a church, i.e., Christian, that have realized

through the preaching of repentance that they never repented of their sins. These people would tell me that they

thought they were saved because they prayed a simple prayer, “Lord save me,” or they filled out a card in the

invitation, or were baptized. Many of these people served in places of leadership in the church, but they were

lost. They told me that the whole time they were living in denial, because they would hear a sermon that

convicted them, but they would convince themselves that they were saved so the message was not for them. I

know from experience that people will respond to the message of repentance if it is explained to them. After

many years in the ministry I have come to the conclusion that what we need to do when people respond to the

invitation is to take extra time to counsel them about what salvation involves. They must be told the truth about

repentance. (See Appendix F – Counseling Procedures for the Invitation).

In this twenty-first century, an erroneous view skews the minds of Christians that being sorry for sin,

apologizing for wrong things done, and seeking forgiveness is true repentance. This view has set a dangerous

precedent in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ causing great harm not only to the churches themselves, but

also to individuals. People are led to believe that by simply doing these things they have obtained salvation;

when the reality shows there perhaps has been no true, genuine repentance on their part.

An enormous lack of understanding in many parts of the Church at present, about what repentance means,

seems to be prevalent. People do not need perfect doctrinal understanding of repentance in order to repent.

However, we all need at least some basic understanding of it. When witnessing to unsaved churchgoers and

non-churchgoers, we need to be able to explain what repentance means in simple understandable language.

Too much of our preaching today avoids and even masks the truth of God. In her quest to be relevant to

modern times, the church has sought out avenues to be “user-friendly” or “family oriented” or “caring” in order

to become what has been coined as “seeker-friendly churches.” We are told today that we should be careful not

to offend people with the Gospel. Perhaps nothing appears wrong with these concepts, except in order to

become “seeker-friendly”; churches purposely, and this writer feels dangerously, shy away from the most

important truth in becoming a child of God, which is true, genuine repentance. After all, churches do not want

to offend people before they have a chance to add them to their numbers. Stephen Olford calls this “counting

nickels, noses and numbers.” (Personal interview on February 17, 2003 in his study at Olford Ministries

International, Memphis, Tennessee).

This book attempts to demonstrate the necessity of reclaiming “true biblical” repentance in the preaching

event and in particular the evangelistic invitation that most preachers include at the conclusion of their sermon.

Giving the invitation for people to come to Christ at the conclusion of a sermon is truly biblical. However, the

problem lies in the fact that an “easy believism” – (this term is defined and dealt with under the heading

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“Statement of the Problem” later in this chapter) -- is exalted while “repentance” is omitted or watered down to

little or no effect. This dangerous trend in the church today has caused great harm in the church and for the

cause of Christ. This needs to end!

The term repentance is still very much a part of the church, but it is tragically misunderstood and carelessly

disregarded. Repentance must be brought back into the pulpits by men of God and taught with the same

urgency as biblical and historical preachers have done in the past. The neglect of this biblical truth needs to be

reexamined thoroughly so that people of this century can be awakened to the truth of repentance. When that

occurs, perhaps God will once again bring about another Great Awakening as He has done in days past. I heard

the late Adrian Rogers, Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, in Memphis, Tennessee; say on February 18, 2003,

as I attended the service: “America has forgotten how to repent.” That statement absolutely was a wake-up call

for me. I asked the Lord, “Why has America forgotten how to repent?” The Lord spoke to my heart and said,

“Because the Church has forgotten how to repent.” I asked the Lord, “Why has the Church forgotten how to

repent?” He said, “Because individual Christians have forgotten how to repent.” I asked Him why Christians

have forgotten how to repent.” His answer was, “Because preachers have forgotten how to repent and have been

preaching a defective repentance.” The answer of that problem is the quest sought in this book.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Hypothesis

Will people’s response to God’s grace for salvation lead to true repentance? The answer is absolutely yes.

People will respond to an evangelistic invitation that correctly presents repentance with faith and true

repentance. This leads to a preliminary theological question: What is the relationship between faith, repentance,

salvation, and sanctification? After this question is answered, then the question becomes: How can the

preaching of repentance become central to the evangelistic invitation today? In addition, how can the preaching

for repentance be encouraged today?

A discussion of the debate between John MacArthur and his book, The Gospel According to Jesus: What

Does Jesus Mean When He Says “Follow Me?”, (Academie Books, Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan Publishing

House, 1988 and Zane Hodges, Absolutely Free: A Bible Reply to Lordship Salvation, (Academie Books, Grand

Rapids, MI, Zondervan Publishing House, 1989), has been used, which gives the pros and cons to the inclusion

of repentance in the evangelistic appeal and a conclusion drawn to support this research question. These two

men have written in opposition to each other on this subject repeatedly, neither convincing the other that they

are wrong. Both have good arguments for their beliefs, however, both leave the subject with questions

unanswered, at least in my personal opinion. These two books validate the need for the thesis of this book and

why a clear message needs to be sent to all evangelicals that repentance needs to be reclaimed and preached just

as it was in the Word of God and as it was believed and preached in historical Christianity.

Why do some men of God preach repentance today and understand the importance of it in the

evangelistic invitation and others omit it? Certainly there are enough biblical and historical examples to show

that there is a vast difference in understanding the importance of repentance in this modern day in which we

live. Several reasons are apparent to those who truly are seeking to know the truth.

The church today has failed to give repentance its rightful place. We have sought to make converts who

do not understand nor practice repentance. This failure is the result of the position as presented by men such as

Zane Hodges and others. They do not believe that repentance of sins is necessary for salvation. The position of

these men is that repentance before salvation is a “work salvation.” The question can be raised, “Is anyone

totally aware of all their sins?” I would answer, of course not. However, there should be an awareness of the

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sins that are very prevalent in their life. A point must come in a person’s life when he realizes that his sins

necessitated the crucifixion of Christ on the cross of Calvary. He certainly must come to understand the

necessity of agreeing with God about his sins before He can receive the forgiveness of his sins. To believe that

one can simply ask Jesus to come into their hearts without repentance of sins is not Scriptural. How can the

blessed Lord Jesus, who is pure and holy, enter into that which is totally depraved? Repentance of sins must

come before forgiveness can come.

This belief, of the “easy believism” proponents, has caused the church to a weakening by unrepentant and

unconverted persons in the membership who have supposed they are Christians. Confusion has come in the

church by some who say that repentance is not necessary for salvation. The consequences of this erroneous

belief has been disastrous because many have sought to turn to Christ without ever turning from their sins.

Some, like Hodges and Ryrie, have suggested that repentance is a “work.” They argue that salvation is not as a

result of works, but by faith alone. The error of these proponents is that they have failed to understand the

irrevocable link that always exists between repentance and faith. It is theologically inconceivable to say that one

who is a sinner and unrighteous can turn to the Righteous One without repentance. Again, this has caused great

harm in the church.

These questions were researched and answered in support of the thesis of this book, that, indeed, there

needs to be a reclaiming of repentance in the evangelistic invitation. Also because of its neglect, that continuing

the present day practice has done great harm to the church and individuals.

The call to repent is a call to change, beginning with the mind and ending with action. Many do not grasp

the importance of repentance; and therefore, have neglected it as an essential part of the evangelistic appeal.

General Description of the Problem

After pastoring churches for thirty-five years, in many parts of the states of Texas and Oklahoma, I have

come to experience repeatedly that the average person who claims to be a Christian has an erroneous view of

the nature of true repentance. Why is it that people claim salvation by an encounter with the Lord but their

lifestyle never changes? Could it be the reason is that they have never repented and therefore have not received

true salvation? Why do people forsake the assembling of themselves? Can this be the result of no repentance? I

believe it is because there has been no true, genuine repentance on their part. Many people will tell you that they

walked down an aisle in a church, shook the preacher’s hand, filled out a membership card and baptized. They

were never counseled that they must repent of their sins; only that they were to ask Jesus to come into their

hearts. This is ludicrous, because Jesus will not come into a dirty heart filled with sin. There must be a

repentance of sin before Jesus comes in to dwell in the heart of a person. Repentance is more than just saying “I

am sorry.” A person can say that they are sorry for their sins; and then continue in the same sins because there

was no true, genuine repentance. Obedience is the fruit of repentance. By that standard, most people on church

rolls have never been saved, because there is little or no obedience. The question may come as to when a person

will know they are saved. This will occur when they have truly repented of their sins and asked Jesus to come

into their lives and be their Lord and Savior. There will be fruits that will begin to appear in their lives through

their daily surrender and acts of obedience to be “doers of the Word and not hearers only.” (James 1:22).

When one repents of his sin, he is repenting of the fact that he has sinned against a holy God. He is convicted,

by the Holy Spirit, that the road he is traveling is a perilous one and that he needs to stop and turn around and

walk a different road. That new way is salvation, but salvation is not just turning around and walking a new

direction, it is forsaking the old way. That is repentance. When one prays for salvation in repentance, he is

asking God to forgive him of all known sins of the past. That is repentance unto salvation, but by no means does

that mean that person will never sin again. We repent one time for salvation, but repentance is an everyday

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occurrence, because we do have the ability to sin again. It could be argued that one may repent of past sins but

carry into salvation a certain prejudice against some one or some group, so he cannot have truly repented. If one

has truly repented and been saved he will begin to take on a new lifestyle. As he sits under the preaching of the

Word of God in a good Bible believing church, he will continue to change and be conformed to the Word of

God and further repentance will come as new light is given.

Evangelist Jim Wilson quoted Evangelist Billy Graham at the “Essentials in Evangelistic Preaching”

seminar, Olford Ministries International, Memphis, Tennessee, February 19, 2003, as saying that “fifty percent

of those on church rolls are lost.” The preaching of Billy Graham over the years has been shaped by the belief

that people are lost and that repentance and faith must be preached. In his ministry, that was the prevailing

message he preached. It is a simple message, yes; simple for us, but not for Him. He gave His life on the cross

for our sins. He did the hard part, for sure. However, we have a responsibility too. We must repent of our sins

and turn to Christ our Redeemer. In his own autobiography Just As I Am (Harper San Francisco: Zondervan,

page 727-728 Billy Graham tells again what the substance of every sermon he preached included: . . . I yearn for people – including the readers of these pages – to understand the message of Christ and accept

it as their own.

I recall an old Methodist preacher who came to Harringway Arena in London in 1954. ‘I have come here

every night for ninety-three nights,’ he told us, ‘and I have heard only one message.’ He meant it as a

compliment, for he knew as I did that there is only one Christian message.

The message is, first of all, a message about God. God created us in His image. He created us and loves us so

that we may live in harmony and fellowship with Him. We are not here by chance. God put us here for a

purpose, and our lives are never fulfilled and complete until His purpose becomes the foundation and center

of our lives.

The message is also about the human race, and about each one of us. The Bible says that we have been

separated and alienated from God because we have willfully turned our backs on Him and are determined to

run our lives without Him. This is what the Bible means by sin – choosing our way instead of God’s way, and

not giving Him His rightful place in our lives. The evidence of this is all around us, in the moral chaos and

heartache of our world. The headlines scream every day that we live in a broken, sin ravaged-world.

But in addition, the message declares that God still loves us. He yearns to forgive us and bring us back to

Himself. He want to fill our lives with meaning and purpose right now. Then He wants us to spend all eternity

with Him in Heaven, free forever from the pain and sorrow and death of this world.

Moreover, God has done everything possible to reconcile us to Himself. He did this in a way that staggers our

imagination. In God’s plan, by His death on the Cross, Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins, taking the

judgment of God that we deserve upon Himself when He died on the Cross. Now, by His resurrection from

the dead, Christ has broken the bonds of death and opened the way to eternal life for us.

The resurrection also confirms for all time that Jesus was in fact who He said He was: the unique Son of God,

sent from Heaven to save us from our sins. Now God freely offers us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life.

Finally, this message is about our response. Like any other gift, God’s gift of salvation does not become ours

until we accept it and make it our own. God has done everything possible to provide salvation. But we must

reach out in faith and accept it.

How do we do this?

First, by confessing to God that we are sinners and in need of forgiveness; then by repenting of our sins and,

with God’s help, turning from them.

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Second, by committing our lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The best-known verse in the New

Testament states the Gospel concisely: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that

whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to

condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17). God in His grace invites us to receive

His Son into our lives today.

. . . God receives us just as we are. No matter who we are or what we have done, we are saved only because of

what Christ has done for us. I will not go to Heaven because I preached to great crowds. I will go the Heaven

for one reason: Jesus Christ died for me, and I am trusting him alone for my salvation. Christ died for you

also, and He freely offers you the gift of eternal life as you commit your life to Him.

When you do, you become a child of God, adopted into His family forever. He also comes to live within you

and will begin to change you from within. No one who truly gives his or her life to Christ will ever be the

same, for the promise of His Word is true: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has

gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the

ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

By this quote from Billy Graham, it is a certainty he preached the same message whether those hearing him

were church people or lost people and both responded to the invitation. His invitation was clear: there must be

an acknowledgement of sin in our lives, we must repent of that sin, and we must invite Christ to come in to our

lives and Savior and Lord. The evangelistic appeal, which Graham gives, is different from what many do when

they extend the invitation. He includes the element, which is what this paper has attempted to do, of repentance

at the start of the appeal. This is different from others who simply say, “Come to Jesus and be saved” or “just

pray a simple prayer “Jesus save me” and you will be saved. Billy Graham understands that if there is no

repentance there is no salvation. Billy Graham’s statement about lost church members perhaps comes from the

many people who responded to the invitation appeal in his crusades and the subsequent counseling of those

people afterward.

I am of the belief, based on thirty-five years of pastoring churches, that the estimate given by Billy Graham

is too low. One could very well come to believe that it could be seventy to eighty percent. Perhaps, the

argument could be made, if we are human beings and not God; how can we tell if someone has truly repented of

their sins and turned in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ? That is a fair question and one that deserves an answer.

If a man has truly been convicted of his sins and repented of those sins, he will turn to Jesus for salvation,

and his life will begin immediately to change. The places he used to go, the things he used to say, the habits,

which controlled his life, would no longer hold the same appeal. Because Jesus is Lord of his life, the man has a

new desire. The desires of his heart will be to please God. That should not be too hard to see the change in a

person who has truly repented and allowed Jesus to come into their life as Lord.

I am not aware of any study done which tells what percentage of the people who claim to know Christ as

their Savior, also know what the true definition of repentance is, or whether they have ever truly repented. A

congregational and pastoral survey was to accomplish this task.

General Background of the Problem

I became aware of this problem several years ago as a pastor, seeing people respond in the evangelistic

invitation as needing salvation. They had been on the church rolls, some in leadership positions in the church,

but had never repented of their sins. They thought they were saved because the preacher had said: “If you want

to receive Christ as your Savior, then come down here to the front and you will be saved,” or “by coming

forward you are indicating that you want Jesus to save you.” Then the pastor or counselor would lead them in

the so-called “sinner’s prayer,” which rarely includes repentance. These people were never taught repentance

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and what that involves. As a result, churches are filled with people who are not truly saved. Once again, this

has caused great harm in the church and to the cause of Christ. This has been observed in over thirty-five years

of pastoring, where people who claim to be Christians exhibited lifestyles which are contrary to the Scripture.

One church where I pastored had a man who was a deacon who owned and operated the local liquor store in the

community. When I confronted him, he stated that he saw nothing wrong with selling liquor and that he sold it

to most of the members of the church. This was a Southern Baptist church in the “Bible-Belt” of America.

When I preached on the sinfulness of alcohol, it caused a great upheaval in the church. These same people who

were upset with the preaching of the Word of God had horrible reputations in the community. It was a long and

arduous task to pastor this church. However, after many months of preaching faithfully the message of

repentance of sin, many came to the realization that they had never repented and were indeed not saved. After I

had left that church and the new pastor came on the field, the deacon who owned the liquor store repented and

shut down the store. The church had a revival and many people including many of the “church members”

repented and were truly saved. It was truly a site to behold to see the change which resulted in the repentance of

these people and how their lifestyles began to change. That is the result of true repentance. However, if I had

not been faithful to preach repentance many of these people would perhaps have continued on as they were and

died and spent eternity in hell as a lost church member.

DEFINITIONS IN THE STUDY

Repentance

The primary New Testament word translated “repentance” is () “to change one’s

mind.” The context determines the purpose for the change. One other word, (), “to

regret, to be sorry” (2 Corinthians 7:8-10), adds a little to the understanding of the doctrine of repentance. The

early occurrence of the term “repentance” in the New Testament pertained to the approaching kingdom

(Matthew 3:2) and the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3). “Forgiveness” and “kingdom” were well-known subjects

to the Israelites. However, with the coming of Christ, some distinctions became apparent, and the people needed

to change their thinking about these issues.

The King James Version translates two Old Testament words by the word “repentance.” () “To regret, to be sorry, to be comforted:” reflects the emotions involved in change. Normally this Hebrew word

was used when the Scriptures described God’s attitude about change (Exodus 32:14; Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel

15:11). In each of these verses, the New International Version translators selected different English words to

express the meaning of the word. The primary Hebrew word that describes change, which is translated

“repentance,” in some instances, is, “to turn, to return.” It is used well over a thousand times. The Septuagint

usually translated () by the Greek (), “to turn about.” This means that the Greek

term (), normally rendered “repentance,” was not identical with either of the two Hebrew

words. In addition, the English “repentance” derives from the Latin and does not express the exact meaning of

(). With the presence of Christ in the world, people needed to understand who He was and

why He had come. This demanded a change in their thinking. So the word () accurately

expresses how Israel was to respond to Christ and His message.

To understand what repentance is, we need to get an understanding of what repentance is not. First,

repentance is not mere human reformation. Men have the ability to reform their lives in some sense. It is not

uncommon for men who have gotten into trouble to come to their senses and to change their ways. Drunkards

have stopped drinking; wife beaters have ceased from their violence; thieves have become honest citizens;

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harlots have turned from a life of infamy. This in itself is not repentance. Reformation is man-centered and this-

world-centered; whereas repentance is God-centered and eternity-centered. The man who merely reforms has

his eyes on the people he has offended and the consequences of his actions in his present life. The gospel, on the

other hand, calls for “repentance toward God. . .” (Acts 20:21). The Prodigal Son’s repentance was

demonstrated by his change of attitude toward God as well as toward his father. “I will arise and go to my

father, and will say unto him, Father, I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN, and before thee” (Luke

15:18).

Furthermore, reformation is problem-centered, whereas repentance is sin-centered. The man who reforms

his life looks upon his actions as problems and faults, but not as wicked sin against a holy God. Those who

repent, on the other hand, confess that they have SINNED against God. They do not soft-peddle their sin. It is

crucial that people be taught plainly what sin is from the Bible. To tell people that they have sinned is not

enough, because the sinner does not naturally think of himself as truly evil. He will admit that he has faults,

problems, weaknesses, lack of self-esteem, etc., but admission of faults and failures are not the same as

admitting that he is a wicked and undone sinner before God.

Secondly, repentance is not penance. Many Catholic Bibles translate “repentance” as “do penance,”

according to Catholic theology that replaces biblical repentance with a sacramental duty. Penance is a Catholic

sacrament whereby sins “done after baptism” are absolved by the priest upon the confession and good

deeds of the penitent. (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11618c.htm , The Sacrament of Repentance, Catholic

Encyclopedia on CD-ROM). The four parts of penance are confession, contrition, absolution, and satisfaction.

The satisfaction refers to various duties prescribed by the priest, such as praying the Rosary. Satisfaction is

defined by the authoritative William E. Addis and Thomas Arnold, Catholic Dictionary, 6th

Edition, The

Catholic Publication Society, New York, 1889, pg. 82 as “a payment of the temporal punishment due to sin

through works, which are good and penal and are imposed by the confessor.” This is not biblical

repentance. Sinners are never commanded in the Bible to go to priests for forgiveness. They are not told to

confess their sins to a priest or to do good works with the hope that their sins will thereby be forgiven. All the

elements of Catholic penance are unscriptural.

Thirdly, repentance is not mere remorse for wrong actions. The Bible tells us that men can be remorseful

about their actions without exercising genuine repentance unto salvation. This is described as the “sorrow of the

world” in 2 Corinthians 7:10. There are key examples of this in the Old and the New Testaments. King Saul is

the prime Old Testament example. He was sorry that he was caught in various sinful acts, but he did not

demonstrate repentance because his actions did not change (1 Samuel 15:24; 24:17; 26:21). Judas is the fearful

New Testament example of a man who was remorseful but did not repent toward God (Matthew 27:3-4). Like

reformation, remorse is man-centered rather than God-centered. Those who repent, change their mind about

their relationship with God and the result is a change in the way they live. Judas regretted his actions, but he did

not turn to God.

Fourth, repentance is not mere confession of or acknowledgment of sin. Pharaoh did this, but he did not

repent toward God and his actions did not change (Exodus 9:27). While working in a county jail ministry for

several years, I saw many men and women who acknowledged that they had sinned, but most of those did not

exercise repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Fifth, repentance is not merely changing from unbelief to belief. Jack Hyles, First Baptist Church,

Hammond, Indiana, who was an influential independent Baptist preacher, defined repentance to mean “turning

from unbelief to belief.” He stated this in his 1993 book, The Enemies of Soul Winning. http://www.jesus-is-

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savior.com/Books%20Tracts%20&%20Preaching/Printed%20Books/Dr%20Jack%20Hyles/Enemies%20of%20Soul%20Winning/mis

undertood-repentance-enemy/htm

Chapter Four is titled “Misunderstood Repentance: An Enemy of Soul Winning.” He built his doctrine of

repentance largely on human reasoning: since unbelief is the only sin that sends men to Hell (so he claimed),

repenting of unbelief was sufficient. That sounds reasonable, but the bottom line is that it is contrary to the clear

example and teaching of the Word of God. Biblical repentance as preached by John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus

Christ, and the Apostles, involved a change of mind TOWARD GOD AND SIN. Note the following summary

of Paul’s gospel message:

“But showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and

then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and DO WORKS MEET FOR

REPENTANCE” (Acts 26:20).

The gospel message preached by Peter on the day of Pentecost, by Paul after Pentecost required repentance,

and defined that as a turning to God from evil works. Biblical repentance is a change of mind toward God and

sin that results in a change of life. To say that it has nothing to do with one’s attitude toward sin is to throw

away nineteen centuries of Christian preaching.

Sixth, repentance is not merely changing one’s mind. Another man who has widely influenced the doctrine

of repentance held by independent Baptists is the late Curtis Hutson, former editor of the Sword of the Lord.

(Curtis Hutson, Repentance: What Does the Bible Teach?, [The Sword of the Lord Publisher, Murfreesboro,

TN,1986, p. 4, 8, 16]). Hutson boldly denied that repentance means to turn from sin. He denied that repentance

is sorrow for sin. He even denied that repentance means “a change of mind that leads to a change of action.”

He claimed that repentance simply is “to change one’s mind” and that it did not necessarily result in a change

of life. In an attempt to build his doctrine of repentance, Curtis Hutson quoted Scripture that appears to support

his position, but he ignored the Scriptures that plainly denounce his position. He misquoted the writings of men

like his predecessor John R. Rice. He also mixed in a heavy dose of human reasoning. For example, he stated,

“Repentance could not mean to turn from sin because man cannot turn from all sin.” That is a

smokescreen, because no one has defined repentance as turning from all sin. The historic definition of

Repentance, as it applies to salvation, is a change of mind toward God and sin that results in a change of life.

Repentance is not turning from all sin in the sense of some sort of sinless perfection; it is a change of mind

toward sin so that the sinner no longer intends to walk in rebellion against God. Hutson also reasoned, “that to

say repentance involves turning from sin is a works salvation.” The Thessalonians turned from the sin of

idolatry (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Obviously, that does not mean they thought that their works had a part in their

salvation. The fact that God requires that we turn from sin does not mean that salvation is by works. We know

that the works are the fruit of genuine salvation, not the cause of it. Repentance, defined as turning to God from

sin, is not a works salvation, as Hutson falsely claimed. It is the sinner’s obedient response to the Holy Spirit’s

conviction (John 16:8). Hutson’s entire line of reasoning about repentance was unscriptural.

Seventh, repentance is not merely the same as believing. Dwight Pentecost is among those who define

repentance as merely believing in Christ.

Repentance is not a prerequisite to salvation; for if repentance is required, salvation is based, at least in part

on works. … We would suggest to you from the Word of God that repentance is included in believing. It is

not a separate act which conditions salvation, but rather it is included in the act of believing. (Pentecost,

Things Which Become Sound Doctrine, 1965, pp. 70, 71).

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This sounds correct to many people, but it is wrong. First, as to repentance being a works salvation, that is a

gross misunderstanding. To say that repentance results in works is not the same as saying that repentance is

works. Saving faith also produces works, but this is not to say that saving faith is works. Repentance, in fact, is

so far from a work that it is a gift of God’s grace. “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and

glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18).

I will reply to the idea that repentance is the same as faith by asking the following questions: (1) If

repentance and faith are the same, why does the Bible make such a plain distinction between them? “Testifying

both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). In reality, repentance and faith are two different actions though they are intimately connected and

cannot necessarily be separated in time. Repentance is to acknowledge one’s sin and rebellion against God and

to change one’s mind about sinning against God. Faith is to trust the finished work of Christ for forgiveness.

Repentance and faith are the two aspects of man’s response to God’s offer of salvation. (2) If repentance and

faith are the same, why did all of the New Testament preachers proclaim repentance? Many arguments have

been given to justify not preaching repentance, but the bottom line is that the Bible preachers proclaimed

repentance. If repentance is totally wrapped up in believing, why did the Lord Jesus Christ preach “except ye

repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3)? Why did Peter preach, “Repent ye therefore, and be

converted” (Acts 3:19)? Why did Paul preach, “God ... now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts

17:30)? Or, “[men] should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (Acts 26:20)? (3) If

repentance and faith are the same, why did the Lord Jesus Christ say that repentance is a part of the Great

Commission? “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations,

beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). The answer is that repentance is to be preached, and faith is to be

preached. While these doctrines are intimately connected, they are not the same. Biblical salvation involves

both: “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). That is what the Lord’s

Apostles preached, and they are our only infallible guides. Those who claim that repentance does not have to be

preached or that it is exactly the same as faith are denying the plain teaching of the Word of God.

Now that we have established what repentance is not, we must now come to terms of what repentance is.

We begin by looking at the Bible’s definition of repentance. According to the following verses, repentance is a

supernatural work of God whereby a responsive sinner, being convicted by the Holy Spirit of his rebellion,

turns to God from his sinful ways and trusts Jesus Christ for salvation. Bible examples of repentance show a

clear change in people’s behavior. The change itself does not save us from sin, but IT IS clear that Bible

salvation is the fruit of repentance. The evangelistic invitation should invite people to repent of their sin and

turn to God for salvation.

The Bible’s Teaching on Repentance

Exodus 13:17.

And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the

way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the

people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.

God led Israel through the wilderness rather than through the land of the Philistines ‘lest peradventure the

people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.’ God knew that their change of mind would result in

a change of action. In this instance, a change of mind without the resulting change of action would have been

meaningless. Repentance is defined in this verse as turning.

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Judges 21:1,6,14. “And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There

is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.” The men of Israel had sworn that they would not give any of their

daughters as wives for the Benjamites, but they repented and gave them wives (vv. 6,14). Again, the change of

mind without the resulting change of action would have been meaningless.

1 Kings 8:47-48.

Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and

REPENT, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives,

SAYING, WE HAVE SINNED, AND HAVE DONE PERVERSELY, we have committed

wickedness; And so RETURN UNTO THEE WITH ALL THEIR HEART, AND WITH ALL

THEIR SOUL, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee

toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and

the house which I have built for thy name. (Emphasis mine)

God promised that if captive Israel would repent He would hear them. He defined repentance as

acknowledging their wickedness and turning to God with the whole heart.

Job 42:6. “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Here, again, we see that repentance

is a change of mind that results in a change of action. Obviously, the dust and ashes were a change of action,

which was a symbolic gesture.

Jeremiah 8:6.

“I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What

have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.”

Repentance is defined as acknowledging and turning from sin.

Ezekiel 14:6.

“Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from

your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. “

God defined repentance as turning from sin and idols. Surely, no one thinks that God would have been

satisfied if they had merely changed their minds without changing their actions.

Ezekiel 18:30.

“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD.

Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.”

Again, repentance is defined as turning from sin and idols.

Jonah 3:5-8.

So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the

greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he

arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat

in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of

the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let

them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry

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mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is

in their hands.

The word repentance is not used in the Jonah passage, but in Matt. 12:31 Jesus said they repented. The

repentance of the people of Nineveh was witnessed in their actions. True repentance is always observable by a

change in one’s manner of living.

Matthew 3:1,8. “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ... Bring forth therefore

fruits meet for repentance.” John the Baptist defined repentance as a change in life. He demanded ‘fruits meet

for repentance,’ which obviously meant that he wanted to see some evidence that they had repented, before he

would baptize them. The specific changes of action are listed in the parallel passage of Luke. 3:8-14. The

various kinds of people had to show different changes of action, because their particular sins had been different.

Matthew 9:13. “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am

not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Jesus defined repentance as a sinner changing his

attitude to sin.

Matthew 11:20-21.

“Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented

not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you,

had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”

Christ defined repentance as a dramatic change in one’s attitude toward God and His Word. He said this

change of mind is evidenced by a change in action.

Matthew 12:41. “The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn

it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” Jesus

stated that the men of Nineveh ‘repented at the preaching of Jonas.’ Jonah 3 shows that they heard the Word

of God, believed God, fasted, put on sackcloth, and turned from their sin. Christ considered their actions to be a

result of their repentance. Would He have approved what they did if there had been no change of action? The

answer is obvious.

Matthew 21:28-29.

“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day

in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.” The son’s repentance

was witnessed by his change of mind and his obedience. A mere change of mind without a change in action

would not have satisfied the father’s command.

Luke 5:32. “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Christ’s objective was not merely to bring

men to a mental belief in the Gospel but to bring them to repentance, which, as we have seen, means a turning

from sin, a change of mind that results in a change of life.

Luke 13:3-5.

“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the

tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I

tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

Christ absolutely requires repentance for salvation.

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Luke 15:7-10.

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than

over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten

pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek

diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her

neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that

repenteth.

Again, we see that Christ requires repentance for salvation. God and Heaven do not rejoice merely because

someone prays a prayer in the name of Christ (Mt. 7:21) or because someone makes a mental assent to the

Gospel (James 2:19-20). God and Heaven rejoice when a sinner repents.

Luke 19:1-10. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have

taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is

salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and

to save that which was lost.

Zacchaeus’s repentance was a change of mind that resulted in a dramatic change of life. The evidence of

his repentance was that he gave half his goods to the poor and restored five-fold that which he had stolen

through his tax collecting business.

Luke 24:47. “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all

nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Repentance is part of the Gospel message that is to be preached to the ends

of the earth. Repentance is part of the Great Commission.

Acts 2:37- 41. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of

Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” The Jews in Acts 2

who heard Peter’s sermon repented, and the evidence of this is that they gladly received his word, were

baptized, and joined themselves with the hated Christians. The proof of their repentance came in their

willingness to be baptized, Baptism, as Peter was to late write, is “the answer of a good conscience toward

God”(1 Peter 3:21). Only a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ can have that. It was a bold step to be thus

publicly baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. For many a Jew it mean persecution, to be cut off from family

and friends and denied further place in the synagogue and in Jewish society. As it became increasingly clear

that the church was not just another Jewish sect, and as official attitude toward the church hardened, so the cost

of baptism increased. The price of this first step of obedience remains high in many countries and cultures even

today. Yet it becomes a tremendous proof when one is willing to follow the Lord in baptism as an outward

testimony of the inward reality in their lives. Again, we see that repentance is to turn one’s life from sin and

rebellion to God and obedience; it is a change of mind toward God and sin that results in a change of life. The

first church was built on the preaching of repentance!

Acts 3:19. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of

refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Repentance is God’s requirement for every sinner who

will be saved. Repentance precedes and brings conversion and forgiveness of sin.

Acts 5:31. “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give

repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Repentance is required for and precedes forgiveness of sin. It is

a work of Christ in the heart of the responsive sinner.

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Acts 8:21-22. “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven

thee.” Peter warned Simon to repent of his covetousness, which meant he was to turn from it, to reject it, to

change his mind about it and to stop it.

Acts 11:18. “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath

God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” Note that the disciples described salvation as

repentance. They thought of salvation commonly in these terms. Note, too, that repentance is a work of God in

the heart of the responsive sinner.

Acts 17:30. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where

to repent.” Paul preached repentance to the idolatrous people at Athens. He did not even mention faith in

Christ, but he explained that God demands repentance. The preaching of God’s holiness and righteousness and

man’s fallen condition and need of repentance precedes and prepares the way for the preaching of the Cross.

Acts 20:21. “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith

toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” This verse summarizes Paul’s preaching and the true Gospel message:

repentance toward God and faith in Christ. The sinner must repent about his disobedience toward God and

exercise faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for his sin.

Acts 26:20. “But showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts

of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for

repentance.” Paul preached the same message as John the Baptist, so no one can limit this to the dispensation

of the law. The words of this verse, ‘that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for

repentance,’ show that repentance is not a work! When we preach repentance for salvation, we are not

preaching a works salvation, as some have charged. When we say that repentance produces a change of works,

it would be ridiculous to say that the two are one. Food produces energy and strength; labor produces sweat; but

they are different things, so repentance and works are two separate things. Repentance produces and results in

good works, but repentance itself is not works salvation. The bottom line is this: Paul preached repentance and

required that repentance produce a change in the life. We must do the same today. Those who accept a mere

prayer as salvation and who baptize people who demonstrate no change in life are not following the Bible

pattern of evangelism. In Acts 2:37 conviction on sin is clearly seen. The enormity of their sin and guilt came

home to their hearts. Conviction is the Holy Spirit’s first work in a human heart. He convicts of sin, of

righteousness, and of judgment to come – of the nature of sin, of the need for righteousness, and of the nearness

of judgment. He makes people see their personal responsibility before God for what they have done, and

particularly for their rejection of Christ. They become desperate about their lost condition. It is doubtful if there

can be genuine conversion without genuine conviction. Peter’s whole Spirit-led sermon had been directed to

this end: producing conviction of sin that led to repentance.

All true evangelism comes from this Pentecostal prototype – the agony of conviction must be experienced.

Thank God, He does not leave people there. The Jews on the day of Pentecost hearing the sermon by Peter,

convicted in their hearts by the Holy Spirit felt there was something they could do. “Men and brethren, what

shall we do?” they said. Think about that statement for a moment. It is absolutely an astonishing thing for them

to say. They were actually thinking about what they had done in crucifying the Lord of glory, murdering their

Messiah, spit in the face of the very Son of the living God. They wanted to know what they could do to make

amends! Could they undo what they had done? Absolutely not! Instinctively they felt there was something they

could do. Just as the people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of the prophet Jonah, so the Jews as they

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heard the message by Peter came to the place of conviction and repentance. “What can we do?” Every

evangelistic sermon should begin with a Spirit-anointed appeal to the conscience.

Romans 2:4.

“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the

goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” God does many things with the objective of bringing men to

repentance. This is another reminder that God desires that all men repent.

2 Corinthians 7:9-11.

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were

made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly

sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world

worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what

carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea,

what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have

approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Lessons: (1) Repentance is the product of God’s Word (v. 8; Jonah 3:5; Acts 2:38-41). (2) Repentance is a

change of mind that results in a change of life. The Corinthians’ repentance produced a great change in their

manner of living: ‘carefulness ... clearing of yourselves ... indignation ... fear ... vehement desire ... zeal ...

revenge.’ (3) Repentance is not the same as reformation or other forms of “the sorrow of the world.”

Repentance has to do with God and sin, whereas reformation has to do with other people and with conditions

and things in this world. Many people, when they get into trouble, are sorry for the trouble and they determine

to change certain things in their lives that produced that trouble. This is not repentance, because it does not deal

with one’s wickedness against Almighty God and does not result in a change of attitude and action in relation to

God. (4) True repentance is permanent (v. 10). “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be

repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” Godly sorrow brings repentance which leads to

salvation with no regrets. Never will those who have experienced godly sorrow regret it. On them is bestowed

the divine gift of salvation. There was an abandonment of sin. Lives were changed. The church was

strengthened. Love and peace prevailed in the Christian fellowship. Those who truly repent do not suffer loss.

The changed in the life and character of the Corinthians were marks for true repentance.

2 Corinthians 12:21.

“And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which

have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which

they have committed.” Repentance is not about sin in general; it involves a change of mind and a change of

action concerning specific sins.

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10.

“For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God

from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the

dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”

This passage gives a perfect definition of salvation repentance. It is turning to God from idols to serve the

living and true God. Note that repentance is directed to God (compare Acts 20:21; 26:20). Repentance results in

a change of life (turning from idols to serve God).

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2 Timothy 2:25-26

“In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to

the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are

taken captive by him at his will.”

Repentance produces ‘acknowledging of the truth’ and recovery from the snare of the devil. Repentance is

a work of God in the heart of a responsive sinner. God convicts of sin and calls the sinner to repentance and

faith in Christ, and if the sinner responds, God grants salvation and fulfills His work of repentance in the

sinner’s life.

Hebrews 6:1. “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not

laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.” The ‘repentance from

dead works’ is obviously a change of mind that results in a change of action.

Hebrews 12:17. “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was

rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” Esau ‘found no place

of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.’ Bruce Lackey, Repentance is More Than a Change of

Mind, http://wayoflife.org/fbns/repent.htm says:

Since there is no record of Esau trying to change the sale of his birthright to Jacob (Ge.

25:29-34), this must refer to his effort to get Isaac to change the blessing from Jacob back

to himself (Ge. 27:34). Some interpret this to mean that Esau could not repent; I think it

means that he could not get Isaac to repent of having given the firstborn’s blessing to

Jacob. In either case, the meaning of repentance would be the same. Esau found a place to

change his mind, but he could not find a place to change the action.

This is one of the strongest proofs in Scripture that a change of action must take place, or there is no

repentance.

2 Peter 3:9. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is

longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Again,

we see that the Bible frequently describes salvation in terms of repentance. God requires repentance for

salvation.

Revelation 2:5. “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or

else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Repentance obviously involves turning from actions that are wrong to doing actions that are right. It means to

change one’s mind about a wrong behavior so that one determines to change that behavior by God’s grace.

Revelation 2:16. “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the

sword of my mouth.” The Christians at Pergamos were instructed to repent of the sin and error that they were

allowing in the church, which meant they were to turn from the things that Christ mentioned.

Revelation 2:21-22. “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I

will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of

their deeds.” Christ required that the people ‘repent of their deeds.’ He surely would not have been satisfied

with a change of mind without a change of action.

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Revelation 3:3. “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If

therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come

upon thee.” The repentance Christ required produced a complete change in attitude and action about specific

sin and error.

Revelation 9:20-21.

And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of

their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and

stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their

murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

From these verses, we see that repentance that is acceptable before God is to reject and turn from sin,

idolatry, and error.

Revelation 16:9,11.

And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power

over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his

vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their

tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores,

and repented not of their deeds.

These passages say that tribulation sinners will not repent ‘of their deeds.’ Their lack of repentance is

connected with their refusal to turn from their evil doings. Repentance is a turning to God from sin, a change of

mind about sin that results in a change of action.

It should be noted that legitimate scholars would differ with the theological statements above concerning the

scriptures used and perhaps they would even exegete the passages and verses differently. The intention is not to

demean those scholars who differ only to point out the thrust of this paper in the need for a return to true

repentance.

How Preachers of the Past Defined Repentance

To define repentance merely as turning from unbelief to belief, or to claim that repentance has nothing to do

with turning from sin, ignores not only the Bible, as seen above, but also nineteen centuries of Bible-believing

Christian scholarship. Note the following examples of how repentance has been defined by biblical scholars.

These are only a few of the hundreds that could be given. Statements by men are not our authority, but it is not

wise to completely ignore what Bible-believing men of old have believed. Though Iwould not agree with every

detail of the following statements, I believe they reflect the true definition of biblical repentance in contrast to

those by men today who claim that repentance is merely turning from unbelief to belief. Note, too, that all of the

men who wrote the following statements on repentance believed in salvation by grace alone through the faith of

Christ alone, yet they did not hesitate to define repentance in a manner that many of today’s Baptists wrongfully

call a works salvation.

The following statements on repentance are listed by date, beginning with the 16th century and coming up

to the present time.

I say it is lawful to all men that have a soul, to read the Word of God, that they may

understand the same, and specially the latter will and Testament of Jesus Christ, whereby

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they may acknowledge their sins and repent of the same, whereby they may amend their

lives by faith and repentance, and attain salvation by Christ Jesus. (Patrick Hamilton, the

first Bible believer to be burned in Scotland during the era of Henry VIII, in February 1528; cited

by Christopher Anderson, annals of the English Bible, II, p. 419).

Hamilton states that the sinner must acknowledge his sins and then repent of those sins. This will result in a

change in the sinners life. This all comes from faith and repentance which brings about the salvation experience.

Concerning this word repentance ... the very sense and signification both of the Hebrew

and also of the Greek word is, ‘to be converted and to turn to God with all the heart, to

know his will, and to live according to his laws; and to be cured of our corrupt nature with

the oil of his Spirit, and wine of obedience to his doctrine.’ Which conversion or turning, if

it be unfeigned, these four do accompany it and are included therein: CONFESSION, not

in the priest’s ear, for that is but man’s invention, but to God in the heart, and before all

the congregation of God; how that we be sinners and sinful, and that our whole nature is

corrupt, and inclined to sin and all unrighteousness, and therefore evil, wicked, and

damnable; and his Law holy and just, by which our sinful nature is rebuked: and also to

our neighbors, if we have offended any person particularly. Then CONTRITION,

sorrowfulness that we be such damnable sinners, and not only have sinned, but are wholly

inclined to sin still. Thirdly, FAITH (of which our old doctors have made no mention at all

in the description of their penance), that God for Christ’s sake doth forgive us, and receive

us to mercy, and is at one with us, and will heal our corrupt nature. And fourthly,

SATISFACTION, or amends-making, not to God with holy works, but to my neighbor

whom I have hurt, and to the congregation of God, whom I have offended, (if any open

crime be found in me); and submitting of a man’s self unto the congregation or church of

Christ, and to the officers of the same, to have his life corrected and governed henceforth of

them. (Willaim Tyndale, “To The Reader,” Tyndale New Testament, 1534).

In Tyndale’s statement above he clearly calls for the sinner to repent of his sins (Contrition), exercise faith

in God that his sins will be forgiven and then begin to live that new life in Christ which will produce works. The

order is very significant.

Repentance is the true turning of our life to God, a turning that arises from a pure and

earnest fear of him; and it consists in the mortification of our flesh and of the old man and

in the vivification of the Spirit. It not only constantly follows faith, but is also born of faith.

(John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 Volume Set, Westminster John Knox Press,

1559, Translation Edition, June 1960, Translator, F.L. Battles, Editor, John McNeill).

John Calvin says that repentance brings about a “mortification of our flesh” and that it not only follows

salvation, in other words is continues on, but that it precedes being born of the faith.

We believe and confess, that, as the ‘imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth,’ and

consequently inclined to all unrighteousness, sin, and wickedness, that, therefore, the first

doctrine of the precious New Testament of the Son of God is, Repentance and amendment

of life. (Genesis 8:21; Mark 1:15). (The Dordrecht Confession, Mennonite, 1632,

http://www.bibleviews.com/Dordrecht.htm#VI ).

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“Repentance and amendment of life.” What does that confession mean? Repentance brings about a

change of life. This happens immediately and continually at the moment of salvation. Repentance without a

change is not possible else it is not repentance at all.

Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace, the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every

minister of the gospel, as well as that of faith in Christ. By it a sinner, out of the sight and

sense, not only of the danger, but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary

to the holy nature and righteous law of God, and upon the apprehension of his mercy in

Christ to such as are penitent, so grieves for and hates his sins as to turn from them all unto

God, purposing and endeavoring to walk with him in all the ways of his commandments.

(Westminster Confession of Faith, Presbyterian, 1646,

http://www.creeds.net/Westminster/c15.htm ).

Notice the words, “. . . so grieves for and hates his sins as to turn from them all unto God, purposing and

endeavoring to walk with him in all the ways of his commandments.” That is true repentance! A person who is

lost must come to the place where he detests his sin as much as God detests the sin. Then and only then is that

person in a position to repent of that sin and come to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Repentance is a grace of God’s Spirit whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed.”

(Thomas Watson, The Doctrine of Repentance, 1668, Carlisle: The Banner of Truth Trust, reprint 1987, pp. 18-

58).

“Inwardly humbled and visibly reformed” pulsates with an attitude of change, which brings forth a

demonstration of the change in life. Repentance is by God’s grace, no question about that, however, that grace

is only extended to those who receive it by faith. To understand the grace of God will bring a person to

repentance of sin toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Unfeigned repentance is an inward and true sorrow of heart for sin, with sincere confession

of the same to God, especially that we have offended so gracious a God and so loving a

Father, together with a settled purpose of heart and a careful endeavor to leave all our sins,

and to live a more holy and sanctified life according to all God’s commands. (The Orthodox

Creed, Baptist, 1679).

When a person realizes that he has offended a Holy God with his sins, he cannot help but repent of those

sins. He not only repents of his sins, but he leaves his sins behind. That is why there is a change in attitude and

action that results from the repentance. There is no way to live a holy and sanctified life if there has been no

repentance of sin. A person with sin in their life does not want to obey the commandments of God because they

are in stark contrast to the sin which besets him.

[Repentance is] to change their mind and to act more wisely, to break off the worship of

idols and bind themselves to the worship of the true God. Nay, it is to turn with sorrow and

shame from every sin, and with cheerfulness and resolution to every duty. (Mathew Henry,

Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, Volume 6 – Acts to Revelation, Fleming H.

Revell Company: Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1710, Acts 17:30, pg. 231).

Clearly, Henry has hit the proverbial nail on the head with this statement. A person cannot simply change

his mind, start acting different, stop worshiping idols and start worshiping the true God of heaven. If there is no

repentance these things will never have meaning and purpose. We cannot come into God’s presence to worship

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when there is sin present. Just as the high priest could not enter the Holy of holies with sin in his life, neither

can we. There has to be a cleansing of sin (repentance) prior to worship and service to God.

“True repentance is a change of the heart, of the will and affections, as well as of the outward

conversation, a change which is accompanied with all the fruits and graces of the Spirit of God.”

(Jonathan Dickinson, “The Marks of True Repentance and Saving Faith,” c. 1730,

http://wayoflife.org/fbns/repent/htm ).

What is the result of true repentance? The accompaniment of the fruit of the spirit and the grace of God shed

into our hearts by the precious Holy Spirit.

So saving repentance and faith are implied in each other. They are both one and the same

conversion of the soul from sin to God, through Christ; the act of the soul turning from sin

to God through Christ, as it respects the thing from which the turning is, viz. sin, is called

repentance; and as it respects the thing to which, and the mediation by which it turns, it is

called faith. (Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” 1741,

http://www.edwards.yale.edu/images/pdf/sinners.pdf ).

Repentance and faith go together. They cannot be separated. One cannot have repentance without

exercising faith, nor can he have faith without exercising repentance. They go hand in hand.

This saving repentance is an evangelical grace, whereby a person, being by the Holy Spirit

made sensible of the manifold evils of his sin, doth, by faith in Christ, humble himself for it

with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrency; praying for pardon and strength

of grace, with a purpose and endeavor by supplies of the Spirit to walk before God unto all

well-pleasing in all things. (Philadelphia Confession of Faith, Baptist, 1742,

http://www.baptiststart.com/print/1742_Philadelphia.htm.#15

Clearly, this statement of faith states that there must be a point when an individual comes to the realization

of the horribleness of his sins, and with a godly sorrow, he detests that sin in his life and asks for forgiveness

and a determination to change his attitude and action by walking in the Spirit doing that which is well-pleasing

to God in all activities of his life.

Repentance is the carnal and corrupt disposition of men being changed into a renewed and

sanctified disposition. … It is the nature of such repentance to make a change, and the

greatest change that can be made here in the soul. Thus you see what repentance implies in

its own nature; it denotes an abhorrence of all evil. (George Whitefield, “Repentance,” c.

1750).

“. . . an abhorrence of all evil.” Whitefield understood the thesis of this paper that repentance, indeed, is

the necessary step to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There can be no salvation without repentance as the result of

an abhorrence of the sin, which dictates our lost condition before God.

The repentance then which is in the New Testament required of sinners is such an entire

change of mind, or of views and sentiments respecting sin and salvation, as discovers itself

by a genuine sorrow for sin, a firm resolution to hate and forsake it, and a sincere endeavor

so to return to God in Christ as to walk with Him in newness of life: the sincerity of which

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is to be evidenced by fruits meet for repentance. … repentance itself, instead of being a

passing act, is an abiding principle, a lasting disposition of soul, a gracious principle lying

deep in the heart, disposing a man at all times to mourn for and turn from sin. (John

Colquhoun, Repentance, London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1826, reprint 1965, pp. 141-143).

Colquhoun clearly believes that repentance is the first response of a person who discovers their lost

condition before God. That person will firmly resolve that sin is to be hated and forsaken and that he must turn

to God for forgiveness of that sin and believe in Jesus by faith.

[Repentance is] real penitence; sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and

dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude towards a Being of

infinite benevolence. This is accompanied and followed by amendment of life. (Noah

Webster, American Dictionary of the English Language, “Repentance,” 1828).

Repentance brings a change of life by turning from everything that is not holy to the One and only Holy

One. Man has violated the law of God and thereby doomed himself to a devil’s hell. But God loved us enough

to send Jesus to die for our doomed souls. Through repentance of our sins, the sacrifice of Jesus atones for us

and brings us into a right relationship with God the Father.

“Repentance signifies that sorrow for sin which produces newness of life.” (Charles Buck, A

Theological Dictionary, “Repentance,” William Tegg and Company, London, 1851).

Repentance is an evangelical grace, wherein a person being, by the Holy Spirit, made

sensible of the manifold evil of his sin, humbleth himself for it, with godly sorrow,

detestation of it, and self-abhorrence, with a purpose and endeavor to walk before God so

as to please Him in all things. (James P. Boyce, Abstract of Principles, Southern Baptist

Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, 1859,

http://www.icnet.org/pub/resources/text/history/sbts-aop.stm.txt ).

This is the statement, which Southern Baptists held dear for many years. Repentance is not only godly

sorrow, but in Boyce’s statement as detestation of it and a realization that the sinner is indeed condemned in his

sins, and the only way to be able to walk with God is through denying self and sin and relying totally on the

grace of God.

Repentance unto life is sorrow for sin, grief for having committed it, and a turning away

from it with abhorrence, accompanied with sincere endeavours, in reliance on God’s grace

and the aid of the Holy Spirit, to live in humble and holy obedience to the commands and

will of God. (John Eadie, Biblical Cyclopedia, London, 1872).

There, indeed, must be a turning away from sin, having a complete abhorrence of the life once lived and

now, a new life of obedience to the Savior who died for our sins. Eadie states that we must now live humbly and

in obedience to not on the commands of God but also to His will for our life.

Just now some professedly Christian teachers are misleading many by saying that

‘repentance is only a change of mind.’ It is true that the original word does convey the idea

of a change of mind; but the whole teaching of Scripture concerning the repentance which

is not to be repented of is that it is a much more radical and complete change than is

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implied by our common phrase about changing one’s mind. The repentance that does not

include sincere sorrow for sin is not the saving grace that is wrought by the Holy Spirit.

God-given repentance makes men grieve in their inmost souls over the sin they have

committed, and works in them a gracious hatred of evil in every shape and form. We

cannot find a better definition of repentance than the one many of us learned at our

mother’s knee: Repentance is to leave the sin we loved before, and show that we in earnest

grieve by doing so no more. (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Twelve Sermons on Repentance,

Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1974, “The Royal Saviour,” p. 95).

Even in Spurgeon’s time, there was the erroneous view that one just simply changes his mind and he can is

saved. One can change his mind about anything, however it does not change a thing until he actions change

with the change of mind. Spurgeon believed that when a man realizes he is a sinner it will grieve him to the

very depths of his soul and cause him to stop in his tracks, turn around and move toward God. Repentance turns

one around and puts him in a position to ask for forgiveness of his sins and then exercise faith, which brings

abundant life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In repentance there is of necessity an intellectual apprehension of ourselves as sinners, of

the holiness of God, of his law to which we have failed to be conformed as sinners, of the

holiness of God, of his law to which we have failed to be conformed and of his mercy in

Christ; there is a moral disapprobation of our character and conduct; a feeling of sorrow,

shame and remorse; and a purpose to forsake sin and lead a holy life. (Charles Hodge,

Systematic Theology, 1873).

Let us look at Hodges statement a little more closely. “In repentance there is of NECESSITY...”

(emphasis added). Repentance is necessary for there to be salvation. One must see himself as God sees him in

comparison to the holiness of God and the law, which he has broken in every point. Until one sees himself in

that light he will never properly repent of his sins. It is not what man has done that condemns him, it what he

has done to a Holy God. To forsake his sin one must turn a complete about face. No longer going in the

direction of which his natural inclination leads him, but the opposite direction toward a holy God who loves him

so much that He sent His only Son to die in his place. When one truly sees a Holy God and realizes what a

sinner he is, he cannot help but repent and turn to follow this Holy God in total obedience.

“. . .there is a moral disapprobation of our character and conduct; a feeling of sorrow, shame and

remorse; and a purpose to forsake sin and lead a holy life.” It is not enough to be sorry for and be shameful

and remorseful. That is important, but it goes deeper than that. There must be a purpose to leave that sin,

forsake it and ask for forgiveness, then a holy life can be led by that individual.

“True repentance leads to a holy life; and a holy life is the fruit and proof of true repentance.” (Willis

Lord, Christian Theology for the People, 1875,

http://www.africanaquatics.co.za/_christian/_articles/repetnance.htm).

In other words, if there has been true repentance, there will be proof in that fruit brought forth in the

individual’s life.

A turning from sin to holiness, or more strictly, from a state of consecration to self to a

state of consecration to God, is and must be the turning, the change of mind, or the

repentance that is required of all sinners. Nothing less can constitute a virtuous repentance,

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and nothing more can be required. (Charles Finney, “Repentance and Impenitence,” 1878,

http://www.concentric.net/~fires/finney.htm ).

Instead of one being consecrated to his own way of living, he is transformed to a life of consecration to God.

Without genuine repentance this would be completely impossible.

…repentance … is a turning from sin, a loathing of it; and if thou hast that, thou hast sure

repentance; but not else. Repentance is also a sense of shame for having lived in it, and a

longing to avoid it. It is a change of the mind with regard to sin--a turning of the man right

round. That is what it is; and it is wrought in us by the grace of God. Let none therefore

mistake what true repentance is. (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “Mistaken Notions About

Repentance,” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volume 47,London, England, 1901, p. 421).

Metanoeo [repentance] involves: (1) to know after, (2) the change of mind consequent on

this after-knowledge, (3) regret for the course pursued, resulting from the change of mind

consequent on this after-knowledge, (4) the change of conduct for the future, springing

from all this. (R.C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, Eerdmans, 1880, reprint 1953).

Repentance is a change of mind or purpose. Until a man repents he commonly feels

comfortable about himself and his ways; but when the Saviour, through the Spirit, gives

him repentance, he changes his mind about himself, and seeing nothing good in his heart or

in his works, his whole soul cries out, ‘Lord, be merciful to me a sinner’ (Luke 18:13).

(William Cathcart, Editor, The Baptist Encyclopedia, Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts,1881,

Reprint Edition, Paris, AR, The Baptist Standard Bearer, 1988, “Repentance”).

The previous three statements are very similar. They state that true repentance brings about a change of

conduct. One has not repented if there is no accompanying change in mind, heart, soul and actions.

Repentance and the firstfruits of repentance [baptism and other steps of discipleship

mentioned in Acts 2:38-42] were generally inseparable. The former could not be genuine

without manifesting itself in the latter. And in the circumstances of that day a willingness to

be baptized was no slight evidence of a new heart. (Horatio Hackett, Commentary of Acts,

American Baptist Publication Society, Acts 2:38-42, 1882).

In my personal experience, this has been one of the most discouraging elements in dealing with people

about salvation. It is only logical that if one is willing to confess his sins in true repentance the very first step of

obedience will not be a problem, i.e., baptism. It was many years into pastoring before I realized what was

happening. Much of the problem of people coming for salvation resulted in no change and a negative response

to being baptized, or if they were baptized, there was no change in them. Many would come but would very

soon be missing in action. There was no change in their lifestyle and they certainly did not appear to be

bothered by their actions. It was not until this writer realized that he had not been counseling people about what

it really meant to repent. Once repentance was brought to the very start of an encounter with a lost person, these

errors were beginning to be corrected. Of course, no man knows another man’s heart as to whether there has

actually been true repentance, but the Bible is clear that there ought to be some fruit and evidence that it has

occurred in their lives.

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To repent, then, as a religious term of the New Testament, is to change the mind, thought,

purpose, as regards sin and the service of God--a change naturally accompanied by deep

sorrow for past sin, and naturally leading to a change of the outward life. (John A Broadus,

An American Commetnary on the New Testament, Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication

Society, Matthew, 1886).

Once again, the belief of a complete change accompanies a salvation experience when there has been

genuine repentance. Anything less than this is inadequate for true salvation. As B.H. Carroll says:

The preacher who leaves out repentance commits as grave a sin as the one who leaves out

faith. I mean he must preach repentance just as often, and with as much emphasis, and to

as many people as he preaches faith. To omit repentance, to ignore it, to depreciate it, is

rebellion and treason. Mark its relative importance: You may make a mistake about

baptism and be saved, for baptism is not essential to salvation. You may be a Christian and

not comprehend fully the high-priesthood of Jesus Christ (Heb. 5 :11), but ‘Except ye

repent ye shall all likewise perish.’ So said the Master Himself. Repentance is a

preparatory work. For thus saith the Lord: ‘Break up your fallow ground and sow not

among thorns.’ I submit before God, who will judge the quick and the dead, that to preach

faith without repentance is to sow among thorns. No harvest can be gathered from an

unplowed field. The fallow ground needs to be broken up. The most striking instance on

record of repentance as a preparatory work was the ministry of John the Baptist. He was

sent ‘to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ He did it by preaching repentance,

and Mark says his preaching was ‘the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of

God.’ Here is the true starting point. Whoever starts this side of repentance makes a false

beginning which vitiates his whole Christian profession. When true repentance was

preached and emphasized, there were not so many nominal professors of religion. TO

LEAVE OUT OR MINIMIZE REPENTANCE, NO MATTER WHAT SORT OF A

FAITH YOU PREACH, IS TO PREPARE A GENERATION OF PROFESSORS WHO

ARE SUCH IN NAME ONLY. I give it as my deliberate conviction, founded on twenty-five

years of ministerial observation, that the Christian profession of today owes its lack of vital

godliness, its want of practical piety, its absence from the prayer meeting, its miserable

semblance of missionary life, very largely to the fact that old-fashioned repentance is so

little preached. You can’t put a big house on a little foundation. And no small part of such

preaching comes from a class of modern evangelists who desiring more for their own glory

to count a great number of converts than to lay deep foundations, reduce the conditions of

salvation by one-half and make the other half but some intellectual trick of the mind rather

than a radical spiritual change of the heart. Like Simon Magus, they believe indeed, but

‘their heart not being right in the sight of God, they have no part nor lot in this matter.

They are yet in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.’ Such converts know but

little and care less about a system of doctrine. They are prayerless, lifeless, and to all steady

church work reprobate. (B.H. Carroll, Baptist, Repentance and Remission of Sins, 1889).

B. H. Carroll was certainly a strong advocate in his day of what true repentance was. There were no mincing

of words as he taught repentance in its strongest terms. Southern Baptists would do well to look once again at

her roots and the belief about repentance from those like Carroll who paved the way.

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“Repentance signifies a change of the mind from a rebellious and disaffected state to that submission

and thorough separation from iniquity by which converted sinners are distinguished.” (John M’Clintock

and James Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, Harper & Brothers: New

York, “Repentance,” 1894).

There must be a clear distinction in the life of one who claims to have been saved and one who makes no

pretense of being saved. Rebellion is alien to one who has truly repented of his sins unto salvation.

W. D. Nowlin had this to say about repentance:

Repentance being, as it is, an inward change of purpose resulting in an outward change of

life, cannot be performed by one person for another. Repentance is a turning from a life of

self and sin to a life of submission and obedience to God’s will. Repentance, as used in the

New Testament, means a change of mind, but it is a word of moral significance and does

not mean merely a change of opinion. Such a change often takes place without repentance

in the New Testament sense. The will is necessarily and directly involved, as well as the

emotions, but in scriptural repentance there is a change of mind with reference to sin, a

sorrow for sin and a turning from sin. Repentance means sins perceived, sins abhorred and

sins abandoned. This change is wrought by the power of God through the Holy Spirit, the

word of truth being used as a means to convict the sinner of sin and lead him to forsake it

and to resolve henceforth to walk before God in all truth and uprightness. (W.D. Nowlin,

Baptist Fundamentals of the Faith,” c. 1897).

What Nowlin is saying is that repentance involves conviction of sin and that conviction leads one to repent.

This repentance brings about a total change in the individual, which are not only internal but also external.

There are two words in the New Testament which convey the idea of repentance, metanoein

and epistrepho … If respect be had to their literal meaning, the first presents repentance in

its negative aspect, as a change of mind, a turning from sin; the second, in its positive

aspect, as a turning to God. Both have, however, much the same content of meaning. (James Hastings, Editor, A Dictionary of the Bible: Dealing with the Language and Literature,

Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1898, Reprinted by Hendrickson Publisher, 1988, “Repentance”).

Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin. One cannot separate them, for it involves repentance or

turning from the awfulness of sin and turning to Jesus Christ in faith. There is an exchange made of giving up

one lifestyle (sin) and beginning a new lifestyle (the Christ life). Old things become new in Christ through true

repentance.

Repentance has been described as ‘a change of mind Godward that leads to a judgment of

self and one’s acts’ (1 Kings 8:47; Ezekiel 14:6; Matthew 3:2; 9:13; Luke 15:7; Acts 20:21;

2 Corinthians 7:9,10). This would not be possible but for the thought of mercy in God. It is

the goodness of God that leads to repentance (Romans 2:4). (Concise Bible Dictionary, c.

1900, “Repentance”).

This statement means that in order for there to be repentance there must initially be conviction. Not just

conviction that I am wrong, but that I am deserving of the just punishment for my sins. That is why the mercy of

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God is so wonderful in that I do not get what I deserve. My receiving the mercy of God only comes when I am

willing to turn from my sinful life of the past and move into the glorious life of Christ.

Repentance means a return to obedience and to the performance of God’s will after a

period of rebellion or neglect of duty; fear for the terrible consequences of sin, and the love

of God for His mercy and goodness, being the constraining causes; perfect love in the end

‘casting out fear. (John Henry Blunt, Dictionary of Doctrinal and Historical Theology, 1903).

When one truly repents of his/her sins they immediately experience a change, not only of the mind, but

also the will. Now obedience and surrender to the will of God become their desire.

“Repentance, in the theological and ethical sense, is a fundamental and thorough change in the

hearts of men from sin and toward God. Like faith it is one of the necessary conditions of salvation.” (Charles Barnes, The People’s Bible Encyclopedia, 1910, “Repentance”).

“[Repentance] is only a process through which sorrow must be put away by an act of the will

wherein the Christian casts sin from himself and surrenders himself to the grace of God.” (Phillip Schaff,

Editor, Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Releigious Knowledge, 1910, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shcaff-

Herzog_Encyclopedia_of_Religious_Knowledge ).

The New Testament emphasizes repentance and faith as fundamental conditions of

salvation. Repentance is a change of mind toward sin and God, and a change of will in

relation to sin and God. Repentance is not merely sorrow. It is rather godly sorrow which

turns away from all wrong doing and enters upon a life of obedience. Faith is belief of

God's Word concerning his Son, and trust in his Son for salvation. (E.Y. Mullins, DD.,

LL.D., Late President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky,

published by The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1920).

In the three previous quotes there is more included in repentance besides just being sorry. There must be

obedience to God through Jesus Christ. If one should claim to have repented and turned in faith to Jesus but

their lifestyle does not change, then repentance has not occurred.

We believe that repentance and faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces,

wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of

our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God

with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily

receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest and King and relying on him alone

as the only and all-sufficient Saviour. (Baptist Faith and Message, Southern Baptist

Convention, 1925, http://www.sbc.net/bfmcomparison.asp ).

Southern Baptists have believed that repentance is necessary to salvation; however, the truth of the matter is,

that this truth has been diluted and neglected in many of our churches and sermons. Southern Baptists say they

believe in biblical repentance but I fear there is a misunderstanding about what is true repentance.

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Harry Ironside stated:

Shallow preaching that does not grapple with the terrible fact of man’s sinfulness and guilt,

calling on ‘all men everywhere to repent,’ results in shallow conversions; and so we have a

myriad of glib-tongued professors today who give no evidence of regeneration whatever.

Prating of salvation by grace, they manifest no grace in their lives. Loudly declaring they

are justified by faith alone, they fail to remember that ‘faith without works is dead’; and

that justification by works before men is not to be ignored as though it were in

contradiction to justification by faith before God. … To repent is to change one’s attitude

toward self, toward sin, toward God, toward Christ. … So to face these tremendous facts is

to change one’s mind completely, so that the pleasure lover sees and confesses the folly of

his empty life; the self-indulgent learns to hate the passions that express the corruption of

his nature; the self-righteous sees himself a condemned sinner in the eyes of a holy God; the

man who has been hiding from God seeks to find a hiding place in Him; the Christ-rejector

realizes and owns his need of life and salvation. (Harry A. Ironside, Except Ye Repent, New

York: American Tract Society, 1937, http://uvm.edu/!sbross/repent/repent00.html).

This is the repentance that needs to be preached! This is the definition of repentance, which has been

neglected! Without repentance, according to Ironside, the sinner’s life is empty. That is correct for without

repentance Christ cannot enter the life of an individual. He, Christ, will not take up residence in a dirty

residence. The life must be cleansed through repentance, else there is no salvation.

To repent literally means to have a change of mind or spirit toward God and toward sin. It

means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in Jesus Christ to

save you. You can see, then, how the man who believes in Christ repents and the man who

repents believes in Christ. The jailer repented when he turned from sin to believe in the

Lord Jesus Christ. (John R. Rice, What Must I Do to Be Saved?, 1940,

http://baptistfire.com/gospel/rice.shtml).

“...to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in Jesus Christ to save you.” Repentance is just that and in that order. One will not be regenerated if he/she has not repented.

True repentance is not a sorrow for sin apart from forsaking it, which Paul terms the

‘sorrow of the world,’ nor is it a reform apart from godly sorrow which worketh

repentance to salvation. … True repentance works a radical change of mind--a change

which is manifested in the intellect, the feelings, and the will. (H. Orton Wiley, Christian

Theology, Volume II, Fleming H. Revell Company, 1941).

Wiley states that true repentance includes a “forsaking it.” The world repents, is sorrowful, but there is not

reform. They continue on sinning. When true repentance comes there is a radical change that takes place.

Metanoia [repentance] denotes primarily a change of mind, taking a wiser view of the past,

including regret for the ill then done, and leading to a change of life for the better, which

becomes in its fullest development an intellectual and moral regeneration. (Louis Berkhof,

Systematic Theology, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 4th

Edition,

1946).

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Repentance brings about a change of mind (intellect) and will (morals). One’s mind starts to think

clearer and one’s will is changed to a higher will, which brings about moral change of behavior. Without this,

there is no salvation and repentance has not really occurred.

James Stewart emphatically says:

While it is true that upwards of one hundred and fifteen N.T. passages condition salvation

on believing, and fully thirty passages condition salvation on faith ... nevertheless,

repentance is an essential condition in God’s glorious Gospel. It is also true that in the last

analysis repentance and faith are one and the same act. ‘Ye turned to God from idols’ (1

Thessalonians 1:9). Repentance is included in believing. Howbeit, repentance is not faith,

nor faith repentance. ‘He that believeth,’ implies repentance. ‘Repent and be converted,’

involves faith. ‘The hand that clutches the assassin’s knife must open ‘ere it can grasp the

gift its intended victim proffers; and opening that hand, though a single act, has a double

aspect and purpose. Accepting the gift implies a turning from the crime the heart was bent

on, and it was the gift itself that worked the change. Faith is the open hand, relatively to the

gift; repentance is the same hand, relatively, not only to the gift but more especially to the

dagger that is flung from it.’ ... Repentance is one threefold action: in the understanding--

knowledge of sin; in the feelings--pain and grief; in the will--a change of mind and a

turning around. (James Stewart, Evangelism, Ashville, NC: Gospel Projects, 1948).

“. . . repentance is an essential condition of God’s glorious Gospel.” Stewart uses a great example of the

assassin’s knife in his hand. Repentance brings forth the understanding that one is indeed a sinner, a feeling of

complete remorse that results in a change of the mind and actions.

Repentance is essentially a change of mind, taking the word in a broad sense. It has,

however, three aspects, an intellectual, an emotional, and a volitional aspect. … The

volitional element implies a change of will and disposition. This is the inward turning from

sin. (Henry Thiessen, Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology, 1949, Revised by Vernon

D. Doerksen, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1977).

Intellectual change (changing of the mind) is thinking new thoughts. The old thoughts that once

dominated one’s life are now replaced with new thoughts. No longer the dominant, evil thoughts that once

prevailed in his thinking, but godly thoughts. The emotions that were once stirred by sin and vice, are now

replaced with emotions of sorrow for those very sins once enjoyed and now a new sense of joy about living the

God life in a Christ-like manner. The will of the sin life was characterized by doing one’s own thing. Whatever

feels good, do it. Now, his will is no longer his own, for he is bought with a price and desires to live according

to the will of God from this day forward.

We believe that Repentance and Faith are solemn obligations, and also inseparable graces,

wrought in our souls by the quickening Spirit of God; thereby, being deeply convicted of

our guilt, danger and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God

with unfeigned contrition, confession and supplication for mercy at the same time heartily

receiving the Lord Jesus Christ and openly confessing Him as our only and all-sufficient

Saviour. (Baptist Bible Fellowship, Articles of Faith, 1950,

http://www.bbfmissions.com/html/index.php?module=contentExpressed&func=display&cied=1

9 ).

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This is repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in its truest form. One does both, in

repentance. He turns from the sin, which has beset him (repentance) and turns to Jesus in faith (receiving).

Repentance and faith go together, and to separate them becomes dangerous in the enterprise of leading souls to

Christ. One cannot receive a new life until he has forsaken the old life, but when he forsakes the old he comes

into the new. The transformation is immediate in his life and he will know it beyond any doubt.

Repentance is a godly sorrow for sin. Repentance is a forsaking of sin. Real repentance is

putting your trust in Jesus Christ so you will not live like that anymore. Repentance is

permanent. It is a lifelong and an eternity-long experience. You will never love the devil

again once you repent. You will never flirt with the devil as the habit of your life again once

you get saved. You will never be happy living in sin; it will never satisfy; and the husks of

the world will never fill your longing and hungering in your soul. Repentance is something

a lot bigger than a lot of people think. It is absolutely essential if you go to heaven. (Lester

Roloff, Repent or Perish. 1950’s, http://www.kingdombaptist.org/article571.cfm).

There has been no clearer voice and proponent for repentance than Lester Roloff. Every sermon I ever heard

him preach over the radio, as a boy growing up and into his early adult life, was filled with this theme. Roloff

always stressed this truth in every sermon he ever preached. He did so because he believed that repentance was

essential for one to truly be saved.

Metanoia [repentance] can be said to denote that inward change of mind, affections,

convictions and commitment, rooted in the fear of God and sorrow for offenses committed

against him, which, when accompanied by faith in Jesus Christ, results in an outward

turning from sin to God and his service in all of life. (Everett F. Harrison, Editor, Baker’s

Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1960, “Repentance”).

This definition clearly shows that a turning from sin (repentance) will lead to a changed life, which results

in a service to the God turned to through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine

turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of

the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior.” (Baptist Faith and Message, Southern

Baptist Convention, 1963, http://www.utm.edu/martinarea/fbc/bfm/1963-1998/index.html

Repentance is already implied in conviction of sin, for to be aware of sin is to be dissatisfied

with oneself, and so to be already seeking to turn away from where one actually is. … the

‘turning away’ of repentance, which is a turning away from sin and thus from idols, is at

the same time a ‘turning toward’ God. (John Macquarrier, Principles of Christian Theology,

1966).

Repentance is like a soldier marching forward and his commander shouts, “Halt!” That soldier immediately

stops. The commander then shouts, “About face!” and immediately the soldier turns around facing the opposite

direction. The commander gives one more command, “Forward march!” and the soldier begins to walk in this

new direction without question, without any thought again about the direction he was going and only thoughts

of obeying this new command from his superior to continue to walk until he gives another command. That is

what happens in true repentance. One was walking his own way, doing his own thing when he hears the call to

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stop! Before the next command is given, the Commander (God) shows the man that the way he has been going

is wrong, evil, and sinful. He is shown that Jesus died for him on the cross and that if he really wants to be the

kind of soldier he was created to be he would repent of the evil, the sin, the wrong that he has been committing.

Once he is willing to repent, the Commander issues the new call, “About face. Forward March!” The soldier

now moves toward that new voice and will continue to follow the commands and will of his Savior, the Lord

Jesus Christ. He does so without reservation or without question. That is true repentance.

What do I mean by repent? I mean to turn your heart from your sin. Turn from sin in your

heart and start out to live for God. … A penitent heart that turns from your sin and turns

to Jesus. (John R. Rice, “Repent or Perish,” Sword of the Lord, March 3, 1971).

Repeatedly the same message is echoed, repent is to turn around and begin to walk a new way living a new

life. It can be no other way. The preachers of old knew what the Scripture says and preached it exactly the same

way.

“[Repentance] includes not only the act of changing one’s attitude towards and opinion of sin but also

that of forsaking it.” (Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies from the Greek New Testament, Volume III, Grand

Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1973, p. 28).

Salvation is more than just believing the facts of the gospel. It involves being sorry for sin,

turning from sin, and trusting in Jesus Christ. The Bible calls this ‘repentance toward God,

and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.’ … We live in a day of ‘easy believism.’ It is easy

to get children to hold up their hands to indicate a decision, but that does not mean they

are saved. The Bible says that no one can be saved unless he repents. … Repentance is

being sorry enough for your sins to want to stop doing them. (George B. Eager, Winning

Children to Christ, The Mailbox Club, Valdesta, GA, 1979).

This ought to be the warning to soul winners to make sure that what they share with people about salvation

clearly calls forth for repentance of the unbeliever. Without repentance, there is no salvation. Special care

should be given to this matter when dealing with children especially, because they are so impressionable.

“… repentance is a radical matter, a turning within the human heart. … [it] includes the idea of

‘resolve.’ … It describes a total change in behavior, a reversal of one’s lifestyle, a complete turn-around.” (Anthony Hoekema, Saved By Grace, 1989, pp. 124,125).

“Biblical repentance also involves changing one’s mind in a way that affects some change in the

person. Repentance is not merely an intellectual assent to something; it also includes a resultant change,

usually in action.” (Charles C. Ryrie, So Great Salvation, Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1989.

Ryrie gets it right here, however, in the Ryrie Study Bible he states just the opposite: “. . . salvation comes

to everyone who believes. We receive and experience it through faith, which is both assent to the truths of

the gospel and confidence in the Savior Himself.” (p. 1734).

Nothing is mentioned of repentance before faith is exercised. He also says in his notes on Romans 1:17: “. .

.In vv. 16-17 is the essence of Paul’s theology: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (p. 1734).

Again, there is no mention of repentance from sins.

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The Greek words [for repentance] mean ‘a change of mind which results in a change of

action.’ When that refers to man, there is a sorrow for sin involved. This definition is

substantiated both by the scholarship of Trench and Thayer, as well as by the New

Testament usage. (Bruce Lackey, Repentance Is More Than a Change of Mind, 1989,

http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/repent/htm ).

“Repentance is a deep, radical change of both perspective and commitment, resulting in a moral and

spiritual transformation.” (Revell Bible Dictionary, New York: Wynnwood Press, 1990, “Repentance”).

Repentance means a ‘turn about act,’ turning with sorrow from a past course of action--

hating what we once loved and loving what we once hated. Repentance is a change of mind

concerning God, the Law, sin, self, Christ, holiness, judgment. Repentance is manifested by

its effects, which are contrition, confession, self-abhorrence, self-abandonment. (Robert T.

Boyd, World’s Bible Handbook, Iowa Falls, IA: World Publishers, 1991, “Repentance”).

In other words, there is a cause and effect in the salvation experience. The cause comes about through

repentance from sin in all its horribleness and the effect is a manifestation of a changed life through the

repentance from sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance is a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to

forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ. … Repentance is something that occurs in the

heart and involves the whole person in a decision to turn from sin. (Wayne Grudem,

Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids. MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1994, p. 713).

“Repentance is the act of expressing contrition, penitence, and contrition for sin. Its linguistic roots

point to its theological meaning of a change of mind and life direction as a beginning step of expressing

Christian faith.” (Donald McKim, Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, Louisville: Westminster

John Knox, 1996, “Repentance”).

The lack of preaching against sin has brought in multitudes of false professions and false

beliefs. … In the New Testament concerning salvation, repentance is always a change for

the better and always a repentance from sin. Biblical repentance is changing one’s mind

about their sin, the Saviour, and the Scriptures, which brings about a great change of

direction in their lives (Acts 3:19). (John L. Graf, Valiant for Truth, March 1997).

Scriptural repentance is a change of mind which leads to a change of heart, a change of

attitude and a change of conduct; a change of attitude toward self, toward sin, and toward

the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an about-face of a soul that has been going away from God. (Roger Voegtlin, “God’s Command to Repent,” Fairhaven Baptist Church, Chesterton, IN,

1998,) http://www.fundamentalbaptists.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php??t=185

“Repentance expresses the conscious turning from sin, a change of mind and of the whole inner

attitude to life, without which true conversion is not possible.” (Chris McNeilly, The Great Omission:

Whatever Happened to Repentance, 1999).

Even those who do not believe that repentance is a necessary part of salvation, surely must see from

these quotations that they should at least study this with an open mind. This does not mean that everyone who

holds a different view than this thesis or these who have been used to support the thesis are to be shunned and

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not given a voice for their belief. Surely, there is a common denominator between both sides of the issue and

that common denominator is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. What we must come to agree on is that we

are sinners and that Christ died for us, and that forgiveness awaits those who will turn from their sin and turn to

Jesus Christ in faith.

Illustrations of Repentance

1. Repentance is the Prodigal Son coming to himself, confessing his sin against God and his father, and

returning home.

And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread

enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say

unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to

be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father.

But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and

fell on his neck, and kissed him (Luke 15:17-20).

2. Repentance is the Thessalonians turning to God from idols to serve the living and true God. “For they

themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to

serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

3. Repentance is Zacchaeus turning from corruption to uprightness.

And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the

poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a

son of Abraham (Luke 19:8,9).

4. Repentance is Nebuchadnezzar humbling himself before God. “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol

and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in

pride he is able to abase” (Daniel 4:37).

5. Repentance is the Philippian Jailer running from his sin to Jesus Christ and becoming a kind helper of

Christians.

And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he

and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before

them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house (Acts 16:33-34).

6. Repentance is the Christ-rejecting Jews at Pentecost turning to Christ and His church.

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus

Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. … Then they

that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them

about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and

fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers (Acts 2:38-42).

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7. Repentance is a sinner raising the white flag of surrender to God. Repentance is a sinner who is at enmity

with God laying down his arms, raising the white flag of surrender, and submitting to the One against whom he

was before in rebellion.

8. Repentance is a U-Turn. Repentance is when a sinner is heading one direction, which is the way of sin

and self-will, and he stops and turns around so that he is now going God’s way. This definition of repentance is

seen in Exodus 13:17: “Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.”

The repentance of the Jews would mean they turned around from following God to return to Egypt, which

would be the opposite of what a sinner does for salvation, but it gives the correct definition of the term

repentance.

9. Repentance is an assassin laying down the knife.

The hand that clutches the assassin’s knife must open ‘ere it can grasp the gift its intended

victim proffers; and opening that hand, though a single act, has a double aspect and

purpose. Accepting the gift implies a turning from the crime the heart was bent on, and it

was the gift itself that worked the change. Faith is the open hand, relatively to the gift;

repentance is the same hand, relatively, not only to the gift but more especially to the

dagger that is flung from it. (James Stewart, Evangelism, Ashville, NC: Gospel Projects, 1948

pp. 48,49.)

10. Repentance is the thief returning the stolen property.

I believe we ought to make right what we can make right. What if I was staying with a

group of preachers and one of them stole my wallet while I was sleeping? The next day he

comes up to me and tells me he is terribly sorry and asks me to forgive him. I would be glad

to hear that he is sorry for stealing my wallet, but I would certainly want and expect more

than that from a repentant thief. I would want my wallet back! I don't believe he has really

repented unless he brings my billfold back. I DON'T BELIEVE YOU HAVE REPENTED

UNTIL YOU GET RIGHT AND SAY, ‘LORD, I’M GOING TO LIVE DIFFERENT

FROM NOW ON,’ AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD YOU WILL LIVE DIFFERENT. (Lester Roloff, Repent or Perish, 1950’s, http://www.kingdombaptist.org/article571.cfm).

Repentance and Faith Two Sides of the Same Coin

Repentance and faith are separate works of God’s grace, but they come together for salvation and cannot

really be separated by man. They are two different things, but they act as one. In other words, they are two sides

of the same coin. For example, James Stewart clarifies this point by saying:

Repentance is included in believing. Howbeit, repentance is not faith, nor faith repentance.

‘He that believeth,’ implies repentance. ‘Repent and be converted,’ involves faith. ‘The

hand that clutches the assassin’s knife must open ‘ere it can grasp the gift its intended

victim proffers; and opening that hand, though a single act, has a double aspect and

purpose. Accepting the gift implies a turning from the crime the heart was bent on, and it

was the gift itself that worked the change. Faith is the open hand, relatively to the gift;

repentance is the same hand, relatively, not only to the gift but more especially to the

dagger that is flung from it.’ Repentance is one threefold action: in the understanding—

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knowledge of sin; in the feelings—pain and grief; in the will—a change of mind and a

turning around. (James Stewart, Evangelism, Ashville, NC: Gospel Projects, 1948, pp 48, 49).

Lester Roloff stated that:

Repentance never saved a soul by its merits; it lays the needful foundation for the temple of

faith in the heart. But all the penitential sorrows of Adam’s family would not remove one

faint stain of sin. If a man borrowed five thousand dollars, for which he gave security, and

squandered it most foolishly, and afterwards, filled with true repentance, he solicited and

expected the forgiveness of the debt because he was sorry for it, the spendthrift would only

meet with contempt in his application; his sureties would have to pay the money. Faith

alone in the Crucified cleanses from all sin, and repentance is God’s instrumentality for

leading the sinner to the Lamb of God, the Great Remover of sin. (Lester Roloff, Repent or

Perish, 1950’s http://www.kingdombaptist.org/article571.cfm ).

Roloff continued by saying:

While it is true that upwards of one hundred and fifteen NewTestament passages condition

salvation on believing, and fully thirty passages condition salvation on faith ... nevertheless,

repentance is an essential condition in God’s glorious Gospel. It is also true that in the last

analysis repentance and faith are one and the same act. ‘Ye turned to God from idols’ (1

Th. 1:9). Repentance is included in believing. ‘Howbeit, repentance is not faith, nor faith

repentance. ‘He that believeth,’ implies repentance. ‘Repent and be converted,’ involves

faith. ... Repentance and faith can never be separated. ‘Repentance toward God, and faith

toward our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Ac. 20:21). ‘Ye repented NOT ... that ye might believe Him’

(Mt. 21:32). ... Repentance is denying (negative), faith is affirming (positive). Repentance

looks within, faith looks above. Repentance sees our misery, faith our Deliverer.

Repentance is hunger, faith is the open mouth, and Christ is the living food. (Ibid, p. 48,

49).

To Deal With Sin Repentance Must Be Preached Plainly

The sinner desiring salvation must repent, and repentance will always result in a changed life. This means

that we cannot have the attitude that we will only deal with specific sin after the person receives Christ. That is

the philosophy of many. If the sinner brings up his love for liquor, or his love for immoral relationships, or his

love for gambling, some think it best to delay dealing with such things until after that one has come to Christ.

And sometimes this is the best policy, but only if the sinner is clearly under the conviction of the Holy Spirit

about his sin and is clearly ready to turn to Christ. On the other hand, if the sinner obviously still wants to hold

onto his sin, the personal worker must deal with the fact that he must turn from it.

In many parts of North America, people have no knowledge of the Bible’s teaching, even of its stories and

basic content. Man’s mind has been filled with the myths of evolution and humanism. Someone who has been

educated in the North American public school system and who has had no sound Bible training is actually more

prejudiced against believing that the Bible is the Word of God than a Hindu in darkest Asia. The same is true

for England and Europe.

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Teaching for a Christian University has brought this realty home. The courses I teach are Biblical courses,

but they are taught to adult learners who are going back to school to complete their business degrees. After

teaching several classes of Biblical Perspective, Old Testament Survey and New Testament Survey, this reality

has been seen in the fact that in every class there has been some who claimed no religious upbringing, and as a

result they are practical agnostics. They are very prejudiced against the gospel message and have proved to be

great challenges to teach the great truths of the Bible. It would be wonderful if it could be said that all of them

came to a realization of their sins, and repented and accepted Christ as Savior and Lord. Heaven only knows if

they were even pricked in their heart. The truth is, repentance was taught strongly in the classes, and I am sure

the Holy Spirit was at work in their hearts. They were brought up in America and claimed to have never heard

about Jesus and the wonderful message of salvation. Therefore, we must never assume that just because

someone is born in this country, or anywhere else for that matter, that they have heard of Jesus and just need a

little nudge to come to Him. It will take not only the art of preaching the simple story of salvation, but the great

truth that conviction of sins and repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are absolutely the only way to

heaven.

The Bible principles of dealing with people are the same no matter where those people are found. It might be

argued that some people have been so crushed by their sin that they need to have more emphasis on acceptance.

This is true, but they seem to be more easily convinced of the need for repentance than someone who does not

feel the heavy load of sin in their life. The Bible requires repentance period. Each person comes to salvation

from different levels of sin, but all must come in repentance or there is no salvation. When the Lord Jesus Christ

dealt with the rich young ruler who inquired about salvation, He did not tell him just to pray a prayer, just to

believe. He dealt with him plainly about his love for riches, his covetousness and pride. The young man had to

repent of that deep sin of his life before he could be saved. He went away sad, the Bible says, because of his

great riches. Consider Christ’s dealings with the woman at the well. He faced her squarely with the immorality

that had controlled her life and required repentance of her in that matter. This is the way God always deals with

people, and it is the way we must deal with them, too, if we want to follow the Bible in our gospel work. To

preach repentance means to deal with specific sins which people are holding on to, and to tell them clearly that

they must repent of those sins.

This is not “lordship salvation.” This is not some kind of puritan methodology. It is simple biblical

evangelism. For the purposes of this book, the following definition for “repentance” is used: Repentance is a

turning from sin with all the heart and all of the soul as the Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of his/her need and

convinces him/her of the ability and the willingness of God to save him/her. It is an attitude of the heart and

mind that is ready and willing to turn from sin in all of its shapes and forms. It is a necessary part of the gospel.

Repentance is a change of mind. It is an inner turning of thoughts, desires, and will away from sin (negative)

and toward that which is godly (positive). It is a turning away from the world and turning to God, but it is a

conscious, purposeful act. Behavior that previously was ignored, defended, excused, justified, now becomes

behavior that simply will not do. Repentance will cause people to act differently. (See Appendix B for a sample

sermon on repentance).

Definitions

Faith

The Greek verb () is translated “believe,” “commit,” and “trust,” 242 times in the

English New Testament; and means, “to rely on a person or thing.” The noun form, (), is “faith” in

all its New Testament passages. Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies, Volume III, Studies in the

Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmens, 1945), page 29, defines saving faith as “a

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definite taking of one’s self out of one’s own keeping and entrusting one’s self into the keeping of the Lord

Jesus Christ.”

According to Funk and Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary, Volume I, A-M, (Funk & Wagnalls, Inc.,

1964), page 228, faith is: “n. 1) Confidence in or dependence on a person, statement, or thing as trustworthy. 2)

Belief without need of certain proof. 3) Belief in God or in Scriptures or other religious writings. 4) A system of

religious beliefs. 5) Anything given adherence or credence. 6) Allegiance…”

Faith is the condition of salvation. It is not the procuring cause, but the condition, or instrumental cause.

It is frequently associated in the Scriptures with repentance; and thus the conditions of salvation are repentance

and faith. In reality, true faith and true repentance are not separate or to be distinguished too rigidly from each

other. Faith is fundamental. Repentance implies faith. Faith is not real saving faith until it includes repentance.

Do not misunderstood this statement to say that faith is a “work” condition of salvation. Faith is by grace alone

and not of works. However, faith does produce works in the believer.

Conviction

The Greek word (), found eighteen times in the New Testament, means “to bring someone

to a realization of his guilt.” It is an antecedent to repentance and faith and is the work of the Holy Spirit, who

removes the satanic blindness from people’s eyes so that they are able to see themselves as God sees them –

guilty and incapable of saving themselves (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

The Holy Spirit confronts human beings regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). These

three elements constitute the substance of the Spirit’s revelation to the soul.

Salvation

Salvation is the work of God in which He has provided a way by the sacrificial death of Christ and, His

resurrection from the dead, for humans to be delivered from their sinful condition. This salvation and new life

can be received only by faith and is apart from any merit or work of the believing individual (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The primary Old Testament verb for salvation is the Hebrew verb (), “to save, deliver, rescue.” In

the New Testament the Greek words are (), “to save, preserve, rescue,” and (), “salvation, deliverance.”

Salvation proceeds from the love of God, is based upon the atonement wrought by Christ, is realized in

forgiveness, regeneration, sanctification, and culminates in the resurrection and glorification of all true

believers. It is freely offered, but conditioned upon repentance and faith in Christ.

Conversion

In the Old Testament the Hebrew verb () means “to turn” or “to return.” The verb is used

literally to describe, for example, Abraham returning to a particular place (Genesis 18:33). It is used figuratively

for the turning, or returning, from a sinful course of life toward the Lord God of Israel (1 Kings 8:35; Malachi

3:7).

In the New Testament the Greek verb () similarly means “to turn” or “to return.”

Twice it is used in the negative sense of being turned from what is right to what is wrong (Galatians 4:9; 2 Peter

2:21). But it usually describes the opposite – a turning from the wrong pathway to the right one. As such, the

term is employed for both unbelievers and believers. In the case of believers, it describes a return to a right

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relationship with God, after fellowship has been marred by moral failure (Luke 22:32) or doctrinal departure

(James 5:19-20). When “conversion” is used in reference to unbelievers, it connotes the turning of a soul from

sin to God. Conversion, unlike regeneration and justification, which are acts of God; is considered an act of the

individual. It is one he or she is unable to perform apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Conversion is

closely related to repentance.

Regeneration

In the New Testament () “a being born again.” The spiritual change wrought

in man by the Holy Spirit, by which he becomes the possessor of a new life.

The new birth and regeneration do not represent successive stages in spiritual experience. They refer to

the same event but view it in different aspects. The new birth stresses the communication of spiritual life in

contrast to antecedent spiritual death. Regeneration stresses the inception of a new state of things in contrast

with the old; hence the connection of the use of the word in its application to Israel (Matthew 19:28).

Regeneration is the source of fountain of all Christian experience. The eternal life so imparted and the

new nature so created bring at once new desires, new capabilities, and new realities. These combine to introduce

the regenerated person to new experiences: a new love for God, for prayer, for the Bible, for God’s people, for

godliness, and for lost humanity.

Easy Believism

Where did this term originate? The following is a quote from Dwight Oswald who sums up the controversy

of “Lordship Salvation” and “Lord-less Salvation” in a most distinct argument:

THE DEBATE

The "Lordship Gospel" versus the "Lord-less Gospel" debate has raged for a long time.

There are essentially three KEY questions in the debate: 1) Does saving faith embrace

Christ as BOTH Lord and Savior or just Savior? 2) Does saving faith involve a change of

mind about sin called REPENTANCE? 3) Does saving faith result in a transformed life?

Those of us who hold to "Lordship" affirm that Christ must be believed on for WHO He is

as Lord as well as for WHAT He has done in His finished work on the cross. We further

affirm that inherent in believing in Christ for WHO He is involves a change of mind with

regard to sin called repentance. Finally, if the faith is real in the heart it will show in the

life. It is all a work of GRACE. It is only by the Holy Spirit that one can say that Jesus is

Lord (1 Cor. 12:3). God grants repentance (Acts 11:18). One who claims to know Christ

but does not have a resulting pattern of obedience is a "liar" (1 Jn. 2:3-4).

A FUNDAMENTAL DISAGREEMENT

Unfortunately many people involved in this discussion don’t really realize the background

of this debate in terms of FUNDAMENTALISM. In the early days of the

FUNDAMENTALIST movement in our country there was a strong advocate of the

Lordship view of repentance by the name of H.A. Ironside (1876-1951). On the other side

was a man named Lewis Sperry Chafer (1871-1952). These men were friends who

respected each other but they disagreed strongly on the issue of REPENTANCE. In

response to this debate Ironside wrote a book entitled "Unless You Repent" which was

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originally published in 1937 by the American Tract Society. In the introduction Ironside

writes:

"Fully convinced in my own mind that the doctrine of repentance is the

missing note in many otherwise orthodox and fundamentally sound circles, I

have penned this volume out of a full heart."

This book, reprinted by Gospel Folio Press, is available through D & K Press (1-800-777-

8839). At the back of the book there is "A Brief Historical Sketch" by John A. Bjorlie that

provides the context in which Ironside wrote against what has become known as "easy

believism."

Chafer was a disciple of C.I. Scofield (1843-1921). Scofield’s Study Bible and Chafer’s

Systematic Theology largely carried the day with Fundamentalists regarding "easy

believism". In the "appendix" to the book "Unless You Repent" John Bjorlie says, "It

could be said that this book on repentance was written to keep Chafer honest." (pg. 149)

Again on page 151 Bjorlie says:

The importance of this snatch of history for us today is to see that from the start there were

two very different views on this vital topic at the roots of the fundamentalist movement.

The one view, championed by C.I. Scofield and later systematically taught by Lewis Sperry

Chafer, seems to almost dread using the word "repent" and handles the topic similar to the

way in which a donkey eats thistles -- very carefully. .... Ironside did not speak on

repentance with the guarded hesitancy of a man unsure of his footing. ... He [Ironside] was

called the Archbishop of Fundamentalism, and if anyone was in a position to see the drift of

the evangelical church, he was.

When you compare the forceful Bible teaching of H.A. Ironside in this book to the cursory

explanations in Chafer’s Systematic Theology, it tells a story on its own. Those who

minimize the place of repentance in their preaching, or worse, banish it altogether, are left

with very scant standing ground after reading this book. (Dwight Oswald,

http://southviewbible.org/jun2001.htm ).

Oswald brings to the forefront the beginnings of easy believism. He is correct in that there is a great divide

among proponents of easy believism and Lordship advocates. We need to look at this term a little closer.

One form of the easy believism “gospel” teaches that we can be saved by just having a revelation of the

Holy Spirit and knowing what Jesus has achieved through His death and resurrection and then believing this

revelation. This form of easy believism claims we can be saved by knowing and believing this revelation

without receiving Jesus as Lord and without turning from our own known sins in our hearts. Easy believism is

the idea people can receive salvation through Jesus Christ by having a type of “faith” which only believes in the

truths or promises of God’s Word relating to salvation and which makes a confession of Jesus as Lord in words

but hypocritically does not really want Him as their Lord. This type of so-called “faith” does not include a

genuine though imperfect heart surrender to Jesus as Lord and is not accompanied by a sincere repentance

(change of heart attitude) to sin and a turning from sin in the heart. Easy believism followers do not understand

that the New Testament Greek words for “faith” and “believing” include the idea of surrendering to the Person

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in Whom we believe. It is not a matter of being saved by faith plus surrendering to Jesus Christ. We are saved

by a faith, which includes a sincere though imperfect surrender to his Lordship.

A so-called faith that does not accept Jesus as Lord of one’s life is really unbelief dressed up in fancy

religious clothes. Those who will not receive Jesus as Lord are in fact guilty of rejecting Him. The essence of

sin is independence from God and His Lordship over our lives. So those who say we can be born again by

accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, but nor Lord, are illogically saying we can be saved from the sins of

independence from God and rejection of His Lordship by accepting Jesus in a way that allows us to continue in

such an independent rebellious attitude. Romans 6:15-16 reveals such a conversion is not possible: “What

then? Shall we sin because we are not under the Law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that

to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slave whom you obey, whether of sin to

death, or of obedience to righteousness?” Satan is the spiritual father of all those ruled totally by self and

living independently from God. So if we try to receive Jesus as Savior but not as Lord, this means we are still

ruled totally by self and are therefore still children of the devil.

When we are born again, we accept God’s kingdom into our hearts. A kingdom must have a King. So if I do

not receive Jesus Christ as my King, I do not really have His Kingdom within me. If I am not a part of God’s

Kingdom, I am not saved.

My heart bleeds for the many people who have been deceived by this false imitation of the Gospel. God

loves them deeply. One of the reasons I chose to write this dissertation was because of my love for these people

and heartfelt concern about their eternal salvation.

Tom J. Nettles states:

Sinners are saved ‘freely’, as a gift, and that by grace. Though it is free it certainly isn’t

cheap. Grace comes only because the Father spared not his own Son, and those to whom it

comes are called to forsake final affection for every temporal thing. Also, saving faith

certainly involves both the intellect and assent. The gospel consists of propositional truth –

the ‘form of sound words,’ the ‘deposit’ – which must be grasped by the intellect to some

degree; and saving faith cannot exist without assent, for if one did not assent to the truths

he could not believe. The gospel, however, does not remain simply an object to be mastered

by our minds but is also a subject that acts upon, masters, and subdues us. Furthermore, in

one sense belief is ‘easy.’ It comes as a gift of God; it is sovereignly bestowed; it can neither

be gained by hard work nor resisted. Nothing could be easier than to be the recipient of a

gift that omnipotent love is determined to bestow. . . The determination, therefore, of

whether a soteriology, and consequently an evangelistic methodology, encourages mere

‘cheap’ and ‘easy’ cerebralism must come from looking at its views of regeneration,

repentance, assurance, and self-examination. Easy believism fails to give full weight to

Jesus’ words, ‘With man this is impossible’ (Mark 10:23-27) by attributing to the

unregenerate nature sufficient holiness to produce evangelical repentance and faith. As a

result, it leaves all professions of faith virtually unchallenged as to genuineness. The normal

and inevitable fruit of true Christian life then becomes regarded as an optional next step

From the early Southern Baptists perspective, this easy believism error was avoided. They

had a foundation in the Philadelphia Confession via Charleston and the long continuance

of the Edwardsean theology of the First Great Awakening that made their preaching and

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evangelism not only fervent, but searching and uncompromising. When the Northern

Baptists and the Southern Baptists split over a long-standing difference of slavery, the

Northern Baptists were already beginning to move to an “easy believism,” according to

Nettles. Southern Baptists held to a more conservative theology. The Southern Baptist faith

is more definitely Calvinistic, and it is one of the ironies of Baptist history that the

Southern Baptist Convention adheres more firmly to the New Hampshire Confession of

Faith than do the Northern (American) Baptists. The generation which flourished prior to

1845, and in some instances straddled that pivotal date, erected a style of ministry and

churchmanship, which sustained Southern Baptists into the early decades of the twentieth

century. An examination of their lives and ministries reveals several strengths which would

serve as a positive instruction to any generation. These areas are: 1. The depth of personal

conversion, 2. The applicatory emphasis of their preaching, 3. Their insistences on human

responsibility, 4. Their clasp of the doctrine of election and its implications, and 5. Their

practice of self-examination. These five strengths were pivotal in early Southern Baptists

Zion, and it needs to be reclaimed in our present day. Southern Baptists have strayed a

long way away from this foundation. (Tom Nettles, Early Baptists and Easy-Believism, The

Founders Journal: Issue 6, http://www.founders.org/FJ06/contents.html ).

Easy believism is what the devil and his demons have. The Bible says, “the devils believe also and

tremble” (James 2:19). The devil and his demons (like unconverted church members) have an intellectual

knowledge, and give their mental assent to some things in the Bible, but they are not going to stop rebelling

against God. They are not interested in holiness; they are not going to change. They just believe. That is not too

hard to do. It is easy, until the easy believer gets to hell! There has been a long period of repentance-free, easy-

believism converts, many of them herded into baptisteries, pews and church positions and offices. Some have

wound up in the pulpits.

Many people have related circumstances involved in a false profession of faith they made as a child

during a five minute encounter with a “soul-winner” on a playground, during an invitation following a

Children’s Church Program, or Vacation Bible School, etc. They confess that at the time of their “so-called”

profession of faith in these instances, the only thing they understood was that they definitely did not want to go

to hell. This, and this alone, motivated them to walk an aisle, raise their hand (to signal their acceptance of

Christ), or repeat a profession of faith as they were coached to do so. Often, they will recall that their response

to a public or private invitation to receive the Lord as Savior was motivated only by a strong desire to please an

adult. Sometimes it is admitted that professions of faith have been made merely in an effort to be part of the

crowd “going forward.” Adults often make professions of faith for any or all of the same reasons mentioned

above and confess this later. Many have made false professions of faith during a time of physical, financial, or

family crisis when they were desperate for help and were told that by “accepting Jesus” things would get better,

life would be happier, etc. There is a very important distinction needed at this point: conviction is not the same

thing as conversion. The Holy Spirit must be allowed to do His work in bringing a soul to repentance and faith.

When a man or a woman makes a false profession of faith and is talked into an acceptance of it by those

who cry “peace and safety” for their soul when in reality there is neither peace nor safety for their still unsaved

souls it becomes a tragedy. The tragedy is that many churches are filled with unsaved members, and even have

preachers who have never been saved because they have by-passed repentance and went straight to “accepting,”

“trusting,” “making a decision for” Christ. All of this is a result of the modern easy believism doctrine that has

swept our land. Richard Owen Roberts states:

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But He (God), in love, desires to extend His mercy, forgiveness, and restoration to all of His

people in the hope that they will repent and return to Him. In fact, the first word from the

heart of God, revealed from Genesis through Revelation, is His urgent and loving call:

‘Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!’ Repentance from the beginning of time to the

present hour has been, and remains, the most positive word from the heart of God! (Richard Owen Roberts, Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel, Crossway Books: Wheaton,

Illinois, 2002, pg. 7).

“Repentance from the beginning of time to the present hour has been, and remains, the most positive

word from the heart of God!” Roberts is exactly right. If we do not return to this belief, we will be utter

failures in the preaching of the gospel as God would have us to do. The failure to preach repentance must be

addressed by all men of God. All people in, and out of the church, must also believe in it, or there will never be

true, genuine salvation.

Lordship Salvation

Over the past twenty years, a long-standing debate has gone on in the evangelical community on the issue of

Lordship Salvation. The term “Lordship Salvation” was “coined by those who want to eliminate the idea of

submission to Christ from the call to saving faith, and it implies that Jesus’ lordship is a false addition to

the gospel.” (John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus, Academie Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan,

Zondervan Publishing House, Footnote 20, page 28 – 29). MacArthur continues by saying that “. . . ‘lordship

salvation’ is simply the biblical and historic doctrine of soteriology.”

Contradictory opinions have arisen as to what is necessary for an individual to come into the experience of

salvation. One side of the issue is the belief that Lordship is absolutely essential, while those on the other side

deem that teaching a works salvation. The common ground in this whole issue is the essential truth of the deity

of Jesus Christ, that He is Lord and God. No one on either side of the issue would deny that fact. Because of

that fact it is impossible to “make Christ Lord” since He is Lord. The essential nature of Christ is not where the

controversy is found. The controversy is in submission to Him, as Lord of one’s life, as a necessary part of the

salvation experience. According to Lordship salvation, sola fides iustificat (faith alone justifies), sed non fides

quae est sola (but not the faith which is alone). A contrast must be made between the content of faith and the

consequences of faith. For one to say that faith issues in good works does not mean faith is good works; and to

say that works are the expression of faith does not mean works are the essence of faith.

Lordship salvation teaches that Christians cannot live complacently in salvation not that they cannot sin. No

one on the Lordship side believes that Christians will be sinless. Christians may sin but they do not practice sin,

as 1 John 3:6 states: ”Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither

known him.” A Christian can sin and sometimes even seriously sin. However, if they are Christians, the Bible

teaches that they will suffer for that sin. Hebrews 12 teaches that the Lord chastises His children (those who are

saved) and sin. If a man sins and there is complacency and contentment in his life, then he is an unregenerate

man. However, if conviction comes into his life, then he is saved. In other words, if the Christian sins,

conviction will make him miserable until he gets it right with God through repentance.

Lordship salvation recognizes the distinction between the implicit acknowledgment by the newly saved

individual of the principle of Christ’s rightful authority over his life and the explicit practice of progressive

submission to the Christ who is Lord. When a man receives Christ as Savior and Lord it does not mean he is

wholly committed. It does mean he is committed to being holy.

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Those who are the proponents of Lordship salvation believe that someone who is truly saved will produce

fruit that will attest to the genuineness of his faith, because he will have acknowledged Jesus not only as his

Savior, but as His Lord as well. Those who reject Lordship salvation believe that someone may have genuine

faith in Christ, but the fact that he continues in his sin demonstrates that he has not made Jesus his Lord, only

his Savior. According to Charles C. Ryrie in So Great Salvation: What it Means to Believe in Jesus Christ,

(Wheaton: Victor Books, 1989) a person who sins or acts in a disobedient manner (even if he does it habitually)

does not mean that he does not have a saving faith.

The issue, at least to this author, is not whether we sin or do not sin; rather, it is our attitude toward our sin.

In other words, if there is willful rejection of Christ’s Lordship, then that proves the confession of faith of that

individual is not valid. That is the position taken by John MacArthur in his book The Gospel According to

Jesus.

An enormous challenge is given to those who preach, teach and witness the gospel to lost people, must tell

the lost that they are not just making a decision but that the decision they are making has implications. There is

responsibility on the part of those who come to Christ. We do not come for “fire insurance” we come because

He is Lord and we want Him to be in control of our lives from that point and throughout all eternity.

No doubt there is a great contrast between those of the Lordship salvation position and those of what has

been termed earlier in this paper “easy believism.” The issue may never be solve this side of heaven, however,

we must strive to have integrity in dealing with those whose eternal destiny is at stake. They must be taught that

salvation is more than just saying “yes” to Jesus. Jesus did die for our sins so that we would not have to die.

That is Christ’s responsibility to save us because we cannot save ourselves. But we are to allow Him to lead,

guide, guard and direct us as Lord. We must submit to Him as the final authority in our lives. That takes total

surrender not partial surrender as some would have us to believe.

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“Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation”

CHAPTER TWO

Literature Review

Repentance from the Historical Perspective

We can learn much about repentance from the history of great men of God who did not shy away from the

Scriptural importance of preaching repentance. These men of God evidently understood what repentance was

and why it is important to the evangelistic appeal in their preaching. A look back into the past will teach us

volumes about repentance; its significance and why we must reclaim it in this twenty-first century, if we are to

preach true to our calling and the message of salvation.

Let us look at a few of these great men of God and their own conversion experiences and then what they

believed and taught about repentance as a vital part of the salvation experience.

CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON (1834-1892)

Many preachers of our day have told the story of Spurgeon’s conversion. However, what is not told, is the

long and bitter conviction of sin and his longing for salvation. This experience for Spurgeon was so important to

him that he spoke frequently of it in his preaching and even devoted a whole chapter to it in his Autobiography.

Spurgeon was a master of description, but it would seem he was almost at a loss of words to picture the agony

of being lost and burdened with conviction. Ian Murray, ed., The Early Years, (London: Banner of Truth, 1962),

p. 59 quotes Spurgeon: “I had rather pass through seven years of the most languishing sickness, than I

would ever again pass through the terrible discovery of the evil of sin.” This experience, which Spurgeon

was referring to, began when he was still young. When he was only three years of age he became amused with

Bunyan’s Pilgrim and the pictures of Pilgrim with the burden on his back, and before long he knew the meaning

– that it was the burden of sin. When Spurgeon began to read, he read the Bible and the works of the great

Puritans. He found himself listening attentively to theological discussions, and by the time he was ten he had

acquired a remarkable knowledge of Christian doctrine. He had seen what sin is in the eyes of God, and he

knew, that like Pilgrim, he also was bearing the awful burden of sin and that he himself could not remove it.

Spurgeon knew that Christ died for our sins, however, he did not see any application to himself. He tried

prayer, but he says,

The only complete sentence was ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner!’ The overwhelming splendor of

his majesty, the greatness of His power, the severity of His justice, the immaculate character of

His holiness, and all his dreadful grandeur – these things overpowered my soul, and I fell down in

utter prostration of Spirit. (Ibid, p. 55).

Spurgeon made many efforts to relieve this burden, but his conviction only increased. In 1849, while at

Newmarket school, there was an outbreak of fever, and the school temporarily closed. Charles went home to

Colchester for the Christmas season. It was there that God used the time to bring Spurgeon to salvation.

The conversion experience of Spurgeon was the great turning point in his life. The long years of terrible

conviction was now gone. But the suffering through which he went during those long years of conviction had a

lasting effect on him. He recognized the awful evils of sin, and it was deeply ingrained in his mind and he even

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loathed sin and loved all that was holy. He had heard many preachers preach, but they failed to present the

gospel in a plain and simple, direct manner and that caused him throughout his whole ministry to tell sinners in

every sermon and in a forthright and understandable way exactly how to be saved.

Spurgeon had been brought up in the Congregational denomination of which both his grandfather and father

were ministers. He rejoiced in the gospel they preached, but he disagreed with them on the matter of baptism.

They practiced the christening of infants, and he had been christened by his grandfather as a babe. Now he

believed that in order to have a biblical baptism – being “buried with Christ” – one must be immersed.

Even as a child he had leanings in that direction. He had been led in a discussion by a clergyman from the

Church of England. The clergyman told him that “faith and repentance” are prerequisites for baptism, and

because of that, no infant possesses such qualifications. Charles fully agreed that “faith and repentance” are

necessary for baptism.

In his book All of Grace: An Earnest Word with Those Who Are Seeking Salvation by the Lord Jesus

Christ, (Moody Classic), (Chicago: Moody Publishers, December 1984), p.26-27 Spurgeon states:

I hear another man cry, “Oh, sir my want of strength lies mainly in this, that I cannot repent

sufficiently!” A curious idea men have of what repentance is! Many fancy that so many

tears are to be shed, and so many groans are to be heaved, and so much despair is to be

endured. Whence comes this unreasonable notion? Unbelief and despair are sins, and

therefore I do not see how they can be constituent elements of acceptable repentance; yet

there are many who regard them as necessary parts of true Christian experience. They are

in great error. Still, I know what they mean, for in the days of my darkness I used to feel in

the same way. I desired to repent, but I thought that I could not do it, and yet all the while I

was repenting. Odd as it may sound, I felt that I could not feel. I used to get into a corner

and weep, because I could not weep; and I fell into bitter sorrow because I could not

sorrow for sin. What a jumble it all is when in our unbelieving state we begin to judge our

own condition! It is like a blind man looking at his own eyes. My heart was melted within

me for fear, because I thought that my heart was as hard as adamant stone. My heart was

broken to think that it would not break. Now I can see that I was exhibiting the very thing

which I thought I did not possess; but then I knew not where I was.

Remember that the man who truly repents is never satisfied with his own repentance.

We can no more repent perfectly than we can live perfectly. However pure our tears, there

will always be some dirt in them: there will be something to be repented of even in our best

repentance. But listen! To repent is to change your mind about sin, and Christ, and all the

great things of God. There is sorrow implied in this; but the main point is the turning of the

heart from sin to Christ. If there be this turning, you have the essence of true repentance,

even though no alarm and no despair should ever have cast their shadow upon your mind. .

.

Surely the cross is that wonder-working rod which can bring water out of a rock. If you

understand the full meaning of the divine sacrifice of Jesus, you must repent of ever having

been opposed to One who is so full of love. . . Repentance will not make you see Christ; but

to see Christ will give you repentance. You may not make a Christ out of your repentance,

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but you must look for repentance to Christ. The Holy Ghost, by turning us to Christ, turns

us from sin.

To repent is to change your mind about sin, and christ, and all the great things of god.

there is sorrow implied in this; but the main point is the turning of the heart from sin to

Christ. if there be this turning, you have the essence of true repentance, even though no

alarm and no despair should ever have cast their shadow upon your mind. Spurgeon

understood the true meaning of repentance. Sadly we have either forgotten this great truth

in our day or have neglected it so long that the repentance we speak of today is nothing at

all like what Spurgeon believed and preached.

Spurgeon believed that repentance was an important topic that he preached numerous sermons

on the subject. In a book 12 Sermons on Repentance, published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids,

MI, 1974, one will find Charles Spurgeon’s sermons on repentance. In one of those sermons, “God’s

Goodness Leading to Repentance,” Spurgeon states on page 110:

The goodness of God to a man of evil life is not intended to encourage him to continue in

his sin, but it is meant to woo and win him away from it. God manifests his infinite

gentleness and love that he may thereby kill man’s sin; and that, by his tender mercy, he

may win man’s hard heart unto himself; and that, by his abundant lovingkindness, he may

awaken man’s conscience to a sense of true position in his Maker’s sight, that he may turn

away from sin which he now loves, and may seek his God, whom he has despised and

neglected.

Spurgeon makes it clear here that there must be a turning away from sin and a seeking after God.

This is true repentance. There will be no seeking after God until one turns from the sin which has

controlled him.

JONATHAN EDWARDS (1703-1758)

Iain H. Murray in is biography of Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography, (Banner of

Truth, Edinburgh EH12 6EL, 1987) quotes Jonathan Edwards on page 24:

They who are truly converted are new men, new, creatures; new, not only within, but

without; they are sanctified throughout, in spirit, soul and body; old things are passed

away, all things are become new; they have new hearts, new eyes, new ears, new tongues,

new hands new feet; i.e., a new conversation and practice; they walk in newness of life, and

continue to do so to the end of life.

Edwards believed that new converts had a great and wonderful delight in both Scriptures and the Lord’s

Day and that converts remarkably appeared united in dear affection to one another, and many have expressed

much of that spirit of live which they have felt toward all mankind; and particularly to those that had been least

friendly to them.

In other words, conversion brings with it not only a certain conviction but also a changed life.

Conversion also sinks its roots deep into the soul and brings forth a whole new life that not only sees differently

but also thinks and acts differently.

In his work, The Great Christian Doctrine of Original Sin, Edwards deals with repentance in PART III:

Chapter II: ”The Evidence of the Doctrine of Original Sin from what the Scripture Teaches of the Application

of Redemption.”

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The truth of the doctrine of original sin is very clearly manifest from what the Scripture

says of that change of state, which it represents as necessary to an actual interest in the

spiritual and eternal blessings of the Redeemer’s kingdom.

In order to do this, it speaks of it as absolutely necessary for everyone, that he be

regenerated, or born again. . .

But in order to proceed in the most sure and safe manner, in understanding what is meant

by being born again, and so in the inferences we draw from what is said of the necessity of

it, let us compare scripture with scripture, and consider what other terms or phrases are

used, where respect is evidently had to the same change. And here I observe the following

things.

If we compare one Scripture with another, it will be sufficiently manifest, that by

regeneration, or being begotten, or born again, the same change in the state of mind is

signified with that which the scripture speaks of as affected in true REPENTANCE and

CONVERSION. I put repentance and conversion together, because the scripture puts them

together, Acts 3:19 and because they plainly signify much the same thing. The word

() repentance, signifies a change of mind; as the word conversion, means a change

or turning from sin to God. . .

The change of mind in repentance is that in which saving faith is attained. . .

The change which a man undergoes when born again, and in his repentance and

conversion, is the same that the scripture calls the CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART. . .

That circumcision of heart, is the same with conversion, or turning from sin to God, is

evident by Jeremiah 4:1-4, “If thou wilt return, O Israel, return unto me. Circumcise .

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and put away the foreskins of your heart.” And

Deuteronomy 10:16, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more

stiff-necked.” Circumcision of the heart is the same change of the heart that men

experience in repentance; as evident by Leviticus 26:41, “If their uncircumcised hearts be

humbled, and they accept the punishment of their iniquity.”

The change effected in regeneration, repentance, and conversion is signified by baptism, as

has been shown, and so is circumcision of the heart signified by the same thing. . . .This

inward change, called regeneration, and circumcision of the heart, which is wrought in

repentance and conversion, is the same with that spiritual RESURRECTION so often

spoken of, and represented as a dying to sin, and a living unto righteousness. . .

It is almost needless to observe, how evidently this is spoken of as necessary to salvation,

and as the change in which are attained the habits of true virtue and holiness, and the

character of a true saint; as has been observed of regeneration, conversion, etc. and how it

is, the change is the same. Thus repentance (), the change of mind, is the same as

being changed to a NEW mind, or a NEW heart and spirit. Conversion is the turning of the

heart; which is the same as changing it so, that there shall be another heart, or a new heart,

or a new spirit. To be born again, is to be born anew; which implies a becoming NEW, and

is represented as becoming newborn babes. . .

It appears from this, together with what has been proved above, that it is most certain with

respect to every one of the human race, that he can never have any interest in Christ, or see

the kingdom of God, unless he be the subject of that CHANGE in the temper and

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disposition of his heart, which is made in repentance and conversion, circumcision of the

heart, spiritual baptism, dying to sin, and rising to a new and holy life; and unless he has

the old heart taken away, and a new heart and spirit given, and puts off the old man, and

puts on the new man, and old things are passed away, and all things are made new.

From what is plainly implied in these things, and from what the Scripture most clearly

teaches of the nature of them, it is certain, that every man in born into the world in a state

of moral pollution. For SPIRITUAL BAPTISTM is a cleansing from moral filthiness

(Ezekiel 36:25 compared with Acts 11:16 and John 3:5). So the washing of regeneration, or

the NEW BIRTH, is a change from a state of wickedness. (Titus 3:3-5) Men are spoken of

as purified in their regeneration (1 Peter 1:22,23; see also 1 John 2:29 and 3:1, 3). And it

appears, that every man in his first or natural state is a sinner; for otherwise he would then

need no REPENTANCE, no CONVERSION, no turning from sin to God. And it appears,

that every man in his original state has a heart of stone; for thus the Scripture calls that old

heart, which is taken away, when a NEW HEART and NEW SPIRIT is given. (Ezekiel

11:19 and 36:26) And it appears, that man’s nature, as in his native state, is corrupt

according to the deceitful lusts, and of its own motion exerts itself in nothing but wicked

deeds.

Without doubt, Jonathan Edwards was possibly the finest preacher and clearest theological thinker of the

1700s. He clearly believed and taught that to have true faith meant that there must be a change in the person’s

actions which were a result of repentance of sins.

JOHN WESLEY (1703-1791)

Wesley produced in 1765, The Scripture Way of Salvation.” The contents of this sermon was Wesley’s

best attempt to explicate what the Word of God – as he tells in the preface of the sermon – reveals concerning

“the way to heaven – how to land safe on that happy shore” (Albert C. Outler, John Wesley Sermons, Vol.

1-4 in Works, 1:105, Preface). The term “way” as used by Wesley, is synonymous with the term “mode” or

“fashion.” It is the Scripture way as opposed to some other way.

The key theme in Wesley’s theology is the grace of God. In fact, there is no point in Wesley’s theology

of salvation where divine grace is not the leading motif. Wesley defines the grace of God in not one but two key

ways. On the one hand, like Luther and Calvin before him, Wesley views grace, first of all, as the “undeserved

favour of God: All the blessings which God hath bestowed upon man are his mere grace, bounty and

favour, favour altogether undeserved.” (Outler, Sermon, 1:117, “Salvation by Faith”).

Beyond this, his considerable readings in the broad Catholic tradition (both Greek and Roman), which

underscored participation in and empowerment through the life of God, helped Wesley to see grace in yet

another way as “the power of the Holy Ghost,” to enable people to walk in the ways of God. Simply put, the

former understanding accents the favor of God toward humanity; the latter, human participation and renewal.

Wesley considered repentance to be of two sorts: Legal repentance and evangelical repentance. Legal

repentance entails a thorough conviction of sin at the beginning of one’s spiritual journey; that is it occurs as the

freshly awakened sinner, prompted by the Holy Spirit, sets out on a new course of life with both firm

resolutions and sincere intentions. Wesley referred to this awakening as the “porch” of religion. Evangelical

repentance is more broadly conceived and it involves a change of heart from “all sin to all holiness.” In short,

legal repentance is concerned principally with actual sin, the very practice of sin (and deliverance from it, which

is understandably the chief preoccupation of the newly awakened. Evangelical repentance is concerned with

inbred or original sin, the being of sin (and the life of holiness), the preoccupation of the more spiritually

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mature. Wesley was very emphatic about repentance as revealed in his sermon “The Lord Our Righteousness”,

(Outler, Sermons, 1:458):

We must “repent” before we can “believe the gospel.” We must be cut off from dependence

upon ourselves before we can truly depend upon Christ. We must cast away all confidence

in our own righteousness, or we cannot have a true confidence in His. Till we are delivered

from trusting in anything that we do, we cannot thoroughly trust in what He has done and

suffered.

Wesley tended to focus on three principal aspects of repentance, namely, (a) conviction or self-

knowledge, (b) poverty of spirit, and (c) rejection of self-righteousness and self-justification. Concerning the

first aspect, a careful examination of Wesley’s writings reveals that he employed the terms repentance,

conviction of sin, and self-knowledge interchangeably, thereby strongly associating each with the others. ( “The

Way to the Kingdom,” Outler, Sermons, 4:298) – which is perhaps Wesley’s most important writing on the

subject of repentance – shows clearly how self-knowledge can be both humbling and therapeutic:

Know thyself to be a sinner, and what manner of sinner thou art. Know that corruption of

thy inmost nature, whereby thou art very far gone from original righteousness…. Know

that thou art corrupted in every power, in every faculty of thy soul…. The eyes of thine

understanding are darkened, so that they cannot discern God or the things of God. The

clouds of ignorance and error rest upon thee, and cover thee with the shadow of death.

Thou knowest nothing yet as thou oughtest to know, neither God, nor the world, nor

thyself.

In other words, when the veil of self-deception is removed, when no illusions concerning the essential

goodness of the self are tolerated, and when the immense distance between God and humanity is perceived,

though dimly perhaps, it is then that sinners gain an appreciation of their true condition.

Wesley explores the second aspect of repentance in terms of poverty of spirit, that is, in terms of

lowliness and humility that is a consequence of greater self-knowledge. In his sermons “Upon Our Lord’s

Sermon on the Mount, Discourse The First” Wesley demonstrates that the foundation of all true religion is

spiritual poverty and that “real Christianity always begins in poverty of spirit” that is, in the conviction of

sin and in the renunciation of ourselves.

The very demand of John the Baptist and Jesus for repentance prior to the reception of the kingdom of

heaven demonstrates that is was a spiritual kingdom to which they were directed, as Wesley aptly points out,

and that “no wicked man, how politic, brave, or learned soever, could possibly be a subject of it.” The poor

in spirit are those who are penitent, who are convinced of their sin and utter helplessness, and who have a just

and realistic sense of their inward and outward sin.

The third aspect of repentance is described by Wesley in terms of the rejection of self-sufficiency or

self-justification. This rejection, valuable in so many ways, marks the beginning of a shift in allegiance from the

self, and its spoiled resources, to the grace, favor, and power of God. Self-righteousness and self-justification, in

other words, must be abandoned in order to receive, in time, a better righteousness, even the righteousness of

God. There must be a true “turning around” as the etymology of the word repentance suggests.

Repentance is a human response (enabled by God) to convincing grace. Justification, on the other hand,

is not a human work at all: it is nothing less than the activity and prerogative of God alone.

Wesley’s own journey underscores the necessity for reclaiming repentance in this post-modern world

through the preaching in the pulpit. For there are those in our churches, who just like Wesley, believed they

were saved when in fact there was never any repentance in their life. Therefore, they have no peace and they

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struggle with sin and question their salvation to the point that they believe they may indeed be lost – which the

thesis of this paper is striving to prove.

GEORGE WHITEFIELD (1714-1770)

George Whitefield lived from 1714 – 1770. In his adult life he was as famous as any man in the English

speaking world. From 22 years of age he was the foremost figure in a religious movement that held the attention

of the entire English speaking world, called the Great Awakening. Perhaps only the Reformation or even the

apostolic age itself could surpass the spiritual fervor God poured out at that time. George Whitefield preached in

England, Scotland, Wales, Gibraltar, Bermuda and the American colonies. All the preachers of this era were

men of doctrine, and men of fervor who strove to give their lives 100% to Christ Jesus.

In Whitefield’s day the spiritual and moral conditions were foul with corruption and crippled by spiritual

decay. The preaching from the pulpit at that time was quite cold, and the primary concern was that no one

should show any sign of being “enthusiastic” about religion. The point is that a Great Awakening was just as

improbable then, as it may seem today. But at the very time when revival seemed impossible, all of England

was stilled by the voice of a preacher barely 22 years old, George Whitefield. He began to speak from the pulpit

with fervor and power. He preached repentance from sin which resulted in a turning to God in faith unto

salvation.

In his sermon “A Penitent Heart, the Best New Year’s Gift”

(http://www.reformed.org/documents/Whitefield/WITF_032.html) he used the text of Luke 13:3: “Except

ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” he begins by stating:

My brethren, when grace is given us to repent truly, we shall turn wholly unto God; and let

me beseech you to repent of your sins, for the time is hastening when you will have neither

time nor call to repent; there is non in the grave, whither we are going; but do not be

afraid, for God often receives the greatest sinner to mercy through the merits of Christ

Jesus; this magnifies the riches of his free grace; and should be an encouragement for you,

who are great and notorious sinners, to repent, for he shall have mercy upon you, if you

through Christ return unto him. . .

Repentance, my brethren, in the first place, as to its nature, is the carnal and corrupt

disposition of men being changed into a renewed and sanctified disposition. A man that has

truly repented, is truly regenerated: it is a different word for one and the same thing; the

motley mixture of the beast and devil is gone; there is, as it were, a new creation wrought in

your hearts. If your repentance is true, you are renewed throughout, both in soul and

body; your understandings are enlightened with the knowledge of God, and of the Lord

Jesus Christ; and your wills, which were stubborn, obstinate, and hated all good, are

obedient and conformable to the will of God. . .

It is the nature of such repentance to make a change, and the greatest change as can be

made here in the soul. Thus you see what repentance implies in its own nature; it denotes

an abhorrence of all evil, and a forsaking of it. . .

Many, in our days, think crying, God forgive me! or, Lord have mercy upon me! or, I am

sorry for it! Is repentance, and that God will esteem it as such: but, indeed, they are

mistaken; it is not the drawing near to God with our lips, while our hearts are far from

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him, which he regards. Repentance does not come by fits and starts; no, it is one continued

act of our lives; for as we daily commit sin, so we need a daily repentance before God, to

obtain forgiveness for those sins we commit. . .

Resolve to leave all thy sinful lusts and pleasures; renounce, forsake, and abhor thy old

sinful course of life, and serve God in holiness and righteousness all the remaining part of

life. If you lament and bewail past sins, and do not forsake them, your repentance is in

vain, you are mocking God, and deceiving your own soul; you must put off the old man

with his deeds, before you can put on the new man, Christ Jesus. . .

. . . I shall now . . . show the reasons why repentance is necessary to salvation.

And this, my brethren, is plainly revealed to us in the word of God, “The soul that does not

repent and turn to the Lord, shall die in its sins, and their blood shall be required at their

own heads.” It is necessary, as we have sinned, we should repent; for a holy God could not,

nor ever can, or will, admit any thing that is unholy into his presence: this is the beginning

of grace in the soul; there must be a change in heart and life, before there can be a dwelling

with a holy God.

. . . you who never have truly repented of your sins, and never have truly forsaken your

lusts, be no offended if I speak plain to you; for it is love, love to your souls, that constrains

me to speak: I shall lay before you your danger, and the misery to which you are exposes,

while you remain impenitent in sin. . .

While thy sins are not repented of, thou art in danger of death, and if you should die, you

would perish for ever. There is no hope of any who live and die in their sins, but that they

will dwell with devils and damned spirits to all eternity. . .

And O if you repent and come to Jesus, I would rejoice on your accounts too; and we

should rejoice together to all eternity, when once passed on the other side of the grave. O

come to Jesus. The arms of Jesus Christ will embrace you; he will wash away all your sins

in his blood, and will love you freely.

Come, I beseech you to come unto Jesus Christ. . .

George Whitefield plainly and distinctly, in this one sermon alone, preached repentance as strongly as

any preacher or his time or after. Other sermons of Whitefield such as “The Almost Christian” using the text

Acts 26:28: “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” and “Repentance and Conversion” using the text

Acts 3:19: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of

refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” both have strong arguments for repentance of sins and

faith in Jesus Christ.

Repentance from the Scriptural Perspective

Now that we have seen from the historical perspective that repentance was important to the preachers of the

past, let’s move further back to the New Testament and look at the belief of five preachers from the era of the

beginning roots of the church.

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JOHN THE BAPTIST

We will begin by briefly looking at John the Baptist who was the forerunner of Jesus Christ. He had an

arduous task of preaching repentance. It was the forgotten truth of the New Testament period. The prophets of

the Old Testament consistently preached repentance, but the people had grown weary of it and would have

nothing to do with it any longer. Then John the Baptist comes along and the once familiar ring of the Old

Testament prophet preaching the message of repentance had been renewed. Due to the Roman yoke that was

upon them the Jews were eagerly looking for a breath of fresh air. John the Baptist preaching repentance and the

coming of the King brought great excitement to the eager hearts. (See Appendix C for a Sample Sermon on

John the Baptist – His Mission, Method and Master, an exegesis of Matthew 3:1-12).

JESUS CHRIST

The very first message of Jesus was: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the

kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17, KJV). The voice of the Lord urging the people to repentance –

the Holy Spirit made it known to the people that they might take heed, saying, “Today, when you hear his

voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as in the day of testing in the wilderness.” (Psalm 95:8).

In the same Psalm, he made clear that he was urging the sinful people to repentance and showed the state a

repentant soul, saying, “Come, let us fall down before him and lament before the Lord who made us, for he is

our God.” (Psalm 95:6-7). The Lord urges repentance, and he promises to pardon their sins, according to

Isaiah’s words: “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your iniquities, and I will not be mindful of your sins.

But you be mindful, declare first your iniquities that you may be justified.” (Isaiah 43:25-26). Rightly then

does the Lord urge the people to repentance when he says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” so

that through confession of sins they may be made worthy to approach the kingdom of heaven. For no one can

receive the grace of the heavenly God unless one has been cleansed of every stain of sin by the confession of

repentance, through the gift of the saving baptism of our Lord and Savior.

Jesus also said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and

follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in

exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-27, NKJV)

It is clear that one cannot be committed to self-interest and selfish ambition and follows Jesus. It is like

trying to walk both north and south at the same time, it cannot be done. There must be a change, a turning of

one’s life. Salvation is not an enrichment of our lives, its is a death to our lives and an impartation of His life.

Hence there is a call for fruit worthy of repentance. Repentance deals with the very heart of an individual, it

goes to the very depths and searches its intention and motives. If there is anything in the person that takes

priority over the Lordship of Christ, the Lord will shake it until the person either surrenders or walks away.

True repentance will produce fruit and works that are worth or honorable to repentance. It would be hard to

conceive that a person would repent and would continue to serve Satan. Jesus death on the cross was not so we

could serve Satan, but in the power of His grace, we would honor Him in our lives. Does one sin so that grace

may abound, God forbid. . . The work of the cross and God’s grace is the gift of God to deliver us from the

world, the flesh and the Devil. To continue a former lifestyle with a few modifications is unscriptural. What did

Jesus mean when He said to “bring forth fruit worthy of repentance?” What we have done with repentance,

describes what we have done with the salvation message. Though grace plays a big part in salvation, grace

today is used to take the sting out of repentance. There are many reasons for this, one, if true repentance was

preached, the church would be less than one-tenth the size. After three years of a powerful ministry, healing the

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sick, casting out demons, preaching to thousands and providing lunch Jesus had only 120 at the upper room.

What was so restrictive about His message that is not in our messages?

Repentance is not a call to religion, but a call to lay the axe to the root of our life. You cannot continue to

live your life from the root that you have been living. You must give it all up. Two statements worth paying

close attention to in John’s message: “Bring forth therefore fruits meet (worthy) for repentance,” and “every

tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” (Luke 3:8a, 9b)

In order to understand the full meaning of the word “fruit” of which accompanies repentance, we must go

back and examine where the demand for “fruit” is stressed without the use of the word “repentance.” Let me

give some examples from the Savior’s own teaching:

The Rich Young Ruler

Matthew 19:16-17

“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have

eternal life? [17] And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:

but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”

This situation would have provided a great opportunity for Jesus to explain the significance of the grace

message and follow up with the sinner’s prayer. In fact Jesus does not even deny his request to know the “good

thing” that would give him eternal life. There is something we are missing here; the author of faith and salvation

is leading this man to the “act” of repentance and not necessarily the message or “word “of repentance. He is

skillfully going to his heart and challenging his roots and ambitions. In today’s gospel, we would immediately

explain that works has nothing to do with eternal life, but Jesus knew it was not a correct doctrine of works vs.

grace that was the solution, but “root.” Until the axe was laid to the root of this man and eradicated out of his

life, he could not be saved, otherwise he could only be “theologically” saved. We talk people into a

“theological” salvation without the axe being laid to the root of their life. Today we seek no fruit or evidence of

the individual’s commitment to make Jesus Lord. You cannot have a kingdom without there being a king. By

our lowering the standard of salvation, our message convicts no one of sin, they remain on the large part

unchanged after “salvation” and are functionless members of the body of Christ.

Let us read on in this same passage (Matthew 19:17-22):

Matthew 19:17-22

“And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou

wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. [18] He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no

murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, [19]

Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [20] The young man saith

unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? [21] Jesus said unto him, If thou

wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and

come and follow me. [22] But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had

great possessions.”

“What do I still lack?” He lacked the first commandment, “I am the Lord your God, you shall have no

other gods before me.” Whatever takes place first in our heart, is our god. God will permit nothing to take first

place. Jesus cannot save you, if He does not have you. Jesus was not willing to: one, make the answer

theological, and two, give him a false hope without total surrender. Jesus pressed at the very heart and desire of

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the man, to get at the very root of his life. He could not be saved unless he confessed the root of his sin and

turned from it. If we want to be free from God’s wrath and hell, we are going to have to give all to Jesus. There

is no second best we can offer Him. You are going to go to hell if you do not give Jesus all of your heart. You

must change the direction of your life to be rooted in Christ.

Let us continue to look at this passage:

Matthew 19:23-25

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the

kingdom of heaven. [24] And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,

than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. [25] When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly

amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?”

In today’s gospel, it is not “hard” for anyone to be saved, in fact we go to lengths to convince them of

salvation. But the disciples were “greatly astonished,” because they recognize the difficulty, they just saw Jesus

refuse a man, a man that was not willing to give up his money. This was not going to be easy. What they saw in

Jesus’ dialogue with the rich man, was Jesus pressing him to repentance. Repentance is the surrender of your

life and the control of that life. It is confessing that you have things in your life that control you, things that you

give worth and power to, things that you want more than Jesus, and now, you are willing to turn from those

things and follow Jesus.

Matthew 19:26-30

“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are

possible. [27] Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee;

what shall we have therefore? [28] And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have

followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit

upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. [29] And every one that hath forsaken houses, or

brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an

hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. [30] But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be

first.”

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” We often hear it said: “Well God

knows my sin and though I will continue to sin, He understands, and with God all things are possible.” Yes, we

agree, being a Christian is a personal relationship; my question is, a personal relationship with whom? Do we

really believe that we can serve the Devil the majority of the day and week and turn around and say we have

personal relationship with the “Lord” Jesus? Repentance is a turning from the sinful root and its sin and turning

to the godly root and abiding in Jesus – and producing much fruit.

When we tell prospective disciples today, “Just ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and you can go to

heaven,” we are not telling the whole truth of the gospel. Jesus is available for the asking, but accepting Jesus

means accepting the reign of God and God’s right to determine what we do with our lives. When we invite our

Lord to free us from sin, we are inviting him to rule our life; and while we may yet fall short in submission to

his will, we must actively acknowledge his right to determine our lives, acting on the knowledge that he has

begun to transform us by His Spirit.

Let us look at another Scripture as an example of what Jesus meant by repentance:

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Luke 10:25-26

“And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit

eternal life? [26] He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?”

Here we have Jesus again referring to the law. Does not Jesus know that through the law no one is justified?

What is wrong with His theology? Jesus knew how the law gets to the heart of man’s rebellion, it reveals the

true motives and the intent of his life.

Romans 7:5

“For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to

bring forth fruit unto death.”

The Law arouses our sinful passions, it is in direct conflict to the things we want and desire. Jesus here was

allowing the Law to “mirror” the righteousness of God to his sinful heart. The sinful nature hates the law, it

refuses to submit to any ordinance or orders. If someone would have come forth with the four spiritual laws, he

may have given his heart to the Lord.

Luke 10:27

“And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and

with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”

It is clear that the lawyer had perfect theology, he had the right answer. Jesus was not after his confession,

but after the root of his life.

Luke 10:28

And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Interesting, Jesus brings the argument back to doing something, something that would demonstrate his

sincerity to follow the Lordship of Christ. If he starts loving people, that would be fruit worthy of repentance

and evidence of his salvation. But in order to do that, he would have to lay down his self-interest and the root

from which self-interest draws. Example: (1 John 3:14 - “We know that we have passed from death unto life,

because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”

Luke 10:29

“But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?”

Jesus saw the prejudice toward the Samaritans and the limit to which this arrogant lawyer would be willing

to surrender. His question was to twist and misrepresent the command of love. Men often justify themselves

using vagueness and ignorance: “I do not know what God requires of me.” So they give vent to the root of their

sin, self.

Luke 10:30-37

And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell

among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving

him half dead. [31] And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he

saw him, he passed by on the other side. [32] And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place,

came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. [33] But a certain Samaritan, as he

journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, [34] And

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went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast,

and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. [35] And on the morrow when he departed,

he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and

whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. [36] Which now of these

three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? [37] And he said,

He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Jesus’ response to his having eternal life was “Go and do likewise.” Jesus quickly go to the reservation of

his heart, the limit to which he would follow. A surrender to God will produce the fruit of the Spirit, a good tree

can do nothing but produce good fruit worthy of repentance.

Let us look at one more illustration from Jesus, that of Zacchaeus:

Luke 19:1-10

And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. [2] And, behold, there was a man named

Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. [3] And he sought to

see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. [4] And he

ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. [5]

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus,

make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. [6] And he made haste, and

came down, and received him joyfully. [7] And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying,

That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. [8] And Zacchaeus stood, and said

unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any

thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. (Here we are given fruit of

repentance, now look at Jesus’ response.) [9] And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation

come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of man is

come to seek and to save that which was lost.

When did salvation come to Zacchaeus’ house? When he was willing to show the willingness to change and

turn from his greed and sin. The pathway is narrow and difficult and most will not enter.

Matthew 7:13-20

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to

destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: [14] Because strait is the gate, and

narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Jesus continues and

identifies the false prophet by their fruit.)

[15] Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, (they look like sheep),

but inwardly they are ravening wolves. [16] Ye shall know them (How?) by their fruits. Do

men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? [17] Even so every good tree bringeth forth

good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bring forth evil

fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. [19] Every tree that bringeth not forth

good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. [20] Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know

them.

Luke 13:23-24

“Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved?(good question, look at Jesus’ answer) And

he said unto them, [24] Strive (agonize) to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to

enter in, and shall not be able.”

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Why will they not be able? They did not “strive.” Is striving a condition or work? It sure is. The word for

strive is the Greek word agonizesthe, ( it is the word that we get our word agonize from. It is not

only action on our part, it is a serious struggle.

Jesus and Little Children

A word or two should be said about how Jesus dealt with little children. When Jesus said, “Suffer the little

children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 19:14), He was in essence using

the children as an object lesson to those who were listening to him. A child has a certain humility to them that

we as adults rarely have. Jesus wants us to understand that in order for one to be a part of the kingdom of God

then there has to be a humbling. This is a key point in talking about repentance.

It is much easier to talk to a child about what repentance of sin involves, because they are humbled in spirit

to the point that they want to follow Jesus. They are taught early in life the little song: “Jesus loves the little

children, all the children of the world; red and yellow black and white, they are precious in His sight; Jesus

loves the little children of the world.” Children understand that Jesus loves them and if they want to please Jesus

they must turn from their sin.

I have found it much easier to talk with children about repentance than I have with adults. Adults often

times do not want to admit that they are sinners. They want to think of themselves as good. Unless we humble

ourselves as little children, we will never properly repent of our sins. One must admit that he has done wrong

(sinned) and wronged a Holy God. This is the message that is missing in our preaching and evangelistic appeals.

We are living in a generation of false prophets. We have cheapened the honor of God’s word, God’s grace

and the walk of faith. We have taken the word out of context and used only those verses that have made it easy.

We have ignored the real meaning of repentance. We feel saved and are told by our doctrine that we are saved.

We do not have the fruits, the striving, and the complete turning around, which must be included. We need to

truly repent and preach the gospel that was once and for all delivered to the saints. When they preached they

word in the early church, men were “cut to the heart.” Today we appeal to the carnal nature and its greed and

needs. Rarely to we preach a message that prostrates the sinner or convicts the religious. We must return to the

preaching that Jesus did and reclaim repentance in its truest form.

THE APOSTLE PAUL

The Apostle Paul was a champion of the doctrine of justification by faith. Paul viewed the believer as dead

to sin and alive to God. Repentance was the heart of the Apostle Paul’s preaching. In fact, his special call from

God was to minister repentance to the Gentiles. When summarizing his ministry before King Aggripa, Paul

spoke with great swelling freedom of his own conversion and reported that when he had fallen to the ground he

heard a voice asking,

. . .Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. [15] And

I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. [16] But rise, and

stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister

and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will

appear unto thee; [17] Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom

now I send thee, [18] To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from

the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance

among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. [19] Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I

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was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: [20] But shewed first unto them of Damascus,

and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they

should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. (Acts 26:14-20)

In this conversion experience of the great Apostle Paul, his whole life was unraveled. All his rabbinic

training, which had so filled his mind with wrong Judaistic concepts, which had substituted tradition for truth,

nationalism for spirituality, and fanaticism for faith, was blown away like the mist before the gale. The

painstaking knowledge which he had acquired by years of study in the wrong school all cam unraveled: “I am

Jesus.” It dawned on him in a flash. The answer to the need of his heart was Jesus, not Judaism – a living Man,

not an obsolete religion.

He saw in a flash that, in all his recent activities, far from doing God a service, he had actually been tearing

down, with blind hate and folly, the very work God was now doing in the world. The revelation brought an

instant revolution to the Apostle Paul. He was literally stopped in his tracks, horrified at his life. He indeed was

the chief of sinners. He was without God, without Christ, without hope. The astonishing fact of the grace of our

Lord Jesus Christ dawned upon Saul as he lay there prostrate on the ground. He saw, perhaps, the nail prints in

those hands. It dawned upon him that Jesus loved him.

That there was a radical change in Saul’s life is evidence that there was true repentance on his part. He was

never again the same as a result of his turning from his sins and surrendering his life to the Lord.

Addressing the elders at the church of Ephesus, Paul spoke exactly on the subject of repentance, saying,

. . . Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you

at all seasons, [19] Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and

temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: [20] And how I kept back

nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly,

and from house to house, [21] Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance

toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:18-21)

Paul’s purpose was to confront people with the claims of Christ, with the need for repentance and

regeneration. It did matter to the apostle Paul if it was Jewish home or a Gentile home, a pious home or a pagan

home. His message was to the point: repent and put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in that order. He brought

every one face to face with the character of God and with the claims of Christ, with repentance and faith.

“Repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ” is about as compact and concise way as we

could have of summarizing what is meant in becoming a Christian and an heir of salvation. It is the gospel

reduced to its simplest terms.

While the Apostle Paul was in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.

Daily he reasoned in the synagogue and the market place with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles. Some

listened and even conversed with him, but others called him an idle babbler and a proclaimer of strange deities

because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. They brought him to the Areopagus and gave him

opportunity to speak. He began,

. . .Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. [23] For as I passed

by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN

GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. [24] God that made the

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world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in

temples made with hands; [25] Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed

any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; [26] And hath made of one

blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the

times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; [27] That they should seek the

Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of

us: [28] For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets

have said, For we are also his offspring. [29] Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God,

we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and

man's device. [30] And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all

men every where to repent: [31] Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge

the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given

assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. [32] And when they heard

of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this

matter. (Acts 17:22-32).

Paul left the Athenians with only one course – repentance, a complete turnabout of their false worship and a

turning to God. All people must ultimately stand before God and give an account for their relationship to him.

To the church at Rome, the great apostle to the Gentiles sent a warning that they must not suppose that they

would escape the judgment of God, asking,

“And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou

shalt escape the judgment of God? [4] Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and

longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:3-4)

God show us his kindness in order to lead us to repentance, not in order that we might sin even more. If we

do not take advantage of this opportunity, the punishment we shall receive will be all the greater. Repentance

means not just a turning away from sin but also a turning to god. It is a key component in experiencing God’s

salvation. Without remorse for sin as well as a commitment top God, salvation is not possible. Yet it must be

understood that God’s forbearance and patience are not eternal. God gives the sinner a chance, but judgment

will result when that opportunity is spurned

To the church at Corinth Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to write,

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were

made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. [10] For

godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the

world worketh death. [11] For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort,

what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation,

yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye

have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. (2 Corinthians 7:9-11)

“Godly sorrow” is one that recognizes the wrong committed and then does everything within its power to

repair the damage. Simply put, “godly sorrow” is constructive. Constructive sorrow is the kind of sorrow that

leads to salvation and leaves nor regret.

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Again in this same epistle Paul expressed a concern about repentance that should grip countless numbers of

Christian leaders today.

Finally, in instructions to Timothy, Paul reminded him,

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, [25] In

meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the

acknowledging of the truth;” (2 Timothy 2:24-25).

The Greek expression is literally thus

making their acknowledgement of the truth the consequence of their repentance. It is a good example of the

strong link which Scripture everywhere forges between the moral and the intellectual. Everybody knows that

our belief conditions our behavior, but not everybody is so clear that our behavior also conditions our belief.

Just as to violate our conscience leads to the shipwreck of our faith (1 Timothy 1:19), so to repent of our sin

leads to an acknowledgement of the truth.

THE APOSTLE PETER

The record of Peter’s confrontation with Christ in the last hours of Christ’s time on earth clearly indicates

that Peter was at last experiencing that change of heart that is coupled with repentance and conversion. Whereas

before the crucifixion he had arrogantly but erroneously declared,

“. . .Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended” (Matthew 26:33),

and “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death” (Luke 22:33), he quickly proved

otherwise by denying Christ with curses.

“Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. [75]

And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me

thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:74-75)

When, after the resurrection, Jesus quizzed him three times about his love for Him, Peter meekly

acknowledged that his love toward Christ could not be placed on the same level as Christ’s love toward him

(John 21). Brokenness, contrition, and humility are often hopeful signs of new beginnings.

It was certainly a new Peter who stood before the multitude on the day of Pentecost and proclaimed, Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have

crucified, both Lord and Christ. [37] Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto

Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? [38] Then Peter said unto them,

Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall

receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. [39] For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar

off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:36-39)

Thus, from Peter’s Pentecost sermon, it becomes immediately evident that repentance is as much the first

word of the gospel for the New Testament church as it was for the ministries of both John the Baptist and the

Lord Jesus Christ. Peter called for repentance before he promised forgiveness; his invitations to the lost started

with repentance (Acts 2:38; 3:19). Shortly thereafter Peter and John were going into the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. They

encountered at the gate called Beautiful a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb, who was seeking

alms. The man was commanded to look at the pair. He fixed his eyes on them, expecting money. Instead Peter

said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up

and walk. (Acts 3:6) Seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up and immediately the man was healed, and all the people saw him

walking and leaping and praising God. A vast concourse of people immediately gathered at the Portico of

Solomon’s Temple, and Peter preached to them. At the heart of his message were the words,Repent ye therefore,

and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of

the Lord; (Acts 3:19)

Peter gave the call to repentance with two expressions: “repent” () and “turn to God” (). The Jerusalem Jews were to have a complete change of mind, turning from their rejection of

Christ and turning, or “returning” to God. In rejecting God’s Messiah they had rejected God’s purpose for them.

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Accepting the Messiah would thus be a return to God. In verses 19b – 20 Peter gave the threefold result of their

repentance: (1) their sins would be forgiven, (2) the “times of refreshing” would come upon them, and (3) God

would send the Messiah whom he had appointed for them. The forgiveness of sins is clear enough. Throughout

Acts, repentance is closely connected with forgiveness; indeed it is the basis for forgiveness.

He went on to add:

“Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto

Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. [26] Unto you first God, having

raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” (Acts

3:25-26).

God was willing to bless rather than curse, but they must turn to Jesus whom they had rejected and whom

God had raised up from the dead.

LUKE THE DOCTOR

The principal Greek words for “repent” and “repentance” occur 25 times in Luke-Acts. That is more than 45

percent of all the occurrences in the entire New Testament. It is only Luke who presents John the Baptist

defining what the “fruits worthy of repentance” look like. Only Luke tells stories of Jesus calling on people to

repent. Only Luke-Acts gives explicit accounts of people responding to the call for repentance issued by John

the Baptist, Jesus and the apostles. Only Acts portrays Peter echoing John the Baptist by urging the people to

“Repent and be baptized…so that your sins may be forgiven” (Acts 2:38). It is Acts, rather than the Pauline

epistles, that records Paul declaring (on two occasions) that his ministry included proclaiming a message of

repentance. Repentance is without question a fundamental aspect of Luke-Acts.

In Luke-Acts the extension of salvation to and the inclusion of all people within the family of God represent

the plan of God. Furthermore, the human response to the offer of salvation comprises a vital part of that plan.

Upon comparing Luke’s gospel with the other synoptic gospels, it is clear that the author’s use of

repent/repentance is conscious. The author is intentionally emphasizing the concept of repentance for a specific

reason. Just as “the salvation of God” forms an inclusio for the entirety of Luke’s two volume work – uniting

the entire narrative and constituting its central meaning – the motif of repentance also forms an important

inclusio for this two volume work. Within the inclusio formed by “the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6; Acts 28:28)

resides another inclusion by the theme “fruit/deeds worthy of repentance (Luke3:8; Acts 26:20). Paul’s

statement to King Agrippa that he had declared to the Gentiles “that they should repent and turn to God and

perform deeds worthy of repentance” (Acts 26:20) is clearly meant to echo John the Baptist’s declaration to the

crowds “Bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8).

That the author is intentionally connecting these two scenes is further confirmed by the fact that

immediately before John the Baptist’s declaration to the crowds that they should “Bear fruits worthy of

repentance,” the author makes reference to John the Baptist preaching a baptism of repentance for the

remission of sins (Luke 3:3). Likewise, immediately before Paul’s statement to King Agrippa that he had

declared to the Gentiles that they should “perform deeds worthy of repentance,” the author makes reference to

Paul being sent to the Gentiles in order that they might receive remission of sins (Acts 26:18). Like John the

Baptist, Paul has been sent so that others might receive remission of sins through the act of repentance. Since

Luke understood that preaching of John the Baptist as “the beginning of the gospel” (Luke 16:16; Acts 1:22;

10:37; 13:24) and since the speech given by Paul before King Agrippa is the last major address in Luke-Acts,

that author (Luke) clearly seeks to convey to the reader that repentance is at the heart of the gospel.

Not only is the word repent the dominant note in John the Baptist’s message, (which Luke records) but he

made the concept of repentance absolutely clear. Repentance make the path straight between the Lord and the

repenting person. Repentance is like clearing a highway of holiness to and from God. Luke spelled out the

details of John’s message:

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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 the crooked shall become straight, and the rough roads smooth; and

all flesh shall see the salvation of God (Luke 3:4-6).

Without repentance, no one can make their way to the Lord, for there are too many ups and downs, ins

and outs, and devious ways in the unrepentant heart. Apart from repentance, the Lord will not make His way to

us. Making straight the way of the Lord is always a prelude to His coming. In repentance we clear our path to

God; in granting us this repentance, God clears His path to us. The people of John’s day were no more

interested in repentance than most folks are today.

Unlike in most literary narratives, in Luke-Acts the motif of repentance plays a central role in the

development and meaning of the author’s story. In Luke-Acts repentance is not only a change in thinking that

represents an appropriate response to inappropriate thoughts and/or actions, repentance is also a necessary

change in thinking and behavior required of individuals in order to help fulfill God’s plan of universal salvation

and to help establish a community embracing all people. Repentance in Luke-Acts represents a fundamental

change in thinking the enables diverse individuals to receive the salvation of God and to live together as a

community of God’s people, and according to the author, it is an essential element in the preaching of John the

Baptist, Jesus and the apostles.

requently in the preaching and teaching of

Jesus. Jesus is clearly depicted by the author as a preacher of repentance. In Jesus’ encounter with a tax

collector named Levi, Jesus tells Levi to follow him. In describing Levi’s response to the call of Jesus, Luke

alone among the Synoptics states that Levi “after leaving everything, got up and followed him” (Luke 5:28). In

the Lukan account, Levi’s response to the call of Jesus involves a complete break with his occupation and an

abandonment of his former ways of thinking and living. Levi abandons his occupation, in order to follow Jesus.

The author appears to be intentional in his efforts to emphasize the notion of a totally new beginning. Leaving

everything entailed more than simply leaving material goods behind. The author conveys to his readers that

before following Jesus, Peter, James, John and Levi left everything associated with their previous ways of

thinking and living.

According to Luke, Jesus has not only called Levi, but has also called Peter, James and John to repentance,

and it is their abandonment of their former ways of thinking and living – their willingness to leave “everything”

and to follow Jesus in a new way of living that Jesus will prescribe for them – that serves as a paradigm for

repentance. The expectation that one will abandon “everything” associated with one’s former way of living is

an important component of Jesus’ call in Luke. Only the Lukan Jesus states, “whoever of you does not

renounce ALL that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Only the Lukan Jesus responds to the rich

young ruler with the command, “Sell ALL that you have” (Luke 18:22b). In the Lukan parable of the prodigal

son, the younger son started down the road of transgression by selfishly desiring what he felt belonged to him.

He “gathered ALL he had” (Luke 15:13) rather than abandoning all that he had. By adding the words “to

repentance” at the end of Luke 5:32, Luke creates a situation where Jesus himself identifies this break with the

past and its accompanying willingness to follow the lifestyle and teachings prescribed by Jesus as repentance.

The author seeks to make it clear that responding to the call of Jesus is not simply about following Jesus or

having some sort of physical affiliation with Jesus. In Luke, Jesus is not simply calling sinners to follow him he

is calling them to repentance. Responding to the call of Jesus is not about following Jesus while trying to

maintain one’s present way of thinking and living. Responding to the call of Jesus includes following Jesus, but

also includes forsaking everything. Simply following Jesus is not enough; there must also be a willingness to

abandon one’s present way of thinking and living. The author is aware that many people desire to follow Jesus,

but not all are willing to abandon their current ways of living. The multitudes followed Jesus, but only a few

were willing to forsake everything while following him. Repentance in Luke entails changing one’s way of

thinking and living and adopting a new way of thinking and living consistent with the lifestyle prescribed in the

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teachings of Jesus. By adopting this new way of thinking and living, an environment is crated in which diverse

individuals are able to live together as a community of God’s people.

Like John the Baptist, Jesus considers repentance to mean an abandonment of former ways of thinking and

living. Peter, James, John and Levi leave everything in order to follow Jesus. Repentance clearly entails

abandoning ”old” ways of thinking and living and adopting “new” ways of thinking and living. John the

Baptist, who was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, depicted these new ways of thinking and living in terms of

social behavior that treats others fairly, justly and equitably, enabling diverse individuals to live together as a

community of God’s people. At this point in the narrative the author creates a sense of anticipation and even

suspense by not having Jesus give examples, as did John the Baptist, of what he understands the new ways of

thinking and living to look like. Instead of having Jesus give examples, the author presents three scenes, or

pronouncement stories (Luke 5:33-39; 6:1-5; 6:6-11), in which Jesus challenges old ways of thinking and living

with new ways of thinking and living. Jesus stresses in these three pronouncements stories the necessity of

being able to change one’s ways of thinking and living. In Robert C. Tannehill, “Additudinal Shift in Synoptic

Pronouncement Stories,” Orientation by Disorientation: Studies in Literary Criticism and Biblical Literary

Criticism Presented in Honor of William A. Beardslee (ed. Richard A. Spencer; Pittsburgh: Pickwick

Publications, 1980) 183-197) it is stated: “These pronouncements stories, like most other pronouncement

stories, are composed for the purpose of changing attitudes among its readers and hearers.”

According to Luke, one of the last commands given by Jesus to his disciples was for them to preach a

baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance for the

forgiveness of sins; Jesus came in order to call sinners to repentance, and as Jesus was departing he

commissioned his disciples to preach a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The preaching of

repentance is clearly central in the ministries of John the Baptist, Jesus and the disciples.

Volume two of the Lukan narrative (Acts) begins by overlapping much of Luke 24, thereby bridging the

transition from the period of Jesus to the period of his disciples. In the first chapter of Acts, the reader is

reminded of Jesus’ final commissioning of his disciples and of his ascension into heaven. After selecting a

successor to Judas, the twelve -- along with a number of other disciples – receive what Jesus had previously

identified as “the promise of my Father.” Peter then delivers the first of several speeches or sermons in Acts.

In this first speech, he explains the meaning of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and testifies about the life,

suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. When the crowd responds to Peter’s speech with the same question

that was asked of John the Baptist – “What shall we do?” – Peter answers, “Repent (, and be

baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of

the Holy Spirit. Through the disciples’ Spirit inspired outburst of speech that communicated to “Jews from

every nation under heaven” and through Peter’s speech explaining this phenomenon and his preaching of

repentance for the forgiveness of sins (in the name of Jesus), the final commission given by Jesus to his

disciples is beginning to be fulfilled. Peter’s apostolic preaching of repentance is clearly in continuity with the

preaching of John the Baptist, in fulfillment of scripture, and in response to the command of the risen Jesus.

Repentance from the Theological Perspective

In the theological realm there are two positions on repentance and faith as they have to do with the salvation

experience. There is what had been labeled Lordship Salvation and the other simply Salvation without works.

For the purpose of this dissertation these two positions will be examined through their proponents, John

MacArthur and Zane Hodges. I believe both of these are truly men of God. There is a great disagreement

between the two. One I agree with, one I do not. They both make good arguments, but they can’t both be right.

John MacArthur is a protagonist for Lordship Salvation while Zane Hodges is protagonist for Salvation without

works (easy believism). We must look at what both men teach and then compare their beliefs with the Scripture

in order that we might come away from this discussion with a whole hearted understanding of what is true,

genuine repentance. Is it necessary to the salvation experience, as MacArthur believes, or is it unnecessary and a

simple “I believe” suffice for true salvation as Hodges believes?

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JOHN F. MacARTHUR

In his book, The Gospel According to Jesus (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1988)

John F. MacArthur sets forth his case for “Lordship Salvation” which includes repentance as a prerequisite to

the salvation experience. He has been criticized by those who believe repentance is a “work” and therefore

believes that MacArthur is teaching a “works salvation.” In the preface of his book, page xiii, MacArthur states: Nothing a lost, degenerate, spiritually dead sinner can do will in any way contribute to salvation. Saving faith,

repentance, commitment, and obedience are all divine works, wrought by the Holy Spirit in the heart of

everyone who is saved. I have never taught that some pre-salvation works of righteousness are necessary to or

part of salvation. But I do believe without apology that real salvation cannot and will not fail to produce

works of righteousness in the life of a true believer. There are no human works in the saving act, but God’s

work of salvation includes a change of intent, will, desire, and attitude that inevitably produces the fruit of

the spirit . . . Salvation thus establishes the root that will surely produce the fruit.

I agree whole heartedly with MacArthur when he states (page xiv): . . . no one can be saved who is either unwilling to obey Christ or consciously rebellious against the Lordship

of Christ. The mark of true salvation is that it always produces a heart that knows and feels its responsibility

to respond to the ever-awakening reality of the Lordship of Christ.

There are some teachers and preachers today who teach and preach that the norm for salvation is to

accept Jesus as Savior without yielding to Him as Lord. This is “easy believism” at its worst. Note what

MacArthur says on page 31: The gospel according to Jesus explicitly and unequivocally rules out “easy believism.” To make all of our

Lord’s difficult demands apply only to a higher class of Christians blunts the force of His entire message. It

makes room for a cheap and meaningless faith – a faith that may be exercised with absolutely no impact on

the fleshly life of sin. That is not saving faith.

Saving faith is more than just understanding the facts and mentally acquiescing. It is inseparable from

repentance, surrender, and a supernatural eagerness to obey. The biblical concept of saving faith includes all

of these elements. None of them can be classified exclusively as a human work, anymore that believing itself is

solely a human effort.

This is where the rub is for those who would reject Lordship salvation. These same people would call

“repentance” as a false addition to faith when made a condition of salvation. So, we must understand what

MacArthur believes about repentance to understand his teaching of Lordship salvation. What is repentance?

According to MacArthur (page 162): Repentance is a critical element of saving faith, but one must never dismiss it as simply another word for

believing. . . As metanoia is used in the New Testament, it always speaks of a change of purpose, and especially

a turning from sin. In the same sense Jesus used it, repentance calls for the repudiation of the old life and a

turning to God for salvation.

In “Metanoia” in Gerhard Kittel, ed., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI:

Eerdmans, 1967) page 4:1002, J. Behm states: It (repentance) demands a radical conversion, a transformation of nature, a definitive turning from evil, a

resolute turning to God in total obedience (Mark 1:15; Matthew 4:17; 18:3). . . This conversion is once-for-all.

There can be no going back, only advance in responsible movement along the way now taken. It affects the

whole man, first and basically the center of personal life, then logically his conduct at all times and in all

situations, his thoughts, words and acts (Matthew 12:33 ff; 23:26; Mark 7:15). The whole proclamation of

Jesus . . . is a proclamation of unconditional turning to God, of unconditional turning from all that is against

God, not merely that which is downright evil, but that which is a given case makes total turning to God

impossible (Matthe 5:29 f., 44; 6:19 f.; 7:13 f.; 10:32 – 39; Mark 3:31 ff.; Luke 14:33, cf. Mark 10:21).

This is exactly what MacArthur is teaching, and it is the position of this paper to bring this truth to bear

upon all who share the gospel of Christ. We have a responsibility to those we counsel with to get it right in

terms of what it means to be saved and what it involves.

There are three elements of salvation according to MacArthur: 1) a turning to God; 2) a turning from evil; 3) the intent to serve God. All these elements are needed to

define true repentance.

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Above all, repentance is not a pre-salvation attempt to set one’s life in order. The call to repentance is not

a command to make sin right before turning to Christ in faith. Rather it is a command to recognize one’s

lawlessness and that it, to turn one’s back on it and flee to Christ embracing him with wholehearted devotion.

. . genuine repentance involves the intellect, emotions and will.

Intellectually, repentance begins with a recognition of sin, understanding that we are sinners, that our sin

is an affront to a holy God, and more precisely, that we are personally responsible for our own guilt. The

repentance that leads to salvation must also include a recognition of who Christ is along with some

understanding of His right to govern our lives.

Emotionally, genuine repentance often accompanies an overwhelming sense of sorrow. This sorrow in and

of itself is not repentance; one can be sorry or ashamed without being truly repentant. Judas, for example,

felt remorse (Matthew 27:3), but he was not repentant. The rich young ruler went away sorrowful (Matthew

19:22), but he was not repentant. Nevertheless, sorrow can lead to genuine repentance. Second Corinthians

7:10 says: ‘The sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret.’ It is difficult to

imagine a true repentance that does not include at least an element of sorrow – not sorrow for getting caught;

not sadness because of the consequences; but a sense of anguish at having sinned against God. In the Old

Testament, repentance was often shown with sackcloth and ashes, the symbols of mourning (cf. Job 42:6;

Jonah 3:5-6).

Volitionally, repentance involves a change of direction, a transformation of the will. Far from being only a

change of mind, it constitutes a willingness -- more accurately, a determination – to abandon stubborn

disobedience and surrender the will to Christ. As such, genuine repentance will inevitably result in a change

of behavior. The behavior change is not itself repentance, but it is the fruit repentance will certainly bear.

Where there is no observable difference in conduct, there can be no confidence that repentance has taken

place (Matthew 3:8; cf. 1 John 2:3-6; 3:17). (page 163-165)

MacArthur further emphasizes his point by quoting, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in Studies in the Sermon on the

Mount (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1959), 2:248: Repentance means that you realize that you are a guilty, vile sinner in the presence of God, that you deserve

the wrath and punishment of God, that you are hell-bound. It means that you begin to realize that this thing

called sin is in you, that you long to get rid of it, and that you turn your back on it in every shape and form.

You renounce the world whatever the cost, the world in its mind and outlook as well as its practice, and you

deny yourself, and take up the cross and go after Christ. Your nearest and dearest, and the whole world may

call you a fool, or say you have religious mania. You may have to suffer financially, but it makes no

difference. That is repentance. (page 164-165)

When you read statements like MacArthur’s and Lloyd-Jones’ you must understand that they are talking

about the act of salvation. Repentance does not just occur at the salvation experience it is a life-long process of

confession (1 John 1:9). A biblical call to repentance has always been the foundation for salvation.

So far we have looked at what MacArthur believes about repentance, but we must also examine what he

believes about “faith” because repentance and faith cannot be separated. MacArthur states in The Gospel

According to Jesus, pp. 172-174: We have seen already that repentance is a critical element of genuine faith, that repentance is granted by

God; it is not a human work (Acts 11:8; 2 Timothy 2:25). Likewise, faith is a supernatural gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8-9 is a familiar passage: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is

the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast.” What is “the gift of God” Paul speaks of? Wescott

calls it ‘the saving energy of faith.” (B.F. Wescott, St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians (Minneapolis: Klock and

Klock, 1906, Reprint page 32). However, the phrase “that not of yourselves” has no clear antecedent. The

Greek pronoun translated “that” is neuter and the word for “faith” is feminine. So it seems that what Paul

had in mind was the entire process of grace, faith, and salvation as the gift of God. Either way, the passage

teaches that faith is not something conjured up by the human will but is a sovereignly granted gift of God (cf.

Philippians 1:29). . . The faith God begets includes both the volition and the ability to comply with His will (cf.

Philippians 2:13). In other words, faith encompasses obedience . . . Clearly, the biblical concept of faith is

inseparable from obedience. ‘Believe’ is synonymous with ‘obey’. . . Obedience is the inevitable manifestation

of true faith.

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Let’s look at an article by John MacArthur, “Examine Your Faith,” 1991,

http://greenhillsbaptistchurch.org/article.asp?ID=755&CatName=salvation and see what he says about faith.

MacArthur says: “It is faith that is the heart of our Christianity.” As stated earlier in this dissertation,

I am convinced that churches are filled with people who have a kind of faith that does not save them. James

called it a “dead faith.” 2 Corinthians 13:5 says: “Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith.” How can

one know that his faith is real. What does one look for to discern whether their faith is real? To answer that

MacArthur looks first at things that do not prove or disprove saving faith.

1. Visible Morality

MacArthur asks: “What do I mean by visible morality?” According to MacArthur in this article, there

are some people are very religious and just good people. They are honest and trustworthy in their dealings. They

have an external visible kind of morality. He uses the Pharisees as an example that certainly rested on visible

morality for their hope. These people go about their life doing good but there is no reference to God in their life.

These may be honest and loyal to everybody but God. They will talk good about everybody but they want

mention God. MacArthur likens these people to the rich young ruler who says, “all these things have I kept,

what do I lack?” Macarthur states: “This is visible morality, but it does not necessarily mean salvation.

People can “clean up their act” by reformation rather than regeneration which requires repentance.”

2. Intellectual Knowledge

Intellectual knowledge does not prove true faith. Notice what MacArthur says: Knowledge of the truth is necessary for salvation and visible morality is the fruit of salvation, but neither one

equals salvation. You can know all about God and Jesus, and that He came into this world to die on a cross

and after three days rose again from the dead and that He is coming again, but knowing all of that you can

still turn your back on Christ.

Knowledge is good and there certainly needs to be some knowledge of God and sin before one can be

saved, but according to MacArthur, “knowledge does not necessarily save you.” One can have knowledge

about farming, but that does not mean that they are a farmer. Alternatively, one can live in a garage and have

knowledge about what a garage is intended to be used for, but that does not make them a car.

3. Religious Involvement

MacArthur continues: “There are people who have, according to Paul, writing to Timothy in 2 Timothy

3:5, ‘a form of godliness, but powerless.’ In other words, it is an empty kind of religion.” All three of these

elements, visible morality, intellectual knowledge, and religious involvement are essential elements, but none of

them can be construed to show genuine faith.

4. Active Ministry Balaam was a prophet. Saul of Tarsus thought he was serving God by killing Christians. Judas was a public

preacher and an apostle. Matthew 7:22-23 says: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not

prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful

works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

What is MacArthur trying to say? Saving faith is not to be misunderstood as being actively involved in

ministry. I have seen many people throughout my twenty-eight years of full-time ministry who were very busy

for God in the church and then later come to realize that they were never truly saved. There own testimony was

that they were miserable trying to do the work of God. Once they repented of their sin and invited Jesus to come

into their life ministry took on a new meaning and they had a new zeal for service.

5. Conviction of Sin

MacArthur continues: “Lots of people feel badly about sin. Listen, this whole world is full of people

that are just guilt ridden to the core.” What has happened is that there are not many people at all today who

feel guilty, because we have come up with a new psychology that eliminates the guilt.

Now what we do is we displace the guilt on someone else. The new therapy is to make the person utterly

irresponsible for any of the guilt that they might feel inside, and to free them from that guilt. You do that by

making the ultimate virtue pride, self-fulfillment, self-aggrandizement, self-glory and self-esteem, and that

eliminates guilt. Now what happens in the Church, instead of the preacher standing up to preach, “Freedom

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from guilt to guilty sinners,” they expect him to preach self-esteem to egocentric people. The whole climate has

changed because of this.

Therefore, what has happened is that people now believe that it is not their fault (no guilt) because of their

upbringing. It is now their parents fault for they way they are turned. It is the environment that has made them

that way. MacArthur says: “I liked sinners better when they feel guilty. They were much easier to deal

with.” We are struggling to confront people with true repentance because of this barrier that modern

psychology has brought with its damnable doctrine that there is no guilt. Guilt is a good thing. It is a God thing.

It is what God designed to bring us to repentance through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.

6. Assurance

Listen to MacArthur on assurance: “Some people say, ‘Well, I must be a Christian, I feel like one. I

think I am one.’ Think that logic through. If to think you are a Christian makes you a Christian, then

nobody could be deceived. Because as soon as you thought you were a Christian, you would be one. So

you could never be deceived.” Satan’s whole plan is to deceive people into thinking that they are okay. The

philosophy came out several years ago, which basically said “I am okay and you are okay.” What assurance is

there in that statement? If I am okay and you are okay and neither of needs to change then why is the world in

such a state of chaos? No, there is no assurance in this belief. That’s why repentance is so important to have

genuine faith.

7. A Time of Decision

MacArthur states: “I hear people say, ‘Well I know I am a Christian, because I remember when I

signed a card. I remember when I prayed a prayer. I remember when I went forward in a church service.

I remember right were I was the moment I did it.’ Oh really?” This has been my experience in pastoring

these many years, which people will use these reasons as to why they were saved. I have had many past

moments in my life time that meant absolutely nothing. Filling out a church membership card, shaking the

preacher’s hand, walking an aisle in a church or even being baptized do not prove genuine saving faith.

So those are some of the non-proofs. They don’t really prove anything. Someone will then ask, “Well,

what does prove saving faith?” Let’s look at things that prove saving faith according to John MacArthur in this

same article.

1. Love for God

Now we are talking about the heart. Romans 8:7 says. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:

for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” MacArthur says: The non-Christian resents God; a rebel against God down inside, but the regenerate mind is to love the Lord

with all heart, soul, mind and strength. His delight is in the Excellency of God, who is the first and highest

affection of his renewed soul. God becomes his chief happiness. Supreme love for God is decisive evidence of

true faith.

When one falls in love with something or someone, that thing or that person possesses them. They are

consumed with that object or person. They fall head over hills in love with them. They eat, sleep and breathe

that object or person. That is the result of a person who repents of their sin and turns to God through faith in

Jesus Christ; they begin a love affair with God.

2. Repentance from Sin

Here MacArthur gets to the crux of the matter: A proper love for God must involve a hatred for sin. That’s obvious. Who would not understand that? If I

love somebody, you assume that my loving them means that I seek their well-being. Right? If I said, “I love

my wife, but I could care less what happened to my wife,” you would question my love. Because, true love,

seeks the highest good of its object.

I prove my love for God by not holding on to the sins of the past. I repent of them and begin to do the things

that are pleasing to my heavenly Father. I should so detest the sin in my life that I would rather die than

continue in them. If I know that it grieves God for me to live in sin then because I am in love with Him I will

turn away from those sins. Whatever God hates, I hate. Whatever God loves, I love. That is what true

repentance is all about.

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3. Genuine Humility

John MacArthur says: “The Lord receives those who come with a broken heart and contrite spirit.”

Genuine humility is what the prodigal son experienced in Luke 15:21? “. . . father, I have sinned against

heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.” You do not find one drop of pride in

that statement. The prodigal son was truly humbled before God. He saw all the ugliness and horrors of the sin

life and stopped where he was, in the pig pen, and made the definitive decision to repent and get right with the

father. That is true repentance. One comes to the end of himself and realizes that he is on a disastrous course

and repents of the past and turns to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes a genuine humility for

one to do that.

4. Devotion to God’s Glory

MacArthur plainly states: True saving faith that manifests genuine salvation shows devotion to God’s glory. Whatever we do, whether

we eat or drink, we are literally consumed with the glory of God. We do what we do because we want to

glorify Him. For sure, we fail in all of these things, but the direction of our life is in loving Him and hating sin,

and being genuinely humble and self-denying, and knowing our unworthiness and being totally devoted to the

glory of God.

Here is a statement that underlines the importance of the thesis of this paper. My experience has been that

many people in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ today are not devoted to God’s glory. Many will ask the

question silently, although there actions speak louder than words, “What is in it for me? What will I get out of

serving God?” Devotion to God’s glory is never about me or anyone else in the church. It is a result of my

repenting of my sins, being thankful to God that He provided forgiveness of my sins and gave me a new life in

Christ, which will one day result in a glorious future in eternity with God. One who has truly repented of sins

and been saved by faith through Christ will be devoted to God’s glory. As MacArthur stated we will fail

because though we are saved we are not perfect and we still have that old sin nature within us. However, we are

striving for that perfection, and though we may never reach it here in this life, we will receive it in the next life

in eternity. Our focus should be on glorifying God now by our complete, unadulterated devotion to Him.

5. Continual Prayer

Here is MacArthur’s appraisal of a life of prayer: Humble, submissive, believing prayer marks true faith. We cry “Abba, Father” because the Spirit within us

prompts that cry. Jonathan Edwards once preached a sermon titled, “Hypocrites are Deficient in the Duty of

Secret Prayer.” It is true. Hypocrites may pray publicly, because that is what hypocrites want to do – impress

people, but they are deficient in the duty of secret prayer. A true believer with true saving faith has a

personal prayer life; private prayer life; seeks communion with God.

A prayerless life is a faithless life. A life that prays is a life that stays. Show me a Christian whose life

is in constant turmoil and I will show you a Christian who does not pray. The attitude of a true saving

faith will be an attitude of prayer. One who has truly repented and received forgiveness of sin will want

to pray so that they will stay pure before God. Without prayer at the start of each day invites the devil to

bring his temptations. Prayer places us at the feet of the Savior and when we are in continual prayer we

are in His presence and therefore sin will not have dominion over us.

6. Selfless Love

What does MacArthur mean by selfless love. Let us look at John 13:35 which says: “By this shall all men

know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” The badge of true repentance and genuine faith

is not in doctrinal statements to which we subscribe, not in types of hymns and music we prefer, not in the

rituals we observe or the ordinances we cherish, not in our soul winning zeal, our faithfulness to the church of

our choice – but in our love for all those who God loves. When people see that, they will recognize Christ in his

disciples and recognize that love as truly His own.

7. Separation from the World

Separation from the world, according to MacArthur, is stated in this way:

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Paul told the Corinthians that we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God.

And John put it this way, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the

world, the love of the Father is not in him.” A true believer is separated from the world. Again, we fail in all

these areas, but these are the directions of our life. We aren’t perfect and we haven’t arrived, but we love God

and want to love Him more. We hate sin and want to hate it more. We have a genuine humility and want

more of it. We are devoted to God’s glory. We have a prayer life that is private and personal. We have a love

for others that comes from God, and we find ourselves disassociated from the world, as a general rule.

When true repentance occurs an individual changes worldviews. He once walked of this world, now he

walks in this world. He is still in this world physically but he is no longer of this world. He is separated and

therefore different. If one looks like the world, talks like the world and acts like the world, and still claims to be

saved, they have a faulty belief. If one truly repents of sin he will not want anything to do with it any longer.

For example, if a man is an alcoholic, the Holy Spirit convicts him of that sin, and he repents of it and is saved

he no longer wants to go to the bars or to the bottle. He separates himself from any appearance of alcohol.

8. Spiritual Growth

MacArthur says: If you are a true Christian you are going to be growing, and that means that you are going to be more and

more like Christ. Life produces itself. If you are alive you are going to grow, there is no other way. You will

improve. You will increase. You will grow, because whoever has that new work begun (Philippians 1:6), is

going to see it perfected. It is going to go on; it is going to keep moving. The Spirit is going to move you from

one level of glory to the next.

When one has truly repented of his sins there will be a declination of those sins in his life. He will begin to

experience spiritual growth from the beginning stages of new birth to maturity. This does not happen

automatically, it has to be sought. There will be instant change but more importantly there will be constant

change occurring. A truly repentful person will desire to grow and become increasingly like Christ.

9. Obedient Living

Here is what MacArthur says about obedient living: “Every branch in me bears fruit,” says John 15. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul says, “Look, you are His workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that you walk in them.” That’s

obedience. We are saved unto the obedience of faith.

Without genuine repentance and faith, there is no obedience. Repentance brings a yielding of one’s life to

God. The desire of every truly born again person is total and complete obedience to the Father.

If all nine of these things listed above are evident in your life, then you will know that you have a saving

faith.

This, then, is the summation of MacArthur’s belief on repentance and faith. According to him we cannot

separate repentance and faith because they are two sides of the same coin and both are necessary for salvation.

As I read MacArthur’s book I wished he had been more emphatic with calling men of God who preach the

Word of God to strongly emphasize repentance and faith in the salvation experience. I believe that is his

position, however, to me, it was not emphatically clear. (See Appendix D – Sample Sermon of MacArthur on

Repentance).

ZANE HODGES

Zane Hodges book, Absolutely Free: A Biblical Reply to Lordship Salvation, (Rendencion Viva, 1989) is a

response to John MacArthur’s book, The Gospel According to Jesus. In this book, Zane Hodges preaches

“another gospel;” a gospel incapable of saving anyone. His exegesis of key passages such as the rich young

ruler and the prodigal son have been poorly exegeted. He even says that we have every reason to be hopeful that

the rich young ruler got saved! Not only that, despite what the two endorsements by Luis C. Rodriguez and Earl

D. Radmacher say, this book is quite combative against MacArthur in the end notes. The Bible clearly teaches

that we are saved by faith alone, but a true and living faith will produce (non-meritorious) good works. Faith

without works is dead, and a dead faith was never a saving faith at all. The Bible repeatedly commands us to

examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith and Christ repeatedly used parables instructing us that we can

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identify a tree by its fruits. The very premise of the book is heresy. If one reads the gospels, he will conclude

that salvation is directly related to repentance and a radically changed life.

Hodges states, “No other position [“faith alone”] is biblical or truly evangelical. Faith alone (not

repentance and faith) is the sole condition for justification and eternal life” (page 144). Hodges purports in

his book that the concept of faith necessarily produces obedience is modern and a serious threat to the integrity

of the gospel. However, when you study church history this is exactly what the true church has always believed.

Obedience cannot be omitted in the salvation experience anymore than repentance and faith can never be

separated. They go together. They are two sides of the same coin: repentance toward God and faith in the Lord

Jesus Christ.

Hodges uses an argument from silence. In other words, he believes if a passage does not mention repentance

then it is wrong to say that repentance is connected with belief. However, silence on any subject does not prove

or disprove anything. He goes on to accuse those of us who believe that repentance must be reclaimed as a

condition for salvation as having regressed to Roman Catholic dogma. That is absolutely not true!

Hodges seems to contradict his belief about repentance when he states, “. . . genuine repentance MAY

(emphasis mine) precede salvation (as we shall see), it need not do so” (page 146). Which is it? If

repentance is not necessary to the salvation experience then why does Hodges say it “may” precede salvation?

Does that mean that some people need to repent but others do not? That is a double standard. He goes on to say,

“One of the most striking facts about the doctrine of repentance in the Bible is that this doctrine is totally absent

from John’s gospel. There is not even so much as one reference to it in John’s twenty-one chapters” (page 146-

147). Once again, you cannot argue from silence because it is illogical to do so.

In his conclusion of chapter 12, which deals with repentance, Hodges says, From what we have seen in this chapter, we must conclude that the call to repentance is broader than the call

to eternal salvation. It is rather a call to harmony between the creature and His Creator, a call to fellowship

between sinful men and women and a forgiving God. If we keep this fact firmly in mind, we will never make

the mistake of thinking that repentance is a condition for eternal salvation (page160).

Let us take this and exegete what he is saying. First, he says, “the call to repentance is broader than the

call to eternal salvation.” That is true if you believe, as the Bible teaches, that repentance is necessary to

salvation and that the believer must continue to repent every time sin enters their life. That is not what Hodges

believes. He is saying that repentance is something we do after we are saved not before salvation. Secondly, he

says, “it is a call to harmony.” Again that is true, but not in the sense in which Hodges uses it. We cannot be in

harmony with God until sin has been dealt with in our life. Repentance is necessary for salvation because there

can be no harmony with the Father until we confess our sins and repent. Finally, Hodges say, “it is a call to

fellowship.” Again, there can be no fellowship with the Father if there has been no repentance on the part of the

sinner.

It appears to me that Hodges believes repentance is only necessary after a person has been saved. A person

“may” repent to be saved but it is not necessary to salvation. Again, I ask the question, “which is it?” You

cannot have it both ways.

As far as his argument against “lordship salvation” Hodges does the same thing. He argues from a position

that lordship theology is wrong. In fact, his theology is wrong. He says that lordship followers believe that we

must make Jesus Lord. No! We do not believe that. You cannot make Jesus Lord, because He is Lord! What

Hodges does not understand is that in the salvation experience, we surrender our way to His way (lordship),

repent of our sins (ask forgiveness), and believe that He will save us (faith).

The very belief system about repentance, as proposed by Hodges, is why this thesis is so important.

Great confusion is caused by following the belief of Hodges in Absolutely Free! Repentance must be, has to be,

reclaimed in our preaching and especially in the crucial public invitation. This confusion is the reason why we

have so many lost people in our churches. For what Hodges teaches is “easy believism” or “cheap grace.”

Salvation is not free, it cost Jesus everything. To believe like Hodges is to remain in your lost condition. This is

why I believe repentance must be reclaimed in our preaching and especially in the soul-winning business. By

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including repentance in evangelism does not make it a “work” as Hodges claims. However, there will be fruits

of repentance when a person has truly, genuinely been born again. (See Appendix E – Sample Sermon by

Hodges on Repentance).

“Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation”

CHAPTER THREE

Research Methodology

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

What is true repentance? The purpose of this study is to explore and discover knowledge about the nature

of true repentance in the evangelistic invitation. Once the nature of true repentance is explored from history and

the Scriptures, then we can discover what needs to be done to present this message to Christendom today. It is a

call to preachers everywhere to return to the Scriptures, preaching repentance as men of God throughout the

Bible, the early church, and history have done. These understood what we have forgotten about repentance.

Understanding this will ensure that when people are taught right they will believe right. As a result of this, men

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and women, boys and girls, will all understand what it really means to repent of their sins, and by faith receive

Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives.

General Objectives

An attempt is made to fill an apparent void in the body of Christian knowledge in the area of repentance

in the preaching event and the evangelistic invitation. While there are many works, both pro and con, on the

evangelistic invitation and the methodology of such; there are few works found by this writer that deal strictly

with repentance and faith as two sides of the same coin. Most works focus on the faith aspect of salvation. But

there can be no true faith without true repentance and there can be no true repentance without true faith. They

go together. They are not to be separated. Wherever repentance has been neglected intentionally or

unintentionally this neglect needs to stop, and once again, the men of God must preach the message of God with

an urgent appeal to repentance.

Academically, this study will show the need in our Bible colleges and seminaries to teach with more

emphasis on the importance of repentance in the evangelistic appeal. Either it is not emphasized strongly or

young preachers are not grasping the importance of this need. The desire of this author is to call upon

institutions, which teach young preachers, to impress upon these preachers the great need to reclaim repentance

in the evangelistic appeal. Systematic theology should stress this subject in the classroom so that it will manifest

itself in the sermons of preachers in the pulpit.

APPROACH TO THE STUDY

Theoretical Implications This paper has drawn historical comparisons and contrasts in Chapter Two between men of God from the

past such as: George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and Charles H. Spurgeon. All of these men

understood the importance of repentance and faith. Comparisons were also made of biblical preachers such as:

Peter, Paul, John the Baptist and Jesus. After comparing and contrasting these examples, conclusions have been

drawn to support the thesis of this paper: there needs to be a reclamation of repentance in the preaching event

and the evangelistic invitation. These conclusions show where modern preaching and evangelistic invitations

have strayed from those of the biblical and historical men by not emphasizing true, genuine repentance and

faith.

Research Methodology

Views of history often inextricably bring assumptions about past and present beliefs about repentance and

the kind of understanding to modern day Christianity. This fact is important when comparing the history of

repentance across different times. This paper addressed the relevance of the historical comparative method for

repentance as it applies to the 21st century church. The method is an under-utilized but legitimate and important

methodological approach in Christian research, particularly when the research involves more than just content

analysis of documents from the past. Specifically, when researching the history of repentance in Christianity

across different times, this method has much to contribute to our understanding of practice and persuasion in the

evangelistic appeal. Its contribution lies in allowing a student of Christian history to find the lessons from the

past, which are many in the Christian church. The historical comparative research method provides the way for

comparisons of certain times and events as they relate to the scope of reclaiming repentance in the evangelistic

invitation.

Progress is relative. We measure progress by noting the change between what was and what is. Moreover,

we attempt to account for the change by identifying the dynamics that have caused it. When we do these things,

we are using an approach known as the experimental method. The basic purpose of this experimental study is to

discover and describe the current understanding of repentance. The method is a self-report questionnaire that

gives discrete and open responses to understand how people think about repentance.

Validity and reliability are two words that are encountered repeatedly in research methodology, and these

two terms are used in connection with measurement. The validity and reliability of the measurement

instruments influence the extent to which one learns something about the phenomenon studied, the probability

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that statistical significance can be obtained in a study, and the extent to which meaningful conclusions can be

drawn. This is done by looking at the problem caused by the lack of repentance being preached.

When validity of a research study is considered, we need to ask two basic questions. First, does the study

have sufficient controls to ensure that the conclusions we draw is truly warranted by the data? Second, can we

use what we have observed in the research situation to generalize about the world beyond that specific

situation? The answer to these two questions addresses the issues of internal validity and external validity,

respectively.

The internal validity of a research study is the extent to which its design and the data that it yields allow the

researcher to draw accurate conclusions about cause-and-effect and other relationships within the data. To

ensure the internal validity of a research study, precautions were taken to eliminate other possible explanations

for the results observed. In this research project a strategy of triangulation is employed. Multiple sources of data

were collected with the hope that they all converged to support the hypothesis of this study. The questionnaire

was distributed to pastors and they made them available to their congregations on a volunteer basis. Along with

this an in-depth interview with another pastor was conducted looking for common themes that appeared in the

data collected from both methods. The conclusions drawn from this research is warranted from the data

collected.

The external validity of a research study is the extent to which its results apply to situations beyond the

study itself – in other words, the extent to which the conclusions drawn can be generalized to other contexts. A

strategy of a representative sample was used in this research project. A sampling was taken from two different

congregations in different parts of the country. Would the results be the same if another researcher conducts a

similar study in a very different context reach the same conclusion? I believe that the results would be the same

and therefore when taken together would provide evidence that the conclusion of this study has validity and

applicability across diverse contexts and situations.

Chapter Four has been an effort to show where we are in Christendom today in our neglect to preach the

true significance of repentance. We must discover where we are before we can get to where we need to be. The

questionnaire used, although not a large sampling, does in fact show us where we are in this problem of

neglected repentance. The Literature Review in Chapter 2 shows us where we need to be. The validity of this

study is shown by the fact that of those who responded in the questionnaire only 30% stated that they repented

of their sins in the salvation experience. That means that 70% of those in our churches are lost and on their way

to a devils hell and don’t know it. That is where we are today and we need to get back to preaching repentance

so that people will understand what it is and why they need to do it for salvation.

Two groups and four subgroups were solicited for participation through a questionnaire. Multiple sources of

data describe current perspectives on repentance exploring the information necessary to support or reject the

hypothesis. Participants were instructed not to use their names only to give their age, sex and answer the

questions in their own words and by their own belief. The questionnaire was sent to two churches; one in Boise,

Idaho, (Calvary Baptist Church) in the northwest part of the United States, and the other to a church in Muskogee,

Oklahoma (Eastern Heights Baptist Church), which is in the “Bible Belt” portion of the United States. After the

questionnaire was completed, and the data analyzed, conclusions were then made to support the thesis that

repentance needs to be reclaimed in the preaching and evangelistic appeals made when people are confronted with

the gospel message. To address the weakness of validity and reliability both lay and professionals were questioned

and to increase validity an in-depth interview was conducted with a professional to verify the questions and result.

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“Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation”

CHAPTER FOUR

Obtaining the necessary data to support the thesis of this paper has been an arresting experience. The

participants were members and pastors of two different congregations in two different parts of the United States.

There were five subgroups in this study; Pastors/Staff, Adult Males and Females.

Gathering of the Data

A questionnaire (See Appendix for actual Questionnaire) was used for lay people in congregations and for

Pastors and Staff of churches. The questionnaire illustrated that there is a variety of answers given for the

salvation experience which adds support to the overall thesis of this dissertation that there is a severe shortage of

effective counseling of candidates for salvation, and that the results of this survey will show that indeed there

needs to be a reclamation of repentance in the evangelistic invitation. There were 45 Questionnaires given out on a

voluntary basis by lay people and only 25 responded. Of these 25 that responded from 2 different congregations

there were 19 Adult Males and 5 Adult Women.

The Pastors and Staff were given the same Questionnaire but were instructed to answer 6 more questions than

the lay people answered. There were 10 pastors and staff asked to participate and only 5 actually did. These

pastors and staff were from 2 different congregations as well.

Analysis of the Data

Question # 1 and 2 were separate questions on the questionnaire but are combined in this analysis phase. The

question was: “What was your salvation experience? What was involved in that experience?” The following is the

results of these two questions by the 25 lay people who participated:

WALKED AN AISLE AS THEIR SALVATION EXPERIENCE

Adult Males: 15%

Adult Females: 20%

FILLED OUT A CARD AS THEIR SALVATION EXPERIENCE

Adult Males: 16%

Adult Females: 0%

BAPTIZED AS THEIR SALVATION EXPERIENCE

Adult Males: 6%

Adult Females: 20%

PRAYED A SIMPLE PRAYER “Jesus Come into My Heart”

Adult Males: 37%

Adult Females: 40%

REPENTED OF SINS AND ASKED JESUS TO SAVE THEM

Adult Males: 26%

Adult Females: 20%

Question # 3 asked if the individual was counseled about the salvation experience prior to their commitment.

Adult Males:

Yes: 58%

No: 42%

Adult Females:

Yes: 40%

No: 60%

Question # 4 asked the individual what changes did they themselves experience after their salvation experience

and what results did others notice (i.e., family, friends, community, church, work associates, self).

Adult Males:

Family: 63%

Friends: 78%

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Community: 15%

Church: 84%

Work Associates: 94%

Self: 100%

Adult Females:

Family: 60%

Friends: 40%

Community: 40%

Church: 100%

Work Associates: 60%

Self: 80%

Question # 5 asked the individual what impact has that experience had on their life since that salvation

experience.

Adult Males:

Strongly Significant: 56%

Significant: 32%

Non-Significant: 6%

Strongly Non-significant: 6%

Adult Females:

Strongly Significant: 50%

Significant: 20%

Non-Significant: 20%

Strongly Non-significant: 10%

Pastors and Staff answered the same five questions the lay people answered plus 6 other questions as follows:

(NOTE: One pastor was interviewed by telephone and his responses to each of these questions are given):

Question # 1 and 2: What was your salvation experience and what was involved?

Repented of sins and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ: 60%

Prayed a simple prayer of faith: 40%

In a telephone interview with one pastor, he answered this question this way:

“I walked an aisle when I was 9 years old and told the preacher I wanted to be saved. The preacher told

me to have a seat and fill out a card. I did and was baptized and thought I had been saved. However, when

I turned 19 I realized through the preaching of the Word of God that there had been no repentance on my

part. I still did the same things I did before I got saved, I went the same places all the other lost teenagers

were going to and I knew there was something missing in my life. I repented of my sins and asked Jesus to

come into my life and be my Lord and Savior and immediately my life changed. I had a desire to please

God and do what He wanted me to do from that day forward.”

Question # 3: Were you counseled prior to your decision?

Yes: 80%

No: 20%

This same pastor answered this question in this way: “No. I was told to sit down and fill out a card and then

told I would be baptized that night in the evening service. I was presented to the church as one who had

trusted Christ to be my Savior.”

Question # 4: What changes were experienced and noticed by others?

Family: 100%

Friends: 100%

Community: 100%

Church: 100%

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Work Associates: 100%

Self: 100%

This pastor stated: “I immediately noticed a difference in my life. I no longer wanted to do the things I

was doing and had a radical change of lifestyle. It was so radical that everyone around me noticed the

difference.”

Question # 5: What impact has that decision made in your life?

Strongly Significant: 100%

Significant: 0%

Non-Significant: 0%

Strongly Non-significant: 0%

The response of the pastor being interviewed was: “I have never regretted the decision to repent of my sin

and follow Jesus. This decision has been the most significant decision I have ever made. I only wish I had

been counseled when I was 9 years old and could have been living for Jesus all those years, when I thought I

was saved.”

Question # 6: What is your theological position of the doctrine of salvation?

Repentance of sins and then believe on the Lord: 40%

Simple prayer of faith: 60%

Here is the response from the interview of the pastor: “The doctrine of salvation is the most important

doctrine we teach, because it is the only way a person can receive eternal life and go to heaven when they

die. If we fail in this, we will fail at everything else we try to do, no matter how noble the cause. We must

not only be diligent in getting the salvation message out, but we must be just as diligent to tell people why

they need salvation. It is because we are sinners and separated from God by those sins. We need to tell

people to repent and believe not believe and repent.”

Question # 7: Do you give individuals seeking salvation counsel? If so what counsel is given?

Yes: 90%

No: 10%

Repent of sins and then believe on the Lord: 60%

Pray a simple prayer (Jesus, come into my heart.): 40%

This is a good response from the pastor: “Yes, we do. We have trained counselors in our church who take

the individual who comes forward in the invitation to a counseling room and deals with them in a one on

one basis. They are led through the Roman Road of salvation and an exerted effort is made to help them to

see their need for repentance.”

Question # 8: Is repentance necessary to the salvation experience?

Yes: 60%

No: 40%

The pastor was quick to respond to this question by stating: “Definitely! There is no salvation if there is no

repentance.”

Question # 9: Is repentance a “works salvation?”

Yes: 40%

No: 60%

Look at the response to this question from the pastor being interviewed: “If it is a work at all it is God’s

work. Repentance is simply a turning away from sin and a turning to God. No, it is not a works salvation.”

Question # 10: Do you believe in “Lordship salvation?”

Yes: 40%

No: 60%

The pastor seemed a little offended when asked this question, because he does not like the term “Lordship

Salvation,” however he answered the question like this: “If you mean, do I believe that Jesus is Lord, then yes.

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We do not make Jesus Lord, He is Lord. Jesus is either Lord of all or He is Lord of none. When we repent

of our sin and ask Jesus to come into our heart we are relinquishing all of our rights to Him. He is now

Lord of our life and we are His followers.

Conclusion of Data

Chapter Two was a discussion of the Literature Review and we explored repentance from three perspectives:

historical, scriptural, and theological perspectives. In doing so we discovered that in all of those settings

repentance was a very important part of the preaching and evangelistic appeals in the salvation experience. In

exploring and discovering what true repentance is we found what ought to be the normative for the church today.

This preliminary data demonstrates the church has much to learn and change about the doctrine of repentance.

From this data gathered, it shows the variety of beliefs about the salvation experience. Of the 30 participants

including all the lay people (25) and the pastors and staff (5) only 30% expressed that they repented of their sins

prior to asking the Lord Jesus to come into their lives and save them. That low percentage is the reason why I

undertook this thesis in this dissertation that repentance must be reclaimed and preached and taught and people

need to be counseled about the necessity of repentance as an integral part of the salvation experience. I was

somewhat shocked at the pastors and staff who stated that they do indeed counsel people prior to their salvation

experience but that only 60% of those instruct the individual seeking salvation that they must repent of their sins

before they ask Jesus to be their Savior. The other 40% simply instruct the candidate for salvation to pray a simple

prayer, “Jesus come into my heart and save me.”

This survey should be a wake up call to all pastors and evangelists to pause and consider their methods of

calling people to salvation and ensuring that repentance is very definitely stressed. I visited with a Pastor and two

preachers who just returned from the Ukraine on a missions trip. They told me that it is so amazing that over there

people are not asked “Have you trusted in Jesus as your Savior,” they ask, “Have you repented of your sins?” The

people over there responding to an invitational call come forward and publicly confess theirs sins and then pray

and ask Jesus to come into their hearts and be their Lord and Savior. That’s the way it used to be in America, but

we have failed to emphasize the need for repentance and an easy believism has prevailed. We must return to the

biblical standard of repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

As I visit with people and begin to talk to them about their conversion experience and I tell them about the

need for repentance often they get a questioning look on their faces as if the say, “I’ve never been told that.” I

believe that the evangelistic invitation is the most important time of a worship service and we must take great care

in that we do not mislead people into believing that simply walking down an aisle, shaking a preachers hand,

filling out a membership card, or being baptized will save them. There needs to be a reclamation of repentance in

the call for salvation. It needs to be preached in sermons and emphasized in the invitation. As evangelicals we

must not get trapped into the “numbers” game. Winning people to Christ is our number one priority, but we will

not truly win them if they have not repented.

“Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation”

CHAPTER FIVE

Conclusions of the Study

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

What is true repentance? The true definition of biblical repentance is sought and expounded upon in this

study; and shows why it is so vitally important that preachers return once again to the all important ingredient of

repentance in salvation and to preach it with all the fervor and every fiber of their being. Will inviting people to

respond to God’s grace for salvation lead to true repentance? Yes, if it is emphasized when dealing with people

and explaining to them what repentance is and why it is so important to receive the grace of God. When this

paper was first undertaken, the author knew that there were strong differences in belief about repentance

between godly people. It became apparent throughout this study that there were very strong positions on both

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sides of the issue. The division of these positions is not something new; it has been going on for centuries. The

problem of this division perhaps has not been solved with this paper, however, it is the hope and prayer of this

author to encourage people to take a hard look at their own salvation experience through the mirror of God’s

Word and analyze their experience with what is taught in the Scriptures. It is also the desire of this author to

encourage preachers of the Word to begin to teach afresh and anew the biblical mandate for repentance in their

sermons, but more importantly in the evangelistic invitation. Care must be given to those who respond to the

gospel message, that they understand not only what repentance is, but the importance of actually repenting of

their sins before they invite Jesus into their lives. In order to do this, one needs to look into three areas regarding

repentance.

REPENTANCE IN THE PAST – The Example

In the historical perspective of repentance, we looked at four men of God and discovered that all of them

believed that repentance was necessary to the salvation experience. None of these men believed that repentance

was a “works salvation.” All of these men believed that a lost person must confess his sins (agree with God

about their sins), ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins (repentance), and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be

their personal Lord and Savior (faith). Without repentance of sin, there can be no forgiveness. Without

forgiveness of sin there can be no salvation. From the historical view, this has always been the belief about

repentance and the salvation experience.

The same belief was seen in discussing what Jesus, the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, and Luke the

Doctor taught about repentance. Several passages of Scripture were studied and exegeted to show that all of

these believed in repentance as being necessary to the salvation experience.

However, when repentance was looked at from the theological view we found a great division between

two men of God. John MacArthur and those who teach repentance as a part of the salvation experience; and

Zane Hodges and those who believe in the “easy believism” salvation and that repentance is a “works

salvation.” Two major belief systems exists about repentance as a necessary part of the evangelistic appeal.

These men and those that believe as they do are firmly grounded in their belief and this dissertation will not

change either of these belief systems. It will take the power of the Holy Spirit, teaching the truth of the

Scriptures, to those who will simply listen to His still small voice.

REPENTANCE IN THE PRESENT – The Error

What has happened in the present in regards to repentance is that we have these two belief systems. Because

of that there is great confusion in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ today. The two belief systems are “Easy

Believism” or “Cheap Grace” and repentance necessary for salvation. Let us look at each of these in conclusion.

“Easy Believism” or “Cheap Grace”

From over 28 years in full time ministry in local churches this is the prevailing belief in our present time,

and the result has been devastating to the church. There is an alarming number of people on the rolls of

churches today who have never repented of their sins and therefore have never truly been saved. I can

remember growing up in a Southern Baptist Church and hearing that the Southern Baptist Convention had a

push for church growth called “A Million More in ‘54”; which was 1954, and the result was that they reached a

million or more people, but the result was devastating because people were thrust into the church through very

little counseling if any and now we have these people as leaders in the churches and they have caused severe

problems to the church over these many years since. However, these people would argue that they can

remember walking down an aisle of a church, or they filled out a card to join the church, or they were baptized,

or they shook the preacher’s hand. On that basis they claim to be saved. Salvation entails more than these, it

includes repentance. These people in this belief system have never been saved because there was no repentance

in what they claim as their salvation experience.

Repentance Necessary to Salvation

This is the belief that has been called a “works salvation” or “lordship salvation.” This belief system has

been labeled thusly erroneously. This system believes that a person must confess their sins, repent of their sins,

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and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. One cannot “make Jesus Lord” because

He is Lord. We simply accept Him as Lord when we realize who we are in His sight, a sinner saved by grace.

As someone has said, “Jesus is either Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.” I would agree wholeheartedly with

that statement.

REPENTANCE IN THE FUTURE – The Encouragement

The desired result of this paper is to encourage the church to examine itself in its belief system about

salvation and come to the same conclusion that this paper has come to and that is that repentance needs to be

reclaimed, especially as it has to do with inviting lost sinners to come to Jesus to be saved.. This can be done by

the pastor beginning to look at his own salvation experience and see what manner it is. Then he should counsel

with the leadership of the church beginning with the deacons. After the leadership has been dealt with he should

preach messages on repentance, faith and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The preaching of the Word of God on

this all important subject will bring conviction from the Holy Spirit to those, who, perhaps have never been

taught the truth. Every preacher needs to begin including in his evangelistic appeal, the importance of

repentance of sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. People need to be counseled to repent of their sins. There

must be emphasis, that without repentance, there can be no true salvation. Men of God must preach it with

conviction because lay people need to understand what their salvation experience included and excluded.

Genuine salvation must include genuine repentance and genuine faith, it must exclude and work on their part to

be saved.

The church is dying from the inside out, because a faulty salvation belief has been taught in the past.

Leaders are serving in the churches who have never repented of their sins and therefore they cause all kinds of

division within the church. Repentant men will allow Jesus to be Lord in their lives and thereby serve Jesus

Christ without faulty beliefs.

Recommendations

This study certainly was limited to reclaiming repentance in the evangelistic invitation. There are so many

ramifications of this subject that one paper could not possibly cover. A study of the churches belief system on

how they receive members needs to be looked at thoroughly. An in depth study of repentance in general would

benefit every preacher and lay person to find out if their salvation experience was real or false. The time that we

have left on this earth before Jesus comes again is so short. The church is and has been playing games at the

foot of the cross and by doing so has neglected one of the great doctrines of the faith – repentance. This is an

urgent call to all men of God to look once again at what the Bible teaches about salvation and return once again

to preaching repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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“Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation”

CHAPTER SIX

Appendix A

QUESTIONNAIRE

Project: Doctoral Dissertation

Please check one of the following:

Adult Male __ Adult Female __ Youth Male __ Youth Female __

Church Affiliation: ________________________________

If you are a Pastor or Staff please give your position _________________

The data collected from this questionnaire will be used in the doctoral dissertation I am presently

writing. Your willingness to participate is greatly appreciated.

Please answer the following questions according to your belief system. If you need more room to write

your answers please do so on the back of the page. Be sure to number on the back to coordinate with the

numbers on the front.

What was your salvation experience?

What was involved in that experience?

Were you given an explanation of the salvation experience? If so, what explanation was given to you?

What changes, if any, occurred immediately after that salvation experience? In other words, what

changes did you yourself experience? And what changes did others observe in you? (family, friends, work

associates, community, church).

What has been the impact of that event in your life through the years following?

***************************************************************************************

*

This section is for Pastors and Staff to answer.

What is your theological position of the doctrine of salvation?

What counsel, if any, do you give to a person who is seeking salvation?

Is repentance a necessary ingredient to the salvation experience? Please explain your answer.

Does making repentance a part of the salvation experience make it a “work?”

What do you believe about “Lordship?”

Thank you for your assistance in answering the questions above. I greatly appreciate you help.

LARRY A. COMBS, Ph.D.

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Appendix B

A Sample Sermon on How to Preach Repentance

WHAT IS TRUE REPENTANCE?

Acts 2:37-47

INTRODUCTION

All of us, when we think about the early church, immediately think about the great day of Pentecost.

On that day Simon Peter preached the gospel, three thousand people came to know Jesus as their Savior. It was

a tremendous day. It was a magnificent day. It was a miraculous day, but you do not build a church on one

single service. The things we find recorded for us in the closing verses of this chapter give to us the secret,

indeed, of building a great church.

Pentecost was a wonderful experience. It is the New Testament norm of the kind of power and soul-

saving activity God wants to take place in our public services. But the church of the Lord Jesus, in Jerusalem,

was not built merely by that one service. Church historians have estimated that within seven years after the day

of Pentecost, over one hundred thousand people - half the population of Jerusalem - had come to faith in the

Lord Jesus Christ. What took place on Pentecost was the beginning of that, but it was not the secret that caused

Jerusalem believers to spread out into that city and win half the population to the Lord. The verses I have given

to you today take us behind the scenes and show us the dynamics of a church that can reach its city for the Lord

Jesus Christ. No church is a great church that is not obeying the command of our Lord. No church is a great

church that is not consistently winning people to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is not greatness in a church that is

not taking seriously the command of the Lord to go into the highways and hedges and compel men to come to

know Jesus as their Savior. So, I want to share with you, from these verses, what it means to truly repent and

be saved. There are several ingredients in these verses, which are essential to salvation.

I. THERE MUST BE A CONVERSION TO GOD

Look in your Bible at verse 41. There is the statement that tells about the 3,000 souls who were saved.

"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about

three thousand souls." What a baptismal service that must have been. Can you imagine how many people must

have been baptizing people that day. I think it must have been a grand and a glorious time. The thing I want to

point out to you is the Bible says: "...there were added unto them about three thousand souls." The question is

- who did the adding on that occasion? How were those people added? Who did the adding? Drop down in your

Bible to the last sentence of the chapter. You will notice there it says: "...And the Lord added to the church

daily such as should be saved." You can get your name added to the church roll. The church clerk can do that.

You can walk down the aisle of a church; let someone take your name, address and telephone number. And a

secretary in the church office can put your name down on the church roll. You can become a member of that

local church. But there is only one way to be added to the lamb's book of life. The Lord is the One who does

that. You need to make sure that you have truly been added to the Lord. Be sure you are a member, not merely

of the visible church on the earth, but also make sure you are a member of the invisible church - those whose

names are in the lamb's book of life. These people were really saved. They really knew Jesus. They had really

had a salvation experience. I wouldn't want to disturb anybody today. There is enough doubt and confusion in

the world without me trying to add to the load of confusion, but I have the conviction in my heart that there may

indeed be many people who somehow got their name on the church rolls and have never really been saved.

They joined the church in a time of great emotional fervor. Maybe they walked down the aisle during a revival

meeting. Maybe when they were a little child they followed some other buddies or friends down the aisle to join

the church. Yet, they have really never met Jesus and had a conversion experience whereby they were taken out

of the kingdom of darkness and placed into the kingdom of God's dear Son. Have you really been converted?

Do you really know that your name is in heaven? When you look at these verses you will find what you

normally find in the Bible when it talks about the conversion experience. You will find in these verses that we

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view conversion from the divine side and from the human side also. There is a tendency for people to go into

one of two extremes when they talk about God's great salvation. There are those who put all of the emphasis on

God's part in salvation. When you do that you deny the human will and man has nothing to do with the

situation. Then there are those on the other side who put it all on man's side of the fence. They make it all

contingent on what man does. The truth of the matter is the Bible presents conversion from both points of view.

You have to keep it in balance if you really understand the Bible teaching on salvation.

A. The Divine Initiative

1. The Divine Call (Through the Word of God)

So, I want you to look at the divine call. Look at God's part in the salvation of these three thousand

people. See what God did to bring these people to salvation. It's what God does in the life of every person that's

ever been saved. If you are saved, then what God did for these people, God did for you back there when you

came to Christ. Look at verse 39: "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar

off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Notice the word, call. There is a call. God calls men unto

himself. In Proverbs 1:24 the Lord said “I have called and you have not answered.” God calls men unto

himself. This means that God takes the initiative in a man's salvation. It is God who makes the first move. When

Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, Adam was not trying to find God. In fact, Adam was running

from God. Adam was hiding from God. It was God who came into the Garden with a broken heart. It was the

Lord who said, "Adam, where art thou?" God calls men in our sins. We have a hymn we sing sometimes, "He

called me long before I heard. Before my sinful heart was stirred.” God does that. God calls in a lot of

different ways. Sometimes God calls in a service like this. A person walks in a building and a song is sung.

Their heart is strangely warmed. The Bible is preached, the plan of salvation is given. The Gospel of Jesus is

presented. God calls men in that way. Sometimes God calls men through emergencies in life or through

unhappy experiences - tragedies, sorrows, dilemmas. God has a way of getting His message to men. God speaks

in unusual strange, out of the ordinary ways sometimes. I have the feeling that God gives every man born an

opportunity to know Him in some kind of way. God has created in every man the awareness that there is a God.

God has placed in every man an understanding that God exists and that God is a God of great power. When a

man responds to the light that God has given to him, then God gives that person more light. So, on this day of

Pentecost, God called them unto salvation. Have you heard the call of God? Have you been aware of the fact

that God loves you and that He sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross for you. I had rather go to hell from the

darkest jungles of Africa than to go to hell from America. There is probably nobody in this city who has not had

the opportunity to be saved. I am sure there is no one in this building tonight who has not had the opportunity to

know Christ as your Savior. Have you responded to what you know to be true? Some of you, if you did what

you know you ought to do, you would come to Jesus Christ in this service today. I'm praying that you will.

There is the divine call of God.

2. The Divine Conviction (Through the Holy Spirit)

Notice in verse 37. There is not only the divine call, but also divine conviction. "Now when they

heard this, they were pricked in their heart..” The word, prick, means they were cut to the heart. They were

stabbed in their heart. Simon Peter was wielding the sword of the Spirit, preaching the Word about the

crucifixion of Jesus and the meaning of it all. When they heard of him whom they had pierced, their hearts were

pierced. This is what you call Holy Spirit conviction. I In John 16:8 it talks about the conviction of the Spirit of

God. Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, "When he is come, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness

and of judgment." The Holy Spirit convicts men of their sins. You are never going to hear the good news until,

first of all, you understand the bad news. You are never going to be saved until you know you are lost and need

to be saved. The real question ought to be now when were you converted, but when were you convicted of your

sins? When did you come to understand that you were a sinner? If you have any understanding at all, you will

find out you are a sinner real soon. Do you remember when you first became aware that you were a sinner?

Maybe you told a lie to your mother and the conviction of that, the guilt of that began to grip your heart. Maybe

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you cheated on a test at school and all the way home you were afraid somebody was going to find out about it.

That teacher was going to catch you cheating. It lay heavily on your heart and you became aware you were a

sinner. Every person, if they will be hones will admit that they know they are a sinner. I talk to people about

Christ. One of the things I do to witness to people is read Romans 3:23 (or quote it to them). "All have sinned

and come short of the glory of God.” I don't recall ever, in my witnessing to anybody, anybody saying that's

not true, I've never sinned. Everybody knows they are a sinner. The Spirit of God convicts a man of those sins.

The Spirit of God grips a man's heart and tears his heart apart. You say, "Ok, preacher, I'm a sinner, what's

so bad about that?" It is your sin and my sin that drove the nails into the lovely hands of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was our sin that put that crown of thorns on His head, our transgressions nailed Him to that old rugged cross.

When I understand that my sin is responsible for the death of Jesus, it breaks my heart. Are you under

conviction of sin today? Are you sick of sin? Verse 40: "And with many other words did he testify and exhort,

saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation." In other words they were aware of the fact that they

were living in a sinful generation. That's God's part. God calls us by His Word. God convicts us by His Holy

Spirit.

B. The Definite Response

1. Repent

Now, in these verse, there is also man's part. Notice what He said to them in verse 38. The said “what

shall we do?” "...Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of

sins..." Repentance is God's first word to the soul. When a man knows that he is lost and needs to be saved the

first thing God says to him is - repent. In Luke 13:3, Jesus said: "Except you repent ye shall all likewise

perish." Nobody ever came to Christ who did not, first of all, turn from sin. Nobody has ever been converted

who has not repented of their sin. When God breaks your heart and you get sick and tired of your sins and you

want someone to save you from your sins, you'll get ready to turn away from your sins. Have you repented of

your sins? The prodigal son was a pretty good example of that. There he was in the hog pen away from the

father's house. He said, "I will arise and go to my father." He got sick of the hog pen and he turned around and

made his way back to the father. That's what repentance is. It's an about face. It's a change of mind about sin. It's

getting sick of sin, If there is no change in a person's attitude toward sin, then probably they have never been

converted. What does converted mean if it doesn't mean if it doesn't mean a change, if it doesn't mean a turn-

around. I have real problems in my mind about some people who say they have been saved and yet they have

never changed their attitude toward sin. How is it a person can say he is saved and there is no change in his life.

That's directly contradictory to the Bible. The Bible says that “if any man be in Christ he is a new creation.

Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.” Wait just a minute, preacher. Are you saying

that after you get saved, when you are converted, you don't ever sin again? No, I didn't say that. I'd be lying if I

said that. I mean that if you are truly converted, though you may sin again, you will not enjoy your sin anymore.

You just changed your attitude. It just about makes me sick when I sin. It makes me feel bad when I sin. When

you say something to somebody you shouldn't' say, they say something kind of hateful to you and you say,

"Man, I'll just show them. I'll just give them a piece of my mind." And you do, which is dangerous. Most of us

need all our mind we have. You say something kind of catty and ugly to them. You know how bad it makes you

feel. One of the ways I know I'm saved is I don't enjoy sin anymore. Repent. Be baptized every one of you for

the remission of sins. The preposition, for, there would be better understood if you would read it this way:

"repent and be baptized every one of you because of the remission of sin." Baptism is not in order to be saved.

Baptism is as a result of being saved. An outward symbol cannot produce an inward change of heart. Baptism

does not confer salvation it confirms salvation. When a person is being Baptized they are saying that there is a

difference in me. Something has happened in me. My old life has been buried with Jesus Christ. I'm putting that

behind me. I'm a new person now. I've been baptized, I've been raised in the Lord Jesus Christ, I'm going to live

a brand new life. Repent.

2. Receive

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“And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” That means that by saving faith you receive Jesus

into your heart and into your life. The moment you repent of your sins and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and

Savior, that very moment you are converted. Have you been converted? Have you really been converted? Is

your conversion experience going to suit you when you face death? If I didn't know today that I was saved just

as sure as the sun is going to come up in the morning you couldn't drive me out of this building with a row of

machine guns until I knew I was genuinely born again. That's the beginning of the Christian life. There must be

a conversion. Not just joined the church, but got born again, got convicted of sin, repented of sin, received

Christ, got washed in the blood of the Lamb, going to heaven when you die. That's what true repentance is all

about, nothing more and nothing less.

II. THERE MUST BE CONNECTION WITH GOD’S PEOPLE

Not only is there a conversion but there is a connection with God’s people ministry. Look at verse 42:

"And they continued steadfastly." The great test of a revival meeting is not how many are converted during the

week of revival, but one year after that how many of them are continuing steadfastly. Is there growth,

development, maturity in their life? Verse 42 gives us a marvelous picture of the growth and development of the

church. They had a connection with one another, which resulted in a continual ministry. Something was

happening in the church. I want to isolate for you the four characteristics of a growing ministry. The four

characteristics for the ministry to the believers that has to go on in a church if a church is a healthy church. You

can take away any one of these four and you will have an anemic church.

A. Teaching

Look at these four characteristics in verse 42: "They continued in the apostles doctrine." That is in

teaching. The apostles were teaching the people the Word of God. They didn't have the New Testament such as

we have it. They had the Old Testament, some books of the New Testament were evidently written very early in

the history of the church. Most of what was being done was oral testimony. These apostles who were eye

witnesses of the death burial and resurrection of our Lord were teaching the people the truths of God's Word.

Teaching the people the basic fundamentals of the faith. When a person comes to know the Lord, one of the first

things you have to do is begin to teach him the Scriptures. That's why they need to get in a Sunday School class.

That's why they need to come to all of the services of the church. I preach a book of the Bible on Sunday

mornings and another book on Sunday night. I preach through a book of the Bible on Wednesday night. Our

Sunday School teachers go through the Word of God and teach the Scriptures. We have Bible studies of all

kinds going on. Why do we do all of that? We are constantly teaching our young people Scriptures. We take

them to youth camp and teach them the Bible. Why do we do all of this? Because the only way a Christian can

really grow in the Lord is to get in the Word of God. It's really astounding when you consider how illiterate the

average Christian is in the Bible. It's amazing how ignorant people are of the Bible. Some people think the

epistles in the Bible were the wives of the apostles. Others think Dan and Bathsheba were lovers in the Bible.

It's amazing how little people know about the Bible. Yet, you ask the average Christian, "Do you believe this

Bible is God's Word?" They will say, "Yes." There aren't many liberals. The liberals make a lot of racket, but

there are not many of them. Most people say they believe the Bible. Yet, the average person who says he is

saved and believes the Bible will go days and days and never read the Bible. I have come to the conviction in

my heart that the closer you get to the end all you are going to have is Jesus and the Bible. The time will come if

you live long enough that every earthly relative will be gone. All earthly friends will not be able to go with you

that step further into the murky waters of death. You are going to come to the end and all you are going to have

is Jesus and the Bible. If this all I'm going to have, I want to know everything there is to know about this

wonderful book of God. I suspect that if you realized you were getting to step on in to the next world where

God Himself, and God's truth would be more real to you than it had ever been, you would want to know

everything you could know about the Bible. Get in this great Bible study ministry we have going on here. We

start them when they are little around here. We teach the little children to memorize Scripture. Some folks think

little boys and girls can’t understand Scripture. I have Scriptures in my heart that the Spirit of God brings out

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sometimes in my preaching that I learned when I was just a little boy in junior Sunday School. "Thy Word have

I hid in my heart that I may not sin against thee." I want to get all the Word I can in my heart. I want to get all

the Word I can in the hearts of my boys and girls and in my young people. When the testing time comes I want

the truth of the Word of God to be in their hearts and to move into their lives. First of all there has to be

teaching.

B. Sharing

Second, there has to be some sharing. “They continued steadfastly in

fellowship.” That means sharing. The word, I, is the Greek word, kononia, which means to have in common.

Someone has said it means two fellows in the same ship. Two fellows sharing something together. Interested in

something together. Sharing. That simply means that you need to be in an atmosphere where there are a lot of

people loving Jesus and loving one another. I have to have my brothers and sisters in Jesus. I have to have my

fellow Christians. Have you noticed the symbols that are used to describe believers in the Bible are almost all in

the plural. The Bible talks about sheep in a flock. That's what the church is like. The Bible talks about soldiers

in an army. The Bible talks about children in a family. God puts us in groups together - in fellowships. The

sweetest fellowship on earth is when God's people get together. This is a fellowship that is open to everybody.

Anybody who wants to can be a part of this fellowship. Educated - uneducated. Rich - poor. Cultured -

uncultured. I look over this congregation and I do it every Sunday. People ask us about our church and what

kind of church is it. They say is it a middle class church? I say yes. They say is it a rich church? I say yes. They

say is it a poor church? I say yes. It's all of that. It's just made up of anybody that's born again. You don't have to

have your card punched to get in this fellowship. You don't have to be Mr. Bigshot in town to get in this

fellowship. The poorest man in this town that will get born again and want to live for Jesus can jump right in the

middle of this fellowship and I like it. It's the sweetest thing in this city to me. All of this other crowd, these

bigshots, these snooty folks - they don't have any fun. They sit around trying to impress one another

and see who can out money one another. Do you know what the upper crust is?

It's a bunch of crumbs held together by dough. I like to be with God's people myself. I enjoy that spiritual

fellowship in the Lord. That's what I like. I like the singing and the preaching and the rejoicing and the good

things of the Lord. It's essential to a continual ministry in a church.

C. Remembering

Third, “they continued steadfastly in breaking of bread.” That's probably the Lord's Supper. That

means a church has to have some remembering. It has to have some teaching, some sharing, some

remembering. The church needs to be constantly reminded of what Jesus has done for us. That's why every

month, normally, we have the Lord's Supper. We don't ever forget what Jesus did for us. We don't ever forget

what Jesus means. That shows the importance of a local church. It is the local church that observes the Lord's

Supper. The Lord's Supper - the breaking of bread is a church ordinance. I remember one time out in the church

where I pastored there was a guy who was a strange, unusual kind of guy. He didn't go to church at all and when

people would talk to him, he would make it very plain he didn't believe in the church. He said they worshiped in

the home. So, young, brazen, about 20 years old, I went up there one day. I said, "They tell me you don't go to

church." He said, "That's right." I said, "I hear you worship here at home." He said, "That's what I do. All of

those meeting houses are of the devil." I said, "You have your church here at home." He said, "Yes." I said,

"Tell me when do you have the Lord's Supper?" He said, "We don't have the Lord's supper." I said, "In the

New Testament, they had the Lord's Supper in churches." I believe in the local church. I believe in the

visible, local church. There is an invisible church taught in the Bible, but for most people the invisible church is

what meets on Wednesday night at their church. Not true around here, but it's true in a lot of places. A fellow

asked a preacher one time, "Do you believe you have to be in the church to go to heaven?" The preacher

said, "No." The guy was patting him on the back, congratulating him for his broadmindedness while the

preacher asked the question "But why would you want to go to heaven that way?" Why would you want to go to

heaven outside the fellowship of the local church. Two boys out in the country one day were hoeing corn. They

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looked up and there was a plane way up there. One of them said I sure would hate to be way up yonder in that

plane. The other one said, but I sure would hate to be way up yonder without it. I sure would hate to go through

this world without the church. Some of you dear people ought to move your church letter. "Oh, but

grandmother was buried up there in the old country church." She'll go up in the resurrection, just as good

there as you will down here. Why don't you go on and move your letter. Quit using that as an excuse not to live

for Jesus in the city of Council Hill. Get in a local church. Breaking of bread. There's some remembering.

D. Praying

Then there is some praying. They continued steadfastly in praying. That's the power house of the

church. That's where the power takes place - God's people praying. You can't do without prayer. You try

education and you will get what education can do. Try science you'll get what science can do. Try technology

you will get what technology can do. Try industry you'll get what industry can do. Try prayer and you'll get

what God can do. These people prayed the power of God down on their fellowship. The secret of a great church

is not in its spectacular services, it's behind the scenes when God's people get on their knees in prayer. This

church was praying and we are told that signs and wonders were done. God was doing miracles in their midst.

There was a continual ministry.

III. THERE MUST BE A CONTINUATION OF REACHING THE LOST

Notice the third secret of a great church. Not only was there a converted membership, not only was

there a constant ministry, but there was also a continual multiplication. It says in the last two verses that “they

continuing daily in the temple and from house to house were praising God and the Lord added to the church

daily.” They did their part. They were continually, daily worshiping in the temple. Then they were from house

to house. That's one of the principles you are going to find all the way through the book of Acts. They went into

the homes of people where people were. I was reading sometime ago about Billy Graham's crusade in Tokyo

many years ago. Before Billy Graham got there for their Tokyo crusade, 16,000 Christians in Tokyo took it as

their assignment to visit every home in Tokyo. There were three and a half million homes in Tokyo at that time.

That means that every Christian in Tokyo visited 219 homes before that crusade. I got to thinking about that -

16,000 Christians in Tokyo. Did you know that if every member of this church knocked on 15 homes, we would

knock on every home in the city of Council Hill, Oklahoma. We have a program to do that. We have a visitation

program, are you involved in that? Are you daily witnessing? Are you daily telling people about Jesus? Are you

in the weekly visitation program? Are you involved in that? Are you continuing daily from house to house

telling people about Jesus? You do your part and God will do His part. The Lord added to the church daily such

as should be saved. We hear reports daily of people being saved. Not a day goes by I don't hear about somebody

who got saved. Our staff members led them to the Lord or some of our members led them to the Lord. It means

that everybody in the fellowship has to be involved in the soul-winning and in the lifestyle witnessing. All the

deacons, all the staff members. We wouldn't have a staff member who wasn't a soul-winner. We have people

that sweep floors that are soul-winners. It ought to be that way. Everyone of you choir members ought to be

soul-winners. You ought not to sing a better gospel than you witness on a daily basis. All you deacons ought to

be soul-winners. Shame on you if you hadn't won anybody to the Lord lately. Every one of you young people

ought to be soul-winners. You can lead somebody to Jesus Christ. You do your part, God will do His part. He

will. You could do that, couldn't you? Couldn't you just say, "Jesus Christ has saved me and I'm glad of it.

Jesus Christ has saved me and He'll save you." You might be surprised what God would do if you would do

your part.

CONCLUSION

If you are here today and you have never been saved we want to invite you to come to Jesus. You

must realize that you are a sinner and that sin has separated you from God. “All have sinned and fallen short of

the glory of God.” “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal salvation through Jesus Christ

the Lord.” You must admit and agree with God that you have sinned and that you deserve the punishment of

hell. That is you repent of your sin, turn from your sin and turn to God. After you have repented of your sin then

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you must ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. If God has spoken to you today about your need of the Savior,

would you come? I will explain the Scriptures to you and show you what to do to trust Jesus. If you are here and

you know that you have repented of your sins and asked Jesus into your heart but you have never been baptized,

would you come today and follow the Lord in believer’s baptism? Take that step of obedience to Christ and

follow Him into the baptismal waters. Come and I will explain the meaning of baptism with you and help you to

make that commitment today. If you are here and already a Christian but you have wandered away from God;

you are not as close to Him as you were when received Christ would you come today in repentance of your life

in rededication to Him? And if you are here today and you need a church home and this is the place God has led

you would you come in the way that receive members by letter, by statement or by baptism? Come on right now

as we stand and as we sing you come.

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“Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation”

APPENDIX C

“JOHN THE BAPTIST – AND REPENTANCE”

MATTHEW 3:1-12

OUTLINE

Introduction

I. John's Mission

II. John's Message

III. John's Master

I'd like for you to turn in your Bible this morning to Matthew the third chapter and I'll begin reading with the

first verse. The first two chapters talked about the birth of our Lord and the prophecies relative to the birth.

Now today we're going to look at the third chapter which gives us the account of John the Baptist, the

introducer, the one who introduced the Lord Jesus Christ. All right look at Matthew chapter 3 beginning with

verse 1 and going through verse 12. 1. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,

2. And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness,

Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

4. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was

locusts and wild honey.

5. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan,

6. And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, O

generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8. Bring forth therefore fruits meet (or suitable) for repentance:

9. And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able

of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

10. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good

fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose

shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

12. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but

he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

At this particular time in the land of Israel there was a new voice being heard. Down on the banks of the

river Jordan and in the wilderness of Judea there was a man named John the Baptist who was beginning his

ministry. It was a very amazing, a very unusual ministry. The Lord Jesus said about John in the 11th chapter of

Matthew, the 11th verse, that of men born of women there had not arisen a greater than John the Baptist. He

was an unusual man and everything about him is startling. His message is a startling message, he is very

stunning in his appearance. The place where he ministers is a very unusual, unlikely place. He is ministering in

the wilderness of Judea. Now, when you and I think about a wilderness we think about a place where there is a

lot of trees and where there is a lot of undergrowth and this kind of thing. The wilderness of Judea was a place

of chalky soil covered with pebbles and broken rocks; snakes were scurrying everywhere and the wind was

constantly blowing. It was a very desolate, it was a very alone place. For a period of years this man John had

been in the wilderness of Judea and God was speaking to his heart and giving him a message for the people. He

was alone with God, alone with the Bible, and God did a work in his life.

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It is so important that a man of God should just take the Word of God and get alone somewhere for a period

of time, let God speak to him and teach him the Word, and that man will come out and he could shake his

nation. I believe what we need today is for our nation to be shaken and I believe the way it's going to be done is

for there to be a return to the preaching of the unadulterated Word of God with the message of repentance in

America. I am grateful for all of the great preachers of the past, I thank God for the preachers who've had an

influence on my life, but I believe that we are desperately needing to hear the voice of God in America again,

and we need to hear a voice like the voice of John the Baptist, and the message of repentance that he preached.

I. JOHN’S MISSION

Well I want to talk about John the Baptist a little while today because John is important to the ministry of the

Lord Jesus. I want to call your attention, first of all, to John's mission. Verse 1 says, In those days came John

the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea. In Luke's gospel, in the third chapter, it gives us the setting of

the ministry of John and it names all of the prominent government and religious leaders of that time. The Word

of God passes all of those men, according to Luke, and comes to John in the wilderness and then the Bible says

John came to all of the people. God burned His Word in the heart of John, gave him a mission to his nation,

and he stepped forth with that mission.

Now notice what it says, it says that John came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. There are several

words for "preaching" in the New Testament. This particular word is a word that means “to announce as a

herald.” In those days if a king was going to make a visit he would always be preceded by an advance man.

Sometimes evangelists today who have evangelistic teams have advance men who come ahead and make

preparation for the meeting. Well, a herald in those days was an advance man of the king. It was his job to

make official pronouncements and announcements on behalf of the king. Well, the Bible says John came

preaching, he came as a herald, he came as an introducer. His mission was to introduce the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, Matthew has passed over approximately 30 years in the life of Jesus. We're given the birth of our Lord

in chapters 1 and 2, now in chapter 3 the Lord Jesus will step on the scene and will inaugurate His public

ministry. But for about 30 years there are years that are hidden, we know very little about these years. Now it

has come time for Him to begin His ministry and God announces Him and introduces Him through the ministry

of John the Baptist. It's a wonderful thing to be able to be called an introducer of men to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The great desire of my heart is to introduce men to Jesus. Folks, I want to tell you there are people everywhere

who would love to know about Jesus if you and I would really tell them.

Now there are some people who are hostile to Jesus, of course you know that's true, but I believe that there is

a great number of people in our world who would be interested in the things of God and who would like to

know how Jesus can change their lives, give them victory over sin, if you and I would take the opportunity to

announce to them, to introduce them to the Lord Jesus Christ. So a herald, an announcer is someone who goes

ahead of the king. The King is on His way and God has His forerunner; the Prince is coming now and God has

His introducer. Well what does the mission of John have to say to the people of Israel in that time? Well, it says

in verse 2 that he was saying, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” There is the substance of the

message of John. John has a message of repentance. Now, by the way, that is the same message that Jesus

started His ministry with. Look over at the fourth chapter and in verse 17 where we're told about the preaching

ministry of Jesus. Look at the fourth chapter and the 17th

verse and it says: “From that time Jesus began to

preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

It was John's first message, it was our Lord's first message and it should be our first message in the preaching

of salvation. Now you remember on the day of Pentecost, in Acts chapter 2, Simon Peter, filled with the Spirit

of God, stood before the people who had crucified the Lord and Simon Peter said, “Repent and be baptized

every one of you for the remission of sin.” His message was a message of repentance. Well, the great apostle

Paul came and he swept through Asia Minor, he swept through the Roman Empire with the message of the

saving gospel of Jesus Christ. What was the first point of his message? Well in Acts chapter 20, verse 21, the

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apostle Paul says, “I have preached repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Folks,

the first word of the gospel is the word "repentance," and did you know it is the neglected word of the gospel

today. You do not hear a great deal of repentance being preached in our day but, folks, I want to tell you

something, according to the Lord Jesus himself, “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” You can't be

saved from sin unless you repent of your sin. In fact the last word of our Lord to the church in the book of

Revelation is “Repent” and that is the last thing the church wants to do.

Now what does it mean to repent? Well the word "repent" simply means to change, a change of mind. I

used to say that to people and they would object to my definition of repentance just simply being a change of

mind, and they would say to me, Preacher, that's just too simple, there's not much to that, just change your

mind. I change my mind ten or twelve or fifty times a day. But I'm not talking about just an ordinary change of

mind, I'm talking about a change of mind about sin, a change of mind about Jesus, I'm talking about a change of

mind about yourself, I am talking about a radical work of God in your life that totally changes your outlook on

sin and it changes your daily life. Now look at what it says over here in verse 6 of this chapter. It says, “And

they were (that is, the folks that came to John) baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.” And look

down at verse 8: “Bring forth therefore fruits suitable for repentance.” You see, true repentance is a change

of mind which results in a change of life, and if your life is not changed it means you have not really repented.

I want to tell you, America needs to hear this message, I think, as it has never needed to hear repentance

before. We are living in an age when people say all you've got to do is just feel good about Jesus and just want

a full, meaningful life and go on in your lifestyle and you can be saved and go to heaven. Brother, that's not

what the New Testament teaches. The New Testament says that men are sinners, that men need to be forgiven

of their sin, and that the only way you can be forgiven of your sin is to repent of those sins. That's what John

preached. Don't you know it shook his nation? And I want to tell you, our nation needs to be shaken again, our

nation needs to be stirred with a message of repentance, that God is a holy God, that there is a holy hatred of

God against sin, not the sinner but against sin, and that men must turn from those sins, a change, an about face

from those sins. You see, when a man repents of his sins here's what takes place. It means he's going in this

direction, he is pursuing his sins, he is enjoying his sins, and then one day he comes to understand how awful

those sins are, and he realizes what those sins have done and are doing in his life, and then he understands that

his sins nailed the holy Son of God to the cross of Calvary and he is sorry for those sins with a godly sorrow, so

he turns away from those sins and he turns himself toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Now when a man repents of

his sin it doesn't mean he'll never sin again, but it means that he's got an altogether different attitude toward his

sins. Well that's what John was preaching. He was saying, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Now in verse 3 it tells us that John was preaching in fulfillment of prophecy. In the third verse we're given

Isaiah chapter 40, verse 3: ”the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” John was the voice, Jesus was the

Word. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” That particular prophecy is a prophecy

that has to do with highway construction. In those days, when a king was going to make a visit to a village the

village would make preparation. Now they didn't have the kind of roads we have today, they didn't have

interstates like we have today, so the roads were very often in poor repair. So when a king was on the way to a

certain village there would be extensive highway construction and they would fill in all of the holes, and they

would remove all of the debris and rubbish, and the litter would be burned, and they would smooth out the road

and get it just as prepared as they possibly could for the arrival of the king.

Now we do something similar to that when the President makes a visit. When a President comes to a place,

extensive preparations are made. Now, of course, today they have to set up extensive communications

arrangements, all kinds of security has to be prepared, but we basically do the same thing and we try to smooth

the way and prepare the way for the arrival of the leader of our land. Well John's ministry was a construction

ministry. He was preparing the way of the Lord. And what he's saying to the people as he preaches out in the

wilderness, you've got to make some preparations to get the Lord in your life. I wonder today, have you

prepared the highway of your heart for the visit of the King? Is the village of your heart open today? Is the litter

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removed? Has the sin been dealt with in your life so the King can come and live in your heart and in your life?

I love that word over in the book of Jonah where God called Jonah to preach to Ninevah and Jonah said, Not on

your life, Lord. Do you remember that? That's a loose King Larry translation. And then you know what

happened? He got himself in all kinds of trouble. You remember that? He wound up in the belly of a great fish

and you know the whole story, and then it says, “And the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second Time.”

I've always liked that verse.

Aren't you thankful for a God of the second chance? Mark, John Mark, the young man who was one of the

traveling companions of Paul, and you remember, Mark got cold feet and went home to mama. You remember

that? But later on he made good and Paul said, “Bring Mark with you, he's profitable to me for the ministry.”

And isn't it wonderful that the young man who was given a second chance by God is now the author of our

second gospel. See? The God of a second chance. And at the beginning of the year is a wonderful time for you

to begin again and to say to the Lord, "Lord, I want to get out every bit of the litter; I want to remove all of the

debris, anything that would hinder me from letting the Lord Jesus come riding into my heart and be the King of

kings and the Lord of lords of my life."

Well, verse 4 says, “And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his

loins.” Now today that would be pretty expensive clothing. If you've got a camel's hair coat and got a leather

belt on, you are dressed pretty well. But in those days that was simple attire. In fact, in those days it was kind

of unusual attire. He was not exactly your ordinary Sunday-morning looking preacher. Can you imagine this

man out there in the wilderness dressed like this? I mean he's got on camel's hair... What it's saying is he's got

on rugged clothing. And his diet was not much better than his dress, locusts and wild honey. I'll take the wild

honey but you can have the locusts. But he has an unusual dress and he has an unusual diet. What a picture he

was out there in the wilderness. Can you imagine? Oh, the kids love that, the more way out you look the better.

I can see the teenagers coming out there and say, Man, let's go look at this guy, you never saw a fellow like that

preaching in your life. But the whole point of it is this: John's life and ministry was a rebuke to the opulence

and the materialism of his day. That's what it was all about. And John was just simply saying to the people, You

may be living in finery and you may be living in luxury but spiritually you're just as poor as I am out here in the

wilderness. His very lifestyle was a rebuke to the day in which he lived.

By the way, that's the way it ought to be with every child of God. Your lifestyle ought to be a rebuke to the

day. Now I'm not saying you ought to be obnoxious and I'm not saying that you ought not to have tact and that

you ought not to be kind and sweet and loving and gentle in your dealing with people, but I want to tell you

something, friend, I really believe if you let Jesus have control of your life, and if you are and introducer for the

Lord Jesus, and if you are a preparer of hearts for the Lord Jesus Christ, your lifestyle will be a rebuke to the sin

of those who are around you. It will happen in the office, it will happen in school, it will be everywhere you

are, there will be a difference in your life. See, what is the point if there is no difference? If you say you're

saved and there's no difference between you and those who are lost, then tell me what is it all about. See,

salvation is not just a fire insurance policy to keep you out of hell. Salvation is intended to change your life and

make a better person out of you. Oh, what a rebuke John was to his day.

Well, verse 5, it says: “Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region around about

Jordan.” Some have estimated that as many as a million people went out there to hear John preach on the

banks of the river Jordan. And, oh, what a baptismal service they had in verse 6. They were baptized of him in

Jordan, confessing their sins. What a revival they had in the land. You know, that is what America needs. We

need an old-fashioned, Holy Ghost revival. I am not talking about five nights of meeting, that is not what I am

talking about. I am not talking about a visiting evangelist coming in and preaching five or six sermons in the

church and having some beautiful special music and all of that. I'm talking about a genuine revival, a turning

back to God on the part of the professing believers in this land. I will tell you, if we had a real revival and if

people started doing what this sixth verse says, confessing their sins, it would shake this land and we are never

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going to win this world and this nation to the Lord Jesus Christ until God's people get right with Jesus. That is

John's mission.

II. JOHN’S MESSAGE

But now then, I want to move a little further, I want to talk about John's message. Now look at verse 7:

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism...” Now you have got to

remember who the Pharisees and Sadducees are. Most of you know who they are. Let me just kind of give you

a little picture of them for a moment. The Pharisees were the legalists of the day. The Pharisees made religion

a heavy burden to the people, they were outwardly clean but they were inwardly corrupt. Jesus Christ dealt

more severely with the Pharisees than any other group of people, they were the separatists of the day, the

legalists of the day. I want you to know, they had taken religion and they had made it such an intolerable

burden on the common people than many of the common people said it is not even worth trying to live for God.

The Pharisees. Now the Sadducees were the liberals of the day. They were the ones who denied the

supernatural, they denied the resurrection, they denied the existence of the spirit world, in fact, Jesus pictured

them when He said, You do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God. That is a liberal. He does not know

the Scriptures; he does not know the power of God.

So the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the two large religious groups of the day, hear about the big meeting

that is going on out there at the river Jordan so they decide they will go down. Now I have an idea in my mind

what they were going to do. I have an idea that they were going to pretend that they had repented too and they

were going to try to take John's movement over from him. That is what I think they were going to try to do.

But brother they were unprepared for what they were going to get. Can you get the picture now? Here come

the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the religious crowd, the denominational hierarchy, if you please. The religious

leaders of their time, they come strolling down there to John's meeting. I can almost imagine what they were

thinking: "Now when we get down there John, he is just this country bumpkin and he is going to be so

impressed that we are here. And he is probably going to insist that we sit right down front in places of honor,

he will be so proud to have us. And John will probably ask us to pray in his meeting, and he will probably ask

us to give a word of testimony in the service."

So they come strolling down there to the services one day and old John the Baptist sees them coming and he

says, "Well good morning, you rattlesnakes, you!" It is a shame old John had never had a course on how to win

friends and influence people, isn't it? Now the point I'm trying to make to you today about John's message is

that it was a message of courage, it was a message of courage. John was afraid of no man. John was not one of

these weak-kneed, pussy-footin', milk toast, non-controversial, please-everybody, kind of preachers. We've got

a bunch of those in America today. You know, I don't think, and I've already said it in this message, I don't

think you ought to be obnoxious but I'll tell you we need to hear some courageous preaching in America again,

and we need a generation of preachers who are not intimidated by the people to whom they preach. Now, you

know, for 20 years, right here in this pulpit, in fact longer than 20 years, for 48 years, in this pulpit right here at

First Baptist Church there has been a courageous voice for God that has never flinched to preach the truth of

God. Somebody says, Well you can't reach people with that kind of preaching; that kind of preaching is out of

date.

You know the kind of preaching people want nowadays? People say, We want the positive, we've got to

have a positive message. I hear this everywhere I go now and it disturbs me. You've just got to preach positive.

I hear these preachers get up and they say, Now you can't preach that old timey stuff any more, and you can't

preach hell and you can't preach against sin, and you can preach repentance, it's all got to be sweet, positive.

You know, If you don't repent so to speak, you'll go to hell as it were. Yeah, and I want to tell you something,

friends, congregations of people are sitting and they're listening to that little old light, rose-colored, perfumed

kind of preaching and they're dying in their sins and going to hell. That's what's happening. Brother, I'll tell

you, you don't get to the positive until first of all you face the negative. The gospel is primarily good news, it is

a positive message, but, bless you heart, there's the bad news that you're a sinner and you've got to face up to

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your sins before God before you can get saved. I'll tell you what, it's bad news first but, brother, after you've

faced the bad news then the good news sure is good news.

I want to tell you something, friend, John the Baptist was no weakling in the pulpit and, bless your heart, if

you're looking for weaklings in the pulpit you are in the wrong place. And don't think you're going to

intimidate me, brother. And I've got news for you, I don't care whether you like it or whether you don't like it,

all I care is whether God likes it, and if God likes it, brother, “let every man be a liar and God be true.” You

say, Well I don't like that kind of preaching. Well, the devil doesn't either. Just classify yourself and come back

next Sunday morning. Yes, sir. That's the way I started preaching, I'm going to finish out this way by the grace

of God. I'm not afraid of any of you, brother. There's not a deacon in this building that causes me to tremble,

did you know that? In fact, most of you deacons need to get right with God, you're just as indifferent and

unconcerned as you ought to be. You talk soul winning, you're not doing much of it. Why don't you get right

with God, deacons, and lead this church to get out into the highways and the byways of this city and win this

city to the Lord Jesus Christ. The reason I can preach that way to them, they're probably the best group of

deacons I ever met on the earth and they like it this way. Boy, these deacons like this kind. Don't you like it

this way? Amen! You better like it this way, 'cause it's all your gonna get. Amen!

Old John, "You generation of snakes." He said, You're like a bunch of snakes out in the wilderness. You

see, they had dead branches and the snakes would look like dead branches, they'd be just as still as dead

branches, but if you got close to them they'd strike you and sting. There are some people like that, they're just

like an old snake laying there like an old dead branch, and you get anywhere around them, they'll strike you and

they'll sting. They're just full of poison. Oh, he said, “You generation of vipers, who warned you to flee from

the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits suitable for repentance.” What he's saying is if you mean

business let there be a change in your life that will be indicated by the fruits of your life. Now, of course, they

thought they were going to heaven because they were born in a particular family. So in verse 9 he says, Don't

say now we've got Abraham to our father: I say unto you, God is able of these stones to raise up children unto

Abraham. What he's saying is, Listen, God's salvation is a miracle, you're not just born into a certain family and

that makes you a Christian.

One of the real concerns I have today is the children of God's children. I mean those who are the children of

the men and the women of God. There are some young people whose moms and dads had real experiences with

Jesus, I mean they were saved, I mean genuinely born again and they've come into the family of God and their

children have been brought up in the atmosphere of the things of God, they've been brought to the services,

they've been carried to youth camp and all of those kinds of things, and they may get the idea that simply

because mama is a Sunday School teacher, or daddy is a deacon, or that mama sings in the choir, or that daddy

works as an usher that they're all right. Oh, no, no, friend. You don't get to heaven because you're born in a

certain family, you've got to have a miracle. Jesus said, I can take stones, God can take stones and raise up

children to Abraham. You know, a stone is a dead, lifeless thing; the only way that thing could have life is for

God to do a miracle. Did you know you're a lifeless sinner, too, without the Lord Jesus Christ, and the only

thing that can get you into the family of God is a miracle. Ezekiel 36:26, God says, I'll take that old heart of

stone out and I'll give you a heart of flesh. God has to do a miracle for you to be saved. John is saying you

need a miracle; you need a new birth in your life.

Now look at it. He goes on a little further and he says in verse 10, “. . .now the axe is laid unto the root of

the trees.” Now I want you to notice that. In verse 8 he talks about the fruit but now in verse 10 he talks about

the root. “The axe is laid unto the root of the trees.” And he said if a tree doesn't bring forth good fruit it's

hewn down and cast into the fire. I want you to notice you've got to deal with the inside before you deal with

the outside. See, God goes to the root of our lives. That's why God says repent, because repentance goes to the

root of our lives. You don't change the fruit until you change the root. Lopping off a few bad apples from the

tree doesn't turn a bad tree into a good tree. You've got to deal with the root, the axe is laid unto the root of the

trees. God is saying here you've got to have a change on the inside. So that's John's message.

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III. JOHN’S MASTER

But now I want you to notice quickly, not only John's mission, not only John's message, but I want you to

notice John's master. In verse 11 John turns his attention to the one he is to introduce and he says in verse 11,

“I baptize you with water unto repentance: but he who comes after me...” It's an amazing thing about John the

Baptist: he was bold as a lion, but when he started talking about the Lord Jesus his heart got tender. And he

says, “there's one coming after me who is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear.” What he's

saying is, I'm not even fit to carry the shoes of the one I'm coming to introduce. “He shall baptize you with the

Holy Spirit and with fire,” probably the first coming of the Lord and the second coming of the Lord. The first

coming He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and that is a reminder to us of the great work of salvation,

because 1 Corinthians 12:13 says, “By one Spirit were we all baptized into the body.” So when you're saved

you have a spiritual salvation, you are born of the Spirit of God, “He shall baptize you with, or in, the Holy

Spirit and with fire.” Now what he's saying is, You take your pick, it's either the fire of the Spirit now or the

fire of judgment later.

And then notice the figure changes and in verse 12 he takes us to the threshing floor: “Whose fan is in his

hand.” And the word "fan" there means the winnowing fork. Now in those days they would bring the grain to

a threshing floor, which normally would be built up on a hill and they would take this winnowing fork and they

would toss the grain up into the air and the wind would blow away the chaff and the grain would fall to the

ground. Then they would take that grain, the wheat, and they would gather it up and they'd put it into the barn,

the garner as it's called, they'd put it in the barn. But they would take the chaff and they would burn it with the

fire. Now what he's simply saying is this: there are two kinds of people in the world, two kinds of people in the

world: there's wheat and there's chaff. There are two destinations in the world: there is heaven and there is hell.

Two kinds of people, two kinds of destinations.

Now let me ask you a question this morning. Are you wheat or are you chaff? Have you received Christ as

your personal Savior having repented of your sins and by faith invited Him into your heart? If you have you're

wheat and one of these days God will gather you into His barn, heaven. But if you're chaff, if you've never

repented of your sin, then God says one day you'll go to a terrible place called hell. You say, Now, Preacher,

it's so harsh, it is so unloving to talk about hell. Well is it? Is it really harsh, is it really unloving to talk about

hell? Could I use an example? Could I give you an illustration for a moment?

It's a Saturday morning and you've decided you're going to sleep in, get a few extra winks on Saturday

morning. The clock has gone off, you've turned it off, and you've dozed back, and you're just about back for

those extra winks. About that time you hear a frantic pounding at your door and you think maybe somebody

else in the house will get it and maybe I'm dreaming. You hear a pounding at the door and then in a moment

you hear someone right there at your bedroom window and he's banging on the window and he's shouting your

name. You look and you see a man out there and you think, Man, he must be crazy, that man is mad, what's he

doing disturbing me on a Saturday morning? He's frantically appealing to you, begging to you to get out of the

house. So, you get up, you get all the children up, you don't know what's gone wrong with the guy, you think

he's absolutely nuts, he's emotional,

he's frantic, you don't know what's happened to him, so you get up all of the family to see what's happening and

you walk out of the house and when you get out of the house, just as you get out of the house, the roof caves in

and the house goes up in flames. You look over there in the front yard and there stands that man. He's

exhausted, he's got an anxious look on his face. What are you going to do? I have a feeling you're going to go

over there and you're going to hug his neck and you're going to thank him for saving you and the life of your

family.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, if this 12th verse is wrong, if there is no hell, then just forget it, just forget it.

But, friends, if there is a hell and if this verse is true, the kindest, most loving thing I could ever have done for

you is to warn you not to die in your sins without Jesus Christ.

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“Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation”

APPENDIX D

"True Repentance: God's Highway to the Heart--Part 1"

by

John MacArthur

All Rights Reserved

(A copy of this message on cassette tape may be obtained by calling 1-800-55-GRACE)

Luke 3:7-8 Tape 42-41 Let's open our Bibles to the third chapter of Luke. The first six verses of the third chapter describe for us

the setting of the ministry of John. You remember John, of course, is the forerunner to Messiah. He's going to

announce the Messiah has come. He's going to prepare the people for Messiah's arrival. And we got all of the

background, all of the setting in verses 1 to 6. We come to verse 7 and we actually hear John preach. This is

now John, he's entering into his ministry.

Thirty years since his birth have passed. Messiah will appear on the scene about six months after John begins

his ministry. This is the time for the real work of redemption to begin which involves, of course, the Lord Jesus

Christ who becomes the theme of the gospels. And so we begin with John as he launches the ministry, long

awaited in the history of Israel and even long awaited in this thirty years that has gone by since the one who was

born to be the Messiah's forerunner can now begin his ministry.

And so, John speaks in verse 7. "He therefore began saying to the multitudes who were going out to be

baptized by him, 'You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bring forth

fruits in keeping with repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham for our father. For I

say to you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. And also, the ax is already laid at the

root of the trees, every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.' And the

multitudes were questioning him saying, 'Then what shall we do?' And he would answer and say to them, 'Let

the man who has two tunics share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise.' And some tax

gatherers also came to be baptized and they said to him, 'Teacher, what shall we do?' And he said to them,

'Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.' And some soldiers were questioning him saying, 'And

what about us, what shall we do?' And he said to them, 'Do not take money from anyone by force or accuse

anyone falsely and be content with your wages.'

"Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to

whether he might be the Christ, John answered and said to them all, 'As for me, I baptize you with water, but

one is coming who is mightier than I and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals. He will baptize you with

the Holy Spirit and fire and His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor and to

gather the wheat into His barn. But He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.' So, with many other

exhortations also, he preached the gospel to the people."

Now here is a sample of John's preaching. This would be typical of John's preaching day after day after day.

The encounter with the multitude, the encounter with the tax gatherers, the encounter with the soldiers is not

intended to be a one-time encounter but is routine, it's what John went through regularly. We know that because

of the verbs. The form of the verbs indicate to us this was a continuous pattern. So here we have a sample of

John's kind of preaching. And as verse 8 indicates, this is how he preached the gospel. He did preach the gospel.

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And what is the gospel? It's the good news. What is the good news? God will forgive your sins. That's what

John was preaching.

John is a model for us. He is a standard for how to preach. In some ways he's even a more easily understood

standard than Jesus Himself because it's hard for us to emulate the preaching of Jesus since He is God in human

flesh...but John is a man like us. We learn from John how to confront unbelievers with the message of the

gospel...so he becomes the model, the standard for all who proclaim the good news of forgiveness to sinners. He

is the example for us to follow, the pattern for us to trace, the leader for us to emulate. He called sinners to

forgiveness. He told them good news, God will forgive your sins if you repent and receive Jesus Christ as

Messiah and Savior...that's what he told them. He was a preacher of repentance and a preacher of faith in the

Lord Messiah, Jesus Christ. And so he sets a standard for all of us and we can learn how to proclaim the gospel,

how to communicate the gospel to unbelievers by looking at the pattern of John.

And one of the things that hit you immediately just in reading that is the lack of any kind of effort to win

them over with smooth talk. In fact, he is harsh, very harsh, saying things like, "You brood of vipers." Or saying

things like, "The ax is already laid at the root of the trees, every tree therefore that doesn't bear good fruit is cut

down and thrown into the fire." This is a very strong, apparently on the surface, strong approach. But this again

is the reproach of a man of God set apart to proclaim the gospel. I don't think that John was without love or

without affection for the people, but he was clear as to the message. And that is the issue, clarity, straight-

forwardness in giving the message marks John.

Verse 18 tells us that there were many exhortations with which John preached the gospel to the people. He

was preaching for months and months out in the wilderness. What you have then in verses 7 to 17 is just an

example or a sample of what John preached all day, every day, week after week, month after month. And as I

said, it gives us a pattern for our own preaching.

Now, if you remember that John was a preacher of repentance, that John said...as we learn in

Matthew..."Repent, for the Kingdom is at hand," you will also then want to know that repentance is at the heart

of his message, it is at the heart of any gospel message. You cannot truly preach the gospel of forgiveness, you

cannot preach the gospel of grace unless you call sinners to repent. So repentance refines the substance of his

message.

Now the question that I want to pose, as we look at this passage, is...what is the character of true

repentance?...because it is given to us here in wonderfully clear terms. John, in fact, from verse 4 through 11, if

we include verses 4 to 6, the prophecy of Isaiah that related to John, from verse 4 through 17, verse 4 through

17, we really do have a definition of true repentance, the kind of repentance that saves the sinner. But at the

same time, because it is such a clear definition of true repentance, it is also an exposure of false repentance, or

shallow repentance, or non-saving repentance. And this is of great interest to any preacher and any Christian

because people have always been and still are prone to shallow repentance, they are prone to a false repentance.

The message, the modern message of cheap grace, as it's often called, just believe in Jesus, that's all you need to

do, the modern message that's often called "easy believism" in fact invites such shallowness and is at one 180

degrees from the message of John the Baptist. There was nothing about John's message that was easy. There

was nothing about John's message that was warm and fuzzy. It was harsh, it was strong, it was confrontational,

it was devastating because John understood how prone the sinner is to a shallow, superficial repentance that

does not save.

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This has been, as you well know, a grave concern of mine for many, many years. I'm convinced that

churches are literally filled with people who have had a shallow non-saving repentance and they are categorized

in Scripture as the many who say, "Lord, Lord...Matthew 7...to whom the Lord says, 'Depart from Me, I never

knew you.'" They are the kind of soil that receives the Word initially and with maybe some emotion but because

the soil is never plowed up, its hard soil, because its never plowed up its weedy soil, and either the rock or the

weeds choke out the Word, the gospel and there never is any life and there never is any fruit. Shallow repenting

is common. It was common in Israel. It was common in the Old Testament era. It was common in the New

Testament era. It's common today and it's exacerbated by those who preach a cheap message, by those who strip

the gospel of its confrontation, strip the gospel of its Law and of wrath and judgment and sin.

John knew that. And John knew familiarity among the Jewish people could make themselves think religious

with just a superficial repentance. And so he endeavors to draw out the essence of a real repentance in his

preaching.

Now people came out to see John. In fact, the scriptures tell us that all Jerusalem and all Judea came out.

And there is a reason for that. I'm sure people knew about John. I'm sure the story had circulated through the 30-

year period that an old priest by the name of Zacharias and Elizabeth were able to conceive a son miraculously

and that Gabriel the angel told Zacharias it would happen and that the son would be the forerunner of the

Messiah and that that son was alive and he was out in the wilderness and he was a prophet of God. I'm sure that

circulated outside the family of Zacharias and Elizabeth and circulated around the related relatives, Mary and

Joseph and their family, because they all knew the story. The story must have spread. The fact that Gabriel

showed up, the fact that a miraculous birth had occurred, the fact that the Messiah's forerunner had been born

must have been to some extent around so that people knew about it. And once John began to preach and

announce the coming of Messiah, the people came out, they were curious, they were ready for the Messiah.

They wanted the Messiah. They were compelled by their curiosity. They were compelled by the fact that this

could be it, this could be true. I mean, how else can you explain Gabriel showing up? And how else can you

explain an old priestly couple having a miraculous child? Maybe this is it. So the people desired to come and

find out if indeed he was the forerunner of Messiah and if indeed the Messiah had come.

They were ready. They wanted to participate in the long- awaited blessings promised to Abraham and David.

They were really weary of the oppression of the Romans. They were weary of never having independent

authority and sovereignty and rule. They were weary of the way things were. They were excited with Messianic

hope. And, I think, if it's...if you really look into the heart of the people, they believed they belonged to God,

they believed they were in the Kingdom. After all, they were the children of Abraham, after all they were the

people to whom had been given the Covenants and the adoption, as Paul says in Romans 9, and they had

received the Word of God and the prophets and everything else. They were the chosen people. And so, I'm

convinced that when they came to John they were really asking John how do I stay in the Kingdom, not how do

I get in. I think they believed they were in, they just wanted to be sure they could stay in the Kingdom. They

wanted to be sure that they could get the best of whatever the Kingdom was going to bring by being on good

terms with the Messiah. John announced to them that they didn't need to find out how to stay in the Kingdom,

they needed to find out how to get in the Kingdom because they were on the outside and they were no better off

than Gentiles and therefore they needed to acknowledge that and receive a baptism that really was a baptism for

proselyte Gentiles who were becoming part of Judaism. He was saying to them...You aren't in, you're out and

you need to get in by repentance and faith in the Messiah and demonstrate that you recognize you're outside by

going through what amounts to a proselyte baptism, which would put you on the same ground as a Gentile.

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The people were so compelled by this that they did it. They came, they heard John and they got baptized

which was a great admission on their part. To some degree they were saying...We're outside, okay we're outside,

we've got to get inside and so we'll go through this even if it is an acknowledgement that humbles us, having to

admit that we aren't in the Kingdom, we're on the outside, no better off than a Gentile proselyte wanting to

become associated with Judaism.

As we learned, John starts preaching...All Jerusalem, all Judea come out, they're ready to get prepared for the

Messiah. And if need be, they will be baptized with this baptism, though it is a humiliating affirmation. They

begin to be baptized by John and they make some kind of confession of sin, some kind of confession of

repentance. But as time goes on it becomes apparent that even with the strong preaching of John, even with the

clear message of John, the repentance was, for the most part, shallow and false. We really don't have a difficult

time in proving that because as the story of Jesus unfolds it becomes apparent that most people do not

acknowledge Him as Messiah. In fact, they finally come to the place where even though they have celebrated

Him as Messiah on Palm Sunday, they cry for His blood on Friday at the crucifixion. And when you get to the

book of Acts and the believers in Jerusalem are gathered in the Upper Room, there's only 120 of them and that's

after the full ministry of John and Jesus is completed.

So, there was a lot of superficiality going on. And John was preaching a strong message and still there was

superficial faith. How much more superficiality is there when a very weak message is preached? John

understands the reality of shallow faith. John understands the reality of shallow repentance, false repentance.

And this sample of his preaching demonstrates that concern and it demonstrates the message that needs to be

preached. And all across this country in churches all across this land a shallow message is being preached, a

shallow gospel, a shallow call to repentance that is giving people the tragic and damning illusion that they are

saved when they are not.

So how can we recognize real repentance? How can we recognize it as best as possible? How can we see the

real thing and separate it from false and shallow repentance?

Let's look at this passage. In it John gives us six elements of a true repentance, six elements of a true

repentance. And again, this is a very notable portion of Scripture, not because it is a theological treatise on

repentance, but because it is an example of the true preaching for repentance exhibited by this man of God. And

John gives us six elements of a true, genuine, saving repentance. This section, by the way, is just loaded with

theology...just loaded with it. John moves from harmartiology, which is the study of sin, through eschatology, to

soteriology to Christology and to pneumatology, the study of the Holy Spirit...huge theological themes existed

in his preaching. He was, of all things, a theological preacher.

He talks about sin. He talks about the end of the age and the coming wrath. He talks about salvation. He talks

about within the framework of salvation, conversion, transformation, regeneration. He talks about Christ. He

talks about the Holy Spirit. It is a sweeping treatment of theology. He was truly a theological preacher.

Let's look at the six elements then of true repentance. We'll try to get through four of them this morning.

Number one, and we'll talk about true repenters, okay? True repenters reflect on personal sin...true repenters

reflect on personal sin. For this I have to take you back to verse 4. Now you remember that there's a quotation

there from Isaiah chapter 40 verses 3 to 5. It's a quotation that describes John. John comes and he comes in

fulfillment of prophecy. John, according to verse 4, is the voice of one crying. He is the voice. And what is he

crying? Well, he's out there in the wilderness and he's crying, "Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths

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straight." All right, he's the forerunner of the Messiah, he's saying get ready, do the necessary preparation,

Messiah is coming.

What he's talking about here is heart preparation. Before there can be any national reception of the Messiah,

there has to be individual reception of the Messiah. So he says in verse 5, taking the language of Isaiah 40,

"Every ravine shall be filled up, every mountain and hill shall be brought low. The crooked shall become

straight. The rough roads smooth. Then you'll see the salvation of God." If you want to experience the salvation

of God individually and then collectively, as individual's believe, you must then make the path ready. And

spiritually the pathway is through the wilderness of the heart. And I told you last time we talked about that, let's

look at verse 5 and see how the imagery fits that. "Every ravine shall be filled up," that's analogous to the low

things, the base things, the dark things of the heart. They have to be brought up, as it were to light. And then

every mountain and hill is brought low...the high things of the heart, self-exaltation, self-will, self-fulfillment,

all the pride has to be brought down. And then he talks about the crooked being made straight, the skolios, like

scoliosis, curvature, anything perversed, twisted, deceitful, devious, lying, manipulating. All those matters

straightened out. And then the rough road smooth, any kind of hindrance, any kind of obstacle, anything that

clutters a clear and smooth path, anything that obstructs the Lord's entrance into the heart...could be self-love,

apathy, indifference, lust, unbelief, etc., etc.

John then would come and he would be the voice, he would be saying...You need to do a real search of your

heart. You need to reflect on your personal sin. You need to see the depth and the dark and the low and the

gross and base elements of your life. You need to see the height and the high things and the proud things of

your heart and the perverse and crooked thing and every other hindrance in your life for what it is...obstacles

that prevent the King from coming into your heart. True repentance requires a complete and full admission of

one's sinfulness...depth and height and length and breadth. That's essential to real repentance. Sin must be

recognized and reflected upon in one's own life.

Secondly, and now we'll get to our text in verse 7, true repenters do reflect on personal sin, but they also

recognize divine wrath...they also recognize divine wrath. Verse 7 is very interesting. "He therefore began

saying to the multitudes," because he wanted them to prepare their hearts, because he wanted them to deal with

their sin, because he wanted them to do an honest inventory, as I just pointed out, "Therefore he tells them who

were going out to be baptized by him, 'You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?'"

Now why does he do that? He wants them to do an honest heart-searching of their sin. He wants them to

reflect on their personal iniquity. He wants them to see their sin at its depth, its heights, its length and breadth.

He wants them to do that honesty and so naturally he warns them about divine wrath.

What he's saying to them is...You better deal with your sin because it has such immense and eternal

consequences. True repentance comes out of the fear of divine wrath. This motivates it. People coming to John

and seeking the baptism that he gave, having to confess the fact that they weren't in the Kingdom but outside,

no better than a Gentile, and needed to come inside by repentance, they were willing to repent because they

wanted to flee the wrath to come. You can be sure that John was a preacher of wrath, a preacher of judgment.

Down in verse 9 he says, "The ax has already been laid at the root of the tree." When you're going to chop the

tree down the first thing you do is take the ax over there and set it down while you get ready to pick it up and

cut the tree. He says the ax is already there and God is about to swing it.

Now the Jews were very aware of this. They were very much aware that the Old Testament closed with the

book of Malachi, actually the last of the Old Testament prophets before John. And then Malachi closes off the

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story prophetically, Malachi 3, the next to the last chapter in your Old Testament, "Behold, I'm going to send

My messenger, that's the Messiah, and he'll...that's John the Baptist, I should say...and he will clear the way

before Me...that's the Messiah." So the Lord is going to come, He's going to send His messenger, John, and the

Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple and the messenger of the Covenant in whom you

delight, behold he is coming...says the Lord of host. Okay, the Messiah is coming and before Him is coming His

messenger. And then verse 2, "But who can endure the day of His coming and who can stand when He appears

for He is like a refiner's fire and He is like fullers, or the washer person, laundry person's soap...he's like a

smelter, verse 3, and a purifier of silver." This is judgment. Verse 5, "I will draw near to you for judgment."

And then in verse 1 of chapter 4, the last chapter in the Old Testament, "The day is coming, burning like a

furnace, all the arrogant, every evil doer will be chaff. The day is coming, we'll set them ablaze, says the Lord

of host, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch." There the ax will be laid at the root as stated by John

the Baptist. Down further, the next to the last verse in the Old Testament talks about the coming of the great and

terrible day of the Lord.

The Jewish people knew this. They knew that when Messiah came it would not only be for the fulfillment of

Abrahamic promise and Davidic promise, but that it would also be for judgment. That is clearly outlined for

them and I can't begin to take you through all of the passages that do that, but just a few sample passages. For

example, Isaiah chapter 2 verse 10, "Enter the rock and hide from the dust from the terror of the Lord, from the

splendor of His majesty, for the Lord of host...verse 12...will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is

proud and lofty, against everyone who is lifted up that he may be abased." And then down in verse 19, "And

men will go into caves or the rocks and the holes of the ground before the terror of the Lord, before the splendor

of His majesty when He arises to make the earth tremble," and that, by the way, is a similar scene to what you

see later on in the book of Revelation when people cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide

them from the face of the Lord. Verse 21 repeats the very same thing, the terror of the Lord is coming, the

splendor of His majesty and the consequent trembling of the earth as He comes in furious judgment.

In Isaiah 30 verse 27, "Behold the name of the Lord comes from a remote place, burning is His anger, dense

is His smoke. His lips are filled with indignation, His tongue is like a consuming fire, His breath is like an

overflowing torrent." Very, very graphic prophecies. Amos chapter 5, very strong prophecy along the same line.

Let me read you Zephaniah 1:14, "Near is the great day of the Lord, near coming very quickly, listen, the day of

the Lord, a day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble, distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of

darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness." He goes on to describe it down to verse 18 on..."The

day of the Lord's wrath all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy. He will make a complete end,

indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth."

Now those are just a few of many, many passages in the Old Testament, particularly in the prophets, that

speak of judgment when Messiah comes, when God comes. All the prophets preached judgment. John preached

judgment. Any true preacher preaches judgment. And when you give a witness for Christ to another individual,

you have to talk about the wrath to come. The wrath to come is speaking of final, eternal judgment. Jesus made

that a theme of His preaching. He preached more on hell than He did on heaven. He preached more on hell than

anybody ever preached on hell. Why? Because He didn't like sinners, because He wanted to damn sinners? No,

because He wanted to warn sinners. And one of the things that you must preach when you preach for a true

repentance is the seriousness, the eternality and the suffering of eternal hell.

John preached the wrath to come. Obviously the indication here in Luke chapter 3 is that these people were

coming to him to flee the wrath to come which meant that he was pointing out to them those passages in the Old

Testament that indicate when Messiah comes wrath will come with Him. And it is essential in true repentance

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to understand the wrath to come, to recognize that reality. There is a hell and it is forever and it is a forever

alienation from God and a forever conscious punishment, conscious torment. That's what makes forgiveness

urgent. That's what makes forgiveness good news. And that is a strong motivation and any faithful preacher

preaches the wrath to come.

You hear people say, "Well, this world is all the hell you'll ever know." No, it's not...not it's not. The Bible is

very clear on eternal punishment in very graphic terms. We'll...we'll see some of that as we go through the

gospel of Luke, particularly when Jesus speaks of it.

So, John uses very graphic terms and he speaks very harsh words because he is so profoundly concerned

about the wrath to come. And the Jews understood it. Why else would these Jews come flocking out there?

They knew when Messiah came that there would be blessing but they also knew there would be fiery judgment,

that was very clear from Malachi. There would be a terrible day of burning. There would be terrible wrath. They

knew that. They wanted to make sure they got the blessings and not the wrath.

But notice how straightforward John is. He says to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from

the wrath to come?" You sons of poisonous snakes...boy, that is not a seeker- friendly approach. What is he

saying here? This is not how to win friends and influence people. This is not how to schmooze people into the

Kingdom here. What in the world is he saying?

First of all, I think he's calling them children of Satan. Jesus did that in John 8:44, He said to the Jewish

leaders, "You're of your father, the devil," didn't He? He says, "You're of your father, the devil." Jesus said to

the Pharisees, Jewish leaders, Matthew 12:34, Matthew 23 I think it's verse 33, both places, "You brood of

vipers," same phrase exactly. Jesus said it twice to the Jewish leaders...you sons of snakes. I think he's really

identifying them with their father. The devil appeared in the Garden in Genesis 3 in what form? A serpent. And

according to the scriptures he is a serpent, as clearly indicated in Revelation chapter 12. So he is...he's really

telling them...you belong to Satan, you snakes. What he's saying to them is...You are running from the fire but

not interested in any change of your nature. You're still snakes, you're just scrambling in front of the fire.

Shallow repenters are offsprings of that snake, Satan.

By the way, Matthew 3:7 when Matthew writes about the preaching of John, says when John said this...at

least on the occasion of Matthew writing...he said it to Pharisees and Sadducees. Luke says he said it to

everybody. So particularly to the Pharisees and Sadducees who were the most vicious, poisonous and

deadly...deadliest of all the snakes, of all the children of Satan because they wore the name of God, as it were,

on the outside but were satanic on the inside, thus their hypocrisy was more devastating. He says you're the

worst of it, the rest of you also belong to the same nature, same satanic nature. Beyond just the Pharisees and

the Sadducees, all those people had the very nature of Satan, they were the children of Satan. And he's pointing

out their superficiality, he says, your repentance is superficial because your true nature is vicious, your true

nature is of the serpent, your true nature is poisonous, your true nature is hostile, your true nature is

deadly...particularly those Pharisees and Sadducees...paraded themselves as if they represented God and they

were just biting the people and filling them with poison.

And by the way, this was a pattern for John, he therefore began saying to the multitudes "who were going."

The imperfect tense and the present tense verbs mean this is something that went on a lot, this is not one-time

dialogue, sometimes it was the Pharisees and Sadducees, sometimes it was the crowd, and sometimes it was

both...this is a recurring pattern in John's preaching. This is a constant pattern. He is saying to them...it doesn't

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do you any good to scramble around like snakes in front of a brush fire if you don't change your nature. Who

told you you could escape the wrath by just coming down here and getting baptized?

They have fires because the land is very dry and brush fires like they are in California, are very dangerous

and deadly, and what happened obviously in a brush fire is the snakes who live in that area when the fire come

begin to scramble to stay ahead of the fire and that's what John sees. Here comes all the Pharisees and the

scribes scrambling down the mountain side and backside of Jerusalem into the Judean wilderness, scrambling,

as it were, ahead of the fires of Messiah, scrambling to escape the wrath of God by whatever they need to do to

escape the wrath of God. But never interested in any change of their wretched nature. So he warns them. There's

more to repentance than scrambling to avoid the fires of divine wrath. That you must do, that you must

understand but there's more to it than that.

And that takes us to the third point. True repenters reflect on personal sin, they recognize divine wrath, but

also they reject religious ritual. They...the Jews were so used to a ritual approach to religion, they were so used

to believing that you could somehow make yourself right with God by your formal prayers, by your alms-

giving, by whatever religious ceremony you went through on the Sabbath, or whatever sacrifice you offered.

They were believers in the fact that you could actually make yourself right with God through these various

rituals. As I'll point out tonight, one of the interesting things about Judaism is it rejects total depravity. Jewish

commentators think the sin of Adam affected only Adam and that's why they believe we can make ourselves

righteous because no fallenness really passes to us from Adam. And so they believe that they could be good

before God and that by religious ritual achieve God's pleasure and favor. So they came down to go through

another ritual. So John is saying to them...Huh, who told you to come down here and try to escape the wrath of

God by being baptized? Do you think that's enough? Verse 8 he says, "You better bring forth fruit in keeping

with repentance. Isn't going to do you any good just to be baptized. That's not what God is looking for. Do you

think you can scramble like scrambling snakes in front of a fire and all you want to do is head for the water?

And you get down here and you slither into the Jordan River and it's all well and good?"

Now there's no right, there's no ceremony, there's no ritual, there's no baptism that can save anybody. There's

no salvation in baptism then and there's none in it now. In fact, when Jesus preached His great sermon, we call

it the Sermon on the Mount, and I told the students at the Master's College in chapel the other day, I don't know

why they call it the Sermon on the Mount, that doesn't tell us anything. I like to call it, "The sermon on

salvation." What is the Sermon on the Mount? It doesn't tell you the subject. I mean, how would you like it if I

put out a tape that said, "The sermon from the pulpit." That doesn't tell you anything. What's it about? It's a

sermon on salvation, Matthew 5 to 7. In that sermon which is a great, great sermon on salvation, Jesus

destroyed all their hope in ritual. He attacked their prayers and said it's nothing but vain repetition. He attacked

their alms giving and said it's nothing but parading your self-righteous pride. He attacked their sacrifices. He

attacked their Sabbath observances. He attacked their oaths. He attacked their vows. He attacked their

misinterpretation of the Law of God. He attacked everything they were ceremonially and ritualistically hanging

on to. And in a sense He said to them, "All of that stuff is what Paul said in Philippians 3, it's manure apart from

repentance."

The churches are full of people going through the motions. People who were baptized as babies, people who

were baptized as young people, people baptized as adults, people who go to the church and go through whatever

ordinances their churches call for them to go through, whether it's confirmation or whether they go and the

priest tells them to say so many Hail Marys and they go through their beads and they go through whatever

patterns of penancing they go through, etc., etc., etc., light so many candles, or whatever, pray so many prayers,

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in the end it has absolutely nothing to do with anything. You cannot flee the wrath to come by scrambling and

diving in the water. Verse 8 says you have to bring forth fruit that demonstrate repentance.

And here...there was Paul, you know, Philippians 3, said, "Ah, you know, I...I'm from Israel, the tribe of

Benjamin, the Hebrew of the Hebrews...that means he was kosher, traditional, kept the law, zealous for the law,

blameless before the law, ceremonially down to the gnat's eyebrow, just like any good Pharisee." And he said,

"I took a look at it when I saw Christ and it was all dung."

John is not telling them they don't need to escape. He's telling them they need to escape. But not like

scrambling snakes just headed for the water, that won't do it. A snake in the water is just a snake in the water.

What they needed was a change of nature. It's impossible for any sinner to escape judgment by any or all

external rituals. True repentance then honestly reflects on personal sin...the depth and height and length and

breadth of it. Honestly recognizes divine wrath and totally rejects all religious ritual as a means of forgiveness.

Now baptism is an outward sign of something in the heart, but John knew well it could be an outward sign of

nothing in the heart as it was in many cases in his ministry...sad to say.

And then number four, repenters not only reflect on personal sin, recognize divine wrath and reject religious

ritual, but they renounce ancestry...they renounce ancestry, family ancestry. Look at verse 8 again. "Do not...he

says...do not, I warn you, do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father.'" Now what was

this? We don't have anything to fear from the wrath to come, we are the children of Abraham. And after all,

salvation is genetic, it just gets passed down, we're Jewish, we have Abraham for our father. They were basing

their eternal hope on their genes. They were Abraham's offspring. They were the people of the promised

blessing. They were the people to whom God had made great unilateral, irrevocable, unconditional, eternal

promises both to Abraham and to David. They were the people who were promised the land and blessing and a

kingdom. They had been promised redemption, according to Galatians 3, that was in the Abrahamic Covenant.

They were also promised a Redeemer in the Abrahamic Covenant with the seed who was not many seeds but

THE seed, Messiah. They were counting on that descent.

In John chapter 8 they enter into a discussion with Jesus, the Jewish leaders again, and those who are

religious leaders, the theologians, and they say to Jesus, "We are Abraham's offspring." And Jesus says to them,

"I know you're Abraham's offspring...verse 37...yet you seek to kill Me because My word has no place in you."

In verse 39, "If you're Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham." You are the children of Abraham, but

look, Abraham didn't kill God. He didn't try to kill God. That's what you're trying to do. You're doing the deeds

of your father, he says, and your father is the devil.

Not all Israel is Israel. And he is not a Jew that is one outwardly but one inwardly, Romans 2. That's no

defense against God's judgment. That is no defense against God's judgment. The pro...they knew that, they

knew the prophets. Ezekiel 18, they knew what Ezekiel 18 says that everybody is going to be basically judged

on his own life. Verse 21, "If the wicked man turns from his sins which he has committed and observes My

statutes, practices justice, righteousness, he shall surely live and shall not die. All his transgressions which he

has committed will not be remembered against him because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will

live. Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God? Rather than that he should turn

from his ways and live." God says...Look, it's up to you. Ezekiel says you have to choose to live or die. He will

live if he obeys.

Same thing down in verse 30, "Repent, turn away from your transgressions so that iniquity may not become

a stumbling block to you. Cast away your transgressions which you've committed," and so forth. Why do you

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want to die?...he says. "Why do you want to die, O house of Israel?" Being in the house of Israel doesn't protect

you from eternal death. Repentance, faith in God does.

Later on in Luke's gospel, chapter 13. Jesus makes an interesting statement. Luke 13:16, just a brief

statement, "And this woman," this is more of this dialogue Jesus has with the people who don't understand, he's

teaching here in this synagogue on a Sabbath, trying to help them to understand individual faith. Verse 16, He

says, "This woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is." Yeah, she's a daughter of Abraham, "But Satan has

bound her for 18 long years." Wow, she is a daughter of Abraham and Satan bound her. Later in verse 28,

"There's going to be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the

prophets in the Kingdom of God and yourselves being cast out." You may be Jewish, and He's very clear about

this, but you may be shut out of the Kingdom. That doesn't protect you. The fact that you may have been raised

in a Christian family doesn't make you a Christian. The fact that you may have been baptized as an infant

doesn't secure your salvation. By the way, you remember the rich man that died and went to hell? He says,

"Father Abraham, have mercy on me," he was Jewish. What's he doing there? Boy, Jesus made it pretty clear.

Heritage doesn't save you.

Zaccheus was a Jew, chapter 19 of Luke. He needed salvation. Jesus went to his house, he was saved.

So, John says then in very sarcastic words, again at the end of verse 8, "Don't you begin to say to yourselves,

'We have Abraham for our father, for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to

Abraham.'" That's no big deal. God can make children of Abraham out of the rocks. You think you're special?

God can make as many children of Abraham as He wants out of the dirt.

That is a very demeaning statement. You understand the tone of John, don't you, is very harsh. You

snakes...you nobodies that God can make out of a bunch of dirt. In fact, if you go back to Isaiah 51 verses 1 and

2, God says, "Remember the rock from which you were hewn," almost as if to say, you know, you were...God

just sort of cut you out of a rock to begin with and God can make more of you if He chooses out of the rocks

lying around here on the ground. That's nothing special.

You have to come to the place if you want to truly repent where you don't base your relationship to God on

anything ancestral. It doesn't matter what your father believes, your mother believes...their salvation doesn't

pass to you. I don't think there are people who understand that. There's a whole world of Greek orthodox

people, a whole world of Russian orthodox people who believe that salvation is generationally passed down.

There are people in the Reform Movement, people in the sacerdotal, sacramental church, Roman Catholicism,

who believe somehow that rites which they engaged in as infants passed salvation down from the parents to

them. Actually at infant baptism the parents' faith is counted for the salvation of the infant.

Abraham's true children, according to the Scripture, are those who follow the faith of Abraham. It's not

genetic. You're Abraham's child if you follow the faith of Abraham. I wish we had time to look at Romans 2,

Romans 4, Romans 9, Galatians 3 to see that. What you did get from Abraham, by the way, is sin nature and

judgment.

So, what is true repentance? Boy, it demands a straight shot. True repentance calls for honest reflection on

personal sin. It calls for a recognition of divine wrath. It calls for a rejection of any religious ritual as a means of

salvation and the renouncing of any ancestral hope. And even all of that won't save you cause there's two more.

True repenters also, number five and we'll just mention these, do them next week, must be spiritually

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transformed. There must be the revelation of a spiritual transformation. And the sixth one, they must, this is, of

course, the heart of it all, receive the true Messiah. We'll see all of that in the rest of the text.

There's no more important thing than giving a clear message of the gospel and that means a clear

understanding of repentance. John is a wonderful model. You say, "Yeah, but he was so harsh." Yeah, but the

issue is so serious...so serious. You can do it with love, you should do it with tenderness, there should be a tear

in the voice and a tear in the eye, but at the same time you cannot hold back. People have to come to grips with

personal sin, the depth and height and length and breadth of it. They have to recognize the reality of divine

wrath to motivate them to seek forgiveness and escape. But they must reject any external religious ritual and

renounce any ancestral kind of genetic hope or any kind of ceremonial hope passed down from their parents.

We'll see the last two next time. Let's pray.

Father, we do know that in the end true repentance must include regeneration, Your work of transformation

based upon true faith in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, it's so..so empowering for us to have the

understanding You give us in Your Word cause then when we go into our own hearts to assess our own

situation, we have the knowledge we need to know that our own salvation is real, as well as then to take it to

others and be confident that what we're telling them is truth. Thank You for empowering us with Your Word,

with the truth. Our hearts really grieve for so many people in the churches whose repentance is a shallow

superficial repentance, who may not even be scrambling to escape wrath since they perhaps never even hear

about it, who may not be at all dealing with an honest review of the length and breadth and height and depth of

their sinfulness, who perhaps don't even understand what it is to reject completely any ritual or any ancestry,

only to embrace the Savior. Our Father, how we pray that the true gospel, the true news of forgiveness, the true

message that motivates it would be preached far and wide across this world to Your glory and that we might be

part of doing that, we pray in the Savior's name. Amen.

© 1997 Grace to You

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Collection" by:

Tony Capoccia

Bible Bulletin Board

Box 119

Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022

Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com

Email: [email protected]

Online since 1986

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“Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation”

APPENDIX E

How to Lead People to Christ: Part 1

The Content of Our Message

By Zane C. Hodges

The title of my two-part article may lead you to expect a discussion on how to do personal evangelism.

Hopefully you will get some ideas about personal work from these articles, but this is not my major objective.

Instead I want to discuss how grace theology should affect the way we present the gospel, whether to

individuals or to groups.

Nevertheless, before I address my subject, let me say this. I do genuinely enjoy talking to people about

their eternal salvation. I have done so with many, many individuals over the years.

A close friend works with me in my office. When I first met him, he did not understand the way of

salvation. But over a period of years, after many conversations on the subject, he became a believer. He

understands that salvation is absolutely free even though most of the people he knows do not. The salvation of

this friend is one of the most highly valued results of my years of service to Christ. It is an immense joy to know

that our friendship will continue eternally in the kingdom of God.

What I am saying is this. I am a teacher by spiritual gift. But I enjoy doing the work of an evangelist as

much, or more, than I enjoy teaching. So as I talk today about putting good theology into our soul-winning, I am

talking about a most important issue. And I also try hard to practice what I am preaching to you today!

The question I am raising is a simple one: Have we allowed solid grace theology to properly affect the

way we proclaim and share the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

I propose to address this question under two headings: (1) The content of our message and (2) Our

invitation to respond to it. I will consider the first of these topics in this article, and the second, in Part 2.

I. I. The Deserted Island Scenario

Let me begin with a strange scenario. Try to imagine an unsaved person marooned on a tiny,

uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He has never heard about Christianity in his life. One day

a wave washes a fragment of paper up onto the beach. It is wet but still partly readable.

On that paper are the words of John 6:43-47. But the only readable portions are: “Jesus therefore

answered and said to them” (v 43) and “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting

life” (v 47).

Now suppose that our unsaved man somehow becomes convinced that this person called Jesus can

guarantee his eternal future, since He promises everlasting life. In other words, he believes Jesus’ words in John

6:47. Is he saved?

I suspect that there are some grace people who would say that this man is not saved because he doesn’t

know enough. For example, he doesn’t know that Jesus died for his sins on the cross and rose again the third

day. Needless to say, there is a lot more he doesn’t know either, such as the doctrine of the Trinity, the eternal

Sonship of Jesus or the doctrine of the virgin birth.

But why is he not saved if he believes the promise of Jesus’ words? It is precisely the ability of Jesus to

guarantee eternal life that makes Him the Christ in the Johannine sense of that term. Our Lord’s exchange with

Martha in John 11:25-27 demonstrates this clearly.

You remember it, don’t you? “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in

Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe

this?’” (John 11:25-26). Her reply is a declaration that she believes Him to be the Christ. Martha said, “Yes,

Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” (11:27).

Notice here that to believe that Jesus is the Christ means to believe that He guarantees resurrection and

eternal life to every believer. But now let us look at John 4. In that famous passage we have the Samaritans

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saying to the woman who had encountered Jesus, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we

ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world” (John 4:42).

Observe that the common denominator to both passages is the term “Christ.” On Martha’s lips He is “the

Christ, the Son of God,” and on the lips of the Samaritans He is “the Christ, the Savior of the world.” This is not

an accidental or insignificant difference.

In Jewish prophecy and theology the promised Christ was also the Son of God—that is, He was to be a

divine person. Recall the words of Isaiah: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given…and His name

shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (9:6-7). But in

Samaritan theology, the Messiah was thought of as a prophet and the woman at the well is led to faith through

our Lord’s prophetic ability to know her life. Her words, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet” (4:19) are a

first step in the direction of recognizing Him as the Christ. There is no evidence that she or the other Samaritans

understood the deity of our Lord.

But they did believe that he was the Christ. And John tells us in his first epistle that “whoever believes

that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (5:1)! A full theology of His person is not necessary to salvation. If we

believe that Jesus is the One who guarantees our eternal destiny, we have believed all we absolutely have to

believe in order to be saved.

Years ago, as a student at Dallas Theological Seminary, I washed dishes in the dining hall to pay for my

meals. Often after I had finished this chore I hung around and talked theology with another student who swept

up the kitchen every night. One night this student made a statement to me that I have never forgotten. He said

something like this, “I know that I trusted Christ for salvation before I realized that Jesus was the Son of God.” I

was surprised because I had never heard anyone say this before.

But I did not quarrel with that statement then, nor would I quarrel with it now. It is the name of Jesus

that brings salvation whenever anyone believes in that name as his or her sure hope of eternal well-being. We

are not saved by believing a series of theological propositions, however true and important they may be. We are

saved by believing in Jesus.

That’s why the man on the deserted island can get saved with only the barest minimum of information.

When he believes John 6:47 he is believing in Jesus as the Christ.

II. What about the Cross? But what about the cross of Christ? Is it not essential for a man to know about that in order to be saved?

This leads to a question about the eleven apostles who believed in Jesus before He died. Did they

understand the cross or the significance of His death? Did they understand the necessity of His resurrection? Of

course they did not, as John 20:9 makes perfectly clear.

You recall that text. In recounting how the unnamed disciple came to believe that Jesus had risen, it is

said of Peter and of himself that “as yet they did not know the Scripture that He must rise again from the dead.”

The eleven disciples had believed in Jesus long before they understood that He must die for their sins and rise

again. As Peter says so emphatically in John 6:68-69, “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of

eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The disciples of Jesus were saved without knowledge of the death and resurrection of their Master.

However, some people today would say, “But it’s different now that the cross is behind us. Now we have to

believe in that as well.” Do we? Where does this idea come from? Certainly not from the Gospel of John.

Let us think a moment. The events described in John’s Gospel occurred before the cross. But the entire

book was written afterward. In my view, it was written before 70 AD, but if we prefer a later date in the 80s, my

point will be even more forceful. At the time of writing, the cross was years ago, and if belief in the work of the

cross was by then necessary for salvation, John definitely gives us the wrong impression by stressing the way

the cross dumbfounded even His most intimate disciples.

Let me put it to you this way. The Gospel of John is the only book in our New Testament canon that

explicitly declares its purpose to be evangelistic. Of course, I am thinking of the famous theme statement found

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in John 20:30-31, where we read: “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which

are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,

and that believing you may have life in His name.”

This statement does not affirm the necessity of believing in our Lord’s substitutionary atonement. If by

the time of the writing of John’s Gospel, it was actually necessary to believe this, then it would have been not

only simple, but essential, to say so.

Inasmuch as the key figures in John’s narrative did believe in Jesus before they understood His atoning

death and resurrection, it would have been even more essential for John to state that the content of faith had

changed. But of course he does not do this. The simple fact is that the whole Fourth Gospel is designed to show

that its readers can get saved in the same way as the people who got saved in John’s narrative. To say anything

other than this is to accept a fallacy. It is to mistakenly suppose that the Fourth Gospel presents the terms of

salvation incompletely and inadequately. I sincerely hope no grace person would want to be stuck with a

position like that.

Let me repeat. Neither explicitly nor implicitly does the Gospel of John teach that a person must understand

the cross to be saved. It just does not teach this. If we say that it does, we are reading something into the text

and not reading something out of it!

What is my point? That we should not preach the cross of Christ to men? Not at all. I will make it

emphatically clear a little later on that I think we should. Instead, I am arguing that we need to focus on the core

issue in bringing men and women to faith and eternal life. What is that core issue?

Very simply it is this: We want people to believe that Jesus guarantees their eternal destiny. Of course,

we would like them to believe a lot more than this, but this at least must be believed. Our failure to clearly

define our goal in evangelism can have a negative or impeding effect on our efforts to lead people to simple

faith in Christ.

III. Adding to the Gospel Most of us deplore the efforts made by Lordship people to add provisos to the message of faith in Christ.

According to them, true faith has not occurred if it is not accompanied by surrender or by a commitment to live

for God. We rightly reject such ideas.

But in our own circles, there is a tendency to add theological information to our message of faith. Some

people even regard belief in the virgin birth as essential to salvation, and in the absence of such belief they

would not admit that a person is saved. They do this despite the fact that the Gospel of John makes no effort to

present this doctrine. In fact, in John 1:45, Philip announces to Nathaniel that he has found the Messiah and he

refers to Him as “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” John never bothers to set the record straight, since in

any case Jesus was legally Joseph’s son. But no doubt Philip thought of Jesus as the naturally born son of

Joseph and Mary.

I have also just finished pointing out that the disciples who did believe in Jesus did not understand the

significance or necessity of His death and resurrection, according to John 20:9. And this was true despite the

fact that John the Baptist announced Him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (1:29). If

we require an understanding of these truths before faith in Christ can be valid, we are obviously requiring more

than the Gospel of John does.

Let me say this: All forms of the gospel that require greater content to faith in Christ than the Gospel of

John requires, are flawed. Evangelism based on such premises will also be flawed, because we will be tempted

to test professions of faith in terms of the doctrines we think must be believed. Instead we should be focusing on

whether an individual believes that Jesus has given him eternal life.

Evangelism, therefore, is intended to bring men and women to the place where they believe that Jesus

guarantees their eternal destiny. If a person does this and we insist on more than that, we will be guilty of

seeking to invalidate the simple exercise of faith that really does bring salvation.

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Even in the grace movement, we are sorely tempted to make the gospel more complicated than God

makes it. We can hardly bring ourselves to believe that a man who is largely ignorant of evangelical theology,

yet genuinely trusts Christ for his eternal well-being, is truly saved. We have every reason to be embarrassed by

this tendency on our part.

According to the apostle Paul, God is “the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom 3:26).

Moreover it will be “at the name of Jesus” that “every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess” (Phil

2:10). The name of Jesus therefore is a mighty and exalted name, compared to which all other names in our age

or in any other age are inferior and weak. No one has ever trusted in that name for his or her eternal well-being

who has not been saved by doing so. And this is true no matter how little they might have known about the One

whom that name represents.

I think we need a renewed emphasis on the power of Jesus’ name. As Peter declares in Acts 4:12, “Nor

is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be

saved.” If there is one salient fact about the proclamation of the gospel in this present age, it is that God saves

all those, but only those, who believe in this name for eternal salvation.

Another way of saying this is that the name of Jesus is the one and only way to God. “No one comes to

the Father, except through” Him (John 14:6). Naturally this eliminates the idea that a pagan person who has

never heard the name of Jesus can be saved by believing in something like the light of creation. Therefore, that

is why we must always have missionaries and witnesses to the saving power of Jesus’ name. Without the name

of Jesus there is no salvation for anyone anywhere in our world.

But the flip side of the coin is this: Everyone who believes in that name for eternal salvation is saved,

regardless of the blank spots or the flaws in their theology in other respects. Another way of saying the same

thing is this: No one has ever trusted that name and been disappointed.

In other words, God does not say to people, “You trusted my Son’s name, but you didn’t believe in His

virgin birth, or His substitutionary atonement, or His bodily resurrection, so your faith is not valid.” We say that,

but God’s Word does not.

Suppose I am in some deep financial trouble and a stranger named Sam, let us say, tells me he will get

me out of my trouble if I will just trust him to do it. Perhaps Sam strikes me as a reliable and honest type person

and I am convinced that he can and will do what he says. So I leave the matter in his hands and sure enough, he

comes through and saves me from my financial problem with a generous infusion of cash. Did I believe in him?

Sure.

But suppose after trusting him, I find out that he is a corporate CEO and a multi-millionaire. Would he

later come back to me and say, well you didn’t know enough about me when you trusted me, so I’m afraid I

can’t help you? Our deal is cancelled.

I hope you think this illustration would be an absurd way for this CEO to act. If he invites my faith and I

give it to him, why should he deny the reality of that faith on the basis of my ignorance about his vast

resources? On the other hand, is it not true that knowing these things up front would make it a whole lot easier

to trust him to help me in the first place? I will say more about this in a moment.

Suffice it to say, however, that Jesus never fails anyone who trusts Him for everlasting salvation. No one

on earth will ever possess more than a rudimentary understanding of our Savior’s person and work. But if I

know I can believe on Him for salvation, and I do, He is too great to fail me. It is this conviction that ought to

arm us for the work of sharing the gospel with people.

In the final analysis, therefore, salvation is the result of believing in Jesus to provide it. Salvation is not the

result of assenting to a detailed creed. Salvation does not even require an understanding of how it was provided

for or made possible. All it requires is that the sinner understand the sufficiency of the name of Jesus to

guarantee the eternal well-being of every believer. Thank God, salvation is so wonderfully simple!

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IV. Preaching the Cross In the light of what we have just said, should we preach the cross of Christ? The answer to that is

emphatically yes. And the most obvious reason for doing so is that this is what Paul and the other Apostles did.

According to Paul’s own statement, when he came to Corinth to preach, he was “determined not to

know anything among [them] except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). Later in the epistle, Paul

describes his gospel as one that declared “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He

was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (15:3).

I need hardly tell you, do I, that the Greek word for “gospel” (euangelion) as well as the word for

“preach the gospel” (euangelizo„) are both words found frequently in Paul. Peter also uses these words a total of

4 times in his first epistle. Luke uses the verb many times in Luke and Acts, the noun twice in Acts. Matthew

and Mark have both words.

Are you ready for this? John never uses either word in his gospel. Why? Because, as I have already

suggested, John makes the Person of Jesus, not a set of doctrines, the object of the faith that brings eternal life.

Fundamentally he is trying to get people to believe in Jesus for their eternal salvation.

But this is precisely where preaching the cross becomes so important. Why should men trust Christ for

eternal life? The gospel gives us the wonderful answer. They should do so because Jesus has bought their

salvation at the cost of His own precious blood. And God has placed His seal on the work of the cross by raising

Jesus from the dead. As Paul states: He “was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of

our justification” (Rom 4:25).

The preaching of the cross greatly facilitates the process of bringing men to faith in God’s Son.

V. Dealing with Souls

This brings us to the bedrock issue of leading people to Christ. After all, that’s the title of this article and

I mean by it just what the title says. We need to lead men to Christ! Winning souls is a matter of leading people

to a Person to whom they may safely entrust their eternal destiny. We are not leading them to a message, but to

Jesus Christ as the object of their faith.

But more often than not, we have difficulty leading them to Christ, unless we lead them through the full

gospel message. The gospel message is normally the avenue through which men and women come to

understand why they can trust completely in the Savior. To be sure, trust in Christ can occur without a

knowledge of the cross, but more often than not it doesn’t. The message of the cross clarifies God’s way of

salvation.

On a very practical level, when I am dealing with an unsaved person, I find that if I simply tell him he

only needs to believe in Christ, this usually doesn’t make sense to him. Why should it be so easy? Why are not

works required? To the unregenerate American mind, it doesn’t sound reasonable.

So I find it not only useful, but indeed essential, to explain that the Lord Jesus Christ bought our way to

heaven by paying for all our sins. In recent years I have liked to emphasize that He paid for all the sins we

would ever commit from the day of our birth to the day of our death. This serves to stress the completeness of

the payment He made. It is usually only in the light of so perfect a payment that people can come to see the

reasonableness of a salvation that is absolutely free.

I say to people, “Jesus paid it all” and there is nothing left for you to do or to pay. All you have to do is

believe in Him for the free gift of everlasting life.

One of my favorite illustrations goes like this: If a friend bought you a Rolls Royce and paid for it in full

and offered it to you as a free gift, wouldn’t he be hurt, or even insulted, if you insisted on paying for it

yourself? In the same way, if we try to do or pay something to go to heaven, even though Jesus paid it all, aren’t

we insulting His great sacrifice and treating it as if it were not enough?

Most unsaved people can understand that point, even if they don’t believe its true. The Savior’s work on

the cross thus becomes a powerful argument that He should be trusted for eternal life.

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And apart from the cross, for most modern Americans, the offer of salvation by faith alone in Christ

alone, just doesn’t compute. Even after hearing it, it still may not compute. But by offering the truth of the

gospel to people, we give the Holy Spirit something to work with in their hearts. And in the final analysis, it is

only the Spirit of God who can sweep away the blindness of the human heart so that the glorious light of the

gospel of Christ may shine into unsaved hearts.

Nevertheless, let it never be forgotten: If anyone has faith in Jesus as the One who secures his or her

eternal destiny, that person is born of God. Jesus has never yet failed anyone who trusted in His name for

eternal salvation. And He never will.

( http://www.faithalone.org/journal/2000ii/Hodges.htm )

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“Reclaiming Repentance in the Evangelistic Invitation”

APPENDIX F

Counseling Procedures in the Evangelistic Invitation

The following procedures are the method I use when dealing with people who respond to the evangelistic

appeal at the conclusion of a sermon. I have used many different methods in the past; however, the one I now

use and have used for many years now is the one below. Whether a person responds to the evangelistic appeal

for salvation, baptism, moving their church letter, or coming by statement of faith the procedure is the same in

each case.

First, I ask them why they have come forward. If they say “I want to be saved,” or “I want to ask Jesus into

my heart,” or “ I don’t want to go to hell,” then I explain to them what salvation involves. They must believe

that they are a sinner. I ask them, “Do you believe that you are a sinner?” If they respond by saying, “Yes,” I

then say “what has caused you to be a sinner?” They usually say, “Sin.” I say that is right and the Bible says,

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). I then quote to them Romans 6:23:

“For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” I tell them that Jesus

died in their place and is ready to forgive them of their sins if they will confess their sins to Him. I explain to

them that confession is agreeing with God about their sins. I then tell them that they must repent of those sins

and ask Jesus to forgive them and come into their life as Lord and Savior. I ask them if that is what they want to

do, and if so, then let us kneel right here and do it. I tell them that prayer is simply talking to God in

conversational language and that He is eager to hear from them. I tell them to pray aloud, begin by telling God

that they are indeed a sinner, and realize that they have offended Him by their lifestyle of sin and that they want

to ask Him to forgive them of their sins and come into their life as Lord and Savior. After they have prayed, I

ask them, “Did you sincerely mean what you just prayed?” They always respond with “yes.” I then tell them

that they have just been saved and that their life will take on new meaning and new changes will begin to

happen to them immediately.

I deal with every person who responds to the invitation, whether it is for salvation, assurance of salvation,

baptism, moving his or her church letter, or coming by statement of faith in the same manner. I go through the

plan of salvation with each of them making sure that they have truly repented of their sin and by faith received

Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In fact, no one is presented for a vote of the church at that moment. I simply tell

the people that this person has come, for whatever reason they have come, and that after I visit with them in a

private meeting then they will be presented to the church. In this private counseling time either that afternoon or

evening or in the next couple of days, whichever is convenient for them, I again deal with the plan of salvation

and make sure that they understand the decision they have made or will be making.

In the churches, that I pastor no one is presented to the church for a vote of church membership until I have

met with them and discussed the decision they are making.

In the past, in my own ministry, as a young preacher, I was so excited about people responding to the

evangelistic appeal that I hurriedly went through the motions and presented them to the church for an immediate

vote. After a few years of handling the invitation in such a manner, God convicted me that there is a better way

to ensure that people were counseled with about their decision in a proper manner.

Every person who responds to the invitation is encouraged to become involved in the Bible Study

opportunities in the church and to be actively involved with the Worship Services. They are invited to attend a

Spiritual Gifts Workshop to discover, develop, and deploy their spiritual gifts in the local church.

There are many good resources available for a pastor wanting to ensure that people who respond are dealt

with in the proper manner. In recent years, I have trained people to be counselors to people who respond in the

invitation. One of the most helpful resources available for this training and a great tool togive to the counselors

is The Billy Graham Christian Worker’s Handbook: A Layman’s Guide for Soul Winning and Personal

Counseling, Worldwide Publications: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1984. This book covers a wide variety of areas

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that people who respond to the invitation are dealing with in their lives. It is an excellent tool and I would

highly recommend it.

Whatever method or tool you use in the evangelistic invitation, one thing should be primary, that people

understand that they are a sinner and that God is willing to forgive them if they will repent. And when they

repent the assurance that God will save them and that they will become a new creation in Christ Jesus.

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FINAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Appleman, Hyman, Ye Must Be Born Again, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1939.

Autrey, C. E. Basic Evangelism. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1959.

Biederwolf, William E. Evangelism: Its Justification, Its Operation and Its Value. New York: Fleming H. Revell,

1921.

Campbell, Duncan, The Price and Power of Revival, Parry Jackman, Portman Square, London, 1956.

Carins, Earle E., An Endless Line of Splendor, Tyndale House, Wheaton, IL. 1986.

Carlile, J.C., Abridged and Edited by Harmon, Dan, Charles Spurgeon: The Great Orator, Barbour Books,

Urichsville, OH. 1997.

Chafer, Lewis Sperry. True Evangelism or Winning Souls by Prayer. Van Kampen Press: Wheaton, IL., 1919.

Collins, Kenneth J. The Scripture Way of Salvation, The Heart of John Wesley’s Theology, Abingdon Press,

Nashville, TN., 1997.

____________, A Real Christian, The Life of John Wesley, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN., 1999.

Criswell, W.A., Criswell’s Guidebook for Pastors, Broadman Press, Nashville, TN., 1980.

Dallimore, Arnold A. George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the Eighteenth-Century

Revival, Volume II, Crossway Books, Westchester, IL. 1979.

_____________, Spurgeon: A new Biography, The Banner of Truth Trust, Moody Press, 1999.

_____________, George Whitefield: God;s Anointed Servant in the Great Revival of the Eighteenth Century,

Crossway Books, Westchester, Illinois, 1990.

Duduit, Michael, Ed., Handbook of Contemporary Preaching, Broadman & Holman, Nashville, TN., 1992.

Fish, Bruce and Becky Durost, George Whitefield: Pioneering Evangelist, Barbour Books, Uhrichsville, OH,

2000.

Fish, Roy J. Giving a Good Invitation. Nashville: Broadman, 1974.

Fisk, Samuel. The Public Invitation: Is It Scriptural? Is It Wise? Is It Necessary? Brownsburg: Biblical

Evangelism, 1970.

Hamilton, William W., Bible Evangelism, Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Atlanta,

GA., 1921.

Hodges, Zane C., Absolutely Free! A Biblical Reply to Lordship Salvation, Academie Books, Zondervan

Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1989.

Holmes, Stephen R., God of Grace and God of Glory, An Account of the Theology of Jonathan Edwards,

Eerdmens, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2001.

Hosier, Helen K., Jonathan Edwards: The Great Awakener, Barbour Books, Uhrichsville, OH, 1999

Hutson, Curtis. Winning Souls and Getting Them Down the Aisle. Murfreesboro: The Sword of the Lord, 1978.

Kendall, R.T., Calvin and English Calvanism to 1648, Oxford University Press, 1981 and Paternoster, 1997.

Levy, David M. The Tabernacle: Shadows of the Messiah. The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc.: Bellmaur,

NJ. 1993.

Loscalzo, Craig A., Apologetic Preaching: Proclaiming Christ to a Postmodern World, InterVarsity Press,

Downers Grove, IL. 2000.

MacArthur, John F., The Gospel According to Jesus: What Does Jesus Mean When He Says, “Follow Me?”,

Academie Books, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1988.

Martin, O. Dean. Invite. Nashville: Tidings, 1973.

Mitchell, Curtis. Those Who Came Forward. Philadelphia: Chilton, 1966.

Murray, Iain. The Invitation System. London: The Banner of Truth, 1967.

____________, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2000.

Nave, Guy D. Jr., The Role and Function of Repentance in Luke-Acts, Society of Biblical Literature, 2002.

Nevin, John W. The Anxious Bench. 3rd

Edition. Reading: Daniel Miller, 1892.

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Nichols, Stephen, Jonathan Edwards: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thoughts, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg,

NJ. 2001.

Olford, Stephen F. The Secret of Soul Winning. Moody Press: Chicago. 1963.

____________ The Christian Message for Contemporary Man. Word Books: Waco, TX. 1972.

____________ Anointed Expository Preaching. Broadman and Holman: Nashville, TN., 1998.

Outlar, Albert. Evangelism in the Wesleyan Spirit. Nashville: Tidings, 1971.

Osborne, Grant R. The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation,

InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. 1991.

Packer, J. I., Evangelism & The Sovereignty of God, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. 1961.

Payne, J. Barton, The Theology of the Older Testament, Academic Books, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand

Rapids, Michigan, 1962.

Roberts, Richard Owen, Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel, Crossway Books, Good News Publishers,

Wheaton, Illinois, 2002.

Rice, John R., You Must Be Born Again, Sword of the Lord Publishers, Murfreesboro, TN., 1963.

Ryrie, Charles C., So Great Salvation : What It Means to Believe in Jesus Christ, Victor Books: Wheaton, IL.,

1989.

Spurgeon, Charles H., Lectures to My Students, Zondervan, Grand Rapids Michigan, 1954.

____________, 12 Sermons on Repentance, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1974.

____________, 12 Sermons on Decision, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1971.

Stewart, James A. Evangelism Without Apology. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1974.

Stott, John R. W., The Cross of Christ, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. 1986.

Street, R. Alan. The Effective Invitation. Fleming Revel Co.: Old Tappan, NJ. 1984.

Vines, Jerry and Shaddix, Jim. Power in the Pulpit: How to Prepare and Deliver Expository Sermons.

Wellman, Sam, John Wesley: Founder of the Methodist Church, Barbour Books, Uhrichsville, OH, 1997.

_____________, John Calvin: Father of Reformed Theology, Barbour Books, Uhrichsville, OH, 2001.

Whitesell, Faris D. Sixty five Ways to Give Evangelistic Invitations. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1945.

Wiersbe, Warren and Perry, Lloyd M., The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching and Preachers, Moody Press,

Chicago, IL. 1984.

DISSERTATIONS

Bailey, Jon Nelson, Repentance in Luke-Acts, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Notre Dame, 1993.

Burman, Ronald Sidney, A Study of the Dynamics of Conversion and Identity in the Life and Works of Jonathan

Edwards, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Minnesota, 1988.

Morimoto, Anri, The Reality of Salvation in the Soteriology of Jonathan Edwards, Ph.D. Dissertation, Princeton

Theological Seminary, 1991.

Olive, Howard G. “The Development of the Evangelistic Invitation”. ThM Thesis, Southern Baptist Theological

Seminary, 1958.

Wilkin, Robert Nicholas, “Repentance as a Condition for Salvation in the New Testament”, Th.D. Dissertation,

Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985.

INTERNET ARTICLES

Closing With Christ, www.ccwonline.org/closing.html.

In Defense of the Public Invitation, Sunday October 7, 2001 (PM),

www.bible14.org/rjp/GospelLight/2001/s100701e.htm.

Kario and the Altar Call, Mark Coppinger, www.mbts.edu/news/heartland/hrtlandsm99/stories/kaires.htm.

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Errors of the Invitation System, Darryl M. Erkel, 1997,

www.home.earthlink.net/~ddcerkel/errors_of_invite_sys.htmml.

The Dangers of the Invitation System, www.gracesermons.com/hisbygrace/invitation.html.

Invitation: To Call or Not to Call, Rev. James M. Harrison, Mills Baptist Church, Mahopac Falls, NY.

www.flash.net/~thinkman/article/invite.htm.

The Invitation: A Historical Survey, Restoration Quarterly, Vol. 5/No. 1, Thomas H. Olbricht,

www.restorationquarterly.org/volume_0051rq00501olbricht.htm.

The Altar Call: Is It Harmful or Helpful? Fred G. Zaspel, www.hometown.aol.com/robbeeee/altarharmful.html.

Altar Calls: A Biblical Practice? Pastor Jeff VanGoethem, www.ewo.org/www/ewo/corner/altarcalls.asp.

Repentance: The Most Misunderstood Word in the Bible, Part 1, G. Michael Cocoris,

http://www.duluthbible.org/g_f_j/Repentance_cocoris.htm

REFERNCE WORKS

Arndt, William F. and Gingrich, F. Wilbur, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early

Christian Literature, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL. 1957.

Butler, Trent C., General Editor, Holman Bible Dictionary, Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN., 1991.

Dockery, David S., General Editor, Holman Bible Handbook, Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN., 1992.

Gamboling, Frank E., General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume I – XII, Regency Reference

Library, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1979.

Guthrie, Donald, New Testament Theology, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. 1981.

Ladd, George Eldon, A Theology of the New Testament, Revised Edition, Eerdmens, Grand Rapids, Michigan,

1993.

Laird, Harris; Archer, Gleason L. Jr. and Waltke, Bruce K., Editors, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament,

Moody Press, Chicago, IL. 1980.

MacLaren, Alexander, Expositions of Holy Scripture, Volumes I – XVII, Eerdmens Publishing, Grand Rapids,

Michigan, 1938.

Morris, Leon, New Testament Theology, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1990.

Nicoll, W. Robertson, General Editor, The Expositor’s Greek Testament, Volumes I - V, George H. Doran

Company, New York, NY.

Robertson, Archibald Thomas, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volumes I – VI, Broadman Press, Nashville,

TN., 1930.

Strong, Augustus H., Systematic Theology, Three Volumes in One, Judson Press, Valley Forge, PA. 1907.

Strong, James, The New Strong’s Complete Dictionary of Bible Words, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville,

TN., 1996.

Swindoll, Charles R., General Editor, The Theological Wordbook: The 200 Most Important Theological Terms

and Their Relevance for Today, Word Publishing, Nashville, and TN., 2000.

Vine, W. E., Edited by Unger, Merrill F., White, William, Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and

New Testament Words, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN., 1996.


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