Acts 26:19-21 "Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance."
Deeds in keeping with your repentance. We talk about repentance so often. Many people use the term flippantly.
Bob Deffingbaugh from Bible.org writes,
"Paul’s message was clear and simple: repent – turn to God – and demonstrate your repentance by works that are consistent with it. This sounds a good deal like the preaching of John the Baptist:
2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” . . . 7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance” (Matthew 3:2, 7-8).
To repent is to change one’s mind, and one’s course – to turn around. In particular, Paul calls upon his audience to change their minds about Jesus, just as he had done. Jesus is alive. He is the promised Messiah. He is God’s only provision for man’s salvation – for the forgiveness of sins and the assurance of eternity in heaven.
Christians will be tempted to understand Paul’s words differently than an unbeliever would. (Remember that Paul is speaking to a group of unbelievers.) He is not preaching “easy believism” or “cheap grace.” Like our Lord, Paul wants it to be very clear that trusting in Him puts one on a very different path. It was a path of darkness; it is now a path of light. It was a path leading to death; it is now a path leading to life. It was a path which was under Satan’s control; it is now a path of submission and service to God. It was a path of ease and comfort; now it is a path where one must “take up their cross and follow Jesus.” Faith in Jesus is a change in direction which will lead one through much opposition. That, I believe, is what Paul wants potential believers to know.
Friends, repentance is a gift from God, not just something to say when you have messed up.
Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:25 " correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth"
The Abstract of Principles of the Southern Baptist Seminary states that,
"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. "
Evangelical Christianity today is pervasive with cheap grace. God's death just covered us from our sins, but does not lead to a transformed life, is how many Christians live out their faith today.
Is this how we are to live out our faith? Lord, I ask you to grant us the gift of repentance, so that we would live a life inclined toward you and not toward ourselves.
John 3:30 states "He must increase, but I must decrease."
Soli Deo Gloria.
Today's post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer.
Repentance requires a change in behavior indeed!!
ReplyDelete**I have had to learn many "life lessons", and will have to learn even more as I live out this short(yet meaningful) earthly existence.
**Thank you for your reference to JESUS's instruction on how we would react to following HIM(and HE does NOT force it---HE says,"If one would follow me...")--->Your reference of LUKE 9:23 is relevant to everything because, as the verse says, "...take up his cross daily" is a clear indication that being a Christian requires suffering. Denying ourselves of the sinful desires that we crave(flesh--sinful nature), requires a great sacrifice and much discipline.
**I want to please GOD, and I want to have to say "I'm sorry" or "I was wrong" much less often going forward than I have had to all along.
**Our holy LORD knows whether we are giving lip service or if we are actually making a concerted effort to repent.
Repentance is certainly an "action"; not merely the act of imitating phrases or going to confession or whatever some people do...I too have suffered from the lip service trap, having full recognition that I will repeat the same behavior again...That is disgusting indeed!
Luke 9:23--->"If anyone wishes to come after ME, let him deny himself , and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
**Christianity is about action and about how we behave, not just about wisdom and a gentle spirit...
Peace and love!