TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
1: The Command and Contrite
Mourning of Repentance
Chapter
2: The Fruits of Monergistic
Regeneration: The God-Centered Grace of Faith
and Repentance
Chapter
3: The Confession of Sin in
Repentance
Chapter
4: The Forgiveness and
Cleansing in Repentance
Chapter
5: The Peace of God Found
Through Christ
Chapter
6: The Joy of Repentance
Chapter
7: The Encouragement of
Repentance
Chapter
8: The Goodness and Kindness
of God in Repentance
Chapter
9: The Forbearance of God in
Repentance
Chapter
10: The Longsuffering and
Patience of God in Repentance
Chapter 1:
The Command and
Contrite Mourning of Repentance
The Bible is a divine book,
inspired by God Himself. Its message,
therefore, is timeless, trustworthy, true.
I seek to present God’s divine Word because it alone changes the stony
heart of man not rational arguments of men.
But we live in a society that tells us that fornication is a healthy
part of life. That sexual
experimentation is acceptable to find ourselves in life. We live in a society of abundant divorce, and
where civil unions are pursued. We live
in a society of times of murder, and adultery.
We live in a society of drug abuse, and lifestyles of breaking the Ten
Commandments. We live in a society of
government corruption, and gambling (which Christians by tradition have always
viewed it as immoral). We live in a
society where atheistic evolution is taught, and where God is excluded out of
the classroom.
We live in a society where
philosophy professors speak against Christianity, and where His message of love
is rejected. I say with Paul: “with gentleness correcting those who are in
opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth” (Timothy 2:25 NASB). We also live in a society where pornography
is abundant on the Internet, and where jokes of sex are without offense. And we see in TV shows that sex is the
primary advertiser, and where relativistic morals are displayed with no regard
for God’s holy law. I think I can say
with Paul: “I am afraid that when I come
again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those
who have sinned in the past and not repented
of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced” (2
Corinthians 12:21 NASB). Where there is
a society who rejects the Holy Trinity in support of Muslims belief, there is
the consequence of falsehood. We also live
in a society where people who reject God, have Him as their sustainer, but it
would be no surprise to me, if He Himself would wipe them off the face of the
earth. Why? Because
sin is a cosmic offense against God, and it is the greatest treason of all. All human beings are spiritual criminals in
need of the divine Savior, Jesus Christ the King.
America and Great Britain[1] have demonstrated that we are in
fact sinners. But we do not want God to
reject us, and forsake us, but it is not right that our nation has forgotten
God.[2] It is not right that abortion is done in America, and it is not right that sex
before marriage is happening. When will
the people learn and forsake their sin, and cling to the Cross of Christ? When will the people awake out of their
spiritual sleep, and realize the fullness and truth of God’s Almighty gospel of
grace? When will the time come when
people will live lives of faithfulness, obedience and self-control? The only way for this to happen is by God’s
Almighty Spirit and His Almighty Word.
No heart of man will be changed, but by God’s sovereign regeneration. The fact that America and Great Britain are not willing is evidence of
an unregenerate state. But it still
leaves us without excuse because we are responsible creatures before a holy and
a just God. We are indeed sinful people
in need of a divine remedy. This divine
remedy can only can from God. If it came
from men, we would be arrogant to proclaim it as divine truth. But if it came from God, we would be foolish
to disregard it.
There is no doubt that this
generation is a preserve generation; a sinful generation; a wicked
generation. People can cite claims of
the goodness of mankind, but it does not avail before God. To be perfect you have to be God, and we are
not God, but finite creatures. We were
born in original sin, and we commit actual transgressors. We do not have the chance of being
perfect. But those who obey His gospel
in faithful repentance will be glorified in heaven because of the promise of
God. But before glorification has to
come regeneration, justification and sanctification. Without these fundamental truths in reality,
no man will be glorified. But if someone
rejects God’s divine message of truth, how then will he or she be forgiven and
enter heaven? It is an impossibility to
enter heaven, if a person rejects God’s divine message. Do you not think that rejecting His message
of the Bible is not calling Him a lair to His face? If you call Him a liar, by saying, “Well, I
do not need to repent” doesn’t say that your heart is not right before God? If your heart is not right before God,
shouldn’t you obey His glorious gospel?
Contrite repentance is unto life, and it is never unto death.[3] Unbiblical repentance is repenting because of
fear of punishment, but biblical repentance is repenting because you have
offended the true God. Only by God’s
sovereign grace alone will you repent of your sin, and trust Christ the
Sovereign Incarnate Lord.
But has God left us with no
divine remedy? The fact is God does not
have to provide us with a divine remedy for sin. He could have left us to ourselves, and we
are not undeserving of this. But the
Bible speaks of God as a God of mercy, but mercy is not anything if first you
do not understand that God is a God of wrath, fury, justice. We cannot understand mercy without first
understanding wrath. Do you not know
that God is holy, and that He cannot tolerate our sin? He has never sinned, nor is there any
darkness in Him. He is superlatively
holy, good, righteous.[4] Therefore God does not permit sin to “go by”
without it offending Him. Sin is an
offense against God, and He does not allow it to go unpunished. If sin is not punished on Christ, it will be
punished in hell. If sin is punished in
hell, there will be no escape. If there
is no escape, there is eternal torment before the wrathful presence of the Holy
Trinity. But God has mercy on those who
have the Lord Jesus Christ as their divine Substitute. Christ went to the Cross to pay for the sins
of His people. None of those He paid the
debt for; will be found guilty on the Last Day.
He sufficiently paid the eternal debt for His beloved people. As Christ lived and walked in His ministry,
He preached an uncompromising, divine message of repentance (Mark 1:15).[5]
The Bible speaks of repentance
not as an invitation but as a command. This
command of God was understood by King David and the saints before and after him. But in the New Testament God commands
everyone everywhere repent of their sins.
“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all
men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge
the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given
assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31 NKJV). The Bible says "Therefore, repent and live” (Ezekiel 18:32 NASB). Hence God is truly serious to command people
to repent of theirs sins, and place their trust in the Sovereign Lord Jesus
Christ. The command covers our whole
lives, and when we sin, there is never a time when it does not apply. We therefore repent of all our sins.
The Bible speaks of His people
turning to Him, and it speaks of people turning away from Him. We need to turn away from our sin. But we ought to be like Job who repented in
dust and ashes (Job 42:6). We must
understand that the Bible maintains the necessity
of repentance. But we know that God
is not like us that He should repent (Numbers 23:19). God does not need to repent of sin because He
is sinlessness, perfect, spotless. If
sinners do not repent, they will simply perish in their sins, because they have
rejected the divine prescription for their souls. We see then that God commands people to
repent. God has appointed a day for all
men to be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus will judge humanity in righteousness and truth because He
is sinless. The One whom death could not
keep, and whom was raised will judge human beings. We know it is Christ Jesus the Lord and
Savior because the bodily resurrection gives the world assurance of God’s
truth. In this case, it is the case of
judgment on the Last Day.
How will you stand on the Last
Day before the God-man? Will you stand
before the Incarnate King, knowing you lived a life of repentance to the one
true God? Or will you stand, knowing you
have not lived a life of faithful repentance?
We know God has given us a command to repent. The question is will you heed His command in
repenting of all your sins? Will you
repent of your past sins, present sins and future sins? Will you obey the gospel of faithful
repentance and save yourself from this wicked generation? The command of repentance is for your good,
and it is not meant to burden your heart (but surely sin will burden your soul),
but repentance is to wipe out the burden of sin in your life. By repentance you ask for forgiveness for
particular and general sins to God through Christ Jesus our divine
Redeemer. If you practice this sacred
truth (a very gift from God) you will please the Lord in heeding His command,
and you will bring joy to the angels in heaven (Luke 15:10). The Lord says, “Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from
all your abominations” (Ezekiel 14:6 NASB).
And the Lord says, “Repent
and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a
stumbling block to you” (Ezekiel 18:30 NASB).
We see that the Bible does not
consider repentance a trifling matter.
Rather, it is an eternally serious matter. Repentance is the evidence of the
regenerating work of God the Holy Ghost.
Without the fruits of faith and repentance, it is impossible to receive
forgiveness from the God of the Bible. What
we do now counts forever. We must live
lives that are consistent with Divine Revelation. If we disregard God’s prescribed message for
sinners we call God a liar. We know that
the Bible teaches that God cannot lie.
It would be against His perfect nature to commit sin. There is no shadow of turning with the Lord
God Omnipotent. We must be obedient to
the call of repentance if we seek to live and not perish. If someone lives a life of sin, and rejects
repentance; on the Last Day your scheme to avail before God will fail, and you
will not be able to disagree with Incarnate Righteous Perfection. But let us consider what the New Testament
says about repentance.
The Bible calls all men to
repentance (Matthew 3:2), and bearing fruits of repentance (Matthew 3:8). Let us consider what these things mean. This means that you must repent to the Lord
in confession of sin, and live a life of godliness: “that they should repent and turn to God, performing
deeds appropriate to repentance”
(Acts 26:20 NASB). That the life of sin
you once lived is something that stays in the past. That you do not continue to practice the sin
of your past. If you revert to your past
sin; repent and live obediently to the Lord.
Practice self-control because now, if you truly repent, you possess
Christ, and if you possess Christ, you have the Christian attribute of
self-control. If you have the Christian
attribute of self-control you can abstain from sin. If you abstain from sin, you will run the
race well, and please your Heavenly Father.
If you please your Heavenly Father; I ask, what greater delight is there
then to have God’s smiling face upon your life?
What greater delight is there to give God alone glory by the way you
live your life? We ought to live our
lives in a special way. We ought to live
our lives in the presence of God. If we
reject God’s command of repentance, and we do not take His Word with great
seriousness, we will displease Him, and receive deserved judgment. If you do not believe the divine Son of Man,
you already have the wrath of God upon you.
But if you turn from your sin, you will please the Blessed and Holy
Trinity. What greater privilege is there
then pleasing the Lord God Almighty?
The Lord Jesus preached
repentance (Matthew 4:17), and the divine Word of
repentance is what was central in His preaching. Do you mourn over your life of sin;
particular sins and your sin nature? Paul
speaks of godly sorrow: “I now rejoice,
not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point
of repentance; for you were made
sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in
anything through us. For the sorrow that
is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of
the world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:9-10 NASB). The Bible also speaks of a worldly sorrow
that does not lead to genuine repentance (Hebrews 12:17), but we must be sorrowful for
offending the one and only God of the Bible.
Do you also hate your sin;
particular sins and your sin nature?
Have you fled to the Cross of Christ, and have you clung to it with
empty hands of faith? The Lord Jesus
preached against cities where He preformed miracles and who did not repent (Matthew
11:20-24). Will America and Great Britain be places where people do not
repent? Hasn’t God given us great
freedom in America?
Hasn’t God blessed America with as the land of
liberty? But is God obliged to bless America?
I submit to you that, no, He is not.
It is my prayer that God will bless America and Great Britain with genuine, authentic, true,
contrite repentance. May America and
Great Britain be like the ancient place of Nineveh: “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this
generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and behold, something greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:41 NASB). As a nation we must commit ourselves to
personal repentance. It ought not to be
a “once-in-while” repentance, but a life of repentance. It must not be a sole general repentance, but
this is not to say that it is wrong to repent of your sins generally when you
first come to Christ. It is a good thing
to repent of yours generally in this fashion, but it is also well-pleasing to
God to locate particular sins. When you
find particular sins, you must repent of them particularly. You see, all human beings have lived a life
of sin in some way. Sometimes we commit
sins and we do not know it. I think it
is appropriate to say this to all people who live in sin: “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if
possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:22 NASB). We are guilty sinners before God, and all the
world stands guilty before Him.
The Lord Jesus proclaimed, “I
have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32 NASB). The Lord Jesus repeats the call of
repentance: “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3 cf. 13:5). In the story of the Lord Jesus about the rich
man and the poor man; we see the absolute necessity of faithful repentance
(Luke 16:19-31). Where did
the rich man go? He went to hell because he did not live a life of repentance. But it is in the divine Scriptures of the
Old and New Testament where we find forgiveness of sin by contrite
repentance. Because of the work of
Christ, His people proclaim repentance for the forgiveness of sins in His most
precious name (Luke 24:47). “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins
may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence
of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). God has granted repentance to Israel:
“He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a
Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31 NASB). God has also granted repentance to Gentiles:
“When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well
then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18 NASB). That Jews and Gentiles should live a life of
“repentance toward God and faith
in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21 NASB).
This call of repentance goes out
to everyone, but especially people within certain groups and false
religions. This call of repentance is in
reference to not only godless people,[6]
but also to people within Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science,
Scientology,[7]
Roman Catholicism,[8] Greek
Orthodoxy,[9]
Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheistic or Theistic Evolutionism, Agnosticism,[10]
Gnosticism,[11] Islam[12]
and the like[13]. The call means repent of the false doctrines or
beliefs of these groups and the like, and believe the true message of the
gospel in the proclamation of the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus
Christ. To believe contrary things in
regards to the gospel is a serious sin, and offense against God. People must repent of false doctrine or
errant beliefs to please God when they are in
Christ. This call goes out to
everyone who believes and lives contrary to the Bible in biblical Christianity,
or what is set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith or, my home
confession, the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689.
Do you wish to be like the rest
of mankind? “The rest of mankind, who
were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons,
and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood,
which can neither see nor hear nor walk” (Revelation 9:20 NASB). And who “…did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their
immorality nor of their thefts” (Revelation 9:21 NASB). Or will you blaspheme the God of heaven and
earth and not repent of your wicked deeds (Revelation 16:11)? But we know that God grants repentance to His
chosen people by His Almighty grace (2 Peter 3:9). Yet, as His bondservant, I am commanded by
the Word of God to evangelize (I am fulfill this joyfully). Let us not be so foolish as to reject
repentance, knowing it is the right thing to do (Hebrews 6:6), and let us lay
the foundation of repentance for the past (Hebrews 6:1) so we may grow in our
daily repentance unto life in the future.
May this day be the day you take seriously His command of repentance,
and heed His proclamation of repentance!
Amen. But I conclude by saying
this, will you not repent to give Him glory (Revelation 16:9)?
Chapter 2:
The Fruits of
Monergistic Regeneration:
The God-Centered
Grace of Faith and Repentance
Human beings are fallen creatures. We are not by nature children of the Triune
God. People who have true faith obtain
the privilege of being children of God in Christ. This privilege is through the sole means of
faith. People have lasting, true, living
and authentic faith because of the sole work of God alone that gave the faith
that…were born, not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13).
This precious truth of God Himself is concerning the new birth of
Christian believers. Having a new birth
means to be born again (John 3:3, 5, 7, 8).
The action of the Sovereign Spirit of Holiness in salvation is new
birth. Before the regeneration of the
Holy Spirit people are dead in trespasses
and sins. (Ephesians 2:1). The total
work of God in salvation is completely the gracious sovereign work of the
Triune God alone for His people. Unregenerate people need the uncircumcision of
their hearts to believe in and before God.
Without the work of the Holy
Spirit of God there would not be conviction, regeneration, sanctification,
cleansing or acceptable works. The Holy
Spirit brings life to that which He quickens.
The Holy Spirit’s activity is birth and rebirth. This is the operational work of the Holy
Ghost. Nothing can biologically exist separately
from the Holy Spirit. Likewise no man
can become alive separate from the operational work of the Holy Ghost. Within the Gospel of John, the Lord Jesus
Christ speaks to Nicodemus. This
discourse goes as follows:
“Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his
mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said
unto thee, ye must be born again. The
wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst
not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born
of the Spirit.” (John 3:3-8 KJV).
Jesus’
phrase born again is His
terminology. This is not some television
evangelists’ vocabulary. No, Jesus
created the theological phrase born
again. When Jesus spoke of someone
being born again they would have a second genesis. The experience of being born again is a new start.
It is a fresh beginning in the Christian life. Generation
occurs when something is begun. When
something is begun once again it is called regeneration. Within the Greek language the word geniauo is rendered to occur. The Holy Spirit in
regeneration brings about a permanent change. The Holy Ghost brings about a thorough change.
This change of
regeneration of the Holy Spirit is a
fresh type of being.
When
someone is regenerated it does not mean that someone is changed from a human
person to a divine person. Regeneration does not mean that sinful
human beings loose their nature of being sinful after the action of being born again. Yet indeed, we are exceedingly changed from
spiritually dead persons to spiritually alive individuals after the
regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
Spiritually
unregenerate persons are not capable of seeing or entering the very kingdom of God.
We are not born again through baptismal regeneration. The spiritually unregenerate persons are
spiritually blinded. The spiritually
dead persons cannot see the kingdom of God because it is invisible to their
eyes of depravity. If an unsaved person
could see the kingdom of God, what need would there be for
regeneration? We now turn to the
necessity of regeneration by the Holy Ghost for God’s elect people.
The
Lord Jesus Christ uses the word unless. This word indicates a necessary state. Jesus shows that regeneration is a necessary condition. This means that regeneration is an absolute requirement for a preferred consequence
to occur. Likewise we learn in science
that oxygen is a necessary condition
for fire. Without oxygen
there would be no fire. Likewise without regeneration there would be no new
life unto everlasting life.
People like to use the phrase born again Christian. This terminology is repetitive in its
core. If a human being is not regenerated, then he is not born again, and therefore is not a Christian. This person may be a member of a church and
profess dogma. By definition a Christian is someone who truly professes and possesses the faith
of Christianity. If a person is not born
again, he is far from in Christ, and Christ is far from in him.
Without
regeneration there would be no eternal life.
Regeneration is an essential perquisite to see and enter the kingdom of God.
Without seeing and entering the kingdom of God one will not be saved. Nicodemus expressed his confusion to the Lord
Jesus Christ (John 3:4). Yet Nicodemus’s
response appears to mockery Jesus’ doctrine.
Nicodemus badly misunderstood the Lord Jesus Christ. Nicodemus thought that one can to reenter
their mothers womb. Nicodemus was
unsuccessful in distinguishing among biological and spiritual beginning. Nicodemus did not discriminate among flesh and spirit.
The
Lord Jesus Christ begins His response to Nicodemus with verily, verily. This is also
seen as amen, amen. This demonstrates sturdy importance. Jesus categorically communicated that being born again or regeneration is a necessary prerequisite to see or enter the kingdom of God.
Modern people argue against regeneration. These people who argue against regeneration miss the definite teaching
of my Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus
uses the word cannot in referring to
entering the kingdom of God.
This word cannot is a negative
word. It deals with ability. Regeneration is absolutely necessary for
people to enter the kingdom of God.
Without being born again there
would not be anyone who could enter the kingdom of God.
God does not made exceptions.
Therefore it is not possible to see the kingdom of God unless someone is given rebirth!
“It is the Spirit who gives life;
the flesh profits nothing.” (John 6:23).
The flesh has no power to prompt
spiritual rebirth. The impotent power of
man does not enhance the Spirit’s work.
The flesh does not yield anything of the Holy Spirit. There is not even a little bit of something
within man that yields to the Spirit.
Indeed, Jesus proclaimed “You must
be born again.” Jesus clarifies what He means: He emphatically declares a person needs to be
born again! It is an absolute necessity!
Within the epistle of Ephesians
there exists a sound teaching of regeneration. The apostle Paul communicates the regenerating action of the Holy Ghost:
“…And you that he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins.
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience: Among whom
also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of
wrath, even as others. But God, who is
rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead
in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and
hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God…” (Ephesians 2:1-8 KJV).
Prior
to regeneration we have spiritually impotence.
The apostle Paul is describing a prior state of the Ephesian Christian
believers. All true Christian believers have once shared this past condition of
spiritual inability. The entirety of
mankind is referred to in depravity as being “...the others” (Ephesians 2:3)
apart from the spiritual work of regeneration of the Holy Ghost.
Prior to their regeneration
state, they were in spiritual impotent:
“You were dead in trespasses and sins.” The death of which
the apostle Paul speaks of is obviously not a biological death. Instead, the apostle Paul means that the
Ephesian’s were spiritually dead. If the
Ephesian’s were spiritually dead, how could they respond to God? Can a biologically dead person be alive? The answer is inevitable: They could not respond to God without the
work of regeneration!
Being dead in trespasses and in
sins is depicted as someone walking a
specific course. The spiritual dead
people follow the “course of this world.”
(Ephesians 2:1-2). The course of
the world is contrasted with the course of heaven. This means there are two distinct
courses. The course of this world
involves sin and rebel against God Himself.
The course of heaven involves maturity in Christ, growing in grace and
knowledge of Christ.
Christians and non-Christians
both live in this world. Yet the course
of the regenerated person is directed from heaven. The regenerated person has his sight on
heaven and his ears attentive to God.
The unregenerate person is of the course of this world. The eyes are blind and the ears are deaf. The senses are mute to God. The unregenerate person is as a blind, deaf
and mute person sailing on open sea without navigation support. The unregenerate person is as a blind, deaf
and mute person who sets his course in a graveyard.
The course of God is the way of
heaven. The course of this sinful world
is the external from God (Romans 3:12).
This means that God’s way is not this world’s way. The world’s way is not God’s way. Instead of following God and His way, the worldly
person follows in accordance with “…the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2).
The master of the spiritually
dead person is “the prince of the power of the air.” The prince of the power of the air is
Satan. He is the supreme architect of
everything sinful. The apostle Paul
identities him as “the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” Satan himself is a most wicked spirit. He is corruption itself. He is a wretched fallen angel. He exercises power and influence over his
imprisoned unregenerate depraved multitude.
The apostle Paul puts forth a
principle of life. Regenerate persons
walk after the Holy Ghost. Unregenerate
persons walk after the spirit of this world.
Augustine contrasted and compared a person to a horse. The person rode as a horse by either God the
Spirit or by Satan himself.
The apostle Paul shifts from the
outside course of the influence of Satan to the internal condition of the
person who is not born again. The word flesh refers to the physical body. The body is not evil. God created our bodies. God the Son became a
human being Himself. Yet in this
instance the flesh is a reference to
the depraved nature of man. Man’s
character is completely fallen.
Before being regenerated people wholly by the flesh and in the flesh and through
the flesh. Man is bound by the flesh
through sin. If someone is dead in sin,
they are unregenerate and in need of being born again! The conduct of man is after the lusts of the
flesh. This refers to sinful or depraved
desires and needs of man.
Paul declares of depraved unregenerate
persons: “And were by nature children of
wrath, just as the others.” (Ephesians
2:3). Paul refers to our nature.
This nature that the
apostle Paul refers to is the position we came into this world. Natural birth is biological birth. The action of regeneration is a spiritual
paranormal birth. Mankind was not
initially made as children of wrath. Yet when Adam and Eve fell into sin, the
word natural indicates the position
of innate wretchedness of mankind.
Every conceived person is born
into original sin. The Psalmist David proclaimed: “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin
my mother conceived me.” (Psalm
51:5). Human beings are spiritually
dead. Birth is in trespasses and
sinfulness. This inbuilt condition is called in theology original sin. This sinfulness of originality does not refer
to Adam and Eve. Instead, it refers to
consequences of the first sin. The
communication of sin is applied to the human race.
Therefore people are by nature children of wrath. This is extraordinary different situation
from what the contemporaries of our day who would like to believe. Modern liberals would like us to believe that
people are naturally a child of
God. Such is far from the case. If people are naturally the children of God,
what shall we say of the testimony of the totality of Holy Scripture? Why does the liberal like the Sermon on the
Mount but refuses to acknowledge the plethora of testimony against a person
being the natural child of God? The reason is simple: Unfortunately and sadly, it is because it
suits their own subjectivity in sinfulness!
In Jesus’ time He experienced
people like this. It greatly distressed
Jesus to hear people profess this type of view.
The Lord Jesus Christ was compelled to due battle in opposition to the
Pharisees. He debated the Pharisees and
won. The passage that illustrates this
is John 8:41-47:
“Ye do the deeds of your
father. Then said they to him, we be not
born of fornication; we have one Father; even God. Jesus said unto them, if God were your
Father, ye would love me: for I preceeded forth and came from God; neither came
I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye
not understand my speech? Even because
ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and
abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his
own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe
me? He that is of God heareth God’s
words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
First,
let us understand that God the Father is the Father of all men. It is so in this sense: He is the Creator of all men. In the biblical standpoint, regenerated
people obey God their Father through His Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, in the
power and provision of the Holy Ghost.
Obviously the Pharisees did not obey God as their Father. Therefore God was not their Father. Sadly, instead, Satan was their father. Jesus said:
“You are of your father the
devil.” (John 8:44). When we observe this language we see that
Paul in Ephesians and Jesus in the Gospel of John describe man in his natural
non-born again state.
The
apostle Paul in Ephesians two speaks of unregenerate state of man. This is prior to his doxology of rejoicing in
God’s mercy. Our destinies depend upon
God’s mercy through my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is a word in Sacred Scripture which
speaks to the transitional actuality of being unregenerate to being
regenerate. This word that I speak of is
the word but. This word is a small conjunction which
changes the disposition of the passage.
The word but used by the
apostle Paul shows us the shift between the natural, and the heavenly, and
between the unregenerate, and the born again (Ephesians 2:4-10)!
The
work of regeneration is indeed a sovereign action of the Holy Ghost of
God. The plan of regeneration is with
God the Holy Spirit. The plan of
regeneration is not with human beings.
The apostle Paul sprays upon the action of God in regeneration. The apostle Paul purposefully gives man no
credit in the heavenly work of God’s sovereign action of being born again. Once more Paul declares:
“…But God, who is rich in
mercy…” (Ephesians 2:4).
We must conclude that the apostle
Paul avoids saying:
“But man from something good
within him chose God…”
Instead, we read in Holy Writ
that God Himself is the way Who initiates regeneration so His people can enter
His beloved kingdom. Non-Calvinists
believe that faith precedes regeneration.
Such is untrue from Holy Scripture.
We must understand that God Himself is the Beloved Initiator. God the
Father sent His Son, God the Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, to atone for
the sins of His people. People think
once God accomplished this; the rest is up to the sinner. But how can a sinner believe who is entirely depraved (Romans 3)? No person has the authority or power to
elevate himself from spiritual deadness.
There is a necessity for
divine help! Once we are regenerated by
God the Holy Spirit’s work in us, we can exercise our faith from our will. After regeneration we truly believe because of God the Holy Spirit’s work, not our
work in belief. Once we respond to
Christ it looks like this: We believe because
we are saved. We do not believe to
get saved. Our belief after
regeneration is exercised by the freedom of our will that we have in Christ
from sin. As the apostle Paul declared
“it is not of ourselves…”
From this investigation the
questions arise: Concerning God’s grace,
do people cooperate with it? Or does the
cooperation of God’s grace happen after regeneration? Is grace operative? Or is grace cooperative? Is grace effectual? Or is grace dependent? Let us examine these theological words for
our comprehension and growth in knowledge.
Monergistic work is done by one
person. Synergistic work involves
cooperation between two parties. This
distinction is vital for our comprehension.
The debate between the Church of Rome and Luther hang on this crucial
element. Regarding regeneration, is it
monergistic or synergistic? If
regeneration precedes belief, then the answer is the monergistic work of God
Himself. Surely it is true that after
regeneration true Christians
cooperate with God’s beloved grace
within their Christian lives. After regeneration Christians exercise trust and
hope from the expression of their wills.
Let us understand this precious truth:
That indeed regeneration is the sovereign work of God alone.
Once again the initiative is with God Himself. The initiative is not with man in any sense
whatsoever.
Regenerating grace is not
cooperative. This is because it simply
is not within God’s plan. It is
impossible for a spiritually dead person to believe. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He
had to call him forth otherwise Lazarus would have remained dead. The point is, just as Jesus raised a
biologically dead person from the dead, the Holy Spirit quickens the souls of
His elect to believe in regeneration!
It is sadly true that some non-Calvinists may believe that
faith comes before being born again. In
our sensationalistic and depraved society we see people saying: “Will you chose Christ today?” “Or will you choose to be born again?” This type of language is totally
misrepresenting of Sacred Scripture in this sense: “How can a dead corpse choose to be
alive?” It cannot. Therefore the question must be: “What will Christ do with you today?” “Or will the Holy Spirit in His excellent
sovereignty choose to regenerate you today?”
This type of criticism against faith
preceding regeneration may fall on people who refuse to acknowledge that
God alone is in control of their salvation in regeneration. The teaching that says regeneration precedes
belief was taught by these famous men of Christianity: Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Whitefield,
Sproul and White.
“…even when we were dead in
trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been
saved).” (Ephesians 2:5)
The
apostle Paul speaks here of the time of regeneration. The time of regeneration occurs as we are
dead in sin. God alone takes the
initiative. Man is incapable of taking the
initiative because of his wretchedness.
Once more: How can a dead man
choose if he is in fact dead? How can a
dead man cooperate with grace if he does not have that ability to do such a thing?
The spiritually dead person is unable to choose God. Without the wonderful action of regeneration
there is no opportunity of belief.
Let
us rewind back to what Jesus was communicating to Nicodemus. Without being spiritually born, he cannot
enter into Christ’s kingdom! If we think
that belief comes before regeneration, then we oppose significant Christian
leaders of the past, and most importantly, the Incarnate Lord Jesus Christ
Himself.
If we understand regeneration,
let us now comprehend that being born again is gracious. Paul’s exposition of the action of being born again by God Himself is a powerful
pronunciation on the beloved grace of
God. We must explicitly and
straightforwardly acknowledge that our salvation is the grounds of grace
alone. If our salvation rests on God’s
alone, then we take no credit for ourselves in our salvation, because our
salvation is from God alone. For the
Calvinist we can truly say that all glory in salvation goes to God alone!
There are two important Latin
terms that should be noted. Sola Scriptura which means Scripture alone. Sola fide which means faith alone.
The Orthodox Protestants of the Reformation persisted the church is
subject to the infallible authority
of the Christian Bible alone. The
Reformers, as I do, persisted that justification is by faith alone. Salvation is by grace alone and through faith alone.
The Church of Rome believed the
Bible had authority. But the Church of
Rome denied that the Bible had single authority. The Church of Rome believed that
justification involved faith. But the
Church of Rome denied that justification was by faith alone. The third fight of
the Protestant Reformation was grace
alone (sola gratia). Augustine
believed in grace alone long before
Luther. If someone believes in grace alone, they rest on God’s beloved
grace alone! It must be understood that
there is no merit of any kind that is entangled within it. Human achievement is not supernatural
salvation. Rather, salvation of the
human soul is God’s supernatural achievement!
Salvation is the utter gracious gift of God!
The Christian Bible gives us
inferences in regards to certain subjects.
The problem is this: The
Christian Bible’s teaching is clear but the confusion lies with the lack of understanding
people have about what the Holy Scripture actually teach! The apostle Paul has
made the regeneration and faith issue as clear as glass. If regeneration comes before faith, and
salvation is by grace alone, we must conclude the reality of sovereign election
by God.
The apostle Paul teaches that the
grace we receive produces faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Faith is what we exercise by ourselves from
our regenerated will. Yet this faith is
not of ourselves. Faith is a
beloved gift from God Himself. Once
again: Salvation is never a human
achievement. Rather, salvation is a
supernatural work by the Triune Lord.
So, then, God’s people have faith and repentance because of God’s work
in regeneration.
All boasting is excluded from the
gift of faith in salvation. Man-made
viewpoints are all excluded if we adhere to sound doctrine. If we take credit
for our salvation in anyway, we sadly grieve God the Holy Spirit. The action of salvation belongs wholly to the
Beloved Lord alone.
If regeneration is by grace
alone, then regeneration is effectual. Regeneration by God accomplishes its
preferred goals from the operational work of the Holy Ghost. Therefore we must conclude that regeneration
is effective! The Holy Ghost
accomplishes this task for the pre-converted elect sinner. This is also known as effectual calling. The calling that takes place is what occurs
internally. The unsaved experience what
is commonly known as the outward call
of the gospel of grace. If the calls
heard in the heart and grasped, salvation will occur. This is the evidence of the Holy Ghost.
An inward call of regeneration
always happens in belief (Romans 8:30).
Everyone who is effectually called will have belief. All Christians are all debtors to the Holy
Ghost for our salvation! May God alone
be glorified forevermore! [14]
Chapter 3:
The Confession of
Sin in Repentance
Here is a
unique, suggested prayer (if it is said, it must be said from the heart in
sincerity like any prayer only to the one true God),
Dear God, whom I hate with all my being precisely because you hate
and threaten me with hell, I hate this punishment perhaps even more than I hate
you. Or, maybe I should say that I love my comfort even more than I hate you.
For that reason I am asking a favor of you. I want you to make me love you,
whom I hate even when I ask this and even more because I have to ask this. I am
being frank with you because I know it is no use to be otherwise. You know even
better than I how much I hate you and that I love only myself. It is no use for
me to pretend to be sincere. I most certainly do not love you and do not want
to love you. I hate the thought of loving you but that is what I'm asking
because I love myself. If you can answer this 'prayer' I guess the gift of
gratitude will come with it and then I will be able to do what I would not
think of doing now—thank you for making me love you whom I hate. Amen.[15]
We
come now to the subject of confession of sin in repentance. This chapter is meant to help you with
confession of sin. People may struggle
with confession of sin, but God has blessed me to understand what sins I need
to repent thereof. I hope to help you as
you confess your sin to God. It is
completely consistent with the teaching of the Bible to practice
repentance. The gift of repentance
should be viewed as a divine treasure of God for helpless, poor, fallen
sinners. Every human being has the
responsibility to repent of their sins.
No human being can make it to heaven without repenting of their
sins. Anyone who rejects the divine
teaching of repentance excludes their soul from the eternal paradise of God in
heaven. This matter of repentance is
neither a trifling matter nor a personal preference. Rather, it is an imperative by God that all
sinners must do.
First,
I think it would be helpful to understand what we ought to say to God. I do not mean that this prayer example is the
only of its kind. All prayers must be
said in the spirit of sincerity, truth, righteousness. If you want a biblical example of a prayer of
repentance to God, read Psalm 51. I do
not mean by showing this prayer example below that these are somehow magical
words. No, but we must remain true to
the divine truth of divine Scripture.
Nevertheless, here is a simple, basic, elementary prayer to God. Within sanctification we need to repent over
and over again of different sins, but if we wanted, we could use the same
prayer to repent of different sins. Moreover,
we must confess our sins to God. We
could confess our sins to all Three Persons in the Trinity. But we ought not to confess our sins to dead
saints or angels. Or we could confess
our sins to a distinct Member of the Trinity.
Nonetheless, here is a basic example.
Imagine you have committed a sin, and now you need to confess it: I
acknowledge it, and forgive me Heavenly Father through Christ crucified. Amen. [16]
After this bear fruits of repentance in godly living. We could also pray,
HOLY LORD,
I have sinned times without
number, and been guilty of pride and unbelief, or failure to find thy mind in
thy Word, of neglect to seek thee in my daily life. My transgression and short-comings present me
with a list of accusations, but I bless thee that they will not stand against
me, for all have been laid on Christ; Go on to subdue my corruptions, and grant
me grace to live above them. Let not the
passions of the flesh nor lustings of the mind bring my spirit into subjection,
but do thou rule over me in liberty and power.
I thank thee that many of my prayers have been refused—I have asked
amiss and do not have, I have prayed from lusts and been rejected, I have
longed for Egypt and been given a wilderness.
Go on with thy patient work, answering ‘no’ to my wrongful prayers, and
fitting me to accept it. Purge me from
every false desire, every base aspiration, everything contrary to thy
rule. I thank thee for thy wisdom and
thy love, for all the acts of discipline to which I am subject, for sometimes
putting me into the furnace to refine my gold and remove my dross. No trail is so hard to bear as a sense of
sin. If thou shouldst give me choice to
live in pleasure and keep my sins, or to have them burnt away with trail, give
me sanctified affliction. Deliver me
from every evil habit, every accretion of former sins, everything that dims the
brightness of thy grace in me, everything that prevents me taking delight in
thee. Then I shall bless thee, God of
Jeshurun, for helping me to be upright.[17]
Second,
what are the assumptions of biblical repentance in the short prayer example
that provided? I have assumed that you
know you have done wrong; that you have recognized your sin. Sometimes this might be the hardest thing to
see. I have also assumed that you know
you have offended God. Contrite
repentance is a realization of offending God not because of fear of
punishment. Moreover, you must repent through Christ crucified. Why?
We must repent through Christ crucified because it is on the Cross of
Calvary where our Lord atoned for sin to His Heavenly Father. God appointed that His divine Son would
freely die to expiate and propitiate the sin of His beloved people. The
Cross completely takes away our sin through Jesus Christ the Redeemer. Without the Cross it would be impossible
to receive forgiveness and cleansing. We
desperately need the all-sufficient Cross because we are fallen sinners.
Third,
how we lived our life will be judged by the God-man on Judgment Day. Christ will know whether we repented or not
when we were alive. He will see if you
obeyed Him in His Word. It is my
intention to give you some homework to do to prepare for the Last Day. Remember Christ Jesus is the Master of
searching the minds and hearts of men and women. This homework is mandatory for those who are
serious about the state of their lives, and for those who seek to please God
according to the Holy Ghost. It has been
shown that unconverted people live a life of sin. It is my goal to locate the general sins we
have committed and repent of them.
It is my experience in repentance
that an actual calendar of the days, weeks, months helps greatly in aiding me
in detailed repentance. It is my
experience and recommendation that you obtain a calendar of your life. Additionally, do not feel burdened, but be
eager to repent of your sins, and your burden of sin will decrease. But here is an example: I was born on October 31, 1978, and the year
I am in is 2007. Since we were all
conceived in sin, you might want to find out when you were conceived (e.g., repent
of total depravity). You might say “You
are too extreme!” I would rather repent
then leave sin to chance.[18]
God loves those who seek to do that which is right, and then practice that
which is right. You also might want to
pray to the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what were your times of sin, and hours
of darkness. For me then I would get a
calendar from 1978 to 2007, and therefore, you will be able to locate days,
weeks, months.[19] You might want to keep a record of what you
have repented of. Keep it in a safe
place where no eyes can see because it is your personal repentance. Next, you will have to consider what sins you
have generally committed. In my own
experience I have located sins I believe all people are guilty of by nature,
and it is wise to repent of the consequences and guilt of your sin. Here is a listing of them to help you get
started:
·
Total Depravity
·
Being full of sin
·
Not wanting to be saved by nature
·
Spiritual Insanity
·
Hatred of God
·
Being a child of misery
·
Partaker of original sin (simply
being a sinner)
·
Careless words, thoughts, deeds
·
Not wanting accountability before
God
·
Thoughts, Words, Deeds Against
God
·
Wasted Time
·
Graceless
·
Being a rebel by nature
·
Ignorant of the things of God
·
All manner of selfishness
·
Self-destructiveness
·
Ingratitude
·
Stubborn in sin
·
Having a cold-heart
·
Unloving/Imperfect Love
·
Subconscious sins,
transgressions, iniquities
·
If you broke one commandment you
have broken them all
·
Prayerlessness/Sinful prayer
·
Having no repentance and faith
·
Having no fear of God
·
Spiritually Mute/Without
Spiritual Understanding
·
Sexual sin in thought, word, deed
You might think “Well, I did not commit sexual sins
everyday of my life.” That might be
true, but my suggestion is to always end up on the side of the gospel.[20] It is better to repent of sexual sin all the
days of your life then to miss days and offer no repentance to God about
it. If you miss repentance of sin, it is
dishonoring to God. But if you repent of
your sins, at least you know it is covered.[21] And let me say that I believe God will surely
work with you as you seek out sin in your life if you are indeed in Christ Jesus. You must belong to Christ in order to truly
repent. Do not be so presumptuous that
you believe you do not need to particularly
repent of the above sins. I have
gone over these sins in my life, and I have repented of each day regarding
them. It may take hours a day, but such
is necessary: “…repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). I couldn’t bare another second to go by
without repenting of all known sin. I
believe the life of a sinner is full of sin.
Blessed is the man who sees he is full of sin and repents of his sin. The Bible teaches that your sins are as the
stars of heaven or the sand on the seashore.
It is vital to repent of every sin.
Do you not want to please the Lord God Almighty? And you must realize that repentance to a
false God is worthless. Therefore you
must repent to the one true God of divine Scripture (the God of the
Reformation). If you do want to please
your Lord, I suggest you put away the trifling things in your life and begin
serious repentance. Moreover, I have
prayed for you that God would guide you through it. You will be amazed at the burden that is
lifted when you faithfully repent. Remember
that sin wants you to ignore its seriousness and consequences. It will bring you to hell in self-deception.[22]
But there is no doubt that it takes
a lot of persistence. Be assured that
you are forgiven if you have genuinely repented of your sins. Moreover, do not repent of the same sin,
unless there is a different element of sin that you have no repented of. When people repent of the same sin, you are
actually committing the sin of arrogance.
Know this: that when you repent of sin E, you are forgiven of sin E, and
move on to the next sin. Continue in
faithfulness, obedience, submission to the Lord. And if you can’t figure out what your sins are
after these things: surrender yourself under God, and ask Him to reveal it to
you (but remember after you complete the above assignment; repentance does not
end there, it continues until death). One
day I wanted to know what sins I specifically committed, and I surrendered
myself under the Holy Spirit and He revealed to me a lot of personal sin I was
not aware of. Moreover, read His blessed
Word, for it searches the hearts of men and women, and hear the Word of God
faithfully preached because this is where conviction takes place. You must also faithfully repent throughout
the day of specific sins that you commit.
Remain diligent, persistent, obedient.
Psalm 51 reveals the biblical
confession of sin from St. David. Here
we find a prayer model for when we confess sin to God through Christ:
1Have mercy upon me, O God,
according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions. 2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my
sin. 3For I
acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4Against thee, thee
only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be
justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5Behold, I was shapen
in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6Behold, thou desirest
truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know
wisdom. 7Purge
me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8Make me to hear joy
and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9Hide thy face from my
sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit
within me. 11Cast
me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12Restore unto me the
joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13Then will I teach
transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14Deliver me from
bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing
aloud of thy righteousness. 15O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy
praise. 16For
thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt
offering. 17The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God,
thou wilt not despise. 18Do
good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 19Then shalt thou be
pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole
burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar. (KJV).
We come now to the issue of
confessing faults to brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible teaches that we ought to do this,
but it denies absolution in the Romanist sense.
It is completely biblical to confess one’s faults to a reliable brother or sister in
Christ. When we do this we do not
receive absolution, but healing. The
purpose of confessing one’s faults is to receive prayer-guidance and healing. I remember when I was confessing sin to the
Lord, I communicated to a friend what they were, and I was healed shortly after,
but sometimes it takes time. Confessing
faults to a friend in Christ aids in the pursuit of healing. For true believers in Christ we know that our
faults do not break the divine truth of there being no condemnation in
Christ. But it is unbiblical to sin with
license because we have no condemnation in Christ.[23] It is also unbiblical to excuse repentance to
God for sin when we think of there being no condemnation in Christ. But being assured of our salvation helps with
the repentance of sin because we are assured of our state in Christ Jesus. If we are
assured of it, we ought to wash our spiritual robes in the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
We now come to the don’ts of
repentance. We have already seen that
you should not repent according to attrition.
You must understand that antinomianism is heresy and is forbidden by the
Bible. When we break God’s law, we must
repent. We ought not sin with premeditation
but live in the presence of God in Christ.
We also must not think that we earn our salvation by repenting of our
sins. Do you know who saved you? It was Christ who saved you, and therefore,
repentance does not save you because Christ has accomplished the work of
redemption in your place, if indeed you have placed your trust in Christ
Jesus. But do not put aside repentance:
we are commanded to repent because it is right in the eyes of God, and
according to a life of godliness and righteousness. When you live your Christian life in Christ,
do not try to get mischievously around God’s righteous law. For example, some people believe if they do
not engage in sexual intercourse, it is not sex, but this is foreign to God’s
holy law. Do not be your own god, or
make God in your own image. Do not
disregard what the Bible says. In truth,
you ought to flee from all kinds of sexual immorality. If you look at pornography you are engaging
in fornication. If you lust after a
woman you are committing adultery. If
you know something is sin, like for example, to do wrongdoing to get ahead, and
you do it nonetheless, and think God will forgive you, you have crucified the
Son of God afresh and you have seriously dishonored God. Such behavior and thinking is an eternal
offense against God. Why do you offend
the One who died for His people? Why do
you grieve the Holy Spirit by your intentional sin? You must realize that sin is extremely
serious, and God could seriously chasten you, or cast you away like Saul.[24] You must live a life worthy of the gospel,
and not bring shame on the name of Christ.
You ought to seek the opposite of shame: to glorify, honor, praise God
who brought you out of spiritual bondage and set your feet on the Incarnate
Rock.
Chapter 4:
The Forgiveness and
Cleansing in Repentance
Sin
casts a shadow over our souls. When we
do not repent of our sin, it brings separation from God, but for the believer’s
justification is never broken. We must
repent of our sins in a faithful manner.
But when we confess our sin to God through Christ we are forgiven, and
the burden of sin is lifted. But it is
not through human effort that our sin is lifted but solely through and by the
Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without
the Cross repentance would not be efficacious.
It is through the Cross that we obtain forgiveness of sin, and the
cleansing of transgression. Without
repentance we stand before God with many shadows over our souls. But when we repent, the burden of sin is
taken away from us through the Cross of Christ.
The debt has been paid by the Lord Jesus Christ, but the burden of sin
is still apparent, but when it is confessed we are forgiven, because God is
faithful and just.
As
the Lord Jesus cleansed the leper by healing them, so, too, He cleans our souls
when we repent. The Lord washes us clean
from the filth of sin. When we sin we
must repent, and repentance is unto life.
When we receive forgiveness we will also be cleansed from our sin. We must be cleansed before God in order to be
clean before Him. When we are forgiven,
and when we are cleansed, our burden of sin is lifted from our souls. As sure as the Lord Christ could heal the
leper, so, to, does Christ lift the sin burden of the soul! When we are cleansed we are pure before God,
and the filth of sin is gone. When we
are clean before God it is done through the Lord Jesus Crucified. Without Him we would not be pure before
Him. Every person has their souls with
great shadows over their souls. The only
hope to lift this burden of sin is through the Lamb of God. God cleanses His people with the shed blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of
Christ, we are indeed holy to God, and we are most precious to Him.
Do
you wish to have your sin burden lifted?
Your only hope is the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Cling to His blessed Cross because that is
where you will receive forgiveness and cleansings. But without His Cross no man would receive
forgiveness. We are commanded in
Scripture (as we have seen) that we must repent. It is through repentance that God forgives
guilty sinners through His Only Beloved Son.
You must repent to the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the
Incarnate Lamb of God to receive pardon.
Pardon only comes to those who belong to Christ, and those who are in Christ.
There are many people who believe they are forgiven but believe so
wrongly. If people believe they are
forgiven without Christ, you have false grounds of forgiveness. Will you turn to God through Christ to lift
the sin burden of your soul? In Pilgrims
Progress, Christian had a heavy burden.
It was a burden of sin, and may you learn that your burden can be lifted
through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Chapter 5:
The Peace of God
Found Through Christ
The
peace of repentance is knowing you have been forgiven. But the Lord Jesus Christ provided peace
through Himself in justification by faith.
I am mainly speaking to those who have assurance of salvation. There are Christian people who are saved that
do not yet have assurance. My
recommendation to them is to immerse yourself in the divine, written Word of
God, and ask your brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for you. I remember when I lacked assurance of
salvation when I was saved. I look back
at that time seeing that I hated sin and my sin nature, and tremendously
grieved over my sin. If you hate your
sin nature, and are grieved over your sin it is probably a good indication that
you are born from above. But every
Christian has the peace of God that is only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Because we have been justified by faith, we
have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Only the Lord Jesus provides peace between
God and the rebellious sinner. We need
the peace of God in Christ that God offers His people. Without the peace of God that is provided
through Christ we will not be able to stand before God. The peace of God provided by the Lord Jesus
for His people is found in Jesus’ satisfaction.
That is, He satisfied divine justice to God the Father as a ransom for
His chosen people. It is impossible to
have peace with God without the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Christ.
If
you are not in Christ today, you need peace with God. Without peace with God, you are at war with
God, but having the peace of God is an eternal gift of God only through the
divine Lamb of God. But the world offers
a different peace, a peace that perishes.
But the peace of the Cross is the true gift God gives to His
people. All of the sin of the elect only
was punished on Christ alone. God is the
justifier of the unjust people who place their faith in Him. Only those who place their faith in Christ
will have peace with God. Mohammed,
Buddha and all the rest do not provide peace with God. Rather, only the Lord Christ provides peace
with God the Father. Everyone who truly
repents to God through Christ has peace with God. We do not have peace with God because of our
own merits or godliness. We have peace
with God because of the Incarnate Substitute alone. What Christ accomplished was according to the
will of God the Father by the Holy Spirit.
But what the world offers is futileness and foolishness and clever folly. As real human beings, we need the real peace
that God offers to His people through the only begotten God, the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Chapter 6:
The Joy of
Repentance
Many
people think they can have joy or happiness in committing sin. People think they can have “fun” by living a
life of sin. But what should give you
joy? Should worldly sins give you
joy? Should disobeying God give you
happiness? Or should following the
Lord’s will give you joy? When we think
about it, following the Lord should give you abundant joy. Doing what the Lord says in repenting of your
sins, should give you joy. What is more
precious then following the Lord’s will for your life? What is more profitable on earth? The joy of repentance is taking pleasure in
the righteousness of God in Christ. Taking
pleasure in God’s commands is a sign of a changed heart. The changed heart wants to please God by
doing what He says. We ought to follow
the Lord Christ as a demonstration of our faith. We are to serve the Lord with joy and
gladness (Deuteronomy 28:47). And when
we repent the angels rejoice or have joy (Luke 15:10) and the angels desire to
look into things pertaining to salvation (1 Peter 1:12). If the angels have joy in God’s presence
because of repentance, how great is the joy of the Blessed and Holy Trinity
over a sinner who repents of his or her sins!
Chapter 7:
The Encouragement
of Repentance
When
people live a life of sin, it is an encouragement to the body of Christ when
they repent. We live in a day of an evil generation. But when God grants repentance it encourages
each individual member of the local church. God’s people need encouragement because we are
frail, fallen, feeble. The encouragement
of repentance is evident in the personal testimony of God’s people in truth. There was a time when they did not
repent. But now by the sovereign
regeneration of God the Holy Spirit, God’s people repent by faithful obedience
founded and rooted and driven by God’s Almighty grace. It is a time of awesome delight when God’s
people see His people repenting of their sin.
God gets glorified indeed by the repentance of His people. If God gets glorified by our repentance, how
much more ought we search our lives and repent!
It is good when the eldership receive encouragement by the repentance of
God’s people in righteousness. We all should be encouraged by repentance
because it shows the kindness and goodness of God by His awesome and powerful
and prize of His Almighty grace.
Chapter 8:
The Goodness and
Kindness of God in Repentance
“Or despisest thou the riches of
his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness
of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4 KJV).
We see that goodness is replaced with kindness or
kindness with goodness: “…not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to
repentance?” We ought not to despise His
goodness or kindness, because it is by His goodness and kindness that we
receive repentance. The goodness and
kindness of God leads His people to repentance.
The non-elect do not have the goodness and kindness of God in
repentance, nor does the pre-converted elect until God changes their hearts in
repentance unto life. Are we so ignorant
as not to understand the goodness of God in Christ our Lord and Redeemer? How many people associate God’s goodness and
kindness with repentance? Are we not so
blind as to be spiritually mute in knowing the goodness and kindness of God in
our unconverted state?
Without God the Spirit and His
matchless Word people would not understand that the goodness and kindness of
the Trinity leads people to repentance. Without
God’s goodness and kindness we would be in fact lost. But because God is good we can repent of our
sin by His Almighty grace. We must also
understand that repentance does not come from something within us. Rather, it is because of God’s goodness and
kindness. It is because of God and God
alone that people repent of their sin. If
we repented apart from God and His goodness and kindness we would not be able
to do it because we were surely dead in sin, iniquity, transgression. Dead people do not have a heart beat. So, to, the spiritually dead person does not
have a spiritually beating heart. We
must rely on the goodness and kindness of God in Christ Jesus our divine
Substitute to grant repentance. All the
programs of men do not avail in true repentance but only God’s goodness and
kindness leads sinful men to repentance.
In evangelizism we ought not to rely on rational or clever argument but
on the sovereign power of God the Holy Spirit in proclaiming the gospel with
truth and clarity. When we read about
God’s goodness and kindness in divine Scripture we see the result of it in the
repentance of God’s people.
Chapter 9:
The Forbearance of
God in Repentance
“Or despisest thou the riches of
his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness
of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4 KJV).
We now come to the forbearance of God in repentance. God has patience for His people. His forbearance is an excellent one, reaching
all of His people. We read about
forbearance in Romans 3:25, “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through
faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously
committed…” God passed over the sins of
His people in forbearance. Are we
thankful that God used forbearance in our lives? Do we despise His forbearance, and do we not
know that it is rich with divine truth? May
we commit ourselves to the truth of God’s Word and understand the riches of His
forbearance!
Chapter 10:
The Longsuffering
and Patience of God in Repentance
“Or despisest thou the riches of
his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness
of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:4 KJV).
Divine Scriptures speaks of the longsuffering of God in
the repentance of His beloved people. Numbers
14:18 says, ‘The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and
transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ Psalm 86:15 also
says, “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy
and truth.” 1
Peter 3:20 says, “who formerly were disobedient, when once the
Divine longsuffering waited in
the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is,
eight souls, were saved through water.” 2
Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise,
as some count slackness, but is longsuffering
toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to
repentance.” 2
Peter 3:15, “and
consider that the longsuffering
of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the
wisdom given to him, has written to you…”
God’s longsuffering is patience and it results in the repentance of His
people. But the Bible says now is the
day of salvation. If you have yet to
repent, and live a faithful life of repentance, turn now to the Lord, and heed
His message of repentance. Everyone who
calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
But yet there are people who may not live in light of what Christ
taught. Christ is not calling us to live
godless lives but godly lives. You ought
to take seriously God’s call of repentance because if you don’t you will
perish. May you repent this day and walk
worthy of the gospel!
Turn Away to the Lord is a Scriptural call to people in
America and Great Britain to personally repent of all personal sin and live
obedient and faithful lives to the Blessed and Holy Trinity. This small, concise book is about a serious
and biblical commitment to confession of sin to the one true God of the
Bible. Why do you sin? Why have you not mourned over your sin and
repented to the one true God of the Bible?
The Bible calls all men everywhere to turn away from their sins and
trust the Incarnate Second Person of the Trinity as their divine Redeemer and
Lord. Without a faithful repentance for
one’s whole life, as Luther stated in his first disputation, people will perish
in their sins. This book is a call to
walk worthy of the gospel of Christ in obedient repentance: Repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15).
Michael A. Petillo is a committed Reformed Baptist
apologist, theologian, churchman and predestinarian. He has written over ten books including The Precious Truth of the Gospel of Grace, Sinking Sand, and That Very Foundation.
[1] I specifically mention America and Great Britain because I believe I have a
particular ministry for them in calling people to repent of their sins, and
turn to the Living Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is quite true that all the world needs to
bend the knee, and turn away from sin, and cling to the Cross of Christ. But I believe if America and/or Great Britain
changes, all the world could follow by God’s Almighty, super-abundant
grace. This is the message of the
Bible: repent and believe in the good
news of the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen
carefully: if you rebel in sin, and know you should repent, and you don’t
repent, and continue in serious rebellion, God may deny you repentance when you
ask for it as a sign of judgment. You
must have a broken and contrite heart before God in Christ Jesus. Don’t be a rebel but be faithful to God’s
holy, divine and inerrant Word in the Old and New Testament. But if you have truly trusted Christ, never
give up. If you have embraced contrite
repentance, never give up. Remember:
those who belong to Christ will never be forsaken by God in Christ. This does not mean we should live according
to the flesh but according to the Spirit of God.
[2] What do I mean when I say our
nation has forgotten God? I simply mean
this: I am not denying that Americans after 9/11 became more religious in a
sense. But I am not pleading with people
to become religious in and of itself.
Some people can be most devote in a wrong religion. People think if you are sincere in a wrong
religion you are acceptable before God.
But such understanding is false.
People can be sincerely wrong.
What I am pleading for isa true relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ
and doing what He says in His written Word.
Christ says to repent of all sin, and trust Him as the divine Savior and
God. Your heart must be right before
God, and God looks upon the heart not on outward appearance. It is my prayer that America and Great Britian will surrender
to God and turn from sin this day!
[3] Do you mourn over sin (James
4:9)? You ought to mourn over sin, not
because you fear punishment, but because you have offended God. But the doctrine of hell should bring a holy
fear upon you, knowing that God has delivered you out of the pit of hell and
set your feet upon solid ground. It is
good to mourn over sin. It seems to me
that the smallest realization of wrongdoing when sin is committed is necessary
to recognize sin, and confess it.
[4] Romans 2:4 says,
“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and
patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?”
(NIV).
[5] There is sweetness to the gospel
of repentance. It is a sweet thing
indeed to have a clear conscious before God and men, and it is sweet when we
faithfully repent of sin, and live godly lives in our conduct. That is, we bear fruits of repentance, and
acts of righteousness in Christ Jesus.
Do you wish to have the smiling face of Satan upon your life of
rebellion, and invoke the displeasure of God?
If you live an ungodly life, this is what you will have. Or do you wish to live worthy of the gospel
in faithfully repenting of sin, thereby having the smiling face of God upon
your life of loyalty to Him in Christ by His Almighty Spirit? Do you have a hatred for evil, sin,
transgression and iniquity? Do you hate
the thoughts, words and actions of lawlessness?
[6] These include all people who do
not constantly repent of sin, or repent of sin to a false God. It includes those who use foul language; who
engage in homosexuality, masturbation, abortion (doctor and/or patient),
putting video games (or anything foolish) before reading the Bible (e.g., over
or on 10 chapters), studying divine Scripture and praying to God (e.g., one
hour of prayer), listening to ungodly music or playing video games (e.g., music
that includes sexual perversion or something ungodly), trusting in visions of men
rather then the Bible, any form of terrorism, living together before both the
male and female couple is married, believing the Bible is not history, praying
the rosary, slumbering in sin, prostitution, unhealthy addiction to drugs
(illegal or legal), reliance on self-help rather then conviction of sin,
arrogance, trying to commit the unforgivable sin, pride, rituals that serve an
secretly evil purpose, being devotedly religious in a false religion, loving
the worldly or sinful things of the world, watching dirty cartoons, movies or
shows on TV or anywhere (e.g., things that promote sin), eating excessively,
plagiarism or cheating, being angry without cause, harboring secret sins,
murder, rape, getting things from Satan,
inflicting emotional, mental, physical or verbal abuse, bestiality,
lying, smoking (I ask: is it consistent with your Christian testimony?),
superstitious things, fraud, ungodly tattoos (I ask: do you wish to defile the
temple of the Spirit by ungodly images?), cheating on your taxes, fortune
telling, praying to a false God, contacting the dead, loving money, coveting,
and breaking the speed limit, and other things pertaining to Romans 13. Your goal in living the Christian life should
be excellence, pertaining to all godly things, as you seek to serve God with
all your heart. I have included all of
these sins together (not in any particular order), but by no means am I denying
that there are different degrees of sin.
For example, murder has a greater degree of sin then arrogance. I am saying both are sin, but there are
greater degrees of sin: murder is a greater spiritual crime then
arrogance. But because there are
different degrees of sin it does not give anyone the right to commit lesser
degrees of sin (as opposed to greater degrees of sin). Whether greater or lesser sins, everyone
needs to repent of the sins they have committed before God through Christ. As a Reformed Baptist, we profess that all
sin is mortal sin. Therefore, we would
deny the Roman teaching of venial sin.
Moreover, saying that you’re a “sinner” does not mean that excuses you
to sin. Hence you ought to live a life
that acceptable before the Blessed Trinity and in the presence of His elect and
holy angels.
[7] See Dr. Walter Martin’s book The Kingdom of the Cults, and on
Scientology, check out my work, Is the
Scientologist My Brother?
[8] See RC Sproul's lectures on Roman Catholicism and Walter Martin.
[9] For example, praying to saints
is a sin, and they ought to repent.
[10] See Reasons to Believe by RC Sproul at www.ligonier.org
or against evolution, The Face That
Demonstrates The Farce of Evolution by Hank Hanegrraaff at www.equip.org.
[11] For example, people who believe
in the Gnostic Jesus. That is, they
trust the Gospel of Thomas above the canonical Gospels. In truth, there is no historical or
theological reason to trust the Gospel of Thomas above the biblical Gospels.
[12] There are some good reformed materials on Islam.
[13] See H. Wayne House’s Charts of Cults, Sects & Religious
Movements. As a whole these books are provided for
those in certain groups, so they ought to repent of those native beliefs that
are false.
[14] RC Sproul. The
Mystery of the Holy Spirit. (Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1990), pp.
91-111. This entire chapter was directly based on Dr. Sproul’s work on
the subject of regeneration. It is my
hope that God will especially bless this work of mine in the subject of the
fruit of regeneration in repentance so that it may be used by God as a means to
bring His pre-converted elect to Himself in the purpose of God in salvation.
[15] John H. Gerstner. The Rational
Biblical Theology of Jonathan Edwards, Volume III, (Virginia: Berea Publications, 1993), p. 81. I said something like this prayer around the
time I gained assurance of salvation. It
is shocking to those who do not know the true depraved nature of man. It is most assuredly a biblically-based
prayer in support in having a right heart before God. By nature we hate God with all of our
being. We are not lovers of God by
nature, but God-haters. Speak truth to
God this day.
[16] Do you wish to pray prayers to
God that deeply please Him? I would
suggest to you that you obtain the prayer book, The Valley of Vision. I think it is a most valuable
prayer book that you could ever have.
[18] What do I mean? Turn to Revelation chapter 2, and you will
see Christ calling churches to repentance (Rev. 2:1-7, for example). Do you see what happened when they did not
repent? We us, we need to be immersed in
the Word of God, because it searches the hearts and minds of men. It will convict us of our sin by the power of
the Holy Ghost. Once we are convicted we
ought to repent and live godly.
[19] You might want to
print out the years of your life by using www.timeanddate.com or some other way of keeping
track of your repentance. It is a
helpful web site for calendars, and it has a print friendly option to use when
you print out the calendars. You could
keep these calendars in a three-ring binder or folder. This is an extremely helpful way of keeping
track of your past sins, and present repentance.
[20] Do you have a clear conscience
before God and before men? You will not
have a clear conscience before God if you believe that you get grace by
sinning. Rather, God gives grace to the
humble not the proud. I ask you: Does unrepentant sin trouble your mind? Do you have a desire to reverse your
sins? Have you turned away from sin and
turned to the Lord in repentance? You
ought to seek a clear conscience before God and before men. This is well-pleasing in the sight of
God.
[21] After you are finished with what
has been presented in terms of repenting of these specific sins, you might want
to seriously consider locating the commands of the New Testament. This is
not meant to overwhelm you, but perhaps it will teach you how great a sinner
you are in comparison to a perfect and holy and just God. This should not drive you into despair but
lead you to the loving and open arms of Christ at the Cross because it is at
the Cross and nowhere else that Christ sufficiently atoned for sin in behalf of
His people alone. If you locate the
commands of the New Testament, you will be able to find out where you have
failed and where you do fail. This will
give you a chance to repent of all known sin in your life. Under the title “New Testament Commands” at
the link www.puritan-books.com/books/pdf/new_testament_commands.pdf, you will see a list of commands.
Moreover, you also might want to review the Westminster Larger Catechism
on the Ten Commandments. This aided me
to seeking out sin in my life.
Therefore, take some time today to go through them and see where you
have failed. God will be deeply pleased
with you when you locate sin and repent of it by His Almighty grace to the one
true God of the Bible found in Reformed theology. Remember, righteousness exalts a nation. Repentance is a righteous act by God’s lovingkindness.
[22] If you think you have not
sinned, you are deceived. There is much
sin in your life, and you need to repent of it.
Be miserable and mourn over your sin, and then you can have true joy of
the peace of forgiveness.
[23] I remember hearing this from one
of my Professors at the undergraduate level.
We ought not to use our freedom from sin with intentional purpose to
sin. This is a vital note and should
mark this so we will please the Lord, being in
Christ. But I remember one of my
Professors at a private school thought that Calvinism meant we can do whatever
we want. But I assured him that such an
understanding was foreign to the biblical understanding of Reformed theology. Calvinists have never taught we should sin,
but rather, we have taught a life of holiness, because let us never forget that
election is unto holiness not unto sin.
I think people might want to believe with intentional malice that
Calvinism teaches a lawless gospel so they can excuse their sin. But again the biblical teaching of Calvinism
is the freedom we have in Christ because of God alone, and because God in
sanctification is working through His people.
God will finish the work He started without any doubt. Calvinism teaches to live a life of true
holiness by turning from sin, and trusting Christ.
[24] No true believer who has been
drawn by God the Father will be cast off by God, but this does not mean we have
a license to sin, but freedom from sin.
In the case of Saul, I believe he was clearly a nonbeliever. You might say he was the unregenerate brother
of Esau and Judas. That is, he was
ordained to destruction, and he never had saving faith. All those who truly repent demonstrate that
God has provided the evidence of their regeneration. God the Son will never cast away anyone who
truly comes to Him.
