Repentance
Mark Trent
TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD
BIBLE STUDY
Lesson Repentance
Repentance is a basic biblical principle. One cannot come to God without repentance :
( A )The Word of God tells us we need to repent
( B )God tells all men to repent
( C )Jesus told us to repent
( D)And the disciples teach us on repentance
(Acts 17:30 KJV) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:
(Mat 4:17 KJV) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
(Mark 6:12 KJV) And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
(Acts 2:38 KJV) 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.
(Acts 3:19 KJV) 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;
(A)Repentance in the Greek "METANOIA" means to change one's mind or to reverse one's decision. It involves a decision that one makes about something,
changing one's mind about something bad to good - always for the better.
(B)"SHUWB" is the Hebrew word for Repentance to make a 180 degree turn.
Repentance involves a change of heart and of mind, something that happens from the inside, which is then reflected on the outside by the corresponding external action of turning away from sin.
Good example
The story of the prodigal son contains a good example of true biblical repentance in
Luke 15 :11-23.
In verses 18 and 19 the young son, having suffered hardships, made a decision: "I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to 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".
In verse 20 we see that his inward decision turned into an outward action
''And he arose and came to his father;
LUKE.15:11
11And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17And 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!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20And 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.
21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
The Fruits of Repentance
There are a number of outward manifestations of true repentance:
1) admitting to our sins
(A) We need to acknowledge that we have done wrong, to admit that we have fallen short of God's will and are therefore in the wrong .
(B) This involves taking responsibility for our thoughts and actions and not blaming others or our upbringing or circumstances for what we have done wrong.
2) Not justifying our sins to God
To admit to doing wrong but justifying your wrongdoing - for
instance; admitting sin, but justifying it because of circumstances - is not true
repentance. Adam, when confronted by God for taking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, blamed Eve. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions Adam said "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.", effectively blaming Eve for giving him the fruit and God for giving him Eve.
In contrast to Adam
In contrast, in Psalm 51:4, David came to the Lord and said "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight:..: and he asked the Lord to purge him, to wash him clean and blot out his iniquities.
Restitution
Where others have been hurt as a result of our sins we need to restore the situation. For example we need to restore broken or damaged relationships wherever possible. Where we have transgressed against others, intentionally or unintentionally, we need to ask their forgiveness as well as God's forgiveness.
Turning away from sin and seeking righteousness
1JOHN.1:9
If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
As soon as we have received Jesus as Lord and Saviour of our lives, all our sins are forgiven.
Spirit
(A) We lose satans nature from our spirit.
(B) Our spirit receives a new nature which is God's nature.
Body
(C) Our body stays the same and wants to sin, but we must abstain from sinning.
Soul
(d)Our soul, the word says, must be renewed with Gods Word.
If we sin we should go to 1JOHN.1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Commitment to God to turn away from sin, and embark on a path of behaviour pleasing to Him, is God's will and is consistent with his Word.
We need to stop repeating the same sins over and over again.
If you ask God to forgive you once and you stop that sin ,then the instant you ask God He hears you and forgives you. That's enough. It has been dealt with ,and God does not remember the sin that you have asked Him to forgive.
You must now rely on God's mercy and continue walking in His forgiveness.
If you sin that same sin again then you go back to 1John 1:9.
True repentance means saying to God we are sorry and, changing our behaviour so we are set on a path of righteousness.
Repentance from dead works
The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians warning them not to put their trust in the rules , regulations and ceremonies of the Law, as a means to save them from eternal separation from God(=hell).
This warning against trusting in dead works can also be interpreted as a warning against trusting in any religious doctrine, or even in performing good works hoping these will be sufficient for us to get to heaven. It is also a warning not to trust in any man's philosophies as a means of salvation.
God was warning the Jews that obeying Judaic law was no longer the route to eternal life. When Jesus died and was resurrected the Law lost its power. Now we have eternal life through the shed blood of Jesus, by receiving him as our Lord and Saviour.
Ephesians 2:8-10 States "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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Titus 3:5 says "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the
Holy Ghost;".
Good Works
Good works do not get us to heaven. Repent of all sins and tell Jesus you accept Him as Lord and Saviour of your life. Ephesians 2:8-10 :For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
BIBLE STUDY
Lesson Repentance
Repentance is a basic biblical principle. One cannot come to God without repentance :
( A )The Word of God tells us we need to repent
( B )God tells all men to repent
( C )Jesus told us to repent
( D)And the disciples teach us on repentance
(Acts 17:30 KJV) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:
(Mat 4:17 KJV) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
(Mark 6:12 KJV) And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
(Acts 2:38 KJV) 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.
(Acts 3:19 KJV) 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;
(A)Repentance in the Greek "METANOIA" means to change one's mind or to reverse one's decision. It involves a decision that one makes about something,
changing one's mind about something bad to good - always for the better.
(B)"SHUWB" is the Hebrew word for Repentance to make a 180 degree turn.
Repentance involves a change of heart and of mind, something that happens from the inside, which is then reflected on the outside by the corresponding external action of turning away from sin.
Good example
The story of the prodigal son contains a good example of true biblical repentance in
Luke 15 :11-23.
In verses 18 and 19 the young son, having suffered hardships, made a decision: "I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to 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".
In verse 20 we see that his inward decision turned into an outward action
''And he arose and came to his father;
LUKE.15:11
11And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17And 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!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20And 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.
21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
The Fruits of Repentance
There are a number of outward manifestations of true repentance:
1) admitting to our sins
(A) We need to acknowledge that we have done wrong, to admit that we have fallen short of God's will and are therefore in the wrong .
(B) This involves taking responsibility for our thoughts and actions and not blaming others or our upbringing or circumstances for what we have done wrong.
2) Not justifying our sins to God
To admit to doing wrong but justifying your wrongdoing - for
instance; admitting sin, but justifying it because of circumstances - is not true
repentance. Adam, when confronted by God for taking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, blamed Eve. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions Adam said "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.", effectively blaming Eve for giving him the fruit and God for giving him Eve.
In contrast to Adam
In contrast, in Psalm 51:4, David came to the Lord and said "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight:..: and he asked the Lord to purge him, to wash him clean and blot out his iniquities.
Restitution
Where others have been hurt as a result of our sins we need to restore the situation. For example we need to restore broken or damaged relationships wherever possible. Where we have transgressed against others, intentionally or unintentionally, we need to ask their forgiveness as well as God's forgiveness.
Turning away from sin and seeking righteousness
1JOHN.1:9
If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
As soon as we have received Jesus as Lord and Saviour of our lives, all our sins are forgiven.
Spirit
(A) We lose satans nature from our spirit.
(B) Our spirit receives a new nature which is God's nature.
Body
(C) Our body stays the same and wants to sin, but we must abstain from sinning.
Soul
(d)Our soul, the word says, must be renewed with Gods Word.
If we sin we should go to 1JOHN.1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Commitment to God to turn away from sin, and embark on a path of behaviour pleasing to Him, is God's will and is consistent with his Word.
We need to stop repeating the same sins over and over again.
If you ask God to forgive you once and you stop that sin ,then the instant you ask God He hears you and forgives you. That's enough. It has been dealt with ,and God does not remember the sin that you have asked Him to forgive.
You must now rely on God's mercy and continue walking in His forgiveness.
If you sin that same sin again then you go back to 1John 1:9.
True repentance means saying to God we are sorry and, changing our behaviour so we are set on a path of righteousness.
Repentance from dead works
The book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians warning them not to put their trust in the rules , regulations and ceremonies of the Law, as a means to save them from eternal separation from God(=hell).
This warning against trusting in dead works can also be interpreted as a warning against trusting in any religious doctrine, or even in performing good works hoping these will be sufficient for us to get to heaven. It is also a warning not to trust in any man's philosophies as a means of salvation.
God was warning the Jews that obeying Judaic law was no longer the route to eternal life. When Jesus died and was resurrected the Law lost its power. Now we have eternal life through the shed blood of Jesus, by receiving him as our Lord and Saviour.
Ephesians 2:8-10 States "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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Titus 3:5 says "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the
Holy Ghost;".
Good Works
Good works do not get us to heaven. Repent of all sins and tell Jesus you accept Him as Lord and Saviour of your life. Ephesians 2:8-10 :For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
STEPS TO RECEIVING CHRIST
Roman so 3: 23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the l glory of God;
Roman 6: 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 3: 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
2 Corinthian 6: 2 b behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
Roman 10: 9 - 10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
A prayer to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour have eternal life
Dear heavenly father, I know that Iam a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins ,I am willing to turn from sin, I now invite Jesus Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Lord and saviour I am welling, by God's grace to follow and obey Christ as the Lord of my life.
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