2nd Timothy 2:24-26, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
A counterfeit plan of salvation cannot produce the second birth by the Holy Spirit of God. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born again. This is what exists in 99% of churches today!
One of my favorite Bible preachers, Pastor A. Ray Stanford (1916-2012), wrote a helpful book called: “Personal Evangelism Handbook.” Here is chapter six from his tremendous book...
CHAPTER VI - Repentance
THE IMPORTANCE OF REPENTANCE
What place should repentance have in your presentation of the gospel? Is repentance the same thing as belief? Or is it something distinct from it? Is it important to emphasize repentance, or should we never mention it in this age of grace? What does repentance really mean, anyway? These are some of the questions the soulwinner must face (and answer) regarding the subject of repentance.
There can be little doubt that all men, from Adam on, have had to repent in order to have a right relationship with God. The importance of this is brought home when we realize men of every Biblical age preached it. John the Baptist preached it (Mark 1:15); the Apostle John proclaimed its necessity (Rev. 2:5); Paul preached repentance wherever he went (Acts 17:30; 20:21); and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself strongly emphasized that men who refused to repent would perish (Luke 13:3, 5). So, you see, repentance is necessary for salvation.
THE MISUSE OF THE WORD
The question is, “What does the Bible MEAN by 'repent,' and how should it be presented to the lost?” The important thing is NOT what repentance has COME to mean down through the centuries since Christ's time, but rather-and this is of utmost importance-what the word did mean WHEN IT WAS SPOKEN by Christ, Paul, Peter, and others in Biblical times.
If you look up “repent” or “repentance” in a modern dictionary you will read definitions like the following: “regret; to feel sorry for sin and seek forgiveness; to turn from sin.” Based on these definitions, preachers have been going about earnestly trying to get men to quit their sinning, or at least to work up a genuine sorrow for sin. But is this the divinely appointed task of Christians to get men to change their ways?
No! This kind of preaching often leads to a form of self-righteousness and self-reformation-not to salvation. Does a sinner have to turn from or give up his sins to be saved? COULD he do this? Did you? Have you yet given up all sinning? “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8).
It is sadly apparent that our modern-day misuse of the word “repent” has done a great deal of harm and has confused multitudes. Because of the wrong use of the word “repent” men have gotten the idea that a Christian is one who doesn't smoke, drink, curse, go to dances or movies, or do anything that is wrong or immoral.
This negativism has blinded people to the fact that a Christian is “one of Christ's”-one who, through faith, has received Christ as his Saviour. Once a person has Christ and His power in his life, THEN his behavior often changes. But this change is the RESULT of being a child of God; it is not the CAUSE.
Being good is not the way to become a child of God. Remember Ephesians 2: 8, 9, “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.”
Because preachers have allowed themselves to propagate this error in the teaching of repentance, our churches are full of “good,” self-righteous, moral people who are certain they are “Christians,” yet when they are asked if they are going to heaven, the best answer they can give is, “I hope so.”
They do not have the assurance that comes from knowing Christ as their Saviour. Instead, they are plagued by the uncertainty that comes from trying to be good enough by their own efforts to gain heaven.
All too often this idea that “I must be good to gain God's favor” comes from Bible-believing men who preach that one must either “turn from sin or burn in hell.” How sad and tragic it is that so much damage can be caused by the misuse of one word.
THE CORRECT MEANING OF “REPENT”
The word in the New Testament usually translated “repent” is the Greek word “metanoeo,” and the word translated “repentance” is “metanoia.” Both of these Greek words have the same basic meaning: “to change your mind; reconsider; or, to think differently.”
Granted, if a person changes his mind (repents) toward certain sins in his life, he may become very sorrowful and may even stop those particular outward sins, but the sorrow and the ceasing from certain sins would be the RESULT of repenting, not repentance itself.
When God tells an unsaved man to repent, He means for that man to change his mind about how to reach God and accept GOD'S way of salvation. The person must CHANGE HIS MIND from any idea of religion he may have to save him, and trust Christ's payment for everything he has done wrong.
PASSAGES ON REPENTANCE EXPLAINED
Luke 13:1-5, “There were present at that season some that told Him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent (change your mind) ye shall all likewise perish (i.e., like these Galileans did). Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent (change your mind), ye shall all likewise perish.”
Try to get the picture. Christ in this passage was talking to good people who believed the old tradition that people suffered only because of their sins. So they logically concluded that those in Galilee and at the Tower of Siloam who died such horrible deaths must have been great sinners.Christ contradicts what they “suppose” (v. 2) and “think” (v. 4) and tells these self-righteous people that they need to change their minds and see themselves as sinners, too. Christ is not saying “Turn from your sin,” but that they should recognize that they are sinners, or they will perish in their own self-righteousness.Even if one doesn't know Greek, it is obvious from the passage itself that the meaning of “repent” here cannot be “sorrow for,” or “turning from, sin.” These people obviously needed, above all else, to think differently-in this case, to think differently about themselves, about others, and about God.
Acts 17:30, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at (or, overlooked); but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.”
To understand what God means here by “repent” only requires one to read the last part of verse 29 of the same chapter, “we ought not TO THINK that the Godhead is like unto . . . silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.” Instead, what ought these philosophers of Mars' Hill to think? They needed to CHANGE THEIR MINDS and see that God is quite different from stone!. He is judge (v. 31), and He is alive (w. 31, 32). Again, from the context, the true meaning of “repent” is clear.Acts 20:20, 21, “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”Notice that the Bible states here that we are to proclaim repentance TOWARD GOD. There is nothing here about turning from sin. Paul is giving his last words to these be loved Ephesian elders whom he had led to Christ. They had formerly been heathen idol worshipers (Acts 19) and very immoral. However, Paul's preaching to them was that they needed to change their thinking about God.Think what an impact on these sinful heathen the truth of Romans 5:8 would have had: “But God commendeth (displayed) His love toward us, in that, WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, Christ died for us.”Remember, the word “gospel” means “good news.” Do you think it would have been good news to them if Paul had said, “While we were trying to give up our sins, God tried to love us a little bit,” or, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for our past sins, and now if we stop all our present sins and never commit any sins in the future, God will love us”?No! These sinners needed to know that the God of the universe loved them even as they were. They needed the assurance that God was not requiring of them the impossible -that they stop sinning-but simply that they would trust Christ and His payment for their sins and thus receive salvation.Later Scripture makes it clear that God certainly did work in their lives to bring about changes, but this took place only AFTER they were already saved (Eph. 2:10).Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the GIFT of the Holy Ghost.”
Chapter Nine covers the part of this verse dealing with baptism. Here we will concentrate on the part of the verse having to do with repentance. One of the first rules to follow in understanding any Bible verse is to consider the context. In the second chapter of Acts we discover that these Jewish unbelievers thought the disciples were drunk (vv. 13, 15) and that Jesus was only a man whom they crucified (vv. 23, 36). Peter lets them know that the disciples were not drunk but in God's will (vv. 15-17), that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) sent by God, and that even though men crucified Him, God raised Him from the dead (vv. 24, 32, 36).
These Jewish men, having been set straight on these matters, were “pricked in their heart (Greek, 'thoughts') and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (v. 37)
Peter's immediate answer was, “Repent . . . every one of you ... for the remission of sins....” In the frenzy of the day that Jesus stood before Pilate the mob had cried, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.” Then they saw Him only as a man and a troublemaker. Now Peter tells them they must repent (think differently) toward this One and realize that He is “both Lord and Christ” (v. 36), and that salvation comes only through Him (vv. 21, 38, 41 ) . This, again, is Biblical repentance.
USING “REPENTANCE” IN WITNESSING
If you are going to use the word “repent” or “repentance” in your witnessing, you should always explain what it really means. You can perhaps teach the meaning of repentance through your personal testimony, explaining that you used to think God hated sin so much that He hated you as well, and not until you heard the gospel did you understand that God loves you and wants you to go to heaven. (If this IS part of your testimony.) Then, after understanding the gospel, you began to think differently about God. This way you could have the person understand the plan of salvation . . . he could repent . . . and you would never have to worry about whether or not you confused him by the word “repent.”
The important thing in witnessing is to lead the lost person from wherever he is spiritually to having faith in Christ as his Saviour. You should try to do this as smoothly and naturally as possible. Using first or third person illustrations in your conversation is an excellent way of achieving the desired results, and particularly in giving a proper, Scriptural explanation of repentance.
That great giant of the faith Dr. William L. Pettingill put it well in his book, Bible Questions Answered. Under Repentance and Salvation, page 215, he answers the following question: “What place has repentance in salvation? Should we tell people to repent of their sins to be saved?”
“The Gospel of John is the Holy Spirit's Gospel tract, written that men might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing they might have life through His Name ( 20: 31 ) . And it does not mention the word 'repentance.' But that is only because repentance is a necessary part of saving faith. Strictly speaking, the word repentance means a 'change of mind.' It is by no means the same thing as sorrow (II Cor. 7:10). Since it is not possible for an unbeliever to become a believer without changing his mind, it is therefore unnecessary to say anything about it. The only thing for a man to do in order to be saved is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ: and to believe on Him is the same thing as receiving Him (John 1:11-13).”
Any teaching that demands a change of conduct toward either God or man for salvation is to add works or human effort to faith, and this contradicts all Scripture and is an accursed message (Gal. 1:8, 9; Deut. 27:18). Study the book of Galatians.
Remember, the closer a counterfeit comes to the truth, the more people it will fool. Don't be fooled. Yes, a Christian should make every effort to discipline his life, to lay aside every weight and the sins which so easily beset him, but this has to do with SERVICE, which can come only AFTER salvation. Salvation is always a gift; it is nothing we do ourselves.
Let's make salvation as clear as we possibly can. If something might possibly confuse someone, let's find some other way of expressing the truth so that it will be crystal clear instead of confusing.
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Col. 2:8).
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the SIMPLICITY that is in Christ” (II Cor. 11:3).
Amen and amen! It is always so refrshing to me when I runa cross preachers who actually get repentance correct, because most preachers get it wrong. You don't repent AND believe; you repent TO believe. Repentance is a change of mind concerning WHO YOU ARE and WHO JESUS IS.
To be saved a person MUST:
- Change your mind to admit that YOU ARE A SINNER (that's WHO YOU ARE)
- Change your mind to think that JESUS IS THE SAVIOR (that's WHO JESUS IS).
To be saved, simply receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full-payment for your sins, believing that after Jesus was buried, He physically resurrected three days later. This is the 'GOSPEL,' that is, it is the 'GOOD NEWS' by which all who BELIEVE IT are saved instantly, irrevocably and permanently. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
Everywhere we turn today, religious organizations, Bible colleges and churches are preaching a FALSE GOSPEL. Pacific Garden Mission's corrupt radio program, 'UNSHACKLED,' is one of the worst offenders! For example: In episode #3854, "Giving Thanks Always Classic," at about 24 minutes into the episode, two men begin having a stupid conversation, in which they condition salvation upon your life changing. If your behavior hasn't changed, then according to PGM you didn't really get saved.
Nowhere does the Bible teach that lie! PGM's GO-TO passage of Scripture is 2nd Corinthians 5:17 about being a "new creature" if you're in Christ. Carefully notice that this verse doesn't say that your behavior will change. It says you will be a "new creature." That is, you have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and you can now begin to understand spiritual things (1st Corinthians 2:14-16). PGM perverts the inspired Word of God, ass-u-me-ing and adding things that God never said (Proverbs 30:5-6). I am sick and tired of the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation.
In the same conversation I just mentioned, the alleged saved man boasts that since he got saved he has never done drugs or drank booze again. That misrepresents God's simple plan of salvation. These are chemical addicitons to the human body that WON'T be overcome by merely trusting Jesus as your Savior!!!
It misleads lost sinners when UNSHACKLED falsely gives them the impression that God expects changes to happen in their behavior, to prove that they are really saved. PGM damands a commitment from lost people to turn from their sinning to be saved, which is evil. PGM are deceivers, who are preaching another gospel of partial faith in Christ plus works.
In episode #3853 of 'UNSHACKLED,' Charles Daymon, a foolish man says at 24:45 that God will NOT forgive your sins, unless "you truly repent of your sins." That is false doctrine! At 26:10 the lying narrator says you must "surrender your life" to Christ to be saved. At 26:25 he foolishly says you must "repent of your sins." None of these requirements are biblical. You get saved by resting in the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection, not by giving up your sinful bad habits and surrendering your life to live for Him (which is keeping the law). I hate the deception of Lordship Salvation and I hope you do too dear reader.
Right Doctrine Matters
Getting Bible repentance wrong for salvation is not a mere triffle matter, it negates faith in Jesus Christ. No one has ever been born again who trusted in forsaking their sinful ways. Romans 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The only way of salvation is to BELIEVE ON JESUS exclusively. John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Dear reader, the very moment that you stop repenting of your sins, stop following Christ, stop doing good works and stop trusting in everything else to get to Heaven, except Jesus alone because of what He did through Calvary's cross to pay for your sins, you will be saved forevermore. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
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