Truth Magazine

By Cecil Willis

As we proceed in our lessons on conversion, we feel confident that we would not do justice to the subject, were we to omit a discussion of the nature of repentance. There is a wide diversity of opinion as to the true nature of repentance, and therefore we want to determine all we can about the nature of repentance from a study of the Word of God.

Before we can see the true, nature of repentance, it is necessary, first, to investigate the modern concept of repentance, as taught by many denominations. Denominationalists teach that repentance is a direct gift of God. They tell us that repentance comes just as does faith, that is, by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit. A few weeks ago, when we were studying the subject of faith, we saw that God does produce faith. It has never been a question of whether God produces faith or not, nor has it been a question of whether the Holy Spirit produces faith or not, b ut it has been a discussion of how God and the Holy Spirit produce faith. It is a matter of whether they do it directly, or through some medium. It is a discussion of whether men become believers because of some mysterious operation of God through the Spirit upon the heart of man, or whether God causes man to believe by the Word of God, which is the product of both God and the Holy Spirit. Paul settled forever the arguments as to how men are made believers, as he said, “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Denominationalists tell us that faith and repentance both come in the same way. They say that God must send some kind of a power upon man and produce faith and repentance in his heart.

To some men, repentance is the gift of God, directly. There is a very basic reason why men teach that God must operate directly and independently of the preaching of the word. A large portion of the denominational world maintains that men are born inherently totally depraved. By this they mean that because of the sin of Adam, a baby is born into the world totally in sin. Therefore since one is a total sinner, then there must not be any good thing that he can do. Since both faith and repentance are good actions, being the commandments of God, and man is totally evil, then it must follow that man cannot do these things, but that they must come directly from God. The logic might be sound, but the premise is false, and therefore the conclusion is accordingly false. If one is a sinner now, it is because of his own sin, and not because of Adam’s. Although, man does bear some of the consequences of Adam’s sin, he very definitely does not bear the guilt of Adam’s sin.

God has commanded that man repent or perish. We saw this to be true from the Lord’s statement in Luke 13:1-5; and then we see it reiterated by Paul in Acts 17:30,31. Suppose these men are correct in what they say about the necessity of God’s sending some direct power upon man in order to produce repentance, then whose fault is it if one does not repent? If one must await God’s decision to send a person repentance, and he never gets it, then it certainly could not be his fault; but then it must be God’s. Certainly there would be no justice in condemning a man for not getting something that he could not get.

Because man thinks that repentance comes as a direct result of the special action of God upon the sinner, then they have come to think of repentance as some mysterious, mystical, incomprehensible act. They go to the “mourner’s bench,” as it is called in denominational phraseology, and there they plead, pray and beg God to send them repentance. Then when they finally get what they think is repentance, they act very odd. Sometimes when individuals tell you about their repentance, they tell you of some weird dream that they have had, something comparable to a nightmare. They call this repentance. This mysterious way in which men speak of the religion of our Lord has driven many away from the Word of God, who otherwise might have obeyed. It is our purpose to investigate just what the Bible says about the nature of repentance.

When one remembers the definition of repentance as defined in the Scriptures, it will then be apparent, that repentance cannot be the mysterious act that some would have us believe it is. Repentance is a change of mind, preceded by godly sorrow, and followed by a reformation of life, but basically, it is nothing more than a change of mind. Repentance is my decision to cease sinning, and to do better in the future. Seeing then that repentance is nothing more or less than a change of mind, it therefore follows that there is no part of it that can be the incomprehensible something that so many would have us believe. Repentance is the result of the calm, sober thinking of the intelligent mind, honestly and fairly weighing the consequences of sin and righteousness, and then the intelligent decision to quit sinning, and to do what is right.

When I seek to get one to repent of his sins, I do not try to get him so emotionally upset that he hardly knows what he is doing, but I try to provoke within him sober thought, and to be sure that he understands the consequences of his decision. One who resolves to quit sinning because of momentary emotional instability will not maintain the life in accord with his change of mind or his repentance very long. When one is prompted to repent because of emotional uncertainty, he will revert back to his former way of life after the emotional uprising subsides. Repentance therefore must be a rational act, prompted by sober thinking, rather than prompted by emotional unrest. When one becomes so emotionally upset, at the mourner’s bench, with a number of people nearby adding to his inner disturbance, then intelligent thought, and therefore repentance is impossible. One cannot rationally decide to abandon sin under these circumstances, and this kind of decision does not constitute repentance.

It is further seen that repentance is an intelligent mental act when one remembers that it is something to be preached. Notice these passages stating such: “Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk. 24:46,47); “And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:1,2). As Peter, the apostle, preached the first sermon under the gospel commission, on the day of Pentecost, one of the things preached by Peter was repentance. He told the people that they must both repent and be baptized in order to receive the remission of sins. It is easily seen, then, that repentance is a commandment that is to be preached to the world by the speakers of God. If repentance is something that is to be preached to the world, then it certainly must be something that one can understand, or else it would be futile to preach it to men. What good would it do for me to preach that one must repent, if repentance is an act so mysterious that men cannot understand it?

In connection with this same thought, let us refer again to the idea taught that God sends repentance directly. Repentance is an act of man, and not of God. When one goes into some denominational meeting and they are all down at the front kneeling around the mourner’s bench, and especially around some particular candidate, they usually are praying that God will send His converting power upon this candidate, in order that he might believe and repent-or as they prefer to state it, in order that he might repent and then believe. But friend, God has already done all that He is going to do in order to get one to repent.

I am conscious of the statements in the Bible stating that God has something to do with one’s repentance. A favorite passage of denominationalists used to prove that God sends repentance upon man directly is Acts 11:18, which reads: “And when they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life.” While it is here stated that God grants repentance unto life unto the Gentiles, just a moment’s reflection will reveal to us how this repentance was granted. Peter had gone over to the household of Cornelius and had preached to them, using the powers that God has given that produce repentance. God produced the repentance, but He produced it through the forces that we considered in a preceding lesson. Since repentance is an act of man, and not an act of God, then it must follow that repentance is an action understandable by man. It is comparable to saying that God produces bread that we eat, but it would be very foolish of one to say that God does it directly. Even though we have to work for the bread that we eat, it is still a gift of God. One might as well sit idly by and wait for God to send him bread to eat, as to go to the mourner’s bench and there wait for God to send him the power to repent. God has already sent the power, and man only needs to respond to that power.

In all the examples of individuals’ repenting in the New Testament, one finds no trace of the mysticism (emotionalism) characteristic of the modern misnomer, styled by man as repentance. What men style “repentance” is not repentance. In Acts 3:19 we hear Peter soberly tell the Jews that they must repent to have their sins blotted out: “Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Here one does not see a group of people conducting themselves as modern sensationalists do as they try to get one to repent, or more properly stated, as they try to get God to grant repentance unto one. We find no crying, shouting, mourning, or any of the other actions that ordinarily transpire at one of the modern revivals, that precedes one’s repentance.

We are often called upon to believe that repentance is what leads one to throw himself violently upon the ground, to roll, tumble, and shout. Friend, do not misunderstand my motive. I am not ridiculing these people, but I am plainly declaring that what they style as repentance very definitely does not coincide with repentance as pictured in the Bible. Repentance is not described in the Bible as a convulsion!

It might be worthwhile in this lesson, also, to point out that repentance is not an act for which one has to wait years to experience. We are often told that certain individuals have persistently gone to the mourner’s bench for years, and yet they have not been granted repentance. They have not gotten any strange feelings indicating that they have decided to reform their lives. Repentance, as pictured in the Bible, being a mental act, occurred simultaneously with one’s decision to abandon sin. It was not necessary for one to entreat God to grant repentance, for God had already done that. It is now dependent upon the cordial acceptance of God’s benevolence by man. When the young man was approached by his father, as recorded in Matt. 21:29, at first he rebelled and refused to go into the field as his father requested. “And he answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented himself, and went.” As soon as the young man changed his mind regarding his reaction to his father’s command, he had repented. It takes no longer to repent than it does to change one’s mind about sin.

Conclusion

From our study we see that repentance is an act of man, and not of God. God does not send repentance to man directly, but He uses the powers that we discussed in the former lessons to produce repentance. We further may see that repentance is removed from the mystical realm, for it is a commandment to be obeyed by man, it is preached to man, and because of its very simple definition of being a change of mind. All of these points bring repentance into the realm of intelligence. It is hirther seen that repentance does not make one con duct himself like many today do who say that they have been saved, or that they have repented. Finally, we see that it takes no longer to repent than it does to change your mind, and that the modern way of “praying through” in order to get God to grant repentance and faith is a farce. It is improper and unscriptural.

It is understood by all who have followed us in our studies on this subject that repentance is a prerequisite to salvation. Repentance comes by the forces taught in the Word of God, rather than by a direct force. Repentance is the act performed by man, commanded by God, that changes man’s feeling about sin, and in which he resolves to obey all the commandments of the Lord. Repentance is preceded by faith, and is followed by the act of baptism. It is our plea that many will decide now to leave sin, and be baptized immediately into Christ in order to receive the remission of sins.

Truth Magazine XX: 33, pp. 515-518
August 19, 1976

By Luther Blackmon

Dr. Howard W. Pope tells the story of a young lady who read a book, and having completed it, remarked that it was the dullest book she had read in many a day. Not long after this she met a young man and in time their friendship ripened into love. They became engaged. During a visit in her home one evening she said to him, “I have a book in my library which was written by a man whose initials and even his name are precisely the same as yours. Isn’t that a coincidence?” “I don’t think so,” he replied. “Why not?” “For the simple reason that I wrote the book,” he said. Dr. Pope concludes the story by saying that the young woman sat up until the early morning hours to read the book again, and when she had finished reading it the second time she thought it was the most interesting book she had ever read. It was not dull at all. She found it fascinating! Why the change? Simple. She knew and loved the author.

Another story with the same meaning concerns the 23rd Psalm, and a contest in a class on public speaking. A young minister with a clear strong voice recited the psalm aloud to the audience. His pronunciation was perfect. His diction left nothing to be desired. When he had finished the psalm the audience cheered loudly. Then an old man rose from his seat and in a cracked and faltering voice recited the same scripture. When he had finished the audience sat in silent respect and awe. “What caused such different reactions in the audience?” asked a listener. “Well, you see,” someone explained, “the young man knew the Shepherd Psalm; the old man knew the Shepherd.”

Here we have a paradox. You cannot know the author apart from his book (the Bible). But our love for the author increases in proportion to our practical knowledge of his book.

Truth Magazine XX: 33, p. 514
August 19, 1976

By O. C. Birdwell

“If thou put the brethren in mind of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which thou hast followed until now: but refuse profane and old wives’ fables” (I Tim. 4:6,7).

These words are from Paul to admonish an evangelist named Timothy, and all others who want to be “good ministers.” The word “minister” is obviously not used as a religious title, but rather to describe what Timothy was. The word translated “minister” is also translated by some, “servant,” and is used often with reference to a teacher of the gospel. Paul’s letters to Timothy show some characteristics of a good minister and faithful steward. Notice a few of them.

A good minister must be a servant of Christ. Sometimes preachers and churches forget this. How often have people reasoned “We pay his wages, he should do our bidding,” or “He must preach what we want because he works for us.” But wages of a gospel preacher come from money contributed to do the work of Christ; therefore, Christ should dictate what that work is, not some large giver or influential person. A congregation should not try to strangle a gospel preacher and force him to preach what they desire. With a dedicated servant of Christ the effort will fail anyway.

To many a preacher is like an elected political figure. “You please us or else.” Paul warned Timothy about this kind of attitude in these words: “For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables” (2 Tim. 4:3,4). When preachers begin to “serve a church” they turn away from the truth. A faithful minister will not swerve to the right or to the left, regardless of the financial or social pressures. He will fearlessly expose any teaching or practice that is contrary to the truth.

A good minister will be dependable and responsible. “. . . It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). His mission is to “preach the word, be urgent in season, out of season, reprove,, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2). He must be faithful in presenting the good news of salvation of both Jew and Gentile in the one body which is the church (see Eph. 2:14; 3:3). But rather than do this, some who claim to be Christ’s ministers would mock Him by contradicting His teaching or by affirming that what He taught was for an outdated First Century and not needed now. One faithful to Christ must know that His message is authoritative, that it is final, and that our task is to obey it.

A good minister must not fear man’s judgment. Paul said, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment . . . (1 Cor. 4:3). This does not mean that a preacher should not be concerned with the welfare and wishes of people. Neither does it mean that he should strive to make people mad at him. It simply means that he should not be intimidated by their judgment, opposition, or hatred so as to change his teaching or soften it in any way. God will judge all by Jesus Christ (Acts 17:31; 2 Tim. 4:1). God’s judgment will vindicate the message and the faithful messenger (2 Cor. 5:10).

Next: Kinds of Preaching.

Truth Magazine XX: 33, p. 514
August 19, 1976

By Wayne S. Walker

The Bible claims to be “given by inspiration of God, and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works,” so said Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Peter informed us that the scriptures came into being when “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). The New Testament affirms that the Bible is the Word of God. That is a relatively simple statement to make, but I appreciate it more and more as I come in contact with those people we know as Pentecostals or Charismatics. Most individuals who attach the name “Christian” to themselves and think of themselves as fundamentalists or evangelicals would say they believe the Bible is God’s Word-yet so few really believe it. What the Bible actually teaches is that it is the one and only method God has chosen to reveal His will to mankind in this age. Let us see what we can learn by an examination and comparison of the different ways God has revealed Himself in past eras and the present time.

In Nature

God has always manifested Himself through His creation: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork” (Ps. 19:1). Even to the ancient heathens, “He left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17). Thus, these pagan Gentiles were without excuse in their atheism, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Rom. 1:20 NIV). While it is true that nature reveals the existence and deity of God, man left solely to nature for his information concerning God usually degenerates into worshiping and serving “the creature more than the creator” (Rom. 1:25). The reason is that the physical universe does not reveal the mind, the will of God. It was necessary for God to make this known by special means.

In Times Past

Front Hebrews 1:1, we learn that God “at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.” In His dealings with man in days gone by, He has used various means to make known His desires at different times. For instance, He spoke directly with Adam and Eve, Noah, and Abraham, as recorded in Genesis. He communicated with His chosen nation of Israel through the law which He gave by Moses. Later, as the Jews began to apostatize, He sent specially picked messengers, called seers or prophets, to tell them His will. Many times Isaiah declared, “Thus saith the LORD . . .;” or Ezekiel, “The word of the LORD came unto me saying. . . .” However, we do not live in those days. How does God express Himself in our time?

In These Last Days

The Hebrew writer continues in verse 2, that God “hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.” We should not expect God to speak directly unto us or send a special prophet-we must depend on Christ for our knowledge of God. Jesus Himself declared, “All, things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him” (Matt. 11:27). The next question of importance would naturally be, by what means does the Son reveal the Father? In answer, we cite some promises Jesus made to His eleven chosen apostles (Judas had already departed) in John 14:26, 15, 26, and 16:13: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. . . . But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. . . . Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” Just what did the Holy Ghost do?

The Scriptures

Paul expounds on this in Ephesians 3:3-5: speaking of the mystery of Christ, “which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” Paul himself “wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.” He also stated in 1 Cor. 14:33, “That the things I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” So there we have it. The Father having delivered all things to the Son, Christ sent the Holy Spirit from the Father to guide the apostles and prophets into all truth. As the Spirit revealed the mind of God to them (1 Cor. 2:6-16), they recorded it in the form we call the New Testament Scriptures, the Bible. In this manner, we have “the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3 ASV), and completely confirmed by God “with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost” (Heb. 2:4 in fulfillment of Mark 16:15-20). When we read these words, we can understand the mystery of Christ.

Faith

Therefore, we do not need the Father, the Christ, or the Comforter to speak directly to our hearts today, or through prophets, visions, dreams, voices, experiences, feelings, or any other extra-scriptural means. Faith is not produced in this way, but rather “cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). The Bible is thoroughly capable of accomplishing its purpose without supernatural aid: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book: But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 10:30-31). If men do not believe through the written word, as Jesus explains in the story of Lazarus and the rich man, “Neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

Conclusion

A man might claim God revealed it to him to assassinate the President of our nation. And not one Pentecostal could deny it, for there are no exclusive criteria on which to test these revelations as there were in the First Century, except the Bible. Once the gate is open for God to speak directly to anyone in this period of time, no one can refute the claims of anyone else concerning a personal revelation from Heaven. If someone might argue, “But the man said he received a revelation to kill, and the Bible says men shouldn’t kill,” making a sincere and honest appeal to the Scriptures, then it can be shown to him that God does not reveal His will in this way at all today. It is not a matter of what God can or cannot do-God can express Himself in any way He desires. But it is a question of what He has chosen to do, of what He has said. And He has said, “His divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us to glory and virtue” (2 Pet. 1:3). God’s people need to be students of the Word. Instead of sitting back and waiting for God to talk to us in a direct manner, or for the Spirit to enter our hearts and lead our lives directly, let us be like the happy man of Psalm 1, whose “delight is in the law of Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night,” for the Bible is the Word (law) of God, His complete and final revelation to man, and the sole source for knowledge of His plan for mankind in this dispensation.

Truth Magazine XX: 32, pp. 509-510
August 12, 1976