Repent or PerishPosted by: Stephen E. Smith on 2008-04-22
Repent or Perish
Stephen E. Smith: General Overseer of The Church of God
"There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinner above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 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, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:1-5)
A while back I visited a Pentecostal church revival. As I listened to the evangelist, I could not help but notice what she left our of her message. Like so many others today, she spoke of being born again and filled with the Spirit without so much as mentioning sanctification or holiness. Her organization once stood strong on the doctrine of sanctification, but now have lowered their standards of holiness to accomodate the worldlings among them. Holiness has become merely a by-word, occasionally used but never really defined, and cetainly never lifted up as the standard of Christian conduct.
The primary focus of her message seemed to be "God's help with everyday problems," with physical and mental healing as the central concern. Salvation was mentioned only as a sideline, withthe typical "believe on Jesus" and you will be saved.
Whatever happened to repentance?The word "repent" was never used, nor any synonym of the word. The evangelist did what so many others are doing today-something Jesus never did-she offered salvation without repentance.
Salvation without repentance is not possible. Jesus could not have made his doctrine any plainer than He did in the above passage of scripture. Some inquired of Him concerning those who were slain by Pilate while they were offering sacrifices. The people seemed to feel that the sudden violent death of these Galilaeans testified that they were exceedingly wicked sinners, and therefore God had brought judgement upon them. Jesus answered that those slain were no more wicked than the congregation which stood before Him and that except they repent, they would likewise perish. God's wrath will fall upon all sinners who do not repent.
To be sure His mesage was not misunderstood, Jesus proceeded to mention 18 other men who died when a wall fell upon them in Jerusalem. Again, the people supposed that these must have been desperately wicked men to suffer such unexpected destruction. To double His emphasis on the message of repentance, Jesus again tells the people that except they repent, they will likewise perish. He did not mean that tey would die in the same manner, but that "...the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" (Rom. 1:18), and all who do not repent will experience God's eternal wrath.
This passage alone should be enough to convince all that repentance is necessary to salvation, but God has given an abundance of Scripture on this subject, in order that no honest hearted person fail to see the divine requirement.
"And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" (Matt. 3:2, 3). John the Baptist was the first to come preaching the message of God's kingdom, and his message required repentance. John not only commanded repentance, but also explained what it meant. He testified that the kingdom of God was coming, but that people could not receive it without properly preparing their heart. They must prepare by making their paths straight. Every act of sin is an offence to the kingdom of God and every false doctrine is a "crooked" way that will keep the King of Kings out of a person's heart. Christ will not bring His divine kingdom into an unrepentant heart. Those who desire to be saved must understand and accept that "straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth nto life..." (Matt. 7:14).
Repentance includes both confessing and forsaking sins, and is a prerequisite to Christ coming into one's heart with the blessing of salvation. But the compromisers, who are ever searching for easier salvation, will say that it is enough to merely believe in Jesus, citing such scriptures as Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..." These perverters of the Word fail to rightly divide the scriptures, resulting in multitudes believing they are saved, even though they have never repented of their sins.
Jesus' statement in Mark 16:16 is pre-empted by another in verse 15, "...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." What is the gospel that we are to preach, and which will bring the promised salvation referred to in verse 16? It is the message of repentance. After Jesus spent 40 days in fasting and prayer, enduring the temptations of Satan, He came out of the wilderness and began His public ministry. We are told "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). This was Jesus' gospel. He is the Holy One of heaven, who has come to bring God's kingdom to men. In order to receive Him and His kingdom, He proclaims that men must repent. Therefore it is clear that "believing" alone will save no one. To be saved one must believe Christ's gospel, which includes the message of repentance.
It is important to note that there is both a true and a false repentance. Many who seem to show the spirit of repentance and claim salvation are soon back in the sinning business. It is clear that such ones have not truly repented of their sins. Anything less than forsaking their sinful lifestyle is mere pretense. We have an example of false repentance in the account of Pharaoh's response to God's plagues on Egypt. After God had brought thunder and hailstones upon Egypt, Pharaoh appeared to be repentant, saying "...I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer" (Ex. 9:27, 28). Moses discerned Pharaoh's false repentance and, after promising that God would remove the thunder and hail, said "But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God" (v.30). Pharaoh soon proved his repentance to be hypocritical, for we read, "And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants" (Ex. 9:34).
Pharaoh's repentance was based upon fear of judgement. As soon as the rain and hail was removed and the fear of God's wrath was abated, Pharaoh went right back to sinning. There are many like him today. The fear of God may fall upon them momentarily through the preaching of the Word, or due to some calamity or impending danger. They then cry to God for mercy and forgiveness, but as soon as the danger is over and the fear is past, they return to their wicked ways.
Still others take the position that most sins should be abandoned, but not all. Reasoning that it is impossible to be free from all sin, they assume that so long as the "big" sins are abandoned, they can hold on to the small ones. The Bible will not support this doctrine. They categorize sin into big and little, very bad and not so bad, and suggest that God is not insulted or offended by sins they regard as "little."
These are much like Lot was when God commanded him to leave Sodom before divine wrath consumed the city. Commanded to flee to the mountains, he requested that he might instead flee to one of the other cities, stating that the city he chose was near, and "...it is a little one" (Gen. 19:20). What foolishness! It would seem that he would want to get as far from Sodom as possible. Instead he asked that he might move into one of the cities that was smaller than Sodom, thus suggesting that it would have comparatively little sin in it. This spirit overtook his wife, who looked back at Sodom even though the angels of God had commanded her not to do so. She no doubt thought, "I have obeyed the Lord. I have left the city. Surely looking back is only a little thing. A quick glance back is a small thing which will not bring God's wrath upon me."
God does not measure sin as men do. He commands that we repent of all sins and walk in obedience to His Word. When Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, they may have thought it is a small thing, just one little bite of one little fruit. But in committing this "little" sin, they brought judgement upon themselves and plunged the whole human race into such corruption that only the shed blood of God's own Son could deliver mankind!
True repentance does not merely react to the consequences of sin, but to sin itself. A repentant heart sorrows over sin, sees it as exceeding wicked, and desires to be free from it's evil work. "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death" (2 Cor.7:10).
The sorrow of the world works death. It is only a temporary sorrow for sins, based upon fear of sins penalty. As quickly as the fear of consequences is over, and the spirit of repentance passes, and the pleasures of ungodliness are renewed. Thus the "repentant" one returns to the life which "worketh death"-damnation of the soul.
Godly sorrow, or true repentance, which is ashamed of the sin itself, produces a true and lasting change which will not end in regret. This kind of repentance is manifested in a life that grieves over sin, rejects it, removes it, reproves it, and replaces it with a life of holiness and obedience to God. One who has truly repented no longer loves sin. It no longer appears pleasant to him, for he sees it for what it really is-wickedness. It is nothing less than poison that can only end in sorrow and death. Oh, that the spirit of godly sorrow to fall upon every sinner, that it might work true repentance which will reveal itself in a complete forsaking of all sin, and faith in Christ for the power of a holy life!
"...for I am not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance" (Matt. 9:13). "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mk. 1:14). "...but now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30). "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out..." (Acts 3:19).
What more need be said? God requires repentance along with faith in Jesus Christ in order for salvation to take effect. In His mercy we are told that God practices longsuffering "...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). God does His part in convicting men of their sins. But men under conviction must do their part, and their part is to repent. Only then can God take the next step and save their souls.
The doctrine of repentance is one of The Church of God's basic Bible teachings. With multitudes now perishing under compromising doctrines that promise salvation without true repentance, let us be sure we live before the world as a people who have experienced true repentance and true conversion. And may we never fail to include this message as part of God's requirement for salvation. We must love every sinner enough to join Jesus in proclaiming "Except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish" (Lk. 13:3).
(This article was originally published in the November 2002 issue of The Evening Light.) |
