Discipleship and the Unsaved

In Christian circles, there is an on-going debate concerning the difference (if such a thing exists) between being a Christian and being a disciple. For me, there is no difference. A Christian who is obedient to the Lord Jesus will be a disciple as well as a disciple-maker. Simply stated, a person cannot be a Christian – a follower of Christ – unless they are also a disciple of Christ. Only recently have I turned the question around and asked what may be an even more radical question: Can a person be a disciple without being a Christian?

In “The Great Commission” of Matt. 28:18-20, Christ calls every Christian to make disciples. Disciple making is not a spiritual gift that God has given to a few, but a command He has given to all Christians. All who claim to know Christ as Savior are called to be disciples, but to be a disciple requires that we make disciples.

Yet how many of us who hold so firmly to our eternal salvation can actually say that we have even made one disciple in our life times? If the standard of reward in heaven is how many disciples follow along with us, how many of us will have even one to offer to Christ?

Can you name one person whose life has been so impacted for Christ by your efforts on a personal basis that they have turned around and impacted the lives of someone else for Christ?

In his book Radical (which I believe should be entitled Normal), David Platt wrote the following:

Any Christian can do this. You don’t need to have inordinate skill or unusual abilities to make disciples. You don’t need to be a successful pastor or a charismatic leader to make disciples. You don’t need to be a great communicator or an innovative thinker to make disciples. That’s why Jesus says every Christian must do this.[1]

I believe I am right when I say that the church (at least in the last couple of centuries) has come to see discipleship as the next step after getting saved – that before we can help someone grow in their relationship with Christ they must first have a relationship with Christ. While it is true that they must have a relationship with Christ, we are wrong to assume that that relationship must be defined as a salvation experience.

When Jesus commissioned his followers to make disciples, I don’t think He had in mind what we have traditionally had in our minds – first get them saved, then teach them the things of Christ and the Bible. In the Great Commission, Jesus told the disciples first to make disciples from all people groups and then to baptize them. Discipleship begins before a person ever comes to know Christ as Savior.

The belief that salvation precedes discipleship has led the church to place its greatest ministry emphasis on evangelism – on leading people to Christ and getting them saved and baptized – whereas the emphasis of the Great Commission is on discipleship, not evangelism. By placing the majority of our emphasis on justification instead of transformation, we have created a church which is very wide, but at the same time is very shallow. It encompasses large numbers of people under a very broad umbrella while making very little positive impact on the moral and ethical nature of our society or on the long-term spiritual development of families and future generations.

Evangelism is without a doubt a very critical part of discipleship, but it is only a part. It is not the end of discipleship. Making converts is the work of God in Christ by the agency of the Holy Spirit through the power of the spoken word of God (Rom. 10.17). Discipleship is the shared responsibility of sanctification in which a person is conformed to the image of Christ – God’s ultimate purpose in the plan of redemption (Rom. 8:29). And it begins before salvation. It is a process God intended to take place within the context of close and personal relationships.

Furthermore, when Jesus gave the Great Commission, He was not telling the disciples to go make disciples out of other Christians. As far as we know, all of the Christians in the world may have been standing on that mountain with Christ. The Bible says (Matt. 28:16) that Jesus instructed the eleven disciples to meet him on a mountain in Galilee, but it does not say that He excluded others from the meeting. Furthermore, verse 16 says “some doubted.”

In light of all that the disciples had witnessed in the days preceding this appointment with Jesus, we might question why they would have any doubts at all. However, if we assume that there were others there besides the eleven Apostles – some who had never heard or seen Jesus before – then the fact that some doubted begins to make more sense.

Paul mentioned that 500 people together at one time witnessed the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:6). Since this meeting between Christ and his disciples was the only meeting following the resurrection that was definitely appointed (Matt. 26:32), the Expositor’s Commentary proposes that as many Christians as possible may have made the trip to Galilee to participate in such a momentous event and would thus have heard the Great Commission in the flesh. [2]

Of course, all of this is speculation, yet when Jesus commissioned his followers to make disciples, He intended for them to make those disciples, not out of other Christians, but out of “ethnos” – a word the Jews used to refer to people who were not Jewish – in other words, the heathen or pagan peoples of the world. The fact is, that’s the only kind of people there were in the world at the time Jesus gave the Great Commission.

For most of my church experience, the primary emphasis of discipleship has been education – about gaining knowledge – about learning what “thus saith the Lord.” We tended to measure our success as disciples by how much knowledge we had attained instead of how much we had come to look like Christ or by how many other people we had helped come to look like Christ.

Much to my own chagrin, I believed in this concept and modeled my own ministry on the idea of gaining and proclaiming knowledge. I taught much about the Lord, but very rarely became so involved with individual Christians that they could see the practical truth of the things I was teaching demonstrated in my own walk. In large part, this practice contributed to a very disappointing end of my first independent pastorate – but that is another story for another time.

Listen to the Apostle Paul’s caution concerning knowledge:

We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God. (1 Cor. 8:1-3, NIV)

Paul appears to teach that when we define Christian growth in terms of knowledge, we become “puffed up” – all bloated with air, looking bigger and more influential than we really are, having as much effect against the gates of hell as a marshmallow gun against the black gates of Mordor. When we believe that we are in the process of becoming more and more Christ-like as we gain more and more knowledge, we are only deceiving ourselves. How close we have attained to the image of Christ is not measured by how much we know, but by how much we love God which is evidenced by how much we love other people (1 Cor. 13:1-2).

The following thoughts are excerpted from a lecture concerning Christ-centered preaching by Dr. Bryan Chapell of Covenant Theological Seminary. After a reference to 1 Cor. 8:1 (knowledge puffs up), he made the following comments which reinforce what Paul said:

(Knowledge) is actually harmful to us unless there is some way in which it is being used for God’s purposes... God is saying, “What I desire from you is not simply your knowledge of the Word but your ability to communicate it to others.”...For us to really know what God is saying, we have to be actively involved in communicating it to others.[3]

When you couple those verses with the following words of Jesus from John’s Gospel, a picture begins to emerge that better defines what is meant by being a disciple.

If you love me, you will keep my commandments... Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him... If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (John 14: 15, 21; John 15:10)

Do you have a desire to have a more intimate relationship with God – to experience a closer walk with the Creator of the Universe and the Lord of Eternity? To be known by God, you must love God. How do you love God? By obeying His commands. What was Jesus’ last command before His ascension? Go and make disciples.

Discipleship is not simply sitting in a class and reading a book and taking notes, no matter how interesting the class or how well it is taught. Discipleship is about going – about being personally and intentionally involved in the life of at least one other person – more specifically, a lost person – for the glory of God, for that person’s spiritual well being, and for your own spiritual growth.

Jesus said in Matt. 5:14, “You are the light of the world.” Commenting on Jesus’ words, Adrian Rogers explained that Jesus had cause us to be “the light of the world, not the light of the church. That means we have to get beyond the church walls and take the light out to where it is dark.” [4]

Furthermore, there is no need for us to wait until we have learned how to make disciples or until we have arrived at some educational level or until we have had enough experience. How much would you have to know and how much experience do you need to build a relationship with one other person that would allow you to share the Gospel message with them? Christ intended for us to learn as we make disciples. Better yet, He intended for us to learn by making disciples.

For those who hold to the idea that a person must have a relationship with Christ before they can be a disciple – I will grant that there is something to be said for that idea.

Most of us have heard that discipleship begins with relationship. In other words, we need to become friends with lost people and talk to them about Christ (in other words, begin the discipleship process with them) even before they come to know Christ as Savior. As a result, a lost person who has a relationship with a saved person who understands the meaning of making disciples already has a relationship with Christ, for “we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal (to lost people) through us.” (2 Cor. 5:20)

As you pray for God to give you a disciple – someone you can pour your life into for the glory of God and the sake of the kingdom – don’t expect that person to be a Christian, although they may be. Think about discipleship as the means of evangelism. Begin with a lost person – end up with a brother or sister in Christ who prayerfully will be so inspired by what Christ did for them through you that they will go out and, modeling themselves on your example, begin to make disciples, too.

2 Tim. 2:2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. (NLT)

There’s nothing in that verse that says that the “other trustworthy people” to whom we teach “these truths” have to be saved people when they begin the process of discipleship.

---

[1] Platt, David. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2010, p. 90.

[2] Nicoll, William R. "Commentary on Matthew 28:16". Expositor's Bible Commentary. http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/teb/view.cgi?bk=39&ch=28

[3] Not sure how to cite this reference. Click here for a pdf of the transcript of the lecture by Dr. Chapell. Click here to go to the webpage and listen to the entire lecture.

[4] Rogers, Adrian. "How Can We Be the "Light of the World"?" Jesus.Org. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2014. http://www.jesus.org/following-jesus/evangelism-and-missions/how-can-we-be-the-light-of-the-world.html

The Story (True Life Ministries)

Here is a link to a version of The Story witnessing tool. Easy to install the app on your phone and use it whenever the opportunity comes - and it will if you are looking for it.

The Story (True Life Ministries)

No Simple Salvation

Mark 10

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (ESV)

---

Have you ever heard anyone say something like this, “Becoming a Christian is easy; being a Christian is the tough part”?

For anyone practicing the faith that God has instilled in them, the second part of this statement has been proven true on more than one occasion.

However, I would like to take issue with the first part of the statement.

Over and over I have heard pastors and Christian leaders say something like this: “Becoming a Christian is as easy as A-B-C.” You can read an example of this explanation of the A-B-C process of salvation at Lifeway.

Various words are used to complete the acronym. Typically, the “A” is said to mean “Admit (or acknowledge) you are a sinner,” although no one can point to a scripture reference that says that this is the first thing a lost person must do to be saved. At a later date I may discuss this formula, but for now, the word I want to focus on is “easy.”

Most of the teachers who use this phrase or this approach add somewhere near the end of their presentation something like this: “To become a Christian, you simply must pray and invite Jesus to come into your heart and be your Savior and Lord.” No one offers a biblical example where anyone prayed to become a Christian or a biblical admonition for lost people to “invite” Jesus into one’s heart – as if Jesus needed our invitation.

Here again, I could go on about these subjects, but I want to concentrate for now on the word “simply.”

If you are not familiar with Jesus’ encounter with the person we have come to refer to familiarly as “the rich young ruler,” stop here and read Matt. 19.16-26, Mark 10.17-27, and Luke 18.18-27. You can click here for a parallel version of the conclusion of the story from each of the three gospels in which it is told.

For this discussion, I will refer primarily to Mark’s version of the story, highlighting the end of verse 24 – a phrase which was not recorded by either Matthew or Luke. Here Jesus is speaking to His disciples when He says, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!”

In the KJV, Mark 10:24 says, “Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!” However, many commentaries explain that the phrase for them that trust in riches was added by copyists at some point to make the verse more understandable in context.

According to A.T. Robertson, “These words do not occur in Aleph B Delta Memphitic and one Old Latin manuscript. Westcott and Hort omit them from their text as an evident addition to explain the difficult words of Jesus.” The phrase is also omitted in HCSB, NIV, and NLT.[1] Click here to read the verse in multiple translations.

One might argue that the context of the verse lends credence to the appropriateness of the additional words referring to the rich that were added to Mark’s writing in the KJV, especially since Jesus refers to the rich both before and after this statement. Yet the disciples’ reaction indicates that Jesus was not just referring to rich people.

Note that in Luke’s version of the incident, there is no record that the disciples exhibited any astonishment. However, in both Mark’s version as well as Matthew’s, just after Jesus compared a rich man getting into heaven to a camel passing through the eye of a needle, the disciples were “exceedingly amazed” (Matthew) or “astonished out of measure”(Mark, KJV).

According to Dr. Thomas L. Constable, “The disciples' amazement arose from the popular belief that riches were a result of God's blessing for righteousness. They thought riches were an advantage, not a disadvantage in one's relationship with God.” [2]

James Darby, commenting on the text in Matthew, adds, “The disciples, astonished at such a result, and at that which the Lord had said about riches, which, in the eyes of a Jew, were the sign of the favour of God, and which, at all events, furnished the opportunity for doing good works, cry out, ‘who then can be saved?’”[3]

Yet the disciples were not just astonished. They were astonished “out of measure” and “exceedingly.” Both of these are comparative adverbs that modify or, in this case, intensify the meaning of the word being modified. You can get a better sense of the word translated as “out of measure” in the KJV by its use in Mark 15:13-14.

Mark 15:13 And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” 14 And Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” As the trial of Jesus before Pilate advanced, the people began to shout louder and louder – or exceedingly loud compared to how loud they were shouting before.

Therefore, in both Matt. 19:25 and Mark 10:26, the disciples were not just astonished. They were more astonished than they were at an earlier time.

Mark explains the earlier time in Mark 10:24.

First of all, the rich young ruler walked away sorrowful because he realized the personal cost of following Jesus. Although the Bible does not tell us this specifically, when the young ruler counted the cost of discipleship, he seems to have determined that the price was higher than he was willing to pay.

Jesus knew the minds of His disciples. He knew that, like all Jews, the disciples believed that wealth was an indication of God’s favor and that the wealthy had an inside track to the kingdom. Jesus also knew that the disciples were still thinking of the kingdom of God as an earthly kingdom – or at least a heavenly kingdom that would be established on earth according to earthly traditions where the wealthy were most powerful.

Jesus contradicted their beliefs by remarking how difficult it would be for a rich man to enter into the kingdom.

The disciples responded with astonishment and amazement at this unexpected answer.

But Jesus did not stop there.

He went on to expand His comment to include all people, not just the rich, by adding the last part of Mark 10:24.

Jesus explained that it wasn’t just difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom – that entering the kingdom of God was a very difficult thing to do for any person. In fact, even those whom you believe to be favored by God – namely, the rich – had no better chance of entering the kingdom of God than a camel had of passing through the eye of a needle. In other words, such a thing is impossible. And if it is impossible for the rich, then it is equally impossible for the remainder of mankind.

Now Jesus had rocked the disciples back on their heels. They were “exceedingly amazed” and “astonished out of measure.”

Today we would say that Jesus had knocked the wind out of their sails, or that they were blown away by this revelation. Spiros Zhodiates explains that these phrases are used “…in the sense of knocking one out of his senses or self-possession.”[4]

The disciples were blown away by this pronouncement of Jesus, even though this was not the first time Jesus had commented on the difficulty of entering the kingdom of God. In the latter part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to His disciples, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matt. 7:13-14 ESV – Emphasis added)

At this point, it appears the disciples had not yet grasped the concept of grace and still believed that men could enter the kingdom of God by merit or, in the case of the rich young ruler, by money. Now that Jesus had slammed the door on any entrance into the kingdom of God by any human means, the disciples began to marvel out loud, as explained by Mark in verse 26, asking among themselves, “Then who can be saved?”

I don’t believe at this point that the disciples were making reference to salvation as deliverance from hell and the penalty of sin as much as they were wondering who would be delivered from the wrath of God once His powerful kingdom was established on the earth. Now it appears by Jesus’ astounding pronouncement that no one could enter into the kingdom. It was an impossible thing.

Once again, Jesus knew their hearts and minds and the questions they were asking and responded by saying, “No man can enter into the kingdom by his own merit, his own goodness, his own will or design. Such a thing is impossible. Entering the kingdom of God is a very difficult thing indeed, but it is impossible for men to enter the kingdom even by their best efforts. But God, who is infinite and all-powerful and full of mercy and grace, has made this impossible thing possible.”

So to those who pronounce that becoming a Christian is as easy as A-B-C, I would answer with the very words of Jesus: “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!”

It is only possible because God has made it so.

Once again, this is not a new thought that Jesus is announcing to the disciples, for earlier He had given them an encouraging word concerning their entrance into the kingdom of God with emphasis on the fact that the door to the kingdom is opened from the inside, not the outside: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

 As the psalmist said, “Salvation belongs to the LORD” and “The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD…” (Psalm 3:8; 37:39)

As Jonah cried out from the belly of the fish, “Salvation belongs to the LORD.” (Jonah 2:9)

As the saints from every nation, tribe, and tongue declare around the throne, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”, and again, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.” (Rev. 7:10; 19:1)

As the Apostle John declared, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

When Jesus gave an invitation, He did not use A-B-C, but D-T-F.

Matt. 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matt. 7:14)

Becoming a Christian is not easy. It is only possible by the supernatural power of God and the precious blood of the Lamb.

---

[1] Robertson, A.T. Robertson’s Word Pictures. Pierce, Larry. Online Bible Edition. Vers. 4.30. Ontario, Canada: Online Bible Foundation, 2013. Computer software. http://onlinebible.net

[2] Constable, Thomas L. Notes on Mark, 2014 Ed.  Sonic Light, 2014, p. 139.

[3] Darby, John Nelson. Pierce, Larry. Online Bible Edition. Vers. 4.30. Ontario, Canada: Online Bible Foundation, 2013. Computer software. http://onlinebible.net

[4] Zodhiates, Spiros. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. Chattanooga, TN: AMG, 1993. 552.

Repentance, Part 6: To Follow Jesus

“I have decided to follow Jesus…The world behind me, the cross before me… No turning back.”

These are excerpts from the lyrics of an old but popular Christian chorus that I recently heard sung in church.

To a Christian, the sentiment and the theology behind the lyrics are quite obvious. The singer is professing that he has abandoned the lusts and temptations and desires of the world which would keep him from Christ. He has changed his focus from things of the world to concentrate on the cross. By keeping the cross before him, he seeks to remain on the path of righteousness with no thought of ever turning back.

The reality is that this is seldom true of most Christians – or more accurately, most church members who profess to be Christians. Too many of us have not turned our backs on things of this world, either materially or spiritually. Too many are still determined to live the American dream of working or winning our way into prosperity.

We still sin – sometimes egregiously. We are still guilty of covetousness, of contempt and pride and hatred, of disobedience to parents, of adultery, and of untruthfulness. We are still strongly subject to idolatry, of taking the Lord’s name in vain, and of abandoning any concept of a Sabbath.

Yet I believe God was aware of all of this when He developed the plan of redemption before the foundation of the world. He was aware of all this when He created man and placed him in Paradise. He knew that even those who professed Christ as Lord would be subject to temptation, and sin, and rebellion, and spiritual as well as moral failure. He knew it – yet He staked the future of the kingdom of Heaven on just such people. As C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, “…apparently He thought it worth the risk.”

That is why there is grace. That is why salvation is not dependent upon a person’s goodness or behavior or even upon on a person’s confession, but on God’s call on that person’s life. That is why the evidence of being born again is not a profession, or a prayer, or a performance, but obedience.

Matt. 7:21 Not everyone who calls out to me, “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.

Read Luke 6.46-49 and Matt. 7.25-26 carefully. The rock upon which the house which can withstand the floods and storms of this world is not belief or profession, but obedience.

Thus the end of repentance is not salvation or the forgiveness of sin, but obedience. True repentance is not signified by walking an aisle or by reciting a salvation prayer or by inviting Jesus to come live in one’s heart, but by fulfilling the Great Commission.

Jesus promised that He and the Father would live in the hearts of those who were obedient (John 14.23). Thus confession that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 4.15) is not simply making a statement, no matter how sincere. Abiding in love (1 John 4.16) is not settling complacently into a peaceful and relaxed relationship with God. Both of these are actions that follow hard after and give living proof of the reality of repentance.

Jesus called to Peter and Andrew, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt. 4.19)

Jesus did not call us simply to save us from death and hell. He saved us so that we would be able to respond to His call to obedience. God determined to build His kingdom through the labors of men and women empowered by His own Holy Spirit. He called us to come by the cross. Then, leaving the cross behind us, we are to focus our eyes on the world through which we are passing as obedient servants of the gospel. (Read Heb. 6.1-3 in the light of Matt. 29.19-20.)

Thus we should maybe rethink the old chorus. Maybe we should revise the song to say…

“I have decided to follow Jesus…The cross behind me, the world before me…No turning back.”

Repentance, Part 5

In my observation of religious practice, when someone mentions the word “repent,” they are most often making reference to a confession of sin and an expression of sorrow for that sin in hopes that God will be merciful towards them, forgive their sin, and rescue them from judgment.

I believe that the reason for such an inadequate understanding of repentance is directly due to the fact that such a concept has been taught from the pulpit generation after generation. Preachers and evangelists are constantly calling people to “repent of your sin” before it is too late.

The implication is that, if the preacher can convince someone of how lost they are, then they will feel enough guilt and remorse that they will repent of all their evil deeds, and God, because He is gracious, will accept that repentance as sufficient cause to respond to their repentance with salvation.

Yet, as I pray this series of articles has thus far demonstrated, there is no scriptural support for calling people to repent of their sins in the sense of confession and sorrow as a step on the road to salvation. That does not mean that confession and sorrow for sin are not an integral part of the salvation experience.

In fact, for repentance to happen there must first be a sorrow concerning our sin. Paul explained this concept in his letter to the church at Corinth: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation…” (1 Cor. 7:10)

(I will deal with the sorrow that leads to repentance in a later blog.)

Yet sorrow and confession alone are insufficient to bring one to a saving knowledge of Christ. The reason is that the focus of repentance, as well as the focus of redemption, is not our sin, but Christ.

The process of salvation does not end with repentance. Repentance is only part of a process that ultimately ends in worship of Christ as Lord, as Creator, as God, and obedience to His commands. Repentance, to be effective in the salvation process, must be followed by or accompanied by belief and obedience.

Here are several examples from Scripture where a form of the words repent and faith are used together.

Repent & Believe

Matt. 21:32 John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Acts 19:4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”

Mark 1:14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Repent & Faith

Acts 20:21 I (Paul) have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Heb. 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God…

First, notice that there is no mention of sin in any of these verses. Go back and read them again and try to read “repent” and “repentance” without subconsciously adding the words “of sin.” It is very difficult to do because the idea is so ingrained in our minds that repentance is tied only to our sin.

Here is a paraphrase of the reference from Mark 1 to help understand how one can read the word repentance without automatically linking it to the confession of sin:

Mark 1:15 The plan of redemption that the Father set into place before the foundation of the world has come to fruition. In fact, His kingdom is right here, right now, in me, the Son of God. I call on you now to change your mind about the way you understand righteousness and reconciliation and to embrace the Father’s plan of redemption revealed by His Son, Jesus.

Second, notice that in these five references, repentance always precedes believing or having faith. This does not mean that repentance is required for belief to take place or that repentance causes belief.

The fact is that both repentance and believing are essential elements in the process of salvation. In the plan of redemption, they are, in essence, simultaneous events. There cannot be a turning to unless there is first or simultaneously a turning from – a turning away from our path of unrighteousness (repentance) and a turning toward Christ (believing).

A person may be penitent without ever believing in Christ as Savior. An example from an earlier lesson is Judas Iscariot.

A person may say they believe in Christ without ever experiencing a change of mind concerning their lives in light of the righteousness of Christ. Listen to what James had to say about faith without obedience (and without repentance):

James 2:19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. (NLT)

In neither case does the person ever experience the grace of God that leads to salvation.

Third, notice the tense of the verbs in these references.

When Jesus preached His first sermon after His baptism in the Jordan River, He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

When Peter preached his first sermon after his baptism in the Holy Spirit, he said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

In response to the Philippian jailer’s question concerning salvation, Paul and Silas answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:31)

All of these verses are salvation-related verses, and all are calls to repentance and belief, not as an invitation, but as an imperative – as a command – obedience to which is a requirement of salvation.

Note that I did not say “requirement for salvation.” Repentance and belief are not actions required of a non-believer before he can know the grace of God in salvation. Instead, both repentance and belief are integral elements in the process of salvation that can never happen apart from the grace of God and without which the grace of God would be ineffective, which it never is.

Charles Spurgeon

"Repent ye" is as much a command of God as "Thou shalt not steal." "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" has as fully a divine authority as "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength." Think not, O men, that the gospel is a thing left to your option to choose it or not!...

God commands you to repent. The same God before whom Sinai was moved and was altogether on a smoke – that same God who proclaimed the law with sound of trumpet, with lightnings and with thunders, speaketh to us more gently, but still as divinely, through his only begotten Son, when he saith to us, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel."[1]

So we see that repentance is a command of God. We see that the goal of repentance is not simply about confessing and expressing sorrow for our sin, but about worshiping Christ. Finally, we see that repentance that leads to salvation is always followed by or accompanied by believing.

Next, we will see that both repentance and believing are gifts from God and that repentance that leads to salvation is always accompanied by obedience.

---

[1] http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0460.htm

Repentance, Part 4

The concept of repentance is so common in our language and so integral a part of our concept of salvation that the meaning of the word has become blurred and even skewed from its original meaning.

In the second article of this series on repentance I wrote about things that repentance does not mean. In the last article, I ended by stating that the focus of repentance is not our sin, but Christ.

In this article, I will try to put these ideas into a common thread in an attempt to help understand the meaning and the purpose of repentance.

Old Testament

In the Old Testament, there are two words which are most often translated repent. The first of these (nacham) is a word that is most often translated “comfort.” When it is translated as repent, the primary meaning is of regret for past actions or decisions. Very many of these are references to God, who never needs to repent of sin since He knows no sin.

1 Sam. 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent (have regret, ESV; change his mind, NIV): for he is not a man, that he should repent.

(The study of the use of the word repent in relationship to God is another whole study that would merit some space, but since that is not the object of this lesson, I will defer it to another time.)

The second word used for repent (shoob) in the Old Testament means to turn or to turn back. It also may mean a change of heart. The word is used three times in the following text from 1 Kings, but translated three different ways. This is part of a prayer Solomon prayed for the dedication of the newly completed Temple.

1 Kings 8:46-49

46 When they (the people of Israel) sin against you – for there is no-one who does not sin – and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; 47 and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, “We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly”; 48 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you towards the land you gave their fathers, towards the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; 49 then from heaven, your dwelling-place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.” (NIV)

Another example of the multiple use of the word shoob is found in Ezekiel 18:27-32.

Though the sample is admittedly small and the study brief, we can safely come to the understanding that the meaning of repentance is not that we repent of something, but that we turn from something. We are not instructed in Scripture to repent of our sin in the sense of calling attention to it and confessing it. Instead, we are called to turn from our sin as a result of a changed heart.

New Testament

In the New Testament, the words translated as some form of the word repent are all related to the word metanoia. The word is a compound word. The first part (meta)addresses location or direction. It “denotes a change of place or condition.”  The second part refers to the mind. It means “to exercise the mind, think, comprehend.” Together, the word metanoia indicates a change in the direction or focal point of the mind. (Zhodiates 1992, 969)

To carry this a little further, the prefix meta implies “motion (in pursuit of or following) after a person or thing.” When used in a compound word, the prefix implies fellowship, partnership, participation, proximity, motion or direction after, transition, and change. (Zhodiates 1992, 966)

Based on this brief study, one immediately realizes that there is so much more implied in the word repent than simply expressing sorrow for sin or even turning from it in abhorrence, even though these are critical elements of the process.

Repentance is coming to a realization of the error of one’s plans and purposes and experiencing a turn in an opposite direction from the path regularly followed. For there to be a turning from something, there very naturally has to be a turning to something else.

In the context of the plan of redemption, that “something else” that we turn to is in actuality someone else – the person of Jesus Christ.

This is where we have gone wrong in our understanding of repentance. We have understood somewhat the idea of sorrow for our sins. As we reflect upon our sinful behavior, we may even experience abhorrence and revulsion of the sin. The problem is that with time our revulsion weakens and we never truly turn away from those sins.

And even when we attempted to turn away, we are typically unsuccessful because we never completed the process. We may have turned away from our sin for a season, but we never turn toward Christ.

Repentance means that we turn to Christ in fellowship, relationship, and obedience. He becomes the focus of our lives.

Look back at Mark’s version of Jesus’ first sermon. In Matt. 4:17, the sermon simply said, “Repent.”

But Mark added, “…repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

Several times the New Testament mentions these two aspects of salvation together. That is because the process of repentance is not ended by turning from sin, but by believing in Christ as Savior.

That is the subject for the next lesson.

Proverbs & Discipleship

If you are following the lessons on repentance, please continue to visit. Another lesson is soon to follow. But for now, I felt that this lesson was more appropriate for the moment.

Because of the proliferation of leadership books and church growth books, most people are very familiar with Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

The verse has been misused on so many occasions that we have lost sight of its real meaning. While it may not be readily apparent, we should realize that this verse is actually a verse about evangelism and discipleship.

Let’s begin with one of the most well-known verses and arguably one of the most evangelistic verses in the Bible.

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. (KJV)

John 3:16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (HCSB)

There is so much to say about the first two parts of this verse, but for the moment, I want to concentrate on those last few words, “will not perish but have eternal life.”

Most people know this verse and are familiar with the promise that God gives eternal life through Christ. But not so many are as familiar with the fact that, in His high priestly prayer of John 17, Jesus defined the term eternal life.

John 17:2-3 …you (God, the Father) have given him (Jesus Christ, the Son) authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

In verse 3, Jesus very clearly defines the meaning of eternal life as the knowledge of the only true God and of Jesus Christ.

Now, substitute this definition into John 3:16.

John 3:16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have the knowledge of the only true God and of Jesus Christ.

Notice that there is a direct correlation between perishing and the knowledge of God in John 3:16 just as there is in Prov. 29:18. From John 3:16 we learn that people are rescued from perishing by the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Yet not everyone is saved from perishing. The only ones who are saved are those who believe.

Belief is the verb form for which faith is the noun. Thus believing means to exercise faith.

Yet faith is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8). It does not exist in the human heart until it is placed there by God. That’s why Jesus was authorized to give eternal life only to those whom the Father had given Him (John 17:2).

How does this happen? How does this gift of faith find its way into the human heart where it eventually blossoms into believing? The Apostle Paul explained this for us in his letter to the church at Rome.

Rom. 10:17 …faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (ESV)

Earlier in that same chapter, Paul explained the process of hearing.

Rom. 10:14-15 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? (NLT)

Now let us return to Prov. 29.18.

By taking some liberties and borrowing from several translations and commentaries, the verse might be written in a longer, explanatory form.

Prov. 29:18 Where there is no prophetic vision, no redemptive revelation of God, no revelation of God's will made through and by the people of God to the culture in which they live, the people of the culture are deprived of moral restraints, run wild, become ungovernable, and cannot be reined in.[i]

Here is a simpler paraphrase:

When the servants of God (individual Christians) fail to participate in evangelism and discipleship – in actively making God known to all of the people – then the people lose their moral compass, cast off all moral restraints, and everyone basically does what is right in their own eyes – in other words, they perish.

When the people of God are faithful in fulfilling the Great Commission, people are rescued.

When the people of God are not faithful in evangelism and discipleship, we get the society that we live in today.

And we wonder what’s wrong with the world! Could it be that we who call Jesus our Savior and Lord simply do not believe that the biblical process of making disciples is a sufficient way to change the world?

---

[i] The additional words and commentary used in this expanded version came from the ESV, the NLT, the Amplified Version, Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary, and The Pulpit Commentary.