I
apologize in advance for the technical nature of this lesson. My goal is to
teach a correct doctrine, and to do that sometimes requires unteaching previous
learning. If you continue through this entire series on repentance, I believe
you will agree with one of the closing sentences in the previous lesson: The
Bible never uses the phrase “repent of your sin.”
Such
a statement may cause consternation among the faithful, but I believe you will
understand the statement more once you have read through the steps of my study
of the word repentance.
1.
I
did a word search in the Online Bible [1] for
the word repent and found 112 uses of the word in its various forms in 105
verses in both the Old and New testaments. [2]
2.
I found only 13 verses in both
testaments that include both a form of the word repent and a form of the word
sin
Furthermore,
when a form of repentance is used in direct conjunction with a form of the word
sin, the form of the word sin relates to a person, not an action. For example…
Luke
5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
In
none of these verses is the word repent directly related to the word sin. And
in none of these verses, or in any other biblical verse, are we commanded to
repent of our sin for salvation in the sense that it is most commonly taught.
3. There are nine verses in the
Bible that use the phrase “repent of” followed by some object or objects.
Five
of these verses refer to the actions of God, not to those of a person. [3]
In
2 Cor. 7:10, the phrase “repented of,” as used in the KJV, should better be
translated as “regretted” or “without regret” (See almost any other translation
other than the KJV).
In
the remaining three verses (2 Cor. 12:21; Rev. 2:21,22), the word repent is
followed by words related to sin. However, these verses are not calling for the
sinner simply to sorrowfully acknowledge their sins, but to turn away from them
in abhorrence due to the nature of the sin. (More on this later.)
4. As shown above, in the majority
of cases, the word repent (in whatever form) is seldom ever used in the same
context as the word sin. There are too many examples to list them all, but here
are some examples of the use of the word repent apart from any reference to
sin.
Ex.
32:14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Certainly
the word repent in this verse does not mean that God acknowledged His sin and
was sorry for it. The actual meaning of this verse is a discussion for another
context, but it should be clear that since God is perfect in holiness and
righteousness, He is not required to repent of sin.
When
God freed the Hebrews from Egyptian captivity, the shortest route to the
Promised Land was a week’s journey through the land of the Philistines, but God
would not let them go that way “Lest peradventure the people repent when they
see war, and they return to Egypt.” (Ex. 13:17)
Obviously,
God was not concerned that the people would recognize their sinfulness and
express their sorrow for their behavior. He knew that upon the first encounter
with an enemy, the people would change their minds about freedom and desire to
return to Egypt.
In
the New Testament, according to the gospel of Matthew, when Jesus began His
public ministry, His first sermon was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand.” (Matt. 4:17) Jesus did not say, “Repent of your sin.” He simply said,
“Repent.”
5. Finally, the word “of” is a
tiny word, but understanding its meaning is very important when understanding
how a verse should be interpreted. The word did not originally refer to
possession but to source of origin. [4]
For
example, in the KJV version of John 15:15, Jesus says, “…all things that I have
heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” In the NKJV
and the ESV, the statement is more clearly translated as “…all things that I
heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
Now
go back and reread 2 Cor. 12:21 and Rev. 2:21,22, substituting the word “from”
in the place of “of,” and I believe you will agree that the intent of the
verses is more clearly understood.
In
summary, there is no biblical reference that says that we must repent of our
sins in the sense of naming them or simply acknowledging them. That is
confession, which is an aspect of repentance, but which alone is insufficient
for salvation.
When
we think of the word repent, typically our next thought is of sin. We say or
hear things like “Repent of your sin” or “If you want to go to heaven, you must
repent of your sin” or “Salvation requires men to repent of their sins.” Yet
there is a weakness in such an understanding of repentance.
The
weakness is that we are focusing on the wrong thing – ourselves and our sin. We
tend to think that we are lost because we have done bad things, therefore, we
must do something good to deserve the salvation of God.
The
truth is that we have done nothing to be lost except to be born in a sinful
condition, which is evidenced by our immediate participation in sin. But our
sins do not make us lost. We sin because we are lost.
Since
we did nothing to be lost, we can do nothing to be saved. Our salvation is the
decision of God by the agency of Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.
The focus of repentance is neither us nor our sin.
The
primary focus of repentance is the kingdom – that is, the person of Jesus
Christ.
More
on this critical understanding in the next lesson.
[2] Click here for a complete
listing derived from the Online Bible of all verses in the Bible using a form
of the word repent.
[3] Ex. 32:12, 14;
Jer. 18:8, 10; Jonah 3:10
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