Please provide a clear understanding of repentance within the grace program

Please provide a clear understanding of repentance within the grace program.

QUESTION:

You speak much about forgiveness, but what about repentance? I checked in the scripture and find most of it in the Gospels, Acts and Revelation, but also one in 2Cor 7:9-10 and another in 2Tim 2:25. So there is not much about repentance in Paul's writing. It looks like repentance for Jews is something they need to do, but for us, we just acknowledge that the body can fall in weakness, but the spirit is willing. Please provide a clear understanding of repentance within the grace program. TX.

ANSWER:

Thank you for your question.

Let’s define the proper meaning of the word ‘repentance’. It is to have a change of mind that takes action to correct one’s sins or errors after being exposed to truth. Repentance is not about emotions or feelings. It concerns the mind; it concerns making corrective choices to bring wayward thinking and actions back to a conforming of truth.

The word, ‘repentance’, is often associated with salvation. This is true in terms of the Kingdom gospel, but not it in terms of the Grace gospel. Let me explain.

Consider Peter preaching the Kingdom gospel in Acts 2:38, saying, “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.” Repentance was one of the conditions for salvation for Israel. Since salvation relied on their own faith and works, they had to repent, or change their mind concerning who Jesus was. Consider the following passage,

Mat 16:13-16  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?  (14)  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.  (15)  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?  (16)  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 

Peter made a choice concerning who Jesus was. God created a moment of truth in Peter’s heart and Peter chose to believe and then confess the truth about the identity of Jesus. What did Peter just do here? He ‘repented’. Outside of the ‘Little Flock’, where was Israel in this regard? Well, they were undecided. They might have heard the truth through the preaching of Jesus, and saw His great miracles, but they did not respond to the truth of the identity of Christ, which is the first step towards being saved in the Kingdom gospel. This is why Peter preached, “Repent…”. Peter was saying, “Make up your mind and believe the truth!!”

As for our Grace gospel, repentance is not a necessary requirement for salvation. Our salvation is to hear and respond to the cross work of Christ. We are to know that Christ died for our sins and that He was raised for our justification, Rom 4:25. When we trust in this perfect work, God instantaneously, and utterly saves us, sealing us into Christ by the Holy Spirit. Paul writes that it is by the faith OF Christ that we are saved, Gal 2:16; Phil 3:9. Did you get that? It is not OUR own faith that we need to rely on, like the Jews in the Kingdom gospel! No. We trust in the Lord's cross work, His death and resurrection, and it is the faith (and works) OF Christ that are imputed to us. Thus, there is no need to repent, or be water baptized to cleanse away our sins, or be filled with the Spirit. Our salvation is based on a completely different set of principles and is part of a completely different program.

Now, this is not to say that we don’t or can’t repent if we grieve the Holy Spirit. It is part of our spiritual maturing to learn and conform to the Word of truth. We can fail in moments of weakness, and there will be many times that we repent before God for our failures to adapt and align to His truth, but this repentance is not to aid, or secure our salvation, because that is already eternally secure. Our repentance, or our change of mind to conform to His ways, is simply an outflow of our love and relationship with our Father. Surely, we want to please Him and grow in Him, but our carnal weaknesses can often plague us, especially when we are still young in faith and have lots of transforming to do, Rom 12:1-2.

So, please know that when Paul writes about repentance in the two verses you provided, it is not in context of eternal salvation, but in context based on the current dealing within the verse or passage. 

Let’s have a brief look at two verses.

2Co 7:9-10  Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.  (10)  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death..

Paul rejoiced, not in the pain the church felt due to his letter but in the letter’s effect. The apostle’s joy rested in the church’s repentance. The word “repentance” here carries the idea of a change of attitude. “Repentance” does not emphasize feeling but the mind, the perspective. Repentance is a change of mind about one’s sin or weakness, and a turning from it to something else. Note: Regret that leads to repentance is the only valid (or true) regret or sorrow.

“In a godly manner” is literally according to the standard of God. The words “godly manner” indicate that Corinthian sorrow conformed to God’s standards. The church not only responded properly to Paul’s leadership but also to God Himself. When people see their sin in light of God’s Word, they genuinely do something about it.

Consider remorse versus repentance. Remorse often feels guilty because of the disclosure of sin; repentance turns from sin because it violates a holy God. The former concerns itself with the consequences of one’s sin, and the latter with one’s relationship with God. The difference is between self-pity and taking action about one’s sin. Godly sorrow (repentance, or a change of mind) rectifies the wrong. It produces a change of mind that takes action about one’s sin. Godly sorrow produces repentance. Repentance is coming to God’s mind on things. Godly grief leads to positive change.

In the correct context of this passage, the “salvation” mentioned here is not the eternal salvation of the soul from sin but the rescue of the church from conflict. There is nothing in the context that indicates Paul referred to eternal salvation; the issue was the salvation of shattered relationships between Paul’s ministry and the Corinthian church who received it.

Concerning the second scripture in 2 Timothy,

2Ti 2:25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

What does the last part of this verse mean? Paul writes that the hearers of true bible teaching may understand the truth and be given a clear understanding of the mistakes they have made and feel genuine remorse for it, leading them to accept the truth. 

Despite our efforts to teach others the truth, our ultimate reliance is on God for its effectiveness. We cannot change people’s minds. We can’t change their behaviours. There is no guarantee that they will recognize their error through reasoning alone. All we can do it proclaim the truth and trust that God will make those ‘seeds’ grow, and that the truth that sprouts will reveal their mistake to them and help them to acknowledge and accept the truth.

I know this is another long reply. But I like to ensure you have enough information to be fully informed about your questions. As you can see, repentance is simply a change of mind towards truth. In the Kingdom gospel, it was necessary for salvation. In our Grace gospel, our salvation is by the faith and work of Christ, but our sanctification, having Christ formed in us, and our maturing in His Word, will require many moments of repentance (of changing our minds to truth) as we grow in transformation in mind and spirit. This repentance is a natural outflow of our love for God and our desire to live a life pleasing to Him and conformed to His will.

God bless.