Grace and
Repentance
Grace = The
free and undeserved love and favor of GOD toward man as a sinner.1
Repentance =
In its spiritual sense denotes a sense of guilt, an apprehension of GOD’s
mercy, sorrow for sin, and a turning away from it unto GOD. The Greek word
denotes a change of mind, and is equivalent to conversion.1
In the late 1990’s
and early 2000’s there was a term in the Church called sloppy Agape it referred
to those who used grace as an excuse for not repenting. It went something like
this, I’m saved by grace through faith in Christ, so if I sin all I have to do
is ask for forgiveness. The mind set being a misconception of Paul’s teaching
in Romans 7:15-16, “For what I am doing,
I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I
hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law
that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in
me. For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to
will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the
good that I want to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that
dwells in me. Romans 7:15-20 NKJV The incorrect mindset is that I am not responsible
for my habitual sins because I have no control over them, so when I give in to
sin all I have to do is ask for forgiveness. The problem with this concept is
that Jesus and the Apostles taught repentance, not asking for forgiveness.
Repentance as defined above means that I apprehend (understand and take to
heart) GOD’s mercy to forgive my sins when I surrender my life to Jesus and
receive salvation because I am sorry for being a sinner; therefore I turn my
back on my sinful lifestyle; because GOD has made me a new person in Christ
Jesus.
Jesus and the
Apostles all teach this concept of being a Christian.
Jesus: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘LORD, LORD,’
shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in
Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘LORD, LORD, have we not prophesied in
Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done wonders in Your name?’ And
then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV
Paul: “Now the LORD is the Spirit; and where the
Spirit of the LORD is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the LORD, are being transformed into the
same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the LORD.” 2
Corinthians 3:17-18 NKJV
“But what things were gain to me, these I
have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the
excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my LORD, for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I main gain Christ and
be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but
that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from GOD by
faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I
may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:7-11 NKJV
James: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation;
for when he is approved, he will receive the crown of life which the LORD has promised
to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by GOD’;
for GOD cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He himself tempt anyone. But each
one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when
desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,
brings forth death2. Do not be deceive, my beloved brethren. Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father
of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own
will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first
fruits of His creatures. So then my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to
hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the
righteousness of GOD. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness,
and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:12-22
Peter: “But also for this reason, giving all
diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge
self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to
godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these
things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the
knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is
shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from
his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and
election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an
entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our
LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-11 NKJV
John: “Whoever commits sin also commits
lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He manifested to take
away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin.
Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive
you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He
who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of GOD was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the
devil. Whoever is born of GOD does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he
cannot sin, because he has been born of GOD.” 1 John 3:4-9 NKJV
Study Matthew
7 & 25; Romans 7 & 8; Philippians 3 & 4; James 1; 2 Peter 1; 1 John
3
1
Bible Dictionary and Concordance, Castle Books, 1995 Publishing Properties, LLC
2
LSD = lust + sin = death
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