Question
It seems preachers and evangelists, indicate that repentance is paramount to believing. Their message is on the order of “turn from your sins and commit your life to Christ”, or “Accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord of your life” or some other version thereof with what seems like an undue emphasis on the “repentance” side of believing.
It isn’t until a person believes that they have the capability of performing works by the power of the Holy Spirit, right?
Response
Many pervert the clarity of “the gospel of Christ,” by misstating what faith in Christ is all about. Unfortunately one of the more deceptive ways in which the gospel is perverted is when “repentance” is incorrectly defined and turned into something that God says it isn’t.
“Repentance” itself is simply the issue of a change of mind/thinking. However, since often times a change of mind/thinking can result in a change of conduct or behaviour, the issue of a change of behaviour has become part of the definition of repentance today, if not the definition of the word itself. But again, this is not what the word “repentance” itself strictly means. It simply refers to a change of mind. And God’s use of the word makes this perfectly clear, for example, by distinguishing between “repentance” and “the fruits meet for repentance.” “The fruits meet for repentance” involve the issue of a change of conduct or behaviour, when the “repentance” being spoken about results in a change of conduct. (As, for example, with John the Baptist preaching “the gospel of the kingdom” at the beginning of the climactic stage in God’s program with Israel.) But being “fruits meet for repentance” the change of conduct is just that; it is the “fruit of repentance”; the product of it; the result of it; but it is not “repentance” itself.
Once again, the word “repentance” is commonly misunderstood today and “the gospel of Christ” often takes a beating and ends up being perverted because of it. I’ve put together a booklet entitled ‘The Gospel of God’s Grace: Make It Clear! Make It Plain!’, in which I deal with the issue of perverting the gospel by various misstatements of what faith in Christ is all about, including the issue of incorrectly defining “repentance” in contrast to its proper meaning in connection with “the gospel of Christ.”
Keith Blades
Enjoy The Bible Ministries
20010110 B36 V