REPENTANCE AND CONVERSION IN THE LIGHT OF GAL. 6:7.
By Elmer F. Otis
God has but one purpose in allowing a man to reap the evil that he has sown. It is to correct his wrong doing. If corrected, Christ bears the reaping; but if otherwise, the intended blessing becomes in the eyes of the disobedient one a punishment. “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee.” Jer. 2:19. We know that God absolutely controls the amount of reaping. He allows a man to suffer just so far as it is necessary to lead him to correct the evil of his ways. “I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.” Jer. 30:11. As soon as the man recognizes and repents of the evil of his course, Christ assumes the consequences of his bad sowing. The reaping that follows man's sowing is God's only means by which He can correct the evil in man's life as well as reward the good. “When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity.” Ps. 39:11. As soon as one realizes this fact, he is led to conclude that “the goodness of God leadeth . . . to repentance.” Rom. 2:4. It leads to repentance because God rebukes (punishes) the sinner for the sole purpose of revealing to him God's love. Then what is repentance and conversion? We may say that it is the recognition that we have wandered from the right. But it includes still more. It is also the process by which we return to right ways; that is, to God. “Let the wicked forsake his way, . . . and let him return unto the Lord.” Isa. 55:7, 8. It then simply remains for the sinner to surrender his will to be used of God; for He says, “Let the wicked . . . return unto the Lord.” Then he is in an attitude where the Holy Spirit can fully use his mind and body in doing righteously. Ezekiel says: “Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.” Eze. 18:30. “God looketh upon man, and if any say, I have sinned, . . . and it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.” Job 33:27, 28. On the day of Pentecost, Peter said: “Repent, and be baptized, . . . and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” The Spirit of God is waiting for the repentant sinner to surrender his will. When this is done, then the latter rain will come down in its fullness, simply because men are not controlling themselves, but are being fully controlled by God. As a result of true repentance, we are not only lifted into a higher sphere, but we obtain power to help others out of their difficulties. The357apostle Paul forcibly expressed this truth before King Agrippa when he said, “But [I] showed . . . that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” Acts 26:20. Let us not be satisfied with a partial experience. Shall we not claim that faith which works by love? When we do this, God can give us a grand experience.