REPENTANCE by M. H. B.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 24, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 25.

REPENTANCE.

By M. H. B.

THE subject of repentance is closely connected with a true Christian life. It is a necessary step in conversion. When the people cried out on the day of Pentecost, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter said unto them, "Repent." Acts 2:38. Paul, in his instruction to the elders from Ephesus, while rehearsing his work among them, declared that he had taught publicly and from house to house, "testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." Acts 20:20, 21. Dr. Adam Clarke, in commenting on Rom. 7:13, says "that a man cannot have a true notion of sin but by means of the law of God. It would be almost impossible for a man to have that just notion of the demerit of sin so as to produce repentance, or to see the nature and necessity of the death of Christ, if the law were not applied to his conscience by the Holy Spirit. Nor do we find that true repentance takes place where the moral law is not preached and enforced." This is in harmony with the teaching of John Wesley, Andrew Fuller, Dr. Albert Barnes, Luther, Thomas Dick, Spurgeon, Moody, and many others that might be mentioned.

Repentance being "sorrow for what one has done or omitted to do," must have reference to a standard of right and wrong. Repentance being "toward God," clearly shows that he has such a standard which all have broken. This is in harmony with Paul's teaching in Rom. 3:9, 10, 19, 23, where he declares that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, and that the law of God stops every mouth, and proves the whole world guilty before him. He also confesses that the law gave him a knowledge of sin, and that he never would have known his guilty condition had it not been for the law which says, "Thou shalt not covet." Rom. 3:20; 7:7. In verse 12 he calls the law holy, and in verse 14 he says "we know that the law is spiritual."

As God's law is holy and spiritual, and it gives a knowledge of sin, our repentance should be towards him whose law we have transgressed, and against whom we have sinned. Repentance is more than sorrow, as we learn from 2 Cor. 7:10, which speaks of godly sorrow, and the sorrow of the world. The former is manifested by turning from sin with contrition and confession, and results in salvation, while the latter is not really sorrow for sin, but sorrow because of inconvenience, or trouble, or suffering, which comes to us in consequence of it; and this the apostle calls the sorrow of the world, which works death instead of salvation.

Repentance, like faith and every other good thing, does not emanate from us. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17; Acts 5:31; 2 Tim. 2:25. God commands us to repent, believe, and do, and he gives us repentance and faith to use, to exercise, and he furnishes the power to do what he requires, for "without me," says Jesus, "ye can do nothing." John 15:5.

God sends his Holy Spirit to our hearts to convince us of sin (John 16:8), and to give us repentance or godly sorrow for sin, together with faith, love, joy, peace, yea, all the fruits of the Spirit as enumerated in Gal. 5:22, 23. And if we will surrender our hearts and yield our wills to him, he will work in us "both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Phil. 2:13. True repentance is followed by confession of sin to God, confession to those we have wronged, and restitution to those we have robbed or defrauded. Eze. 33:15; Luke 19:8, 9. Then we can believe that the salvation of God is ours. See Rom. 10:10; Acts 3:19; 1 John 1:9. M. H. B.