I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Jesus spoke to those who thought the Galileans cut down by Pilate while offering sacrifices must have been sinners above all others, and He denied that violent death or calamity measures guilt or marks sufferers as especially sinful, warning instead that unless all repent all will likewise perish. Repentance means being led to see oneself as a transgressor of God's law, conscious of helplessness and need of a Saviour, turning from disobedience with sorrow for sin and confession, and coming with faith to the Lamb of God who will accept every truly contrite heart and grant forgiveness through His blood. That turning must be real and genuine, shown in conversion and reform of life with its fruits, decisively uprooting even hidden depravity and purifying the soul by obeying the truth. The warning joined judgment with the invitation of mercy, calling the equally guilty Jewish nation to discern the signs of the times and receive life while probation lingered, pointing forward to when Jerusalem besieged would see thousands slain in the temple courts in the very act of sacrifice. It speaks still to those with great religious advantages living amid the perils of the last days, demanding thorough reformation and plain definite confession and cleansing of the soul-temple before it is everlastingly too late.
Historical Setting and Warning
The report brought to Jesus told of Galilean pilgrims cut down in Jerusalem by Pilate's soldiers while in the very act of slaying their animal sacrifices in worship, at the altar and in the temple courts. Those who told it assumed the victims had suffered because they were sinners above all others and deserved punishment for their sins, that the survivors were more favored by God, and they used affliction to condemn the afflicted and increase their burden. The answer denies that violent death or calamity proves greater guilt or measures a person's sinfulness, rejecting the judgment that suffering marks its victims as especially sinful. The Galileans' deaths do not exempt others, for the warning is universal that except all repent, all will likewise perish, not only those who suffered that calamity.
Meaning of True Repentance
Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish is the old gospel doctrine of sorrow for sin, repentance, and confession, commanded to the apostles to be preached everywhere and to be preached today by all. Repentance means the sinner is led to see himself as a transgressor of God's law and to turn from disobedience, conscious of helplessness and need of a Saviour, for to continue transgressing leaves the guilty without hope of regaining the lost paradise. It means exercising repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ, coming with hope and faith to the Lamb of God who takes away sin, with assurance that Christ will accept every soul who comes in true repentance and will not despise a broken and contrite heart, so that through His grace and faith in His blood sinners may receive forgiveness, obey acceptably, and gain a home in Eden restored.
Such repentance must be real and genuine, shown by conversion and a changed life with reform of life and its fruits, for without them people remain in danger of ruin and will perish in their sins. It is not merely a desirable emotion, but calls for decisive removal of sin. Forgiveness cannot be claimed on the basis of a purchased certificate. That decisive removal means carefully considering and uprooting hidden depravity, cutting off the right hand and plucking out the right eye, and purifying the soul by obeying the truth.
National Prophecy and Urgency
The verse joins the warning of judgment with the invitation of mercy, for it belongs to a mission to save lives and not to destroy them, and the parable of the barren fig tree illustrates that mission of mercy in its relation to justice and judgment. It called the Jewish nation, equally guilty with those who had suffered, to turn and receive life before mercy ended, for rejection of mercy and resistance were leading toward hardness of heart and impenitence. It rebukes ignorance and indifference that could read signs in the sky to foretell the weather yet did not discern the signs of the times clearly pointing to the mission of Christ and the coming of the kingdom of God.
Calamity is a call from God to humble the heart and repent of sin, not proof of greater guilt, because the storm of vengeance will soon burst upon all who have not found refuge in Christ, while a little time of probation still lingered to know the things belonging to peace. It pointed forward to Jerusalem besieged with armies, when thousands upon thousands would perish in the siege and many Jews would be slain in the temple courts in the very act of offering sacrifice just as those Galileans had been. Jerusalem's only hope was to believe in Jesus Christ.
It speaks to those living amid the perils of the last days who with great religious advantages remain insensible to threatening danger. It demands being true and faithful amid abounding iniquity with self hidden in God, in special danger when prosperity seems to crown efforts, and watching and being ready because the time of the coming of the Son of man is unknown. Spoken to believers in Battle Creek, it demands thorough reformation and turning unto the Lord, not general but plain definite confession, with cleansing of the soul-temple and cleansing of institutions from defilement. It forbids taking a false panacea for wounds and bruises, putting on counterfeit garments of righteousness, and smiling and saying difficulties are made up of little or nothing.
It calls every sinner to go to Jesus just as they are to be cleansed and restored, with not one beyond hope who will come. Without this turning God will surely turn His face from His institution, the publishing house, and time is too short to let warnings go unheeded. It warns that repentance must come before it is everlastingly too late, calling each person to examine the heart and recognize sinfulness before God so they may repent.
Jesus spoke to those who thought the Galileans cut down by Pilate while offering sacrifices must have been sinners above all others, and He denied that violent death or calamity measures guilt or marks sufferers as especially sinful, warning instead that unless all repent all will likewise perish.
Repentance means being led to see oneself as a transgressor of God's law, conscious of helplessness and need of a Saviour, turning from disobedience with sorrow for sin and confession, and coming with faith to the Lamb of God who will accept every truly contrite heart and grant forgiveness through His blood.
That turning must be real and genuine, shown in conversion and reform of life with its fruits, decisively uprooting even hidden depravity and purifying the soul by obeying the truth.
The warning joined judgment with the invitation of mercy, calling the equally guilty Jewish nation to discern the signs of the times and receive life while probation lingered, pointing forward to when Jerusalem besieged would see thousands slain in the temple courts in the very act of sacrifice.
It speaks still to those with great religious advantages living amid the perils of the last days, demanding thorough reformation and plain definite confession and cleansing of the soul-temple before it is everlastingly too late.
Historical Setting and Warning
The report brought to Jesus told of Galilean pilgrims cut down in Jerusalem by Pilate's soldiers while in the very act of slaying their animal sacrifices in worship, at the altar and in the temple courts.
Those who told it assumed the victims had suffered because they were sinners above all others and deserved punishment for their sins, that the survivors were more favored by God, and they used affliction to condemn the afflicted and increase their burden.
The answer denies that violent death or calamity proves greater guilt or measures a person's sinfulness, rejecting the judgment that suffering marks its victims as especially sinful.
The Galileans' deaths do not exempt others, for the warning is universal that except all repent, all will likewise perish, not only those who suffered that calamity.
Meaning of True Repentance
Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish is the old gospel doctrine of sorrow for sin, repentance, and confession, commanded to the apostles to be preached everywhere and to be preached today by all. Repentance means the sinner is led to see himself as a transgressor of God's law and to turn from disobedience, conscious of helplessness and need of a Saviour, for to continue transgressing leaves the guilty without hope of regaining the lost paradise. It means exercising repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ, coming with hope and faith to the Lamb of God who takes away sin, with assurance that Christ will accept every soul who comes in true repentance and will not despise a broken and contrite heart, so that through His grace and faith in His blood sinners may receive forgiveness, obey acceptably, and gain a home in Eden restored.
Such repentance must be real and genuine, shown by conversion and a changed life with reform of life and its fruits, for without them people remain in danger of ruin and will perish in their sins. It is not merely a desirable emotion, but calls for decisive removal of sin. Forgiveness cannot be claimed on the basis of a purchased certificate. That decisive removal means carefully considering and uprooting hidden depravity, cutting off the right hand and plucking out the right eye, and purifying the soul by obeying the truth.
National Prophecy and Urgency
The verse joins the warning of judgment with the invitation of mercy, for it belongs to a mission to save lives and not to destroy them, and the parable of the barren fig tree illustrates that mission of mercy in its relation to justice and judgment. It called the Jewish nation, equally guilty with those who had suffered, to turn and receive life before mercy ended, for rejection of mercy and resistance were leading toward hardness of heart and impenitence. It rebukes ignorance and indifference that could read signs in the sky to foretell the weather yet did not discern the signs of the times clearly pointing to the mission of Christ and the coming of the kingdom of God.
Calamity is a call from God to humble the heart and repent of sin, not proof of greater guilt, because the storm of vengeance will soon burst upon all who have not found refuge in Christ, while a little time of probation still lingered to know the things belonging to peace. It pointed forward to Jerusalem besieged with armies, when thousands upon thousands would perish in the siege and many Jews would be slain in the temple courts in the very act of offering sacrifice just as those Galileans had been. Jerusalem's only hope was to believe in Jesus Christ.
It speaks to those living amid the perils of the last days who with great religious advantages remain insensible to threatening danger. It demands being true and faithful amid abounding iniquity with self hidden in God, in special danger when prosperity seems to crown efforts, and watching and being ready because the time of the coming of the Son of man is unknown. Spoken to believers in Battle Creek, it demands thorough reformation and turning unto the Lord, not general but plain definite confession, with cleansing of the soul-temple and cleansing of institutions from defilement. It forbids taking a false panacea for wounds and bruises, putting on counterfeit garments of righteousness, and smiling and saying difficulties are made up of little or nothing.
It calls every sinner to go to Jesus just as they are to be cleansed and restored, with not one beyond hope who will come. Without this turning God will surely turn His face from His institution, the publishing house, and time is too short to let warnings go unheeded. It warns that repentance must come before it is everlastingly too late, calling each person to examine the heart and recognize sinfulness before God so they may repent.