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  • Repentance part#3 Does God Repent?

    Posted on by Roger Luther Comment

        Two weeks ago, we started looking at this extremely important and, in my opinion, the most neglected Biblical doctrine we have – that of repentance. You may be saying, what about the doctrine of salvation. My dear friends, according to Jesus there is no salvation apart from repentance – (Luk.13:3) “ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

      God only knows how many times the unsaved have experience pressure produced by despair and run before Him crying out and experiencing a temporal emotional release. It is at this very moment the devil, if given the opportunity, confuses that soul into believing they have just experienced salvation. Apart from truly crying out to God with a broken heart because of their sinful condition and asking God to mercifully, forgive them, and then inviting Him into their hearts as their personal Savior, the personal consequences may be life-long. Except God intervenes by using His word, more than likely through His people, there is a 100% possibility that the rest of their lives will be spent living being submerged in spiritual deception. Thus, it becomes commonplace for believers, who have witnessed their actions, to interact with them as believers when in reality they are not.

    We will continue to address the above issue in upcoming studies but for now let us focus on something deeply connected with this doctrine that is often thought about but rarely studied. Does God repent? It boggles some minds remotely consider this thought.

    The late scholar, Dr. Herbert Lockyer, says, “The word “repent” in its various forms occurs 45 times in the Old Testament, and carries the underlying thought of contrition. Two words are translated repent.”[1] The first word means to sigh or groan; the second word is that of lamenting or groaning. The first word appears about 40 times in the Old Testament and, in most cases, refers to God.

    Once again, does God repent? The answer is both yes and no! In order to assist our understanding in the repentance of God, it is needful to see God as compared to humans. (Num. 23:19) “God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”

    I. First, we will look at “no” – God does not repent because some of His statements are unconditional.

      A. The first is noticed in Genesis 3:3 –  “But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

    B.  God had personally instructed Saul through Samuel, (1Sa. 15:3) “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” Do to Saul’s disobedience in this assignment, God immediately used Samuel to addresses him once again. (1Sa 15:18-29) “And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19  Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 20  And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams. 23  For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from [being] king. 24  And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 25  Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. 26  And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. 27  And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. 28  And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, [that is] better than thou. 29  And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he [is] not a man, that he should repent.” 

    C. God’s prophecy to David about the Messiah

    (Psa.110:1-4) “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 2  The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 3  Thy people [shall be] willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning:
    thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”     NOTE; Heb.7:21

    D.  Because of Israel’s sins:

    (Jer. 4:27-28) “For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. 28  For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken [it], I have purposed [it], and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.”

     E. God’s unchangeable covenant with Abraham

    (Gen 12:1) “ Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

     F. The unchangeableness of some of His actions and decrees

    “God’s repentance is the unmovedness of Himself, while others move and change. The Divine finger ever points to the same spot;

    but man has moved from it to the opposite pole. But as in all repentance there is sorrow, so, reverently be it said, in that of God. It is God’s sorrow of love, as, Himself unchanged and unchanging, He looks at the sinner who has turned from Him.”[2]  Mal.3:6 –  “For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

    II. Next we’ll look at “yes” – when God repents because some of His statements are conditional.

    A. When “no” and “yes”  seem to meet –  Adam and Eve knew about God’s mercy and grace early on. Although Adam and Eve’s children had been e instructed in the ways of God, each exceeding generation continued to move farther away from God. Thus, we read of God’s broken and his intentions. (Gen. 6:3-5) “Gen 6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also [is] flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4  There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. 6  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  7  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

    B. When people repent of their evil, He repents, or turns from punishment and realizes for the penitent the blessings of His promises. – (Jer 18:5-10) “Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay [is] in the potter’s hand, so [are] ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 7  [At what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy [it]; 8  If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 9  And [at what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant [it]; 10  If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.  Thus God can repent and relationships, fellowships, and circumstances can change.

     C. As illustrated in of Nineveh

    God told Jonah, (Jon 3:2) “Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.”  Later in Nineveh we hear, (Jon 3:9) “Who can tell [if] God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?”  At the end of His mission in downtown Nineveh, (Jon 3:10) “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did [it] not.”

    ___________________________________________________________________

    In Summary:

    There would seem to be a contradiction in Scripture. The Bible says in some places that God never repents. In other Scriptures we discover that God does repent. The statements are not a contradiction. The Bible is never contradictory.

    God’s repentance was and will continue to be  dependent upon His conditional and unconditional covenants made with humankind.

    From these few examples, you see that God repents only when the people encounter, and react with a positive response, to His statements that are conditional. He turns from judgment if people change. He also turnsto judgment if people do not obey His Word.

     

     

     


    [1] Herbert Lockyer. All the Doctrines of the Bible  pg.170

    [2] BIBLE HISTORY OLD TESTAMENT VOL. 4 ISRAEL UNDER SAMUEL, SAUL, AND DAVID TO THE BIRTH OF SOLOMON by Alfred Edersheim,  pg.69


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  • Repentance (Lesson #1)

    Posted on by Roger Luther Comment

     

    I. Its Importance

    In these times of easy believe-ism, it is highly probable that, for one reason or another, there is a void in fully understanding our Bible’s tremendously important doctrine of repentance as God has intended. When this happens, churches and believers confuse and except movement and excitement with lasting, faithful, and spiritual growth. Later when these impulsive and shallow events pass, the local congregation and its leadership are often facing confusion, discouragement, and even perhaps later, find themselves searching for someone or some folks to blame in order to help with what they believe to be the solution. Unfortunately, all too often this problem cycles in way too many congregations.

    Although a void in teaching the Biblical doctrine of repentance appeared from time to time not long after the first group of faithful believers were permanently empowered by the Holy Ghost from upon high, from what I have been able to discover, the problem with a shallow understanding of this doctrine, in our era, started in the beginning of the 20th century and rapidly gained momentum soon after WWII.

    A. B. Stringfellow states, “The truth in this lesson is one seldom mentioned. Repentance is not a popular subject. Repentance is absolutely necessary and is indispensable to salvation. Wherever this subject is taught, it brings forth fruit. Faith in Christ is the goal of teaching and preaching-but that teaching and preaching must stress repentance. Jesus stated that repentance was a necessity for salvation (Luke 13:3). Webster defines repentance as “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life; to feel regret or contrition.”[1]

    One of the primary factors interfering with accepting and defining true repentance is man’s sinful nature.

    – (Jer. 25:4-7) “And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending [them]; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.  5. They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:  6.  And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. 7.  Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.”

    _(Ezek.14:4-11) “ Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;  5.  That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols. 6.  Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn [yourselves] from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.  The following happens when people attempt to come to the Lord apart from personal repentance. – 7.  For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:  8.  And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.  A warning to liberal prophets not grounded in God’s priority that is placed on repentance  – 9.  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 10.  And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seemeth [unto him]; 11.  That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.

     (Acts 5:3-11) “ But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back [part] of the price of the land? 4.  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5.  And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6  And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried [him] out, and buried [him]. 7.  And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8.  And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 9.  Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband [are] at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10.  Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying [her] forth, buried [her] by her husband. 11.  And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.”

    It is impossible for pledges and promises to replace real repentance that is always exemplified by Godly honesty. In reality, pledges and promises to God will eventually reveal the real level of sinfulness in a heart.

    Repentance will continue to hold a key part of salvation in the great tribulation period. – (Joe 2:11-14) “And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp [is] very great: for [he is] strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD [is] great and very terrible; and who can abide it? 12.  Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye [even] to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13.  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he [is] gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14.  Who knoweth [if] he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; [even] a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?  

    When one comes before God completely overwhelmed by countless things, extreme caution is necessary! First for the unsaved – God only knows how many times the unsaved have experience pressure produced by despair and run before Him crying out and experiencing a temporal emotional release. It is at this very moment the devil, if given the opportunity, confuses that soul into believing they have just experienced salvation. Apart from truly crying out to God with a broken heart because of their sinful condition and asking God to mercifully, forgive them, and then inviting Him into their hearts as their personal Savior, the personal consequences may be life-long. Except God intervenes by using His word, more than likely through His people, there is a 100%

    possibility that the rest of their lives will live be spent living being submerged in spiritual deception. As a result, it is commonplace for believers, who have witnessed their actions, to interact with them as believers when in reality they are not. On the other hand, for the saved, when these times come we certainly need to come before The Lord as soon as possible, dumping all before Him, if need be asking Jesus to forgive us of our sins, and then praise Him for His salvation in our lives!

    Real repentance has, is, and in the future will always hold top priority with God but, in all honesty, how important is real repentance to you?

     

    [1] Stringfellow, Alan, B. Great Truths of the Bible, Virgil W. Hensley Inc. Tulsa Oklahoma, 6116 East 32nd St. Tulsa, Ok. 74135

     


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