REPENTANCE FROM DEAD WORKS

FOUNDATION SERIES ON THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST (II)

REPENTANCE FROM DEAD WORKS

SCRIPTURE:

Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance. Matthew 3:8

Therefore by the deeds of the law, no flesh shall be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, and they are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, quarreling, rivalry, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like. About these things I tell you again, as I have also told you in times past, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21

OBSERVATION:

A popular preacher once remarked “Repentance is just to change your mind”. Yes, indeed, but what a change! As Charles Spurgeon once said. Too many evangelists and teachers of the Word today downplay the importance of this first doctrine. But John the Baptist got it completely right when he proclaimed “produce fruit worthy of repentance”.  Repentance is not a once off event. It is a continuous turning towards God. King Josiah of old turned to God like no other before Him. Once discovering the law of God, he set his kingdom to turn to God and to do what pleased Him.

What are we turning from? There are two main facets to dead works. Firstly, we turn from trying to be justified before God by our own deeds. The law given to the Jews was the most perfect set of requirements that man needed to be right before God, but it was just impossible. It was instead put in place to show the world that they simply could not be made righteous before God by their own efforts. The Scripture says that our righteousness are like filthy rags before God. Everyone needs a Savior and God has provided one, His only Son. Repentance is interlinked with faith. If we ever think we have done enough for God and don’t need or no longer need the salvation of His Son, we tread on dangerous ground. We must turn away completely from reliance on our own works, and completely put our trust in our Lord Jesus alone for salvation.

Secondly, we must turn away from the works of the flesh, which Paul spells out clearly in a long list of sins in his letter to the Galatians. It was a warning that he said again and again to the church, that who continued to do such things would not inherit the kingdom of God. Here, Paul was not talking about isolated sinful acts, but the way of life that continued committing these sins. He is talking about repentance again here, which is a turning away from such sinful living and turning towards living in the holy way that pleases God. Again, we must be clear that this turning away is a continuous process. The temptations of the world pull us to turn to them back again, and there is a struggle in our will to turn towards Jesus, towards Father God.

APPLICATION:

Repentance has largely to do with the struggle of our mind. The mind stayed on God will reap righteousness while the mind straying towards sinful desires will succumb to the temptations of the world.  Repentance must have that element of humility, of coming before God knowing that we have nothing good in ourselves, that all we have comes from Him and depends on Him. It is knowing that we have no power on our own, even to turn away from sin, but to seek His strength and power to help us overcome. Repentance has also the element of knowing the fear of the Lord. For the fear of the Lord keeps us away from sin.  Holy fear helps us turn to God, and as we turn to Him more and more, we pass from fear to love, in freedom not to sin, and freedom to move and act in His power.

PRAYER:

We praise You and love You and thank You, Heavenly Father, precious Lord Jesus. We come before You O Lord, to respond to You as You call us. The temptations of the world pull at us, and call to us, but we look to You, Lord, to give us strength. The more we see You, the more the temptations fade away, Lord Jesus. Help us draw deeper and deeper into You, that we may know You. Lead us away from a sinful life, and draw us to a life that pleases You in holiness and love. We bless You and thank You and praise You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.