Page 533 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

REPENTANCE

The average person we meet in many parts of North “This saving repentance is an evangelical grace,
America has no knowledge of the Bible’s teaching, even whereby a person, being by the Holy Spirit made
of its stories and basic content. His mind is filled with sensible of the manifold evils of his sin, doth, by faith
the myths of evolution and humanism. Someone who in Christ, humble himself for it with godly sorrow,
has been educated in the North American public school detestation of it, and self-abhorrency; praying for
system and who has had no sound Bible training is pardon and strength of grace, with a purpose and
endeavor by supplies of the Spirit to walk before God
actually more prejudiced against believing that the Bible unto all well-pleasing in all things” (Philadelphia
is the Word of God than a Hindu in darkest Asia. The Confession of Faith, Baptist, 1742).
same is true for England and Europe. “Repentance is an evangelical grace, wherein a person
The Bible principles of dealing with people are the being, by the Holy Spirit, made sensible of the
same no matter where those people are found. The manifold evil of his sin, humbleth himself for it, with
Bible requires repentance. godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrence,
When the Lord Jesus Christ dealt with the rich young with a purpose and endeavor to walk before God so as
ruler who inquired about salvation, He did not tell him to please Him in all things” (Abstract of Principles,
Southern Baptist Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, 1859).
just to pray a prayer, just to believe. He dealt with him
plainly about his love for riches, his covetousness and “Just now some professedly Christian teachers are
misleading many by saying that ‘repentance is only a
pride. The young man had to repent of that deep sin of change of mind.’ It is true that the original word does
his life before he could be saved. He went away sad, the convey the idea of a change of mind; but the whole
Bible says, because of his great riches. Consider Christ’s teaching of Scripture concerning the repentance which
dealings with the woman at the well. He faced her is not to be repented of is that it is a much more
squarely with the immorality that had controlled her life radical and complete change than is implied by our
and required repentance of her in that matter. This is common phrase about changing one’s mind. The
the way God always deals with people, and it is the way repentance that does not include sincere sorrow for sin
we must deal with them, too, if we want to follow the is not the saving grace that is wrought by the Holy
Bible in our gospel work. To preach repentance means Spirit. God-given repentance makes men grieve in their
to deal with specific sins which people are holding on inmost souls over the sin they have committed, and
works in them a gracious hatred of evil in every shape
to, and to tell them clearly that they must repent of and form. We cannot find a better definition of
those sins. repentance than the one many of us learned at our
This is not “lordship salvation.” This is not some kind mother’s knee: ‘Repentance is to leave the sin we loved
of Puritan methodology. It is simple Bible evangelism. before, and show that we in earnest grieve by doing so
Repentance Defined by Baptists of the Past no more’” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “The Royal
Saviour,” Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, England,
To define repentance merely as turning from unbelief Feb. 1, 1872).
to belief, or to claim that repentance has nothing to do “…repentance … is a turning from sin, a loathing of it;
with turning from sin, ignores not only the Bible, as and if thou hast that, thou hast sure repentance; but
seen above, but also nineteen centuries of Bible- not else. Repentance is also a sense of shame for
believing Christian scholarship. This is not how Baptists having lived in it, and a longing to avoid it. It is a
have defined repentance in the past. change of the mind with regard to sin--a turning of the
The following are only a few of the examples that man right round. That is what it is; and it is wrought in
could be given. Statements by men are not our us by the grace of God. Let none therefore mistake
authority, but it is not wise to ignore what Bible- what true repentance is” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon,
“Mistaken Notions about Repentance,” Metropolitan
believing men of old have believed. Though we would Tabernacle, London, England, April 20, 1879).
not agree with every detail of the following statements, “Repentance is a change of mind or purpose. Until a
we believe they reflect the true definition of biblical man repents he commonly feels comfortable about
repentance in contrast to the shallow definition that is himself and his ways; but when the Saviour, through
popular today. the Spirit, gives him repentance, he changes his mind
“Unfeigned repentance is an inward and true sorrow of about himself, and seeing nothing good in his heart or
heart for sin, with sincere confession of the same to in his works, his whole soul cries out, ‘Lord, be
God, especially that we have offended so gracious a merciful to me a sinner’ (Lk. 18:13)” (William
God and so loving a Father, together with a settled Cathcart, The Baptist Encyclopedia, 1881).
purpose of heart and a careful endeavor to leave all “Repentance and the firstfruits of repentance [baptism
our sins, and to live a more holy and sanctified life and other steps of discipleship mentioned in Acts
according to all God’s commands” (The Orthodox 2:38-42] were generally inseparable. The former could
Creed, Baptist, 1679). not be genuine without manifesting itself in the latter.
And in the circumstances of that day a willingness to

Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity 533