Page 534 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

REPENTANCE

be baptized was no slight evidence of a new about a system of doctrine. They are prayerless,
heart” (Horatio Hackett, Commentary on Acts, lifeless, and to all steady church work reprobate” (B.H.
American Baptist Publication Society, 1882). Carroll, Baptist, Repentance and Remission of Sins,
“To repent, then, as a religious term of the New 1889).
Testament, is to change the mind, thought, purpose, as “Repentance being, as it is, an inward change of
regards sin and the service of God--a change naturally purpose resulting in an outward change of life, cannot
accompanied by deep sorrow for past sin, and be performed by one person for another. Repentance is
naturally leading to a change of the outward a turning from a life of self and sin to a life of
life” (John A. Broadus, An American Commentary on submission and obedience to God’s will. Repentance,
the New Testament, Matthew, 1886). as used in the New Testament, means a change of
“The preacher who leaves out repentance commits as mind, but it is a word of moral significance and does
grave a sin as the one who leaves out faith. I mean he not mean merely a change of opinion. Such a change
must preach repentance just as often, and with as often takes place without repentance in the New
much emphasis, and to as many people as he preaches Testament sense. The will is necessarily and directly
faith. To omit repentance, to ignore it, to depreciate it, involved, as well as the emotions, but in scriptural
is rebellion and treason. Mark its relative importance: repentance there is a change of mind with reference to
You may make a mistake about baptism and be saved, sin, a sorrow for sin and a turning from sin.
for baptism is not essential to salvation. You may be a Repentance means sins perceived, sins abhorred and
Christian and not comprehend fully the high- sins abandoned. This change is wrought by the power
priesthood of Jesus Christ (He. 5 :11), but ‘Except ye of God through the Holy Spirit, the word of truth being
repent ye shall all likewise perish.’ So said the Master used as a means to convict the sinner of sin and lead
Himself. Repentance is a preparatory work. For thus him to forsake it and to resolve henceforth to walk
saith the Lord: ‘Break up your fallow ground and sow before God in all truth and uprightness” (W.D. Nowlin,
not among thorns.’ I submit before God, who will Baptist Fundamentals of the Faith, c. 1897).
judge the quick and the dead, that to preach faith “The New Testament emphasizes repentance and faith
without repentance is to sow among thorns. No harvest as fundamental conditions of salvation. Repentance is
can be gathered from an unplowed field. The fallow a change of mind toward sin and God, and a change of
ground needs to be broken up. The most striking will in relation to sin and God. Repentance is not
instance on record of repentance as a preparatory work merely sorrow. It is rather godly sorrow which turns
was the ministry of John the Baptist. He was sent ‘to away from all wrong doing and enters upon a life of
make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ He did it obedience. Faith is belief of God's Word concerning his
by preaching repentance, and Mark says his preaching Son, and trust in his Son for salvation” (E. Y. Mullins,
was ‘the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the DD., LL.D., Late President of the Southern Baptist
Son of God.’ Here is the true starting point. Whoever Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, published by The
starts this side of repentance makes a false beginning Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist
which vitiates his whole Christian profession. When Convention, 1920).
true repentance was preached and emphasized, there “We believe that repentance and faith are sacred
were not so many nominal professors of religion. TO duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our
LEAVE OUT OR MINIMIZE REPENTANCE, NO MATTER souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being
WHAT SORT OF A FAITH YOU PREACH, IS TO deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and
PREPARE A GENERATION OF PROFESSORS WHO ARE helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we
SUCH IN NAME ONLY. I give it as my deliberate turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and
conviction, founded on twenty-five years of ministerial supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily
observation, that the Christian profession of today receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest
owes its lack of vital godliness, its want of practical and King and relying on him alone as the only and all-
piety, its absence from the prayer meeting, its sufficient Saviour” (Baptist Faith and Message,
miserable semblance of missionary life, very largely to Southern Baptist Convention, 1925).
the fact that old-fashioned repentance is so little “To repent literally means to have a change of mind or
preached. You can’t put a big house on a little spirit toward God and toward sin. It means to turn
foundation. And no small part of such preaching comes from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust
from a class of modern evangelists who desiring more in Jesus Christ to save you. You can see, then, how the
for their own glory to count a great number of converts man who believes in Christ repents and the man who
than to lay deep foundations, reduce the conditions of repents believes in Christ. The jailer repented when he
salvation by one-half and make the other half but some turned from sin to believe in the Lord Jesus
intellectual trick of the mind rather than a radical Christ” (John R. Rice, What Must I Do to Be Saved?,
spiritual change of the heart. Like Simon Magus, they 1940).
believe indeed, but ‘their heart not being right in the
sight of God, they have no part nor lot in this matter. “We believe that Repentance and Faith are solemn
They are yet in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of obligations, and also inseparable graces, wrought in
iniquity.’ Such converts know but little and care less our souls by the quickening Spirit of God; thereby,

534 Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity