Eastside Evangelical Fellowship
Of Repentance Unto Life
1. Repentance unto
life is an evangelical grace, (Zech.
a)
This repentance is deemed ‘unto life’
because it is inseparable joined to the enjoyment of eternal life. This is not legal repentance which flows from
a dread of God’s wrath, but an evangelical repentance which flows from faith in
God’s mercy. It is a grace, that is, it
is a gift of God and not something we can find in ourselves prior to God giving
it.
b)
Modern day preaching thinks that a
minister should not preach repentance because it leads people away from
Christ. Apparently, Jesus did not think
so (Mark 1:15).
2. By it,
a sinner, out of the sight and sense not only of the danger, but also of the
filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary to the holy nature, and
righteous law of God; and upon the apprehension of His mercy in Christ to such
as are penitent, so grieves for, and hates his sins, as to turn from them all
unto God, (Ezek. 18:30–31, Ezek. 36:31, Isa. 30:22, Ps. 51:4, Jer. 31:18–19,
Joel 2:12–13,15, Amos 5:15, Ps. 119:128, 2 Cor. 7:11) purposing and
endeavouring to walk with Him in all the ways of His commandments. (Ps.
119:6,59,106, Luke 1:6, 2 Kings 23:25)
a) Repentance is when a sinner sees the filth and judgment of his sin, hates it, turns from it to God, seeing the mercy of Christ, and seeking to obey Him.
b)
This presupposes some things about the
state of a sinner prior to the gift of repentance – he does not hate his sin,
he does not sense danger, he does not see how God would be delighted to extend
mercy if he turned.
c)
True repentance includes a godly grieving
over one’s sin. There is a false sorrow,
but godly sorrow leads to life(2 Cor 7:10-11).
This is given to us by the Holy Spirit – it is a grace (John 16:8)
3.
Although repentance be not to be rested in, as any satisfaction for sin,
or any cause of the pardon thereof, (Ezek. 36:31–32, Ezek. 16:61–63) which is
the act of God’s free grace in Christ; (Hos. 14:2,4, Rom. 3:24, Eph. 1:7) yet
it is of such necessity to all sinners, that none may expect pardon without it.
(Luke 13:3,5, Acts 17:30–31)
a)
This section is key to standing on the
right side of the so-called “Lordship controversy”. Repentance does not earn one salvation, but
it is necessary to salvation. If a man
must repent in order to be saved, and repentance is a gift, then it does not
follow that to demand repentance is to demand works-based salvation. Just as faith is a gift and we must believe
in order to be saved, so repentance is a gift and we must repent in order to be
saved.
b)
And so, against the Roman church, we
teach that repentance or acts of penance cannot constitute compensation for any
transgression.
4. As
there is no sin so small, but it deserves damnation; (Rom. 6:23, Rom. 5:12,
Matt. 12:36) so there is no sin so great, that it can bring damnation upon
those who truly repent. (Isa. 55:7, Rom. 8:1, Isa. 1:16,18)
a)
God does save the greatest of
sinners. He also will damn to hell any
sinner over the smallest transgression of His holy Law. This is not to say that there is great
variety in the degree of guilt attached to different sins. It is to say that every sin warrants death. It is also to say that evangelical repentance
can be granted to any sinner – God is not stymied by anything you did.
5. Men
ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every
man’s duty to endeavour to repent of his particular sins, particularly. (Ps.
19:13, Luke 19:8. 1 Tim 1:13,15)
6. As
every man is bound to make private confession of his sins to God, praying for
the pardon thereof; (Ps. 51:4–5,7,9,14, Ps. 32:5–6) upon which, and the
forsaking of them, he shall find mercy; (Prov. 28:13, 1 John 1:9) so, he that
scandalizeth his brother, or the Church of Christ, ought to be willing, by a
private or publick confession, and sorrow for his sin, to declare his
repentance to those that are offended, (James 5:16, Luke 17:3–4, Josh. 7:19,
Ps. 51) who are thereupon to be reconciled to him, and in love to receive him.
(2 Cor. 2:8)
a)
Repentance requires naming specific sins
whenever possible. The point is not that
we must repent of every sin, but that we must repent truthfully as we are
convicted of sin.
b)
Confession of sin and pardon from sin, is
the work of God and of no priest.
c)
Repentance of sin should be as public as
the sin. Repentance brings with it the
duty of restitution. You may not simply
be ‘sorry’, you must as much as it depends upon you, restore and make right
whatever it is you have done wrong.
d)
When these things are done, we are
duty-bound as brothers and sisters in Christ to receive our fallen brother back
in our midst ‘in love’. “Forgive us our
debts as we forgive our debtors”.