brianhenryblog

Jesus’ Perspective on Sola Fide

Many who have embraced “the New Perspective on Paul” are also proposing a different slant on the doctrine of justification by faith. When the text of Scripture is interpreted in the new light, they say, Pauline support for the principle of sola fide, the doctrine of imputation, and the distinction between law and gospel doesn’t seem quite so strong.

We say that’s nonsense. We reject the historical and hermeneutical revisionism of the New Perspective, but regardless of how one interprets the apostle Paul, it is quite clear that Jesus taught justification by faith alone. To abandon this truth is to abandon biblical soteriology altogether.

No doctrine is more important to evangelical theology than the doctrine of justification by faith alone–the Reformation principle of sola fide. Martin Luther rightly said that the church stands or falls on this one doctrine.

History provides plenty of objective evidence to affirm Luther’s assessment. Churches and denominations that hold firmly to sola fide remain evangelical. Those who have strayed from the Reformation consensus on this point inevitably capitulate to liberalism, revert to sacerdotalism, embrace some form of perfectionism, or veer off into worse forms of apostasy.

The Very Essence Of Christianity

Historic evangelicalism has therefore always treated justification by faith as a central biblical distinctive–if not the single most important doctrine to get right. This is the doctrine that makes authentic Christianity distinct from every other religion. Christianity is the religion of divine accomplishment–with the emphasis always on Christ’s finished work. All others are religions of human achievement. They become preoccupied, inevitably, with the sinner’s own efforts to be holy. Abandon the doctrine of justification by faith and you cannot honestly claim to be evangelical.

Scripture itself makes sola fide the only alternative to a damning system of works-righteousness: “Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness” (Rom. 4:4-5, emphasis added).

In other words, those who trust Jesus Christ for justification by faith alone receive a perfect righteousness that is reckoned to them. Those who attempt to establish their own righteousness or mix faith with works only receive the terrible wage that is due all who fall short of perfection. So the individual as well as the church stands or falls with the principle of sola fide. Israel’s apostasy was rooted in their abandonment of justification by faith alone: “For not knowing about God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God” (Rom. 10:3).

Biblical justification must be earnestly defended on two fronts. No-lordship theology (the error we dealt with in the November/December issue of Pulpit) twists the doctrine of justification by faith to support the view that obedience to God’s moral law is optional. This teaching attempts to reduce the whole of God’s saving work to the declarative act of justification. It downplays the spiritual rebirth of regeneration (2 Cor. 5:17); it discounts the moral effects of the believer’s new heart (Ezek. 36:26-27); and it makes sanctification hinge on the believer’s own efforts. It tends to treat the forensic element of justification–God’s act of declaring the believing sinner righteous–as if this were the only essential aspect of salvation. The inevitable effect of this approach is to turn the grace of God into licentiousness (Jude 4). Such a view is called antinomianism.

On the other hand, there are many who make justification dependent on a mixture of faith and works. Whereas antinomianism radically isolates justification from sanctification, this error blends the two aspects of God’s saving work. The effect is to make justification a process grounded in the believer’s own flawed righteousness–rather than a declarative act of God grounded in Christ’s perfect righteousness.

As soon as justification is fused with sanctification, works of righteousness become an essential part of the process. Faith is thus diluted with works. Sola fide is abandoned. This was the error of the Galatian legalists (cf. Gal. 2:16; 5:4). Paul called it “a different gospel” (Gal. 1:6, 9). The same error is found in virtually every false cult. It’s the main error of Roman Catholicism. I’m concerned that it may also be the direction many who are enthralled with “the New Perspective on Paul” are traveling. [1]

If doctrine as a whole has been ignored in our day, the doctrine of justification has suffered a particular neglect. Written works on justification are noticeably missing from the corpus of recent evangelical literature. [2] In his introduction to the 1961 reprint of James Buchanan’s landmark work, The Doctrine of Justification, J. I. Packer made note of this:

It is a fact of ominous significance that Buchanan’s classic volume, now a century old, is the most recent full-scale study of justification by faith that English-speaking Protestantism (to look no further) has produced. If we may judge by the size of its literary output, there has never been an age of such feverish theological activity as the past hundred years; yet amid all its multifarious theological concerns it did not produce a single book of any size on the doctrine of justification. If all we knew of the church during the past century was that it had neglected the subject of justification in this way, we should already be in a position to conclude that this has been a century of religious apostasy and decline. [3]

Having neglected this doctrine for more than a century, evangelicals are ill-equipped to answer those who are saying Martin Luther and the Reformers misunderstood the apostle Paul and therefore got the doctrine of justification wrong.

The evangelical movement is on the verge of abandoning the material principle of the Reformation, and most evangelicals don’t even see the threat and would have no answer cogent if they did.

What must we do to be saved? The apostle Paul answered that question for the Philippian jailer in the clearest possible terms: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Paul’s key doctrinal epistles–especially Romans and Galatians–then expand on that answer, unfolding the doctrine of justification by faith to show how we are justified by faith alone apart from human works of any kind.

At least, that is the historic evangelical interpretation of Paul. But that’s the very thing under attack by the New Perspective.

So what if we move beyond the apostle Paul? Is it possible to prove the principle of sola fide from the earthly teaching of Christ? It certainly is.

The Gospel According To Jesus

Although Christ made no formal explication of the doctrine of justification (such as Paul did in his epistle to the Romans), justification by faith underlies and permeates all His gospel preaching. While Jesus never gave a discourse on the subject, it is easy to demonstrate from Jesus’ evangelistic ministry that He taught sola fide.

For example, it was Jesus Himself who stated, “he who hears My word, and believes . . . has passed out of death into life” (Jn. 5:24)–without undergoing any sacrament or ritual, and without any waiting period or purgatory. The thief on the cross is the classic example. On the most meager evidence of his faith, Jesus told him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43). No sacrament or work was required for him to procure salvation.

Furthermore, the many healings Jesus accomplished were physical evidence of His power to forgive sins (Matt. 9:5-6). When He healed, He frequently said, “Your faith has made you well” (Matt. 9:22; Mk. 5:34; 10:52; Lk. 8:48; 17:19; 18:42). All those healings were object lessons on the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

But the one occasion where Jesus actually declared someone “justified” provides the best insight into the doctrine as He taught it:

He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14, emphasis added).

That parable surely shocked Jesus’ listeners! They “trusted in themselves that they were righteous” (v. 9)–the very definition of self-righteousness. Their theological heroes were the Pharisees, who held to the most rigid legalistic standards. They fasted, made a great show of praying and giving alms, and even went further in applying the ceremonial laws than Moses had actually prescribed.

Yet Jesus had stunned multitudes by saying, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20)–followed by, “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (v. 48). Clearly, He set a standard that was humanly impossible, for no one could surpass the rigorous living of the scribes and Pharisees.

Now He further astounds His listeners with a parable that seems to place a detestable tax-gatherer in a better position spiritually than a praying Pharisee.

Jesus’ point is clear. He was teaching that justification is by faith alone. All the theology of justification is there. But without delving into abstract theology, Jesus clearly painted the picture for us with a parable.

A Judicial Act of God

This tax-gatherer’s justification was an instantaneous reality. There was no process, no time lapse, no fear of purgatory. He “went down to his house justified” (v. 14)–not because of anything he had done, but because of what had been done on his behalf.

Notice that the tax-collector understood his own helplessness. He owed an impossible debt he knew he could not pay. All he could do was repent and plead for mercy. Contrast his prayer with that of the arrogant Pharisee. He did not recite what he had done. He knew that even his best works were sin. He did not offer to do anything for God. He simply pleaded for divine mercy. He was looking for God to do for him what he could not do for himself. That is the very nature of the penitence Jesus called for.

By Faith Alone

Furthermore, this man went away justified without performing any works of penance, without doing any sacrament or ritual, without any meritorious works whatsoever. His justification was complete without any of those things, because it was solely on the basis of faith. Everything necessary to atone for his sin and provide forgiveness had already been done on his behalf. He was justified by faith on the spot.

Again, he makes a stark contrast with the smug Pharisee, who was so certain that all his fasting and tithing and other works made him acceptable to God. But while the working Pharisee remained unjustified, the believing tax-gatherer received full justification by faith alone.

An Imputed Righteousness

Remember Jesus’ statement from the Sermon on the Mount, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20)? Yet now He states that this tax-gatherer–the most wicked of men–was justified! How did such a sinner obtain a righteousness that exceeded that of the Pharisee? If the standard is divine perfection (v. 48), how could a traitorous tax-collector ever become just in God’s eyes?

The only possible answer is that he received a righteousness that was not his own (cf. Phil. 3:9). Righteousness was imputed to him by faith (Rom. 4:9-11).

Whose righteousness was reckoned to him? It could only be the perfect righteousness of a flawless Substitute, who in turn must bear the tax-gatherer’s sins and suffer the penalty of God’s wrath in his place. And the gospel tells us that is precisely what Jesus did.

The tax-gatherer was justified. God declared him righteous, imputing to him the full and perfect righteousness of Christ, forgiving him of all unrighteousness, and delivering him from all condemnation. Forever thereafter he stood before God on the ground of a perfect righteousness that had been reckoned to his account.

That is what justification means. It is the only true gospel. All other points of theology emanate from it. As Packer wrote, “The doctrine of justification by faith is like Atlas: it bears a world on its shoulders, the entire evangelical knowledge of saving grace.” [4] t he difference between sola fide and every other formula for justification is not theological hair-splitting. A right understanding of justification by faith is the very foundation of the gospel. You cannot go wrong on this point without ultimately corrupting every other doctrine as well.

And that is why every “different gospel” is under the eternal curse of God.

I raise this concern because most New Perspectivists deny any legitimate distinction between law and gospel; they often portray justification in stages, with final justification dependent on the believer’s own works; and many of them downplay or reject the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the believer. They have focused their revisionist hermeneutic on the very passages where Paul most clearly teaches these doctrines, such as 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Philippians 3:9.

To give a more thorough analysis the New Perspective’s devastating impact on the doctrine of justification is far beyond the scope of this article. But most critics of New Perspectivism have raised very similar concerns. See, for example, David Linden, The New Perspective of N. T. Wright on the Doctrine of Justification.

Two notable exceptions are James White, The God who Justifies (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2001), and R.C. Sproul, Faith Alone (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995).
James I. Packer in James Buchanan, The Doctrine of Justification (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1961 reprint of 1867 original), 2.
Packer, in Buchanan, 2.

John McArthur. GTY

The following quotes concerning baptism are taken from chapter 28 of the Westminster Confessions…  “1. Baptism is a sacrament of the new testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible Church; but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins, and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to walk in newness of life. Which sacrament is, by Christ’s own appointment, to be continued in His Church until the end of the world.

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First, baptism is NOT a sacrament.  There is NO special grace conferred by being baptized.  The word “sacrament” isn’t even found in the Bible.

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Furthermore, there is NOT one single Verse in the entire Bible which teaches that a person is sealed through baptism.

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On the contrary, Ephesians 1:13 states… “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.It’s God’s Holy Spirit which seals the believer; NOT baptism.    The only sure sign that a person has been placed into the Body of Christ is the Holy Spirit of God Himself, “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit” (1st John 4:13).

Scripture clearly teaches then that, baptism is NOT a sacrament!

I have read and re read theses passages and noticed that Satan used the same strategy when tempting both the first Adam, and the second Adam – Christ.
Gen 3: 1-6 Matt 4

Gen 3: 1-6
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

By questioning the literal word of God and offering Eve spiritual benefits that she could attain, in effect, I think we see Satan here, originating the allegorical approach as a way to understand what God really said!
Likewise, when Satan tempted our Lord, he questioned the literal word of God, and then proceeded to allegorize and offer spiritual and physical blessings.

Mathew 4 1-41 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”

I have looked at many proponents of the allegorical/ spiritualizing approach, all the way from Augustine, Origen, and down through Piper, Sproul, Robertson, Keller and Doriani.

However, I have found compelling evidence in the scripture to use the literal interpretation method for all genres of the word, as the safest, and best method to avoid the introduction of heresy. Jesus summed it up well:

Mathew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”

What is the meaning of repentance? How important is it in our salvation from sin? Is it the same as godly sorrow? Must we admit or acknowledge our sins to be forgiven? What other conditions must we meet to be saved? What about faith and baptism? Should Christians ever repent or is it just for alien sinners? What are the fruits of repentance? What is restitution, and how important is it? Have you repented of your sins?

Introduction:

Repentance is a fundamental part of God’s requirements of man.
Jeremiah 25:4,5 – A typical summary of the message of the Old Testament prophets: “Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doing…” [35:15; Ezekiel 18:30; 2 Kings 17:13]
Matthew 3:2 – John the Baptist taught, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
Mark 1:15 – Mark’s summary of Jesus’ message includes: “Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Luke 13:3 – Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
Mark 6:12 – Jesus sent the apostles to preach that people should repent.
Acts 2:38 – In the first gospel sermon, Peter preached, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you for the remission of sins…”
Acts 17:30 – God commands all men everywhere to repent.
Revelation 3:19 – “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”

All who study the Bible agree that repentance is fundamental to Bible teaching.
The purpose of this lesson is to study what the Bible says about repentance.
Despite the frequent Bible references to repentance, many people misunderstand it and still more neglect it. Many people commit immorality, indifference, mistreatment of others, or doctrinal error, yet never truly repent.
What is repentance and why is it important? What does repentance require us to do?
Note that people who are not Christians need to repent, but so do Christians when we sin. This is a lesson needed by everyone.

1.  The Meaning of Repentance
What Does Repentance Mean?
A. A Change of Mind – Greek. metonoia
The basic message of the gospel is change. To be forgiven of sins, you need to change. To please God you need to change. To receive eternal life you need to change. This emphasis on change is focused in the word “repent.”
“Repentance” – “a change of mind: as it appears in one who repents of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done … esp. the change of mind of those who have begun to abhor their errors and misdeeds, and have determined to enter upon a better course of life, so that it embraces both a recognition of sin and sorrow for it and hearty amendment, the tokens and effects of which are good deeds …” – Grimm-Wilke-Thayer.

Repentance is “a change of mind” – a decision, a choice, a determination of the heart, a deliberate exercise of the will – in which one determines to act differently in the future than he has in the past.

B. Examples of Repentance

Jonah 3:4-10 – When Jonah preached, the people of Nineveh gave heed, were sorry, and turned from their evil ways (vv 8,10). “Turn” and “return” are common Old Testament words meaning “repent.” Jesus said these people “repented” at the preaching of Jonah (Matthew 12:41).
Matthew 21:28-32 – A son refused to work for his father, but later repented (regretted it – NKJV) and went. He “changed his mind.” Jesus applied this to sinners who repented at John’s preaching in contrast to priests would not repent (relent – NKJV).

C. Repentance from Sin
The change of mind required by the gospel is repentance of sin. This involves changing ones mind about sin – making up ones mind to cease practicing sin and to become obedient to God.
Luke 24:47 – Those who are not God’s children should be taught the need for repentance and remission of sin. What they need remission of is what they need to repent of: sin! [2 Tim. 2:25,26; Matt. 9:13]
Acts 8:22 – Likewise, Christians who sin need to be taught to repent of their wickedness. [Luke 15:7,10; 17:3,4; 2 Cor. 12:21]
Repentance is a decision to cease sinning and begin serving God instead.
[Ezekiel 14:6; Deuteronomy 30:2,8,10; Jeremiah 8:4-6; 3:7,10-14; 25:3-7; 36:3,7; 2 Kings 17:13; Zechariah 1:3,4; 2 Chronicles 30:6-9; 1 Samuel 7:3,4; Revelation 2:5. Like hearing, faith, obedience, etc., repentance may refer to a specific decision to obey or may generally include all that a person does to be saved.]

2.   What Must Precede Repentance

Before people can truly repent, certain other things must occur first. Sometimes people misunderstand or fail to practice repentance because they misunderstand or fail to practice the things that must precede it.

A. One Must Hear and Believe God’s Will.
Learning and believing is necessary in order to inform men that they need to repent and to motivate them to do so.
Remember that prophets, apostles, and Jesus all preached and taught repentance (see introduction). Teaching is necessary to lead one to repent.
Luke 24:47 – Jesus commanded repentance and remission to be preached to all men. Men cannot know they need to repent unless they are told to repent.
2 Kings 17:13 – God repeatedly sent prophets to warn the people to repent. Every Old Testament prophet you can name preached this way.
Today people sometimes tire of hearing preachers rebuke sin. But read the prophets! This is God’s plan. His way to lead men to leave sin is to warn them to repent.
2 Timothy 2:25,26 – Correct those who are in error hoping they will come to repentance and escape the snare of the devil. No one will ever change until he realizes he is wrong and sees the consequence of his error. To convince people they are wrong we must show them the evidence in God’s word.
Romans 2:4,5 – Failure to repent treasures up wrath at the day of God’s judgment of mankind. When people are in sin, telling them to repent is not unkind or cruel. It is an act of love, because only in this way can they correct their lives and receive eternal life.
[See other Scriptures in introduction.]
The message that leads men to repent must be God’s word.
Ezekiel 13:22 – False prophets encourage people to continue in sin by not telling them that they need to turn (repent) from their wicked ways. When people sin, faithful preachers must not let them continue thinking they are acceptable before God. If we do not rebuke them, they may be lost.
Ezekiel 33:7-9,14-16 – If preachers do not warn people of their sins, and the people are lost, God will also hold the preachers accountable. Some cannot bring themselves to tell folks they are wrong, so they compromise the truth. God will hold them accountable for the lost souls that result.
People in sin need to hear exactly what God’s word says. To withhold the truth does not do anyone a favor.
[Jeremiah 23:12; 26:2,3; Isaiah 6:10; 2 Corinthians 7:8ff; Acts 20:21; 17:30; 26:20; Luke 16:27-31; 5:32; Jonah 3:4,5; Proverbs 1:23; Revelation 3:19]

B. One Must Acknowledge Sin.
When honest people hear the truth preached, they see the application and are convicted of sin.
Psalm 38:18 – I will declare my iniquity. We must admit it as a fact.
Proverbs 28:13 – One who covers his sins will not prosper. In order to have mercy, he must confess and forsake it.
Malachi 3:7 – When confronted about their sins, some people refuse to admit guilt. They ask, “What sin? What do I have to repent of?”
Before one will change his life, he must decide to change (repent). Before he decides to change, he must recognize that he has been guilty. As long as a person defends his practice and refuses to admit error, he has not repented.
[1 John 1:9; 1 Kings 8:47; 2 Chronicles 6:24-39; 7:14; Acts 19:18; James 5:16; Jeremiah 3:12f; 8:4-6; 5:3; 44:4,5; Jonah 3:8,10; Amos 4:6-11; Luke 15:18,21; 17:3,4; Psalm 32:5; Leviticus 26:40]

C. One Must Be Sorry for His Sins.
Simply admitting one has sinned is not enough. Some people know they have sinned but don’t care, or at least don’t really regret what they did.
Psalm 38:18 – I will declare my iniquity and be in anguish for my sin.
Joel 2:12,13 – Turn to God (repent) with weeping and mourning. Tear your heart, not your garment. God wants, not mere outward expressions of grief, but sincere sorrow. We must sincerely wish we had never done the act.
2 Corinthians 7:10 – Godly sorrow leads to repentance unto salvation. One who does not repent cannot be saved, and he cannot truly repent without sorrow.
James 4:8,9 – Sinners must mourn and weep.
A person may admit he did wrong and may even stop committing the sin, but that does not prove he regrets what he did. He may think it was justified under the circumstances, but he simply has no reason to do it again.
For example, a couple may live together without marriage then get married; they are no longer committing fornication, but that does not prove they regret the fornication committed before marriage.
To be saved one must Scripturally repent. But He will never truly repent until he knows and admits he was wrong and is truly sorry.
[Psalm 34:18; 51:17; 31:10; Isaiah 57:15; 66:2; 22:12-14; Job 42:6; Jeremiah 31:19; 5:3; 6:26; Jonah 3:5-8; Matthew 26:75; 11:20; 2 Chronicles 34:27; Ezra 10:1]

3.  The Importance of Repentance
It is also possible for a person to know he is wrong and be sorry without really making up his mind to change. Some people have the idea that repentance just means being sorry – if they just admit they were wrong and say they are sorry, everything is forgiven.

But repentance is a decision to change. Why is this important?

A. Repentance Is Essential in Order to Develop Proper Attitudes.
We can never please God till we develop a proper state of mind.
Proverbs 4:23 – Keep your heart diligently because out of it are the issues of life. People do wrong because they chose to do wrong. In order to start doing right, they must change their mind and decide to do right – repent.
The mind is where we decide what we will do. This is why our state of mind is so important.
Romans 6:17,18 – One who is a servant of sin needs to be made free from sin and become a servant of righteousness. To do this, he must obey God “from the heart.” You cannot obey from the heart until you have decided in your heart to obey. That decision to do right is repentance.
Joel 2:12,13 – Repentance must involve the heart – the inner man. We can never please God till we get our heart right. That happens in repentance. When people know what God wants but will not do it, they lack repentance. (They may also lack faith, love, etc., but one thing they definitely lack is repentance.)
[1 Kings 8:33-36,46-50; 2 Chronicles 6:24-39; 7:14; Ezekiel 18:31; Jeremiah 24:7; 2 Kings 23:25; 1 Samuel 7:3,4]

B. Repentance Is Essential in order to Receive God’s Forgiveness.
2 Peter 3:9 – God is not willing for men to perish but wants all to come to repentance. The alternative to repentance is perishing! [Luke 13:3,5]
Acts 2:38 – Repent and be baptized for remission of sins.
Ezekiel 18:21-23,27,28,30-32 – Wicked men must turn from evil and do right or they will die (spiritually). God does not want us to die. He is willing to forgive, but first we must be willing to change. Before we can change, we must decide to change – that is repentance.
The gospel emphasizes repentance because repentance is essential to changing our attitudes and our life. Until we are willing to change our lives, God is not willing to forgive our sins!
If you have sinned, you must admit the sin and be sorry. Then you must make up your mind to change. Have you done so, or are you just expecting everything to be forgotten because you said you were sorry? Forgiveness comes only after a decision to change!
[Ezekiel 33:10-19; 2 Timothy 2:25,26; Romans 2:4,5; Acts 3:19; 8:22; 5:31; 17:30,31; Revelation 2:5,16,21-23; Luke 3:8,9; 24:47; 2 Corinthians 7:10; 1 Kings 8:46-50; 2 Chronicles 6:24-29; 7:14; Joel 2:12-14; Jeremiah 36:3,7; Isaiah 55:7; Matthew 11:20-24; 21:28-32]

4. Things That Must Follow Repentance
Some think it is enough just to decide to change. That constitutes repentance, but something more must follow the repentance.

A. After Repentance, One Must Meet Other Conditions of Forgiveness.
What the conditions are depends on whether one has or has not been baptized.
After repenting, one who is not a child of God must be baptized.
Acts 2:38 – Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Some people do not realize that the Bible teaches baptism is essential. Other people have been shown but still will not accept it. These people are not showing true repentance!
Remember, repentance is a decision to do what God’s word says. When a person sees what God’s word says but will not do it, that person is not showing true repentance.
When a person refuses to be baptized, his primary problem is not baptism: it is his faith or his repentance! If believes the truth he will know he must repent and be baptized. If he then truly repents, you won’t be able to keep him from the water!
[Mark 16:15,16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:3,4; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21]
A Child of God who sins must pray for forgiveness.
Sometimes children of God sin after they have been baptized. They do not need to be baptized again, but they do need to repent again.
Acts 8:22 – Simon was told to repent and pray that his sin might be forgiven. The Christian who sins needs to repent and pray, not repent and be baptized. [1 John 1:9; Matthew 6:12]
If one has wronged other people, he must also confess to them – Matthew 5:23,24. If the sin is known and has been a bad influence on the congregation or hindered the effort of the church to teach, then the whole church needs to be told the person has repented.
[Luke 17:3,4; 15:18,21; Genesis 50:17; James 5:16; Proverbs 28:13; study passages on influence and reputation]

B. Then One Must Change His Conduct – Quit Practicing Sin.
Repentance is a decision to change. After receiving forgiveness, one must follow through and make the changes he decided to make.

Scriptures
Acts 26:20 – After forgiveness men must do works worthy of repentance. [Luke 3:8-14; Matthew 3:8]
Ezekiel 18:21-32 – To avoid death, the wicked must turn from evil and do right and keep God’s statutes.
Matthew 21:28-31 – The ultimate question, in the story of the two sons, was which of the two did the will of the father. The son who was right was the one who eventually went and did what he was supposed to do.
Proverbs 28:13 – We prosper, not by hiding our sins, but by confessing and forsaking them.
Applications
This is where many members of the church fail. They profess that they want forgiveness, then are baptized or pray for forgiveness, but never follow through and change. They want forgiveness but not change.
There is a difference between repentance and the fruits of repentance. Sometimes people go through the motions of baptism (or public confession), but do not truly repent. These people will never truly be forgiven until they first truly repent.
Other people really did repent and intended to change their lives, but never followed through. These people may have been forgiven the first time but now are back in sin. They need to repent again and this time produce the fruits of repentance.
[Genesis 44 cf. Genesis 37; Luke 13:5-9; 15:19; Ezekiel 33:10-19; Revelation 2:5; Deuteronomy 30:2; 2 Kings 17:13; Jonah 3:8,10; Isaiah 55:7; Jeremiah 4:1; 18:8,11; 44:4,5; 25:3-7; 35:15; 2 Chronicles 30:6-9; 1 Samuel 7:3,4]

C. Then One Must Make Restitution.
The fruits of repentance require more than just deciding to do right “next time” or to “never do that again.” To the extent possible we must attempt to go back and correct the harmful effects of our sins on other people.
Ezekiel 33:14,15 – One who was wicked must not only walk in the statutes, but also return what he stole. [Exodus 22:1-15; Leviticus 6:1-5; Numbers 5:5-8; 2 Samuel 12:6]
Ezra 10:3,11,17,19,44 – When Israelite men had married foreign women, contrary to God’s law, they had to repent and put away the wives. This is what repentance requires today when people are living in adultery because of unscriptural divorce and remarriage [9:1-10:44; Matt. 19:9]
Luke 19:8 – Zacchaeus had been a publican. When he was converted, he determined to return the taxes charged wrongfully.
This can be a difficult principle to apply because sometimes the effect of a sin cannot be undone (for example, murder). But it is a Bible principle and must be accomplished to the extent possible.
[Philem. 10-14,18,19; Matthew 21:28-31; Nehemiah 5:11-13; 2 Corinthians 7:9-11; Genesis 20:1-14; 1 Samuel 12:3; Proverbs 6:31; Acts 16:33; 26:20; 19:18,19]

Conclusion
Luke 15:17-24 – The story of the prodigal son illustrates all the principles we have studied. The younger son wasted his inheritance in riotous living (vv 13,30). He came to be in need and “came to himself” (vv 14-17). [The story does not use the word “repent,” but the parallel stories do in vv 7,10.]
* He acknowledged his error: “I have sinned” (v18).
* His sorrow was implied by the fact he no longer believed himself worthy to be called a son (v19).
* He then decided to go back to the father (vv 18,19). This decision is repentance. (Cf. vv 7,10)
* He met the conditions of forgiveness by confessing his sin to the father (vv 20,21).
* He left the practice of sin (vv 20,21).
* He offered to make restitution by being just a servant of the father, not even a son any longer (vv 19,21).
The gospel is a message of change. Sinners can change. You can change.
Note the attitude of the father when the son did return: vv 20,22-24. Truly there is joy in heaven among the angels when a sinner “repents” (vv 7,10)

In 1 Thessalonians 5:12, the apostle Paul says, “Appreciate those that are over you in the Lord.” It says, “Love them, appreciate them.” Yes, love them; yes. Give them glory–no. Exalt them–no. First Peter, Peter writes in chapter 5 instruction to pastors. He says this: “Clothe yourselves with humility, for God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you at the proper time.” Again, humility is the first law of ministry. All faithful, all honorable ministers make much of Christ and nothing of themselves.

Any so-called minister, any so-called minister who exalts his own office and his own position into that of a priest, a mediator, is perverted in his claims. There is only one High Priest and one Mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus. Any so-called minister who declares himself an authority over the church is a deceiver and a liar. Any so-called minister who says he exercises power over the church is a deceiver and an antichrist. Any minister who views himself as anything more than a simple Christian equal to every other Christian has corrupted himself. Any so-called minister who claims to be the head of the church, dishonors the Son of God to whom that title belongs exclusively. Any so-called minister who claims the name Holy Father dishonors the true Father/God to whom that title belongs exclusively, and thus did Jesus say, “Call no man Father.” Any so-called minister who takes the title vicar, or replacement for Christ, dishonors the Holy Spirit who is in the world today, and who possesses truly that title exclusively. Any professing Christians who treat a so-called pastor or minister or a priest as if he were anything more than any other believer, dishonors the Lord Jesus Christ to whom all honor belongs totally and exclusively.

As churches defect, as churches fall into apostasy, they think less of Christ and they make more of their ministers. So they keep elevating and elevating and elevating and elevating, until it becomes bizarre. The resplendent decorations, foolish costumes, hats, accoutrements, are inverse to the diminishing of the glory of Christ. As the sun goes out, the stars appear in the darkness. Not enough to dispel the darkness. To the decaying, corrupt church the sun has gone out and the stars have ascended into the blackness of the sky. In a truly holy church, true church, the church makes little of the ministers and much of Christ. And the Son Himself shines so fully and so brightly in a starless sky that His glory fills everything.