The unrepenting repenter

This is so good, I wanted to put it up on my blog. Jim Elliff did a great job hitting the nail on the head. Praise God for this work.

Friday, February 20, 2009
The Unrepenting Repenter
by Jim Elliff

The believer in Christ is a lifelong repenter. He begins with repentance and continues in repentance. (Rom. 8:12-13) David sinned giant sins but fell without a stone at the mere finger of the prophet because he was a repenter at heart (2 Sam. 12:7-13). Peter denied Christ three times but suffered three times the remorse until he repented with bitter tears (Mt. 26:75). Every Christian is called a repenter, but he must be a repenting repenter. The Bible assumes the repentant nature of all true believers in its instruction on church discipline. A man unwilling to repent at the loving rebuke of the church can be considered nothing more than "a heathen and a tax collector." (Mt. 18:15-17)

What Is Repentance?

Repentance is a change of mind regarding sin and God, an inward turning from sin to God, which is known by its fruit—obedience. (Mt. 3:8; Acts 26:20; Lk. 13:5-9) It is hating what you once loved and loving what you once hated, exchanging irresistible sin for an irresistible Christ. The true repenter is cast on God. Faith is his only option. When he fully knows that sin utterly fails him, God takes him up. (Mt. 9:13b) He will have faith or he will have despair; conviction will either deliver him or devour him.

The religious man often deceives himself in his repentance. The believer may sin the worst of sins, it is true; but to remain in the love of sin, or to be comfortable in the atmosphere of sin, is a deadly sign, for only repenters inhabit heaven. The deceived repenter would be a worse sinner if he could, but society holds him back. He can tolerate and even enjoy other worldly professing Christians and pastors well enough, but does not desire holy fellowship or the fervent warmth of holy worship. If he is intolerant of a worship service fifteen minutes "too long," how will he feel after fifteen million years in the eternal worship service of heaven? He aspires to a heaven of lighthearted ease and recreation—an extended vacation; but a heaven of holiness would be hell to such a man. Yet God is holy, and God is in heaven. He cannot be blamed for sending the unholy man to hell despite his most articulate profession (Heb. 12:14).

What Are the Substitutes for True Repentance?

1. You may reform in the actions without repenting in the heart. (Ps. 5 1: 16-17; Joel 2:13) This is a great deception, for the love of sin remains. (1 Jn. 2:15-17; Acts 8:9-24) At this the Pharisees were experts. (Mk. 7:1-23) The heart of a man is his problem. A man may appear perfect in his actions but be damned for his heart. His actions are at best self-serving and hypocritical. What comes from a bad heart is never good. "Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh." (Jas. 3:11-12)

2. You may experience the emotion of repentance without the effect of it. Here is a kind of amnesia. You see the awful specter of sin in the mirror and flinch out of horror yet immediately forget what kind of person you saw (Jas. 1:23-24). It is true, repentance includes sincere emotion, an affection for God and a disaffection for sin. Torrents of sorrow may flood the repenter's heart, and properly so (Jas. 4:8-10). But there is such a thing as a temporary emotion in the mere semblance of repentance; this emotion has very weak legs and cannot carry the behavior in the long walk of obedience. Your sorrow may even be prolonged. Yet if it does not arrive at repentance, it is of the world and is a living death—and maybe more (2 Cor. 7: 10). It is an old deceiver. Judas had such remorse but "went and hanged himself." (Mt. 27:3-5)

3. You may confess the words of a true repenter and never repent. (Mt. 21:28-32; 1 Jn. 2:4; 4:20) Confession by itself is not repentance. Confession moves the lips; repentance moves the heart. Naming an act as evil before God is not the same as leaving it. Though your confession may be honest and emotional, it is not enough unless it expresses a true change of heart. There are those who confess only for the show of it, whose so-called repentance may be theatrical but not actual. If you express repentance to appear successful, you will not be successful at repenting. You will speak humbly but sin arrogantly. Saul gave the model confession (1 Sam. 15:24-26) and later went to hell. Repentance "from the teeth out" is no repentance.

4. You may repent for the fear of reprisal alone and not for the hatred of sin. Any man will stop sinning when caught or relatively sure he will be, unless there is insufficient punishment or shame attached (1 Tim. 1:8-11). When there are losses great enough to get his attention, he will reform. If this is the entire motive of his repentance, he has not repented at all. It is the work of law, but not grace. Men can be controlled by fear, but what is required is a change of heart. Achan admitted his sin after being caught but would not have otherwise. Find his bones in the Valley of Achor; his soul, most likely, in hell. (Josh. 7:16-26)

5. You may talk against sin in public like a true repenter but never repent in private. (Mt. 23:1-3) The exercise of the mouth cannot change the heart. Your sin is like a prostitute. You are speaking against your lover in public but embracing her in the bedroom. She is not particular about being run down in public if she can have your full attention in private. "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?" (Jas. 4:4)

6. You may repent primarily for temporal gains rather than the glory of God. There are gains for the repenter, but the final motivation for repenting cannot be selfish. Self is a dead, stinking carcass to be discarded. We are to repent because God is worthy and is our respected authority, even if we gain nothing. Indeed, our repenting may appear to lose us more than our sin had gained. (Mt. 16:24-26; Phil. 3:7-8) And this is a test of true repentance.

7. You may repent of lesser sins for the purpose of continuing in greater sins. (Lk. 11:42) We try to salve our nagging conscience by some minor exercise of repentance, which is really no repentance at all. The whole heart is changed in the believer. The half repenter is a divided man: part against sin and part for it; part against Christ, part for Him. But one or the other must win out, for man cannot serve God and mammon (or any other idol); he must love the one and hate the other. (Mt. 6:24)

8. You may repent so generally that you never repent of any specific sin at all. The man who repents in too great a generality is likely covering his sins. (Prov. 28:13) If there are no particular changes, there is no repenting. Sin has many heads, like the mythological Hydra. It cannot be dealt with in general, but its heads must be cut off one by one.

9. You may repent for the love of friends and religious leaders and not repent for the love of God. (Isa. 1: 10-17) A man talked into repentance may reform for the love of friends or the respect of the spiritually minded, yet do nothing substantial. If a man turns from sin without turning to God, he will find his sin has only changed its name and is hidden behind his pride. Now it will be harder to rout for its subterfuge. You have loved others but not God. And you have loved yourself most of all. Lot's wife left the city of sin at the insistence of an angel and for the love of her family, but turned back. She had left her heart. "Remember Lot's wife." (Gen. 19:12-26; Lk. 17:32)

10. You may confess the finished action of sin and not repent from the continuing habit of sin. If a man is honest, he is a good man in human terms; but he is not a repenting man until the sin is stabbed to death. He must be a murderer if he would be God's: "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Rom. 8:13) God knows what you have done; what He wants is obedience. (Lk. 6:46)

11. You may attempt repentance of your sin while consciously leaving open the door of its opportunity. A man who says " I repent" but will not leave the source or environment of that sin is suspect. Though some situations which invite temptation cannot be changed, most can. A man who will not flee the setting of his temptation when he is able still loves his sin. A mouse is foolish to build his nest under the cat's bed. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." (Rom. 13:14)

12. You may make an effort to repent of some sins without repenting of all the sin you know. The businessman learns to show concern for the needs of his clients, yet he batters his wife through neglect. Another gives his money in the offering plate weekly but steals time from his employer daily. Every man boasts of some sins conquered, but true repentance is a repulsion of sin as a whole. The repenter hates all sin, though he fails more readily in some than in others. He may not know all his sins, but what he knows he spurns. Repentance is universal in the believer; the spirit is willing even when the flesh is weak (Mt. 26:41).

Repentance and faith are bound together. A repenting man has no hope for obedience without faith in the source of all holiness, God Himself. In repenting of sins, he loses his self-sufficiency. God is his sanctifier. (Jude 24-25; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 1 Pet. 1:5)

Repentance is a gift of God (Acts 11:19; 2 Tim. 2:25) and a duty of man (Acts 17:30; Lk. 13:3). You will know if it has been granted by the exercise of it. (Phil. 2:12-13) Do not wait for it; run toward it. "Be zealous and repent." (Rev. 3:19) Pursue it and you will find it; forget it and perish.


Copyright 1994 Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc. 201 Main, Parkville, MO 64152. Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in exact form including copyright. Other uses require written permission

Chalcedon statement

Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D)
Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.

Repentance and Gospel preaching

The gospel is a loaded gun. I find its more difficult than one can imagine to find preachers that will pull the trigger. Even when some do the fear that the message will appear hard, or in fact the messenger will appear hard, insensitive, overtly stirring up disfavor with the congregants.

Lets speak for a moment about what I have heard over the years as reasons for the aversion to preaching the gospel with a sharp edged intensive content. This fear that hounds various preachers directs itself in ways that are very subtle. Its proposed as a caution "beware lest we beat the sheep". Another one, "we do not want to appear legalistic or too severe". Finally, "God has called us to preach grace not law, therefore if we become hard, strict or confrontatiive we mis-represent the gospel and Christ.

But I say, that what is being feared is not for the most part a mis-representing of Christ, but a mis-representing of what it is supposed to mean to be a pastor or evangelical speaker. I say this because it is very rarely heard among these same preachers that fear hard confrontative sermons, that they might preach too softly, to comfortably, too dispassionately. Zeal to be soft is the new platform persona for them. Its not Christ in his style but denominationalism, pastoral assocations that have determined the essence of their proclamations.

But before someone complains that I am beating down personalities and certain types of preaching styles, I will throw this very large caveat over this article. God has made his preachers the way he has made them, and no one need conform to anyone elses style and methodology. Now, I have given the caveat, but it must be noted that the only thing worse than being a heretic is being a loud intense confrontative preacher. Ask any zealous soft-speaker what they think of such a man and you will hear all the above fears in some form or another rise to the surface. They are fast to denounce such a harsh preacher, much faster to denounce that than they are many other issues. Their fears of men, not Christ adorn their style and this is one of the blemishes of pulpiteers today.

What does this have to do with repentance and gospel preaching?

It effects what is said. Take for example.
Isa 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Isa 40:2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
How many times have I heard that preaching style and content is based upon Isa 40 "comfort"..."speak tenderly"..."cry to her" etc.
Yet without the slightest thought that this text has nothing to do with style or preaching manner, but in fact a message...That message is Isa 40:3 A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isa 40:4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
Isa 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Isa 40:6 A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
Isa 40:7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass.
Isa 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isa 40:9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"
Isa 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
Isa 40:11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Its the message that God will honor his word and He will tend his flock and He will gather the lambs, and He wil carry them and He will gently lead them.
But what of those who are rebellious? What of those who's ways are sin and who's mind is enmity against God? Isa 42:23 Who among you will give ear to this, will attend and listen for the time to come?
Isa 42:24 Who gave up Jacob to the looter, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned, in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law they would not obey?
Isa 42:25 So he poured on him the heat of his anger and the might of battle; it set him on fire all around, but he did not understand; it burned him up, but he did not take it to heart.

I hope you can see what I am saying? God has not given a one-dimensional message that contains only confort, but it contains the truth of what we are and what we have done against Him and his holy Law. Will those who preach the comforting words of Isaiah 41..literally the whole chapter, will they not preach that it was God that "poured out his anger, set him on fire, it burned him up" Isa 42:25? Such statements are meant to convey the message that God chastened, God corrected, God took the role of loving Father and Divine Judge and brought them together to divinely rule over Israel.

Is there a mouth among us that can utter the truth that God both conforts and burns his people? Will there be anyone among us that has the heart to speak the truth about God. Oh, is there a difference in Christ? Is there a change in the way God will deal with ungodliness even among the churches?
Rev 2:5 If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent...and again Rev 2:16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
Rev 2:21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works

The reality is my friends that such texts are almost never preached upon, and even those who do expound the scripture, never let the sharp edge of such words be known that such a Jesus will do so against them if they repent not!

Repentance, yes, but not simply the definition of repentance, the rehashing of some greek word that means to change ones mind, to switch direction and so on. But what of the subject of what needs to be repentend of? Just what are we being asked to repent of? I am sick of hearing that we need to repent of sin. Well, what sin? How about we need to repent of lying? or of idolatry, or of compromise, or of covetousness? Label the sin so that when we have ceased coveting we may be known to have repented. But to say we need to repent of sin in a generic way, it only feeds the hypocrite with a means to use so that he/she may speak of what others need to do and not themselves.

These texts are too difficult, too harsh, to confrontative to be preached by those zealous to appear 'pastoral', whatever that means.

In the end, what happens is the hypocrite stays very safe while sitting in the pew hearing about repentance. They carnal man is safe talking about repentance as long as its nothing that is so clear and glaring that it forces him to deal with the issues himself with Christ. The unsaved, these are the most unfortunate of all. These sit safely in the pew being comforted, supposing the pastor thinks hes saved the leadership thinks he's saved, the congregation accepts him as a part of the body of Christ. But Jesus the whole time sees him as a deceived and lost individual who is finding comfort in..of all things....a sermon on repentance.

A brief Statement

To my Arminian brothers.

God has an election. God chose, God determined, God decreed, God commanded, God created, God forgave, God loved.

Since God is a person, a perfect person who with all of His attributes is able to bring forth a creation, subject it to his own will, subject it to vanity and from it bring forth eternal praise and thanksgivings to Himself; arguing against God making determinative choices concerning men is foolishness.
It will be found that denying the decrees of God's election denote a depersonalizing of God, not an empowering of man. Sinful men never rise above the self-seeking self-glorifying rut that traps them as well as directs their footsteps.

So there are multiple texts that point to the responsibility of men. What does that mean? Do they nullify the person and attributes of God? No they dont. It means that God's preceptive will has gone out into the world and has found its target, the consciences of men.
God is Sovereign to send out a preceptive will. He didnt ask any of us for permission to issue the command, why as though God has trespassed against human freewill do we cling to the thinking that God made us now "leave us alone"? Even the Christian without the empowering help of the Holy Spirit cannot "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul". How is it that the first and the greatest commandment given by the Sovereign God is completely and utterly impossible to obey? The whole of mankind stumbles over this command of precept let alone a decree concerning "Christ Luke 2:30 for my eyes have seen your salvation Luk 2:31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, Luk 2:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." The eternal decree that Jesus Christ be the Lamb of God slain "from the foundations of the world", thats a stumbling stone and a rock of offense to all sinful men everywhere; just how is it that sinners think they can swallow the eternal decree with no problem and cast off God's decree by commandment is an unworthy topic?

I see so much presumption. Presumption that walks right past the inability of any man to Love God the way he should be loved, casting off the command of God as though its within mans power to love or not love God, to chose or not chose him, to believe or not believe. Sinful man thinks he is a god; any word that comes to him which diminishes his so-called authority is immediately met with resistance. He will even open the bible and dig out as many texts as possible to claim that God is not sovereign enough to unseat the human will from independent autonomous self-determining self-validating authority. He will fabricate every intricate argument and devise every kind of theological-philosophical reason to maintain...and will even claim the authority of God to declare it..."Man is the final determiner of eternal destiny". To me this is a train-wreck theology. The unfulfilled commandment of God left behind untended and the declaration that man has power to determine his eternal destiny. When these two meet on the railway of everyday thinking, the only thing a godly man can do is pray that God open the eyes of the blind.

Its a perfect divine person that made a choice in regards to the outcome of His own creation. No abstract theology was considered, no future knowledge was needed, no telescopic views to a sinners future actions need keep Jehovah occupied so that from external information God could make a good choice.

I realize that its too much for some to believe that God doesnt need anything external to help him make decisions, but God is perfect in all his being, He lacks nothing in order to determine exactly what He will do with the whole of His creation. I know someone is going to stumble over God issuing decrees that might concern the "brushing of our hair". To them its a huge God that is too close, too involved, too dangerous. They cannot reconcile God's intimate knowledge and proximity to all we say and do because they cannot understand it or reconcile it with the personhood of individual humans. Well join the club. Those who appreciate and believe in the Sovereignty of God cannot explain it either. Godly men have tried and they have all failed to reveal the stitching of human will and divine decree hidden behind the quilt of providence. Throw out concurrence into the debate, so we approve the two parallel truths within scripture, but we cannot see Gods secret things. We must acknowledge to God's glory what exists even if we cannot adequately explain it.

Is Election made for the curious? Was predestination revealed in scripture to divide brothers? Not to divide but to reveal that our brotherhood exists as a result of divine grace not human invention.

Maybe in the end we try to hard, and to our shame not to know the person of God, but the abstracts of God in theological distinctions which by the weakness of mens minds tend to isolate the truth of God from God himself. In the end, Election becomes a fatalistic, cold, hard, mechanistic invention that makes even saints feel unloved and hidden away in mega-cosmic drama. See, thats exactly what Election and God's predestination is not. Its the choice of a loving and gracious God to spare some sinful men from the decree of damnation and bestow upon them a glorious life of joy and pleasure, love and family in an unending revealing of God himself.

Charismatic power

Charismatic power, that's what we really want right? No, Its not power, its not influence or ability to change situations. Charismatic ministry is foremostly a ministry of God's power demonstrated and operated through vessels who know their God. The operation of God's Spirit is demonstrating God's sovereignty over sickness, demons, error, hardships, falsehoods and a myriad of other corrupting effects of the fall.
A great deal of believers seek spiritual giftings for reasons that have nothing to do with God's purposes in the world, therefore the Spirit of God that gives out these gifts severally as he wills, does nothing. But instead prayers are made, insights are had and a false fire is ignited.

Ill just get right to it and say what needs to be said. You wonder why the gifts of the Spirit are so few and far between? Do you wonder that no powerful demonstrations of God's Spirit occur? I submit to you that God himself recognizes that many of his own people would turn the gift, the minister, the occurance into an idol or into a formula and God's own children would lose sight of what little sight they have of God now.

We have many small manifestations. Some do get healed and some do get delivered. Some speak in tongues or some get a word of knowledge or wisdom. Some will prophecy this or that. But to find a powerful leader that manifests healing or miracles or prophecy is indeed rare. If the gift of prophecy were working in a real prophet, I wonder that the first few prophecies wouldnt get that man kicked out of Church and out of the denomination. Let a real man of God with a powerful message of conviction and repentance stand behind the pulpit and you will find out just how interested the congregation is in hearing the truth?

God is dangerous. God is the good news and the bad news all rolled into one.

I submit to you, that if you are interested in miracles, be prepared to find every false teacher and false prophet and false worker wanting to pray with you, become connected to you or want your 'approval'. If you are a real prophet, just how long do you think you can tell the truth to a generation of people who love lies and love the comfort that lukewarm dead spirituality offers? The devil is just as happy to rock the cradle of the sleepy as he is to cast the righteous over a cliff.

Godliness is costly. There is always a cross for the godly, do you know where that cross is? That cross is what the godly are nailed too.
Jesus Christ is offering us two things Life and death. Life in Christ and death on a cross of denying self.

God is telling us in his word to seek to edify the Church, to desire spiritual gifts, tongues, prophecy, interpretation..done in orderliness and godliness. 1 Cor 14

Go for it. While you are going for it. Remember that its all about Jesus Christ. Its not about you, the church or gifts or what might or might not happen. If Jesus is the central focus of your life, whatever gifts you operate in, will be safe for the body of Christ.

Charismatic Crummy 3

Continuing the series on Charismatic ministry dealing with prophecy.

Instead of the wise Charismatic acting unwisely by associating him/herself with those who do not study the scripture diligently, he begins to learn good solid theology, good solid biblical hermeneutics. I say this because the Charismatic believers are woefully deficient in theology. I know why they are so. You can ask the 'gifted' prophetic person and they will tell you "I dont want to hang out with people who only think theology and they dont get in touch with the Holy Spirit and they dont try to prophecy or speak in Tongues". They will continue..."I want to be where the Spirit of God is moving." So the reason is by implication theology lacks the Spirit of God and prophecy and gift minded people have the Spirit and you can feel it.

But the Church needs more than personal prophecy it needs solid food that the bible calls the meat of the word. We grow by milk, but maturity desires meat. I am all for personal prophecy, I believe in the powerful working of God's Spirit. But like many many of the Charismatic people Ive known and met, and, the leaders I know and have met, so many of them get personal prophecies and it means no more to them than a paragraph in the astrology column. They forget those prophecies as fast as they come. They dont remember them, they dont put any weight upon them. Why? Why do these ministers who must "have the prophetic spirit" in their services despise prophecies as they do. Yes, I mean despise because to treat the prophetic words given to them as they do, you cannot love and appreciate those 'God speakings' and treat them so.
I believe they must have this "prophetic spirit" because to them it is symbolizing to them that they are genuine, that they are actually loved of God and God is giving them attention. They want to be so desperately loved and appreciated, they want to feel God wants to use them and appreciate them. So, prophecy, healing, gifts, miracles are a means to an end. Yes, a means to an end. What end? The goal is to feel God is some how near and interested in their pain, their weaknesses, their financial woes, their sicknesses and hard marriages, their wayward children and their stressed out lives. Where is God in all this? Well, he's at the prophetic meetings at so and so's Church. Their answer to their pains are to get involved in anything that is calling itself 'prophetic' or healing ministry or visions and giftings. They do want God, most of them, but what they get is imitation, more religious flesh. After all is said and done they are no more closer to God than when they first walked in the door.

In the last post I will offer some suggestions on the prophetic and on meeting God.

If you need to know what a gospel preacher sounds like

I love heartcry ministries. I love and enjoy Pastor Paul Washer. I am posting this You Tube sermon "shocking sermon" that was preached to a Baptist youth convention.

Have a listen, enjoy the God who saves you, imitate the lives of men of God who speak the truth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8

Ive listened to this about 4 times now over the last few years its been on You Tube.
Each time I am blessed. Each time I say to myself "God help me to proclaim your word like this".