REPENTANCE is absolutely necessary on the part of man, and without this he cannot be saved. “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:33I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3)). It is morally impossible for God to save an unrepentant sinner; for salvation is not an act of omnipotence merely, but a question in which the character and glory of God, and man’s sins, and therefore his relations to God, are involved.
The truth is, there is but one God over all; man is a creature of His hand, but a creature that is responsible for his conduct, and held to be such by God, whether he believes it or not; and a creature that has sinned and rebelled against God, and is living a life of alienation from Him. “All have sinned;” “There is none that doeth good, no, not one;” “There is none that seeketh after God.” The whole world standeth guilty before God (Rom. 3). “As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue confess to God” (Rom. 14:1111For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Romans 14:11)).
Two facts stare us in the face here, ―1st, What man is, ―a sinner and rebel against God; 2nd That God will bring man into His presence, and there to confess to Him. “Every tongue SHALL confess to God” (Rom. 14:1111For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Romans 14:11)). Omnipotence will bring the unrepentant sinner there at the judgment day (oh, what a day for him!), while grace leads the repentant one there now, to receive the forgiveness of all his sins.
Repentance is not a favor that man is doing God. No the whole case demands it, ―God’s character, and man’s sin. God’s majesty has been insulted, His divine claims ignored and trampled underfoot of man. It is the only true and proper place for rebel man to take in the presence of the offended majesty of heaven. The case will admit of no other.
God demands it. God “commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:3030And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (Acts 17:30)). Mark, reader, He commands you to repent. Have you repented? Have you retraced your steps, like the prodigal in Luke 15, and in self-judgment confessed all to Him? “I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.”
This, truly, is the only becoming language of one who has turned his back upon God, ignored His authority, sinned against Him, done his own will, and served Satan rather than his Creator. Reader, have you returned to God, confessed to Him? Be assured, it is the only right place, and the only place of blessing. God can only meet the unrepentant in awful judgment.
Then, see, “it is the goodness of God that leads to repentance” (Rom. 2:44Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4)). Blessed thought! He labors to bring His guilty creature back to his true place, so that He might bless him. God has no pleasure in the death and judgment of the sinner, but rather that he should turn and live. “O turn ye, O turn ye, for why will ye die?” is the plaintive cry of God towards His erring creatures. His goodness leads to repentance.
Before Christ ascended to heaven, He gathered His apostles around Him, and said, “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24: 46, 47). The risen Christ connects two things together, repentance and remission of sins,—they are preached in His name among all nations. Having accomplished the glorious work of redemption, He sends His heralds out to all nations, calls upon them to take the place of self-judgment before God, and receive from Him the purchase of His blood, ―the everlasting forgiveness of sins.
Reader, it is preached to all nations, and therefore to you. Have you obeyed the summons? have you received the message of the risen Christ? are your many sins forgiven? If not, delay not, I beseech you, for I hear the sound of judgment already.
All heaven bows to the authority of God, they serve and worship Him. There is not a rebel that has a home there. Everything is morally right there, because God is fully owned. The rebel angels were cast down, and are irrevocably lost. Man has followed their awful example, but, thank God, there is salvation for him, though guilty he may be. “Christ died for sinners.” On this ground only can man be saved. Christ “hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:1818For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (1 Peter 3:18)). When man repents, heaven rejoices; they rejoice that a fallen rebel creature has returned to his right place of allegiance to God, returned in self-judgment and confession of sin, returned to the only place where God can meet him with pardon and blessing. They rejoice, because God is fully owned and glorified, and the sinner eternally blessed. “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:1010Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:10)). Blessed, unselfish joy!
Repentance was the burden of the apostle Paul’s preaching, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:2121Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21)).
Repentance, to which the goodness of God leads, is indeed a blessed thing. We make a clean breast of everything. “I am vile,”― “I have sinned.” This is toward God. Then God says, “I gave my Son to die for you, His blood cleanseth from all sin.
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
This is the fruit of “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” E. A.
A MOTTO FOR LIFE.
FOR a Christian, the secret of peace within, and power without, is to be always and only occupied with Christ. J. N. D.