You TOO Can SAVE!
Repentance
great deal of confusion has marked the thinking of Christian people in respect to the Biblical doctrine of r e p en ta n c e . To some, repentance speaks only of emotional stress or ex treme anguish caused by sin. By others it has been elevated to the place of human responsibility ante cedent to saving faith in Christ. To a multitude of people, the meaning of repentance has been clouded by the unwarranted transla tion “ do penance” of the Roman Cath olic Douay version of the Bible. [Sor row for sin and meritorious works can never be the equivalent of Bibli cal repentance, for it is “ godly sor row [that] worketh repentance” (2 Cor. 7:10), while salvation is “not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:9; cp. Rom. 4:5; Tit. 3:5).] The doctrine of repentance is best understood when it is broken down into its three component parts. There is an intellectual element to repent ance which requires a change of view or a turning of the mind in respect to certain basic issues. The sinner must change his thinking concerning sin, no longer loving it or condoning it, but seeing it from God’s viewpoint as exceedingly sinful. He must come into a “ knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:- 20). He must change his thinking concerning self, recognizing that he is utterly corrupt and justly con demned (Rom. 3:9-19). [Moreover, his thoughts must change concerning God. He who previously viewed God as so gracious and benevolent as to reprobate none must now comprehend His righteousness and justice, and the sure penalty of a broken law. He who once viewed God as harsh and implacable must now learn of His wonderful love and grace made mani fest at Calvary. A man cannot repent until his thinking has been brought into adjustment with the simple facts of sin and salvation and the truthful ness of the gospel record (1 Cor 15-- 3 ,4 ). There is a proper emotional ele ment to repentance. With a change of mind toward sin and self and God there must of necessity come a change of attitude and of feeling. Little is
accomplished in life without some degree of emotional persuasion, and salvation proves to be no exception. One who learns that his sin helped crucify the Lord of Glory of necessity will be distressed by that sin and will grieve over its awful conse quences. However, such distress is far removed from the emotional ex hibition demanded by some. Let none insist that the emotional crisis of each convert be identical with his own particular experience! More central than the intellectual or the emotional is the volitional ele ment in repentance. It is the actual turning of the sinner to a saving God by a free-choice decision of the will. In the words of Strong, it is an “ in ward turning from sin and disposi tion to seek pardon and cleansing.” “ Turn ye even to me with all your heart . . . turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” (Joel 2:12, 13). Both Scripture and experience testify that this turning to God is simultaneous with saving faith, and is not a separate requirement preliminary to it. It is not a nega tive decision paving the way for a positive declaration of faith. We do not exhort the sinner first to repent and then to believe. The command is simply “ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,” and repentance is incorporated in that command, for he who truly believes has repented in the Biblical sense of the word. He turns to God, simul taneously turning from the idols of sin (1 Thes. 1:9). It should be mentioned that there is a rightful place for repentance in the life of one already a Christian, and that whenever fellowship with God is damaged or broken by the presence of sin, fellowship may be restored and a closer walk attained by the confession of that sin. Agencies which lead to repentance, in addition to the Word of God itself, are the goodness of God (Rom. 2:4), a knowledge of God’s righteousness (Job 42:6), His chastening hand (Heb. 12:11) and godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:9,10). END.
40 Vitamins, Minerals and Vital Dietary Supplements High Potencies 2 7 0 TABLETS—30 DAYS SUPPLY Find out what one Pascalite package may mean to you in new vigor, rich red blood, more pep and stamina. You owe it to yourself to test this rare combination of 40 elements your body needs. Order Pascalite for one month today. TRY 30 DAYS Each day's supply of 3 red and 6 green tablets is contained in three cellophane packets. Draw out taf>e and tear off at perforations. Tablets protected until used. Full supply containing 30 days rations only $12.50. IMPORTANT AMONG THE 40 NUTRIENTS Vitamin A 25,500 un. Choline 30.0 mg. Vitamin D 1,200 un. Folic acid USP 1.5 mg. Vitamin B-l 18.0 mg. Inositol 30.0 mg. Vitamin B-2 12.0 mg. Para amino 30.0 mg. Vitamin B-6 18.0 mg. Biotin 10.0 mg. Niacinamide 50.0 mg. Rutin 3.0 mg! Vitamin B-l 2 2.0 meg. dl Methionine 10.0 mg. Vitamin C 150.0 mg. Liver Dried 250.0 mq. Vitamin E 10 IU Yeast Vitamin F 0.3 mg. Dietary 250.0 mg. Vitamin P 10.0 mg. Chlorophyll 65.0 mg. Vitamin K 1.0 mg. Alfalfa Juice 1.0 gr. Pantothenic Bone Acid 9.0 mg. Marrow 200.0 mg. Plus 15 minerals — Also 7 nutrients in base If you live in California, add 3% sales tax Order today and be SATISFIED PAS-CAL COMPANY P.O. Box 203-KBG Altadena, California .------------- —f -------------------------------------'■■■■. —
Dept. No. 5 C.O. BAP T I S TA F I LM S suHHvsioi »venue. whu toh . I llinois
JUNE, 1955
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