SESSION #3
Repentance, Faith & the Christian & the Law
Presented by: Pastors, Calvin Bergsma & James Bugg
Video: vimeo.com/gcf/70-principle-3
Audio:
Notes: PDF Notes
▪ Faith for Salvation - Faith to Live By
▪ The Law of Moses - Purpose of the Law
▪ The Christian and the Law
Embedded Files
Hebrews 6:1-2 “Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”
The six basic foundational doctrines - listed in order
Repentance from dead works
Faith toward God
The doctrine of baptisms
Laying on of hands
Resurrection of the dead
Eternal judgments
God gives a single divine and perfect plan that runs through these six Biblical truths.
REPENTANCE AND FAITH TOWARD GOD
Repentance is the missing part of the Gospel being preached today. Man has devised many ways to come to God without turning from his own way. “Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why will you die?” Ezekiel 33:11 This is the message of the Old Testament.
The New Testament begins with that fiery prophet preaching, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” How one could ever miss the emphasis of this message shows the dullness of a man to hear what God is saying.
Not only does the Christian life begin with repentance, it must continue in repentance. In other words, the Christian must maintain an attitude of repentance. This could be called a humble attitude or one who is “poor in spirit”. For God to do His perfect work the attitude of brokenness before Him is necessary. We are not to be worms of the earth with a sin complex, but open and humble before God and others, ready to acknowledge our faults and sins, ready to accept responsibility of our attitudes, actions, and being. Humility is born out of repentance. Humility is the ground out of which Christian virtue grows.
1.) Repentance (defined)
a. New Testament "to repent" is translated from the Greek verb metanoein to change one's mind; therefore, repentance is a decision.
b. Old Testament definition - "to turn, to return, to turn back." Emphasis is on the outward action - New Testament accentuates the inward work of true repentance.
Repentance is an inner change of mind resulting in an outward turning back or turning around; to face and to move in a completely direction.
Hebrews 6:1 “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto maturity; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,”
2. What are dead works?
All religious activities that are not done out of a heart of true repentance and faith
Even accepting Christian faith (intellectually) without repentance and faith
(examples) Praying, Church membership, tithing, all religious rites and ordinances.
True Repentance begins with God, not Man.
Man does not have the ability to repent without God.
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; “
3. The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:13-32) "…the young son gathered all together, journey to a far country and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine, and he would gladly have filled his stomach with pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said …"how many of my fathers hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
"I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son, make me like one of your hired servants; and he arose and came to his father."
He came to himself... He arose… Came to his father.
4. True repentance is not being remorseful or emotional. (Judas Iscariot repented)
Matthew 27:3-4 "Then Judas. . . seeing that He (Jesus) had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver. "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood... then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself."
The Greek word for repent here is NOT metanoein, but metamelein meaning remorse, anguish, yet he never experienced true scriptural repentance (he did not change his mind nor direction).
Acts 1:17 “For he (Judas) was numbered with us and obtained a part of this ministry, now, this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out…for it is written in the Book of Psalms:
Psalm 69:25 "Let his dwelling place be desolate and let no one live in their tents".
Psalm 109:8 "Let another take his office."
Esau (brother of Jacob) made the same decision.
Hebrews 12:17 “For you know that afterward, he wanted to inherit the Blessing, he was rejected for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it with tears”.
5. Description of those who do not truly repent
● Foolish, stubborn, proud, ● A man headed in the wrong direction ● traveling further from the light toward the grave, hell, endless darkness ● lost.
6. Repentance is ”STOP” ● change your mind ● change direction ● face the opposite way ● turn from the shadows ● face the light ● be reconciled with (to) God.
FAITH TOWARD GOD
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Now faith is the ground or confidence of things hoped for, a sure persuasion on conviction concerning things not seen.
A. Faith is not hope. (Hope is directed toward the future) Faith is a substance, a confidence, something real that we possess here and now.
B. Hope is in the realm of the mind; faith is in the heart.
1Thess. 5:8 “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
C. Faith brings a change in our behavior
Romans 10:10 "With the heart believes unto (into) righteousness"
BIBLICAL FAITH BASED ON GOD’S WORD
Faith is “the evidence of things not seen, eternal, invisible truths and realities only revealed in God’s Word (2 Corinthians 5:7) “For we walk by faith, not by sight…“ First, believe… then see
(Psalms 27:13) "I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."
John 11:40 Jesus said to Martha, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God”.
Abraham - The father of all who believe.
Romans 4:11 “He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the faith of all those who believe. . . “
Romans 4:12 “…who walk in the steps of that faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.”
Three successive steps or stages in the nature of Abraham’s faith:
Abraham accepted God’s promise as being true.
Abraham refused to accept the testimony of his senses as long as it did not agree with the statement of God.
As Abraham held to God’s promise, his physical experience and his senses were brought into line with what God said.
Scriptural faith is:
The condition of the heart, not the mind.
Present, not future.
A positive change in our behavior and experience.
Based on God’s Word.
Expressed by confession with the mouth.
LAW AND GRACE
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
I. The law is a complete system given by God through Moses.
II. What is the believer’s relationship to the Law?
A. The Christian believer is not under the Law
(Rom. 6:14; 1 Cor. 15:56; Rom. 10:4; Col. 2:13-14).
B. The believer is led by the spirit (Gal. 5:18).
C. True righteousness is not obtained by observing the Law.
III. What purpose was the Law given?
A. To show men their sinful condition (Rom. 3:19-21).
B. To show sinners they are unable to make themselves righteous by their own efforts (Rom. 10:3).
C. To foretell and to foreshadow Jesus Christ who was yet to come (Deut. 18:18-19).
D. Law kept Israel as special nation set apart (Gal. 3:23).
IV. What is the righteousness of the law?
A. Love the Lord thy God
B. Love thy neighbors as thyself (Matt. 22:35,40).
Romans 13:8-10 James 1:25 James 2:8,12
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