Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.
The word repent is a common word that appears over a hundred times in the Bible, so this word
is one you would expect people to have a common understanding of. We went to a local university,
an institute of higher learning, and we asked a multitude of professing Christians to define
for us the biblical word repent, and what we found was that there was a lot of confusion
about the definition of this word. Repent is, let's see, honestly I don't know. No. To me I think
it means like surrender. I think it means just, you know, asking for forgiveness and trying to
be a better person. But repenting, you know, trying to make yourself a better person by
asking for forgiveness and just doing things all over again. Okay. We got a variety of answers,
but most thought that the word repent meant to turn from sin. I would say that it's like
turning away from your sin and just like praying and trying to like recognize it and
then trying to change your behavior. Okay. You want to answer? Yeah, I guess just kind of like,
like she said, like turning away from your sin but turning back to God and just like being
sorry, like actually being sorry enough that it like produces a change for you to do differently.
I think it means turn away. Turn away from that sin or sin. To my basic understanding of the
word repent, my favorite religious, I hear the saying a lot, repent your sins, so maybe trying
to beg for forgiveness. Now the Bible teaches that God is not the author of confusion and
yet there is so much confusion about this word repent. Today many Christians and churches
are handing out gospel tracts which define the word repent as turning from sin. Now are
these gospel tracts clearing up the confusion or are they creating the confusion? In this video
you will learn the biblical truth about repentance in the context of salvation and you will see why
Satan has conspired to redefine this word repent in order to keep people from being saved.
Now for that, if you define repentance correctly, here is what he says. The word repent means to
turn away from a life of sin and turn to God.
Listen, watch this. You've got to repent. The word repent means to turn away from a life of sin
and turn to God. Now if you believe the King James Bible would you say amen? Now let me
show you something here. This is Psalm 106 and verse 40. Let's see here. Verse 40. Psalm 106 and
verse 40. Therefore was the wrath of the Lord Kendall against his people and so much that he
abhorred his own inheritance and he gave them into the hand of the heat and they hated them
and ruled over them. Their enemies also oppressed them and they were brought into
subjection under their hand. Many times did he deliver them but they provoked him with their
counsel and were brought low for their iniquity. Watch this. Listen to how good God is.
Nevertheless he regarded their affliction when he heard their cry. They were stinking
the rebels, man, but even then when they turned to God and said please give us mercy, he gave in.
Watch this, verse 45. And he remembered for them his covenant and repented according to the
multitude of his mercies. Now God repented. That's what the Bible said. You look up the
word repent, repenting, repentance, any form of the word and you'll find out in this King
James Bible God repented more times than man did. Now look, I want you to read that in
front of that. Watch this, some lost guy is going down the street, he's an alcoholic,
he's beating his wife, he can't stop, he's bound by the chains of sin. He's looking for a way
out. He's looking for a savior. That's what he's looking for. And somebody hands him, flips
him this thing and he says, well, man, maybe this is the answer. Let's see what this says.
Realize I'm a sinner, man, I know that. Everybody's account for their sins. That makes
sense. Forgiveness only through Jesus. Okay. Next thing, repent. I got to turn away from
my life of sin. He's going to say, I can't do that. I've been trying to do that forever.
Turn away from it. I don't know what you think God turned away from a life of sin.
It says God repented. That's heresy. That's rank heresy of the, of the worst
form right there. People are burning in hell because they read that.
John did baptize in the wilderness and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of
sins. Now, when he says that John preached the baptism of repentance, keep your finger there,
go to Acts 19. See, there's a false doctrine today that we're always faced with where people
try to say that in order to be saved, you have to repent of your sins. You know, now
that phrase is never found in the Bible. And when you ask someone to show you that in
the Bible, you know, you'll say to them, Hey, show me in the Bible where I have to
repent of my sins to be saved. What they'll do is they'll take you to tons of verses
that say repent, but conveniently they don't say the words repent of your sins. They just
say repent. So the word repent doesn't mean repent of your sins because there are actually
46 verses in the, I'm sorry, 36 times in the Bible, the verses are talking about
God repenting. Out of all the mentions, I think 105 verses that mention repentance,
36 of them mentioned God repenting. Of course, if you're reading the NIV, New King James,
ESV, or any other of these modern versions, they completely take out God repenting because
they want to prop up this false doctrine. They take out Judas Iscariot repenting. They
take out Paul repenting when he decided he was going to write a letter and then change his mind
about it. You know, they take that out and they try to say, well, every time the Bible
says repent, it means repent of your sins. Well, that's a lie. And so whenever somebody's
trying to show you a scripture on this, make sure it actually says of your sins. And then
guess what? It won't be there because there's no such verse. So when the Bible's talking
about repentance, it's just talking about some kind of a change, okay? Now that change
could be a change in what you believe. It could be a change of mind. It could be
a change of action. It could be all manner of different things. You have to read the
context to figure out what is changing, okay? There are people who are lukewarm in
Revelation 3. They needed to change. So what needed to change? The fact that they
were lukewarm. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, they're worshiping idols. They needed to change
and worship the true and living God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at Acts chapter 19 and
we can figure out the context of the baptism of repentance. Look at Acts 19 4. It says,
Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance. So we see that exact
statement there, the baptism of repentance that we saw back in Acts 13. And by comparing spiritual
with spiritual, we can see what that baptism of repentance was. It says he baptized with the
baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should repent of their sins and start
living a Christian life. No, he says he preached the baptism of repentance, saying unto the
people that they should believe on him, which should come after him, that is on Christ Jesus.
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, back to Acts 13.
And so sometimes repentance could be talking about turning from a sin, but whenever it's talking
about salvation, it's always talking about changing what you believe. And if it's not
talking about changing what you believe, then it's not talking about salvation, because the
only thing that has to change in order for you to get saved is your faith, your belief,
not your lifestyle. Because if your life had to change in order for you to get saved,
that would be salvation by works. You know, if you had to make some change in your actions and
change in your lifestyle, that would be salvation by works. But if it's just believing on Christ,
well, that's by faith. And so if a person is not saved, something has to change,
and that something is what they believe. I mean, it's pretty simple to understand.
It's not hard to see. So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood,
how shall it be known what is spoken? For ye shall speak into the air.
God's word needs to be preached clearly, distinctly, and plainly. And if it's not,
the result is confusion. Number one, there is confusion about salvation. And I'll tell you
why. People are getting a mixed message and it's confusing them. It's confusing. You see,
there's nothing confusing about this, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have eternal life. There's nothing confusing about that. There's nothing confusing about,
for by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest any man should boast. There's nothing confusing about, for I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. There's nothing confusing about that.
There's nothing confusing about whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God,
and everyone that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
There's nothing confusing about whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God.
God dwelleth in him and he in God. There's nothing confusing about the fact that the Bible
says, what must I do to be saved? And the answer is, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved in thy house. See, there's nothing confusing about he that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath
of God almighty-five. There's nothing confusing about John 6 47, verily verily I say unto you,
he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. There's nothing confusing about Jesus saying
unto her, I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me though he were dead,
yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
There's nothing confusing about verily verily I say to thee, he that heareth my word,
and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. There's nothing confusing about salvation
when he said, but to him that worketh not, but believeth on him to justify that in
godly his faith is gathered for righteousness. There's nothing confusing about the gospel,
there's nothing confusing about salvation, but the reason people are confused is because they're
getting a mixed message, because one minute it's all faith, and then the next minute it's repent
of your sins. Confusing! Which one is it? You say, repenting of your sins is part of faith.
Liar! No it isn't, because repenting of your sins has to do with your sins,
and faith has to do with believing in Jesus. They're two totally different things.
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples,
which are not written in this book, the book of John. Verse 31, but these are written,
that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing
you might have light through his name. Go to Luke chapter 1. Why was the book of John written,
according to John himself? The book of John was written unto you that you might believe,
and that believing you might have light through his name. Why was the book of Luke written?
Look at Luke chapter 1, and he'll tell us why the book of Luke was written,
right at the very beginning. It said in verse 3, it seemed good to be also,
having had a perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee an order,
most excellent Theophilus. Why is he writing? That thou mightest know the certainty
of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. That's why the book of Luke was written,
that Theophilus, and also ourselves today, might know the certainty of those things wherein we've
been instructed. Why was the book of 1 John written? 1 John was written, he said,
these things write unto you that your joy may be full. Later in the book, he said,
these things are written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.
So what was the purpose for the book of John being written? That you might believe,
and that believing you might have life as it. Did you know that the word repent
is never found in the book of John once? So if, you know, we're doing something wrong,
if we don't preach, and people need to repent, to be saved, then why did the book,
the one book that claims to be written, that people might be saved, not just be chock full
of the word repent? Somebody explain that to me. And how many times do you say believe,
90 times in the book of John, the word believe, believe, believe, good salvation is by faith.
Now look, if you're going to believe all the way on Jesus Christ, yeah, you got to stop
believing in your false religion, your false works-based system, you got to stop believing
in some other god. But do you have to stop drinking to be saved? No. Do you have to stop
smoking? Do you have to stop fornicating? Do you have to stop watching garbage on TV?
Do you have to stop sinning and turn from your sins? And yet a false other gospel today
is repent of your sins to be saved. And if you're not willing to give up those sins,
well then you can't be saved. Well I say that the people who are preaching that, many of them
aren't saved. And if they are preaching that, if they are saved, shame on them for being
sucked into that false doctrine.
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel, which is not another. But there be some that trouble you and would
pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel
unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Aha, here we go. Questions from you on Facebook. Number one from Jacob Kirkland.
I bet he likes churches. How many sins do I have to repent of before I know that I am saved?
Technical answer, all of them.
If you can be your death sentence, I will grant you everlasting life because of the death
and the resurrection of the Son of God. And what you must do is obey the command of God to repent.
Turn from your sins. Let them go, Brian. Trust the Lord that he is God.
But if there's even one thing in your life that you're not willing to get rid of,
one idol in your life you won't give up, you can't go through.
Idols and sin are too big to go through that door.
Because you see, God requires not only did his son pay the price on the cross,
but the Bible says God requires that you repent of your sins and receive Christ.
But you weren't saved by a magic formula or some words you repeated after someone else.
You were saved because you repented of your sins and you believed.
Just believing a fact like he died for your sins?
It's not enough.
As we said before, so say I now again,
if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.