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Bible
Study on True Repentance By Jay Wegter I. The Definition of Repentance. REPENTANCE: “Repentance unto life is a saving grace,
whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of
his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred
of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after,
new obedience” (Shorter Catechism of the
Westminster Assembly Question 87). “Repentance . . .
is the true turning of our life to God, a turning that arises from a pure and earnest
fear of Him; and it consists in the mortification of our flesh and of the old man,
and in the vivification of the Spirit.”
(John Calvin, Institutes of the
Christian Religion, 3:3:5). II. Repentance in the Old Testament. A. Read
the following passages; Is. 58:5; Neh. 9:1; Joel 2:13. Which deeds are outward and which are inward? B. Read
the following passages and describe in your own words evidences of repentance
found in each. Is. 30:15 Jer. 34:15 Jer. 26:3, 36:3 C. Read
Ez. 18.
Summarize the elements of true repentance you find in this chapter. Repentance
in the New Testament. A. Greek words: Metanoia
- a change of mind, (to change one’s mind for the better, heartily to amend
with abhorrence of one’s past sins.) Luke 10:13. Epistrophei
- to turn to, to cause to return, to bring back, to turn one’s self about, conversion. Acts
9:35. B. Read
Luke 15:11-24. Does the prodigal’s
repentance involve regret only? Which
aspects of the Prodigal’s repentance coincide with the Greek words above? C. Read
Eph. 5:8-14. What evidences of true repentance described
in this passage would be absent in false repentance? Why? IV. The Nature of Repentance. A. Evangelical
repentance always involves a true sense of sin. Read Ps. 51 and write down the verses which
communicate a true sense of sin. B. Repentance
is turning from sin with grief and hatred for it. The following attitudes can be involved:
loathing, mourning, sorrowing, indignation against sin, regretting and
disgrace. Explain why repentance ought
to make a true believer open to exhortation with a willingness to humbly
receive correction (see Prov 9:8; 10:8; 27:6; 28:23; Ps 141:5).. C. Repentance
means that a person sees his sin for what it really is; defilement, ill desert,
guilt -- and that his sin is against God.
This is the knowledge of sin. (Rom. D. Not
only is a true sense of sin a root of all true repentance, but also the
apprehension of mercy is vital to true repentance. Read Ps.
130 and Luke 15:17-20 and locate
the words and phrases which hold out hope of mercy to the penitent. E. God’s
offers of mercy always accompany His calls to repentance. T or F
(See
Joel F. Why
would each of the following attitudes fall short of true repentance: 1.) A
deep sense of sin without a sense of mercy and forgiveness in Christ. 2.) A
sense of mercy while suppressing feelings of conviction about sin. G. (see
Luke 15:11-32) Not only was the prodigal
son convinced of the misery of his sin, but he also arose and went to his
father, (back to his father’s mercy, ways and rules). Feeling convinced of sin only, falls short of
a true repentance. A person must turn to
God in His mercy, His ways, and His worship.
T or F H. Read
Prov. 28:13 and identify two or more of the
elements found in true repentance. I. True
repentance is an inward act,
a spiritual turning and change which has external
affects. Select one of the following
three examples of a false, external repentance and explain why it falls
short of true repentance: The repentance of;
1.) King Saul, (1 Sam 24: 16-22); 2.) the repentance of King Ahab, (1 Kings 21:25-29); 3.) the repentance of Judas, (Matt 27:3-5); note that the “sorrow of
the world” bears a close relationship to false repentance (2 Cor. 7:8-11). J. Repentance
is not only a turning from sin but a movement
of the soul to God. Read Ps. 51 and
locate two or more verses which demonstrate a CHANGE IN PURPOSE. (The turning is a disposition to seek pardon
and cleansing and attachment to God.) K. The
fruits of repentance include a new bias against sin. This heart attitude is not passive but
active. Daily choices are made to steer
away from all sinful influences. Read Col. 3:1-11. What mental dispositions are described which
show the new sin bias in action? L. Read
Rom. M. Read
2 Cor. 7:8-11. Read verse eleven carefully. Explain how each of the action words
describes the penitent’s new relationship toward sin. V. The Recipients of Repentance. A. According
to Scripture which of the following are indispensable marks of salvation which
must accompany true conversion in every case? 1.) tears; 2.)
a total change in lifestyle; 3.)
a crisis experience; 4.) an
extended work of conviction by God’s law; 5.)
immediate and sudden joy; 6.) knowing the exact day you were saved;
7.) none of the above. B. Repentance
is not a natural fear produced on fallen human nature by the law. It is a gift and demand of gospel grace. T or F C. Is
it possible for an individual to be a truly penitent unbeliever or to be an
impenitent true believer? Why or why
not? D. Repentance
is a gift of God’s grace. It is a plant
that grows ONLY in the renewed soil of the regenerate heart. T or F (See Acts
VI. The Relationship of Faith to
Repentance. A. Repentance
is a fruit of faith which itself is a fruit of regeneration. T or F B. In
faith and repentance we see the new nature beginning to assert itself. T or F C. No
man can repent unless he hates sin and loves holiness and that is impossible
apart from SAVING FAITH. T or F D. Without
faith one cannot please God. Does that
mean that the kind of repentance that is prior to faith does not please
God? Yes
or No (See Heb. 11:6; Jn. 15:5; Rom. 14:23). E. Repentance
prior to faith is an attempt to find a way to the Father apart from Christ. T or F
(See Jn. 14:6). F. The
awakened conscience of a sinner can only be appeased by the justice of God at T or F G. Apart
from the mercy found in the cross, the prospect of repenting of sin is
hopeless. Which of the following phrases
describe the impossible task of repenting outside of Christ. 1.)
indifference will stupefy; 2.)
remorse will torment; 3.) dread
and fear will drive away; 4.) guilt will
move to legal efforts of reformation. How does the mercy
found in the cross give us the courage and desire to repent? (See Acts
20:21; Jn. 3:16; Acts 26:18). H. The
roots of true repentance - True repentance is nourished by, and grows
out of, two great convictions in a soul.
Read the following verses before each question then fill in the blanks. 1.) Repentance
involves a true sense of the guilt and wretchedness of ____________. Acts
2:37-38; Luke 15:21; Ps. 51:1-6. 2.) The
second root of repentance involves the apprehension of God’s ____________ which
is found in Christ Jesus. Mark 1:5; Joel 2:12-13; Jer.
3:22; Is. 55:7; Acts 9:35; 11:21. I. Faith
and repentance are joined. Read Zech. 12:10. Then write out some insights on why faith
and repentance cannot be separated. J. Repentance
is permeated with trust in God and His Word.
Read the following verses about turning from sin. Ezek.
18:30; Luke 15:18; Ps. 119:128. Now
read the verses about turning to God. Acts 26:20; 1 Thess.
1:9; Ps. 110:59; Luke 15:20. 1.) In
false repentance a man attempts to turn from sin but does not turn to God. T or
F 2.) In
false repentance the sinner is yet alive to the world and dead to
________. Read Gal.
6:14; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Jn. 2:15-17. K. One
of the fruits of true repentance is extreme watchfulness about falling into
sin. T or F L. Though
sometimes it is difficult to discern true repentance from false, in both types of
repentance, the following will always be found: a passion and delight in spiritual things, joy in the promises of God,
attraction to God’s holy nature. T or F M. The false repenter
is blind to the moral majesty (holiness) of God. T or F
N. The
love of God STARTS with our affections perceiving the excellence of God’s nature. In the false repenter,
self interest will always be primary. T or F O. True
believers are actually described as “partakers of the divine nature.” They have the Spirit of God forever united to
their soul, literally communicating His holy nature in the saint. T or F (see
2 Pet 1:3, 4) P. Once
we’ve repented of sin, we never need to repent of sin again. T or F Q. Ongoing
repentance is absolutely necessary in the life of the true child of God. We could accurately define ongoing repentance
as follows; it is the ongoing action of conforming
and adjusting our affections and our
will to the Word of God. T or F R. False
repentance takes pride in temporary “victory” over one sin. True repentance is God-ward, therefore true
repentance is _________________, covering every area of the believer’s
life. S.
False repentance is ultimately the
sinner’s attempt to “manage” an accusing conscience. By contrast, true repentance is connected
with taking delight in God’s nature, therefore true repentance is inseparable
from loving God. Read Jude 21, then explain what it means to
“keep yourselves in the love of God.” T.
The false repenter
keeps his heart’s affections for self.
He or she is primarily concerned about “outward” sins. Read Isaiah
6:3-5. Concerning true repentance,
comment as to why there is trauma in knowing the God of holiness. Read Psalm
139:23, 24. In true repentance, we
know God’s holiness by Scripture AND secondarily by experience -- describe the
Psalmist’s willingness to have God’s holiness intrude upon his heart (Ps
139:23, 24). Why is the Psalmist’s
attitude a mark of true repentance? Addendum: Marks of the New
Birth
It is the responsibility of
those who have heard and accepted the Gospel as true to test themselves so as
to discover whether or not they are in a state of grace (see 2 Peter 1:9). God desires that the people who are truly His
know for certain that they are new creatures who have been born again, who
possess eternal life (1 John 5:13,20). The new creature in Christ
has the daily testimony that once he was blind, but now he sees (John
9:25). The believer looks back at his
former life outside of Christ and sees vividly the contrast between the
kingdoms of darkness and light (Col. 1:13; Titus 3:3-7; 1 Pet. 4:1-6). God’s grace is filled with
illuminating light. Among the objects
that this light shines upon is the work done by God to the soul of the
regenerate. Those born of the Spirit will
be able therefore to answer the following questions in the affirmative. Have you been inwardly taught
Who and What God is? Were your eyes ever
turned inward to see yourself; the sinfulness of your depraved state; the
corruption of your nature; the sins of your heart and life? Have your eyes seen King Jesus in His beauty,
as the manifest wisdom of God in Him?
Has this view of Christ opened your eyes to the vanity and emptiness of
all other things? Has there been a
change in your will? Does your heart
have a new disposition? Do you find that
you now have a strong aversion to sin and a controlling inclination to
good? Is your soul turned toward God as
your chief end? Do you walk after the
will of God as it is delineated in the Scriptures? Are you heartily holding fast to Christ as He
is offered in the gospel? Do you love the manner in
which God has wrought your salvation and redeemed you? Are your affections changed so that your
desires go out after God? Are your hopes
in God so that your love is set upon Him and you view Him as your true
home? Do you hate sin? Are you burdened by offending God. Does the offense of your sin against God
bring you sorrow of heart? Do you fear
sin more than suffering? Are your
desires regulated so that you hear God’s voice in the Word and in the rod of
discipline? Does Christ have the chief
seat in your heart? Are your greatest
lawful enjoyments and comforts laid at His feet? Has your conscience been enlightened so that
it refuses all forms of comfort but the blood of the Redeemer? Is your body consecrated to the service of
God? Are you walking in newness of life? By these tests we may
discover whether we are born again or not.
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