Q: I was listening to this preacher preach on repentance and he stated that repentance means to (turn). And if it does mean to turn from something that means you are doing something to gain salvation. My mind goes to the thief on the cross. Did he repent of his sins or did he just believe that God is who He says He is? ~Gabriel D. Menchaca A: Repentance does mean to turn, but what the folks who call repentance works forget, is that it is God who grants repentance (see 2 Timothy 2:25). The irony with them is that they call repentance a work, but they give the necessary believing a pass. When the thief on the cross said, We are here justly was he saying that Roman law was just--that their sentence was right and good? I very much doubt that he was saying that it was good for someone who had stolen to be put to death by crucifixion. Rather, he had heard the words of Jesus and understood that it was Gods Law that he had violated, and like David who was caught in his sin, he justified God rather than himself (see Psalm 51:4). He was repentant towards God. Then he turned to Jesus and said, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Thats what all do who come to Christ. We see our sin in the light of the Saviors words and humbly yield to Him as Lord. It was His words in the Sermon on the Mount that showed me I had violated Gods Law, and with the hymn-writer I said, By Gods Word at last my sin I learned, then I trembled at the Law I had spurned, till my guilty soul imploring turned, to Calvary. Repentance is a turning from sin (with Gods help) to the Savior. The thief was saved by grace, through faith, without works, as all are who come to Christ. ~Ray Comfort https://youtube/watch?v=ZzaKzTNxxQM
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 19:19:39 +0000
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