Bible Study The Gift Of Repentance

[Dorothy Mae]

I don’t think your fully understanding Walter.

You and I are discussing Gods righteousness in another thread. In it I mentioned that if we continue to harden our heart, God may very well turn around and harden ours.
When God hardens our heart, Gods gift of repentance is no longer available.

That I don’t fully understand is likely.

Except for Pharaoh, which was a vital part of God’s plan for salvation for the whole world, I see no examples of God hardening hearts and withdrawing a gift. The Bible actual says the gifts of God are not withdrawn (without repentance on God’s part.) I would be more cautious attributing manipulation of hearts to prevent the possibility of salvation to God who loves all people and wants all to come to repentance.

Do you recognize two scriptures in that paragraph? Not trying to be patronizing but one Admin says I need to quote more scripture although I think she means cut and paste. Does the above weaving it naturally into the writing suffice?

 

[D-D-W]

Repentance is not a gift.

The Phillips translation of Acts 11.18 reads like this:

When they heard this they had no further objection to raise. And they praised God, saying, “Then obviously God has given to the Gentiles as well the gift of repentance which leads to life.”

There are other examples in scripture as well, including the gift of repentance being withheld from Esau when he sold his birthright:

Hebrews 12:15
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; 16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

 

[D-D-W]

And there is this. I have heard Dr Prince teach several times on repentance, but here he makes a very bold statement:

"You cannot repent unless God turns you."

That is most definitely a gift.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

The Phillips translation of Acts 11.18 reads like this:

When they heard this they had no further objection to raise. And they praised God, saying, “Then obviously God has given to the Gentiles as well the gift of repentance which leads to life.”

There are other examples in scripture as well, including the gift of repentance being withheld from Esau when he sold his birthright:

Hebrews 12:15
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; 16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Obviously the translators of the Philipp’s chose their personal theological preferences over what was actually written. The word for “gift” is not at all there. Sorry. This isn’t new. It’s a question of honesty.

The reference to Esau doesn’t mention “a gift of repentance.”

 

[PeterJens]

I don’t think your fully understanding Walter.

You and I are discussing Gods righteousness in another thread. In it I mentioned that if we continue to harden our heart, God may very well turn around and harden ours.
When God hardens our heart, Gods gift of repentance is no longer available.

This reminds me of when Israel finally were rejected as a generation by the Lord.
They refused to go up into the promised land because the people were too powerful.

After the Lord rebuked them and past judgement, Israel said they would after all go up and fight, but it was too late.

This cuts across the idea that you can push the Lord forever and He will still forgive and resolve issues.
The Lord had let things go far enough. Israel were not interested in Him, just things going well. If God would help them out, all well and good, but it was their risk and issue. When the Lord went south, rather than seeking His face and repenting they decided to go to war, thinking in this way they would win.

The point was they had no relationship with the Lord, and it was now out in the open.
Part of repentance is wanting to re-establish the relationship or to have one for the first time.

But is this is just a karma idea, be nice and nice things will happen to you, earning ones fate, then it is all lost.
I met some south Koreans who their faith was very much earn ones way to heaven by good behaviour, and good things will happen to you. The idea of being lost sinners, who are transformed did not enter their thinking. It is a very Buddhist way of thinking, which is very strong in their culture.
God bless you

 

[Dorothy Mae]

This reminds me of when Israel finally were rejected as a generation by the Lord.
They refused to go up into the promised land because the people were too powerful.

After the Lord rebuked them and past judgement, Israel said they would after all go up and fight, but it was too late.

This cuts across the idea that you can push the Lord forever and He will still forgive and resolve issues.
The Lord had let things go far enough. Israel were not interested in Him, just things going well. If God would help them out, all well and good, but it was their risk and issue. When the Lord went south, rather than seeking His face and repenting they decided to go to war, thinking in this way they would win.

The point was they had no relationship with the Lord, and it was now out in the open.
Part of repentance is wanting to re-establish the relationship or to have one for the first time.

But is this is just a karma idea, be nice and nice things will happen to you, earning ones fate, then it is all lost.
I met some south Koreans who their faith was very much earn ones way to heaven by good behaviour, and good things will happen to you. The idea of being lost sinners, who are transformed did not enter their thinking. It is a very Buddhist way of thinking, which is very strong in their culture.
God bless you

Gods response to Israel’s refusal to trust Him was harsh because they had seen Him do mighty things and to whom much is given, much is required. This is not His usual response because few have been given that much today.

 

[PeterJens]

Gods response to Israel’s refusal to trust Him was harsh because they had seen Him do mighty things and to whom much is given, much is required. This is not His usual response because few have been given that much today.

As believers under the grace of the cross and his forgiveness we forget how brutal holiness is.
Steadying a cart holding the ark of the coventant, death. Grumbling against the Lord, a plague only limited by the work of Aaron and Moses. The Lord is so Holy, we do not deserve to live for one second in His presence.

For rebelling by building the golden calf,
27 Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.'"
28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died
Exodus 32:27-28

7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."
Numbers 21:7-8

We do not understand harsh in our world, because we have such help, wealth and medicine.
Israel saw the Eqyptian army killed by the red sea closing on them, a whole conquering army being wiped out with no effort on their part, when they would have 100% died. It is often hard to put all the incidents into order or scale because they are so vast and many. It tires me out just thinking about them, when just one person close to me dying is so hard through grief to bare.

My uncle found the history of Israel so violent and brutal he could not believe this was a loving God.
In context the world of man was much worse and literally full of torture and the worst behaviours.
What the law of God was suggesting was real justice and honesty, a light in a dark world.

Today with what we have, it is like an alien world being described.
God bless you

 

[brightfame52]

Repentance which concerns Salvation is a Gift of God, its been procured and applied by the Saving Death of Christ Acts 5:31

31 Him[Jesus] hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
As Saviour Jesus must and does [as prince] give repentance to Israel, meaning Gods elect from all nations. Now repentance denotes a new life, so in actually Jesus gives repentance to them He saves by giving them New Spiritual Life, thats application work. He must be the one to apply Salvation to validate that He is our Saviour.

The word give in Acts 5:31 and grant in Acts 11:18 is the word didomi and means :

to cause him to repent

This causation is due to new Spiritual Life being imparted by the New Birth, and thats how Jesus as Prince and Saviour gives the Gift of Repentance to His Elect, Israel, not national ethnic israel, but His Elect from all nations.