Repentence From Dead Works

Repentance From Dead Works

    In The Essential Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, the cartoon character Calvin says to his tiger friend, Hobbes, "I feel bad that I called Susie names and hurt her feelings. I'm sorry I did it."
   "Maybe you should apologize to her," Hobbes suggests. Calvin ponders this for a moment and replies, "I keep hoping there's a less obvious solution."

    This cartoon illustrates one of the biggest problems of modern so-called Christianity today. The churches are filled with people who feel some level of regret for their actions, but precious few of those people will ever attain what God calls true repentance.

    SPS: For the time we have remaining tonight, let's examine this doctrine of repentance from dead works and see exactly how it should change our lives.

    We often refer to the basic doctrines mentioned in Hebrews 6: 1-2. However, we should notice that verse 1 starts out with the word "therefore". Therefore simply means "for this reason". If we want to get the true feeling of what the writer wants to convey to us, we have to go back to the last few verses of Hebrews 5 to see what "this reason" is referring to. Let's start in verse 12 of chapter 5.

   Hebrews 5:12-14
12. For when for the time you ought to be teachers, (remember he is speaking to people who claim to know God) you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13. For every one that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14. But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

    Verse 14 tells us here that only those who grow and mature, those who come to know the mind of God, only those people can truly discern both good and evil. Continuing on….

    Hebrews 6:1-2
1. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2. Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

    When the writer says "leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ", he does not, by any stretch of the imagination, mean to do away with these doctrines. It means instead to believe and practice these basic, fundamental doctrines to the point that they become your very nature, just as they are the very nature of God. In these first 2 verses of Hebrews 6 we see 6 basic doctrines or teachings that should be the foundation for everything we believe and do. We also see that until we internalize these basic doctrines and live them everyday, that we CANNOT go on to perfection, which is the goal of every converted person. You cannot build a sturdy, solid house if it has a shaky foundation. It is the same with our conversion.

    Let's look at some examples, first in the Old Testament.

    There are primarily 2 Hebrew words translated as repent or some form of the word repent in the Old Testament. First, we will deal with:
#5162 (OT) - nacham - (naw-kham') - to be sorry, to regret - used 39 out of 44 times "repent" is used in KJV in OT.

    Many times people read in the scriptures where God repented and they attribute sin to Him. This is not the case. This word nacham is used when scripture refers to God repenting. It means regret. Keep in mind that God has never sinned, so even though He sometimes feels sorrow or regret, He is still without sin.

Genesis 6:5-7
5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

God was sorry He made man, because of what man was doing to himself.
Let's see this again in:
1 Samuel 15:10-11
10. Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying,

It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.

God regretted setting up Saul as King, because Saul's actions were leading him away from his God.

Let's go see a particularly interesting scripture where most people who read it attribute evil actions to God.
1 Chronicles 21:15

And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: (yet again because of sin) and as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand.

Upon closer examination of the words repented and evil, we see that they mean simply that God regretted all of the misery. He felt there had been enough misery brought on by the result of their sins, so He stayed or stopped the angel's hand. God was sorry for the people because of His great compassion.

Now let's turn to the 2nd Hebrew word used for repent.
#7725 - shub (shoob) - to turn away from sin to God - only 3 times in OT!

Let's go see an example of this repentance while Solomon was talking to God about His people.
1 Kings 8:46-50
46. If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
47. Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
48. And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:
49. Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,
50. And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:

God wants us to turn away from sin and turn to Him.
Ezekiel 18:30-32
30. Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Now to NT!

Easton's Bible Dictionary
Text: There are three Greek words used in the New Testament to denote repentance.
(1.) The verb is used of a change of mind, such as to produce regret or even remorse on account of sin, but not necessarily a change of heart.
(2.) A verb meaning to change one's mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge. This word, with:
(3.) the cognate noun metanoia, is used of true repentance, a change of mind and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised.

Let's see these used in scripture.

1st level of repentance:
#3338 - metamellomia - it means to simply regret - used 4 times

Matthew 27:3
3. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.

The word used for repented here means to regret or to be sorry, but the meaning of this word denotes no changing of the heart toward God.

This 1st level of repentance does not necessarily denote any change taking place. It simply means to regret. This is the repentance you would assign to a child who has just learned he will be disciplined. This is what you would use to describe a criminal caught doing a crime. They regret getting caught or regret their action, but don't necessarily think of changing the direction they are heading in.

The 2nd level of repentance:
#3340 - metaneo - means to reconsider, to change your mind & purpose.

Have you ever asked someone where they were going, and they said something to the effect of, "To hell if I don't change my ways!" That basically sums up what this word for repentance means.

Matthew 3:1-2
1. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2. And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

John was telling people to change their ways, to reconsider, to change their minds and purpose.

Jesus also came preaching this same thing.
Matthew 4:17
17. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

This word facilitates a change as a result of new information.

Matthew 12:40-41
40. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

They changed because of imminent danger.

Luke 13:1-5
1. There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3. I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Luke 17:3-4
3. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. 4. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Again, a change because of new information (they repented)

My Dad has told the story on several occasions of a time when I was about 2 years old. We were wrestling in the floor and I accidentally poked him in the eye. It must have been very painful because he got up and went into the bedroom to lay down until his eye recovered. I followed my Dad in there and crawled up on the bed beside him. At this point I told him that I was sorry and wanted to see what damage I had inflicted as any good son would do. But, when he moved his hand, I immediately thrust my little index finger back into that same eye.
Now, the action was the same, but this time there was a penalty for that action. Right here at the ripe old age of two I was taught this second level of repentance. Not only should I regret what I did, but I had to turn from this action and never do it again.

God has to sometimes use this same teaching tool, although thankfully, it isn't as often as we deserve. He wants us to understand that we can come as we are, but we cannot stay that way.

Acts 2:38

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Again, just come as you are is the standard line used by the world's churches today. We love you as you are. Guess what? God does not love you as you are. The word used in Acts 2:38 is the second level of repentance: to feel regret and to change your direction. Peter told you to first regret your former actions, to change your direction away from sin and then be baptized.

Practical application: Do you smoke? Peter said to regret that you smoke, to change direction by moving away from the sin, and THEN be baptized. Once you do this, you will then have hands laid on you to receive the Holy Spirit in you that will help you to STAY away from smoking. You must make that decision first!

Lets go for a 2nd practical application:
Do you work on the Sabbath, even part of the day? Quit it! This is not just a faith issue. It does require faith, but it is also part of the law: The 10 Commandments. The 4th commandment details your conduct on the seventh day and it is not a day to work, but instead a day to worship and bring glory to your God! You must, according to what God inspired Peter to say, regret your sin, change your direction and then be baptized.

Is anyone still there? OK then, let's continue.

Acts 3:19
19. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

We are told to repent now, to change our direction and to become converted. This step leads to conversion. It is not conversion yet. This 2nd level of repentance is still not good enough for the 1st resurrection, but it should lead you to the next step. This 2nd level is what is required of you to be baptized, but it is still not good enough to get you into the 1st resurrection. Once you get to here, there is yet another stage of repentance that is even deeper.

Once you get to the point that you reconsider, you change your mind and purpose, that leads you to the next word for repentance.

Repentance is not basically a religious word. It comes from a culture where people were essentially nomadic and lived in a world with no maps or street signs. It's easy to get lost walking through the desert. You become aware that the countryside is strange. You finally say to yourself, I'm going in the wrong direction. That's the first stage of repentance.
The second stage of repentance is to go in an alternate direction. It implies that you not only do this but you admit it to your traveling companions. I know it is hard for any man to admit that he is lost and needs to go in another direction. However, this attitude, this kind of heart is the springboard that leads to the final, most desirable level of repentance.

3rd level of repentance:
#3341 - metanoia - It means a reversal of what you are toward what God is.

Matthew 3:8 Here we find John the baptist speaking to the Pharisees and Sadducees. He told them:

Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

Why was he harder on them than we find in Acts 2:38? Because they considered themselves as the authorities, as the teachers, as the leaders of the law. They knew better than what they were doing. We see here that John required more than just the 1st 2 levels of repentance because of who and what they saw themselves to be.

This word means not only being sorry, not just reconsidering, not just initially going in another direction. This word, as we see here, requires action and fruit as a result of that action. This is what is required to be mature. This is also what is required to be a part of the 1st resurrection! This is even what must be required of any teacher or minister in the church today. The 2nd level is good enough for someone to be baptized, but no where near good enough for any leader in the church.

This is again spoken of in:
Luke 3:8 says to bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,

Interestingly enough, we find this word used more in the book of Acts than anywhere else. This deep meaning of repentance was evident with the early NT church, and as a result, the signs and wonders and God's approval was there.

I found this quote from my Bible Library program:
"Repentance was an involved process in the early church. Sin was seen not as a personal matter but as something that destroyed the unity of the church. Penitents fasted and prayed for the forgiveness of their sins, appeared before the church to make public confession, and were barred from the Lord's Supper (the term should be Passover here) until they gave evidence of a change of heart and were absolved. (The only exception was for people facing persecution. They were readmitted to the Lord's Supper (again Passover) so they could receive strength."

What have we learned? You can have repentance without conversion, but true repentance leads to conversion!
Acts 11:18
18. When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

This third stage of repentance leads you to life!

Acts 20:17-21
17. And from Miletus he (Paul) sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
18. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
19. Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:
20. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,
21. Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, we are to move from what we were toward what God is!

2 Corinthians 7:9-10
9. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10. For Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

    Let's examine a scripture that gives many people problems.
Hebrews 12:14-17
14. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15. Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16. Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

    Esau was so bitter, he found no place in his heart for God. He was sorry, he probably would have even changed what he did given an opportunity to go back, but he was never to the point that it turned his heart toward God.

    When Michigan played Wisconsin in basketball early in the season in 1989, Michigan's Rumeal Robinson stepped to the foul line for two shots late in the fourth quarter. His team trailed by one point, so Rumeal could regain the lead for Michigan. He missed both shots, allowing Wisconsin to upset favored Michigan.
   Rumeal felt awful about costing his team the game, but his sorrow didn't stop at the emotional level. After each practice for the rest of the season, Rumeal shot one hundred extra foul shots. Thus, Rumeal was ready when he stepped to the foul line to shoot two shots with three seconds left in overtime in the national-championship game.
   Swish went the first shot, and swish went the second. Those shots won Michigan the national championship. Rumeal's repentance had been genuine, and sorrow motivated him to work so that he would never make that mistake again.

   We must take action and work at it, and ask for help from each other and especially from God. We must turn from what we have been toward what God is. That is the only way we will have part in the better or 1st resurrection! After all, we are in training to become a part of God's family!

When we fall short and need some encouragement, we must remember that we have a direct promise from God that is a great comfort.
2 Peter 3:9
9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Yes, this is the 3rd level of repentance. God wants us to turn to Him. He does not want us to perish!

Let's go back to Hebrews 6 again to see yet one more piece of this vital puzzle:
Hebrews 6:1

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works.

We have seen what God means by repentance. Now what are we turning from? Dead works.

Why are they called dead? They lead to death and not life.

Hebrews 9:14 talks about purging your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. As long as you are serving yourself, you have dead works.

Galatians 5:19
19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

If you notice, these are actions that lead to death. Their fruit is death.

   Verses 19-21 are not intended to be a complete list. Anything you do that does not lead to life is considered dead works. How about some more practical applications:
If you watch 5 hours of television at night yet find no quality time to study your bible, or to pray, you have dead works because television will not lead you to life.

    If you see a brother sin or even know for sure he is living in sin and do not point that sin out and help him overcome, you have dead works. Being afraid to judge him will lead him to death and put you right at his heels. You are your brother's keeper! Your actions must lead to life for yourself and for others.

    Let's notice the stark contrast in verses 22 & 23.
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

   Here the action is the Holy Spirit. The fruit is life.

In conclusion:
We must all be spiritual carpenters. We are working on building a perfect, Godly structure. First, we must have a very solid foundation, or the rest of it will be shaky. Tonight, I have started laying the groundwork for this foundation. The rest of our perfect structure must be built on this vital beginning. This is why it is mentioned first in Hebrews 6 among the basic doctrines of the truth. If we follow the scriptural blueprint, we can have full confidence in the integrity of our structure. After all, we are building it on the Rock.