1. God’s Plan of Salvation
Part 4 – God’s Teaching About Repentance

2. God’s Plan of Salvation
Ask five different people what repent means and you’ll probably get five different answers
Some people climb 2000 concrete stairs to “repent” for sins committed in the past year
Other people get smashing drunk on Saturday, and then shed crocodile tears on Sunday, saying, “I’m sorry, God” – then repeat the cycle again next week
God’s Plan of Salvation

3. God’s Plan of Salvation
What is God’s definition of repentance?
Jesus said, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3)
If repentance is that important, we had better know what God means by it
The Greek word (the New Testament was written in Greek) for repentance is metanoia
Metanoia means “change the mind”
God’s Plan of Salvation

4. God’s Plan of Salvation
In the common vernacular, we might say, “Get rid of your stinkin’ thinkin’”
In a big picture sense, repentance means to “change your worldview”
Now that we understand the root meaning of the word, let’s look at some Scriptures that demonstrate the meaning of true repentance
God’s Plan of Salvation

5. God’s Plan of Salvation
God gives an excellent example of repentance through the city of Ninevah – see Jonah 3:1-10
The Lord told Jonah to go to Ninevah and cry against its wickedness
Jonah instead jumped on board a ship going the opposite direction
He was eventually thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish
God’s Plan of Salvation

6. God’s Plan of Salvation
When the fish spit Jonah up on land, he “hightailed it” for Ninevah
Jonah went through the city, proclaiming, “Yet forty days and Ninevah will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4)
The people believed God, and they took His warning to heart
“When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented…” (Jonah 3:10)
God’s Plan of Salvation

7. God’s Plan of Salvation
Notice that God did not change His mind until He saw their deeds
Jesus called this change in deeds repentance
“The men of Ninevah shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah…” (Matthew 12:41)
God’s Plan of Salvation

8. God’s Plan of Salvation
Jesus’ definition of repentance is what is important
He clearly teaches that repentance is a change in behavior
We can put the meaning of the word together with its use in the Scripture and come up with a catchy definition of repentance
Repentance is a change in mind which results in a change in action
God’s Plan of Salvation

9. God’s Plan of Salvation
These two sayings together pretty well sum up what repentance is all about
If you continue to think like you’ve always thought, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always got
If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll continue to lose when you could have won
Is that what you want?
God’s Plan of Salvation

10. God’s Plan of Salvation
Many people have the concept that repentance is merely sorrow for past mistakes
Paul makes it clear that this is not the case
“For sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10)
God’s Plan of Salvation

11. God’s Plan of Salvation
Remember Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus – he was sorry for what he had done, but did not repent
Judas threw the money back, and then went and hanged himself
Remember Peter who denied that he even knew Jesus – he repented and lived
God’s Plan of Salvation

12. God’s Plan of Salvation
Sorrow can produce repentance
Mere sorrow is not repentance
From the Bible we conclude that repentance is a change in attitude that must result in a change in behavior
If there is no change, there is no repentance
God’s Plan of Salvation

13. God’s Plan of Salvation
Part 5 – God’s Teaching About Baptism en ek
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