“Grace through Faith,”
Sin and Repentance
____________________
Matthew 3:6-8
“And they were baptized of him— in Jordan— confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them— O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet [suitable, deserving of, worthy of] for repentance.”
___________________
John the baptist, was baptizing men in the Jordan river— baptism in Christ, since Messiah came and fulfilled his mission— is the showing of dying to our old man, sinful ways— and being born anew, into a totally different creation; a new life that is now— AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT INTERIOR PERSON— raised in newness of life (lifestyle), and yoked to the holy living God now— doing life together, becoming ONE entity with the living, and holy God.
John was baptizing them as they made— ‘confession of sins.’
Definition, confession— acknowledgment of sins, agree fully with, about. (Strong’s definition)
So, he was baptizing them— through, the confessing of, acknowledging of, and agreeing with— their need for a God to save them from their sins— their guiltiness of transgressing God— and needing to BEGIN ANEW with him, through acknowledgment that they had been living contrary to his holy person.
When John sees the hypocrites coming— as that is what scripture calls the Pharisees and Sadducees— for they speak one thing, and live another in the heart and actions, he says to them— “O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.”
This is stating— you will have the wrath of God upon you, for knowing the law and statutes and precepts of God, IN THEORY, but not practicing them in relationship with him— living IN TRUTH, with him.
Therefore— REPENT, and bring forth results of.
This is what we need to remember from scripture— that without repentance— there is no salvation received; it may have been made for them, the way made unto all creation, through Messiah and his death, burial and resurrection of a sinless life of sacrifice for us…
But it is NEVER RECEIVED, or honored— if one does not TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, 180 degrees, about-face, and live the NEW MAN, ‘in,’ Christ/Messiah: and BRING FORTH FRUITS ‘of,’ that REPENTANCE, or— about-face, 180 degree turn from the old man ways (who is dead now, by the way).
But he’s not the only one to speak this, our Messiah himself spoke this, over and again: we are saved by his graces, good graces, his good will pleasure— but we have to yoke to him, his way— and REPENTANCE is *required.
Repentance is essentially the acknowledgment of being sinful, and desiring to turn our ways, away from that, and live yoked up to God, being refined, taught of how to live by, and with him now— and walking that out, as the New Creation, in and with him now.
It is not performance based— in that you have to make no errors— but putting effort into a relationship with the holy God, his way, as he leads— and being holy, as he is holy— is required.
Few are saved in the end— because the path of righteousness is narrow, strait/tight, restrictive— and few find it; because we have to be looking to want to live this way with him.
It should not be grievous to us to want to STOP TRANSGRESSING HIM and HIS PERSONAL WAYS— that is what sin is; sin is living a contrary way, that offends God.
Definition sin— offend/offense, condemn, lead astray, miss it— miss the mark— not share in the prize, trespass, loss, harm, rebellion, revolt— morally, transgression, fault, guiltiness, crime, err.
Turning from sin is spoken over and over again in scripture.
____________________
Matthew 3:11
“I indeed baptize you with water— unto repentance: but he who comes after me, is mightier than I— whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with— the Holy Ghost— and with fire: 12 Whose fan [winnowing fork] is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
___________________
John said— I come to immerse you in water, to symbolize your commitment to God holy, and washing away your old man ways— and acknowledging your need for repentance— walking a new path with God; but after me— comes God, who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit, who will fan the fires of refinement, as he PURGES YOU, and GATHERS THE WHEAT (those are the refined, and changed ones) —and BURNS THE CHAFF (the rejected dross), with unquenchable refiner’s fire.
We must come to full understanding of sin, what it is— the need to be washed, cleansed, committed to God— THROUGH REPENTANCE, the New Man creation in Messiah— to be the few who find the Narrow Way; the way— is the paths of righteousness, spoken of over and over again in scripture; and HE— is the only one leading folks on those paths— for they are the PATHS OF THE LORD GOD HOLY: and we are to be ‘following him.’
We live with Christ, in Christ, and out of Christ— and he will have us live in his righteous paths too; this is an upstanding relationship with God holy— putting effort into yoking in marriage with God, and allowing the Holy Spirit to purge us.
____________________
Matthew 9:11-13
“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples— Why does your Master eat with publicans and sinners?
12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them— They that are whole [able, avail]— do not need a physician, but they who are sick [badly morally amiss, diseased, evil, grievously miserable] (do).
13 Go and learn what that means— I will have mercy [compassion], and not sacrifice [victims]: for I am not come to call the righteous [innocent, holy, just and meet], but sinners to repentance [compunction for guilt— including reformation, reversal of decisions].”
_____________________
Okay— here we see the words of the Messiah himself.
He says to the hypocritical folk— they who avail, and are able— need not a physician— but those who are— badly, physically or morally amiss, diseased, evil, grievously miserable (sick) —do.
He will have compassion on whom he will, and he doesn’t want victims— he wants SINNERS TO REPENT, as he ‘calls’ them to it.
Sinners— offend/offense, condemn, led astray, miss it— miss the mark— not share in the prize, trespass, loss, harm, rebellion, revolt— morally, transgression, fault, guiltiness, crime, err.
Repentance— compunction for guilt— including reformation, reversal of decisions.
Compunction— a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something bad; root definition— ‘prick sharply.’
We often hear— KICKING AGAINST THE PRICKS— God is goading us all the time to stop, turnaround, and repent from continued sinning— which is continued offense of his ways, conduct of his person, and iniquity— lawlessness to be led by, or come under him and his leadership and authority: this is satan’s transgression.
_____________________
Luke 3:3-4
“And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance— for the remission [freedom, pardon, deliverance, liberty] of/from sins [offenses];
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Elijah the prophet, saying— The voice of one crying in the wilderness— Prepare ye the way [road, route] of the Lord, make his paths [rut, track worn] straight [level, true, immediately straightway].”
_____________________
John came through all of Jordan, preaching (heralding) everyone to become baptized unto repentance of sin, for the remission of them— which is for gaining freedom from them, pardon for them, deliverance from them and liberty from sin— which is offenses against God, his person, and his ways.
He said— prepare the route, road, and way of the Lord (in our lives) —that leads us into a pathway that has → ruts, and well worn tracks (that means to become VERY WELL TRAVELED ON IT— beating down the path from so much walking it) —and that ‘way—’ will be level, true, and straight.
We have work to do in co-laboring in a relationship with God holy; it’s called marriage, or COVENANT— and all marriages require loving, hard working efforts.
____________________
Luke 24:27
“And that repentance and remission of sins— should be preached in his name, among all the nations— beginning at Jerusalem.”
____________________
Here he states that repentance— which is that turning away from continued sinning, and walking the other direction, on a new path— AND— the remission of sins, should be preached everywhere— starting in the city of peace.
But what does REMIT mean? Because remission comes from remit.
Remit— refrain from exacting or inflicting, consign to a previous state, diminish; root definition— send back, restore.
The red words of the Messiah himself, are stating that repentance (conviction of sin, and changing around) PLUS remission of sins, or REMITTING sins (refraining from exacting them, inflicting them, returning to a previous state, reduced or refined [diminished], and to be sent back to how he created us to be with him, and be RESTORED)— should be TAUGHT, and HERALDED— EVERYWHERE.
___________________
Acts 20:21
“Testifying [attest to, earnestly urge] both to the Jews and also to the Greeks— repentance [compunction for guilt— including reformation, reversal of decisions] toward God [supreme deity]— and faith [persuasion, credence of moral conviction, reliance upon Christ, constancy, truth itself, and fidelity] toward our Lord [supreme authority figure, controller, master] Jesus Christ.”
____________________
There’s actually A LOT here in this verse.
He says— attesting to, eagerly urging all people to → REPENT– come under compunction of guilt, including the need for reformation, reversal of decision making— toward God holy, supreme— and FAITH— persuasion, credence of moral conviction, reliance upon Christ, constancy in and with Christ, truth itself to be adhered to, and FIDELITY— toward our Lord— supreme authority figure, controller, master— Jesus Christ.
So, essentially we are to ATTEST TO and URGE folks to repent, which means— understand their guilt, including needing to be reformed entirely, and thereby reversing our decision making TOWARD GOD (that means how we treat God, with reverent fear/honor, or willy-nilly do whatever we feel like)...
And by FAITH— and faith is defined as— persuasion of moral conviction, to be reliant upon Christ to keep us consistent, living truthfully with/in truth himself, and being FAITHFUL in MARRIAGE FIDELITY to him; he, our LORD— who is our supreme authority figure, leading us in all our reformed ways, on a new path, as our CONTROLLER and MASTER: Jesus Christ, or Yahshua Hamashiach.
Can we see that REPENTANCE, SIN and FAITH— have very different meanings in Strong’s— than what we may have been told— it’s MUCH MORE THAN ‘trust.’
So, if we are saved by “GRACE through FAITH…”
Then, essentially, according to Strong’s, we are saved by— persuasion of moral conviction, to be reliant upon Christ to keep us consistent, living truthfully with/in truth himself, and being FAITHFUL in MARRIAGE FIDELITY to him: GRACE.
And through FAITH—the graciousness of God’s act, his divine influence upon the hearts of men, and their reflection of life— from the heart, including gratitude— his pleasure…
Then we are SAVED BY— the graciousness of God’s actions, his divine influence upon the hearts of men, and their reflection of life— from the heart, including gratitude, from his pleasure:
And…
persuasion of moral conviction, to be reliant upon Christ to keep us consistent, living truthfully with/in truth himself, and being FAITHFUL in MARRIAGE FIDELITY to him:
HIS GRACE and FAITH.
Have you ever heard THAT— as the definition of ‘saved by grace, through faith’ in God, before??
Well, that’s what the bible states as the root word meanings— behind this famous scripture.
____________________
Romans 2
“4 Or do you despise [dis-esteem] the riches [abundance] of his goodness [moral excellence, character and demeanor, gentleness and kindness] and forbearance [self restraint, tolerance] and longsuffering [fortitude— courage in pain, longanimity— patient endurance of offenses]; not knowing that the goodness of God leads [induces, brings forth] you to repentance [compunction of guilt, unto reformation— reversal of decisions]?
5 But after your hardness [stubbornness and callous] and impenitent [un-repentant] heart —you treasure up unto yourself → wrath [angry punishment], against the day of wrath— and revelation [disclosure] of the righteous judgment [sentence] of God; 6 Who will render [give back, pay, recompense, yield and reward] to every man according to his deeds [actions]:
7 To them who by patient continuance [constancy] in well doing [deeds/actions]— seek [WORSHIP] for glory and honor [dignity], and immortality [incorruptibility, GENUINENESS, SINCERITY] → eternal life:
8 But unto them that are contentious [factioned in strife], and do not obey [disbelieve, wilfully perverse] the truth [verity— fundamental true belief], but obey [convince, conciliate, pacify assent to, rely upon, agree with friend of, trust in] unrighteousness [injustice, moral wrongfulness of character, life or actions] → indignation [passionate fierce wrath] and wrath [violent passion, ire, justifiable abhorrence, punishment, and anger],
9 Tribulation [pressure afflicted, anguish of burdens, persecution and trouble] and anguish [narrowness/tight/restrictive calamity, distress] → upon every soul of man who does evil [worthlessness, depraved, injurious, bad, harmful, ill, wickedness]— of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile.”
_______________________
Summary of above verses, placing in the definitions
In the bold print— for better understanding.
________________________
We cannot dis-esteem the abundance of God’s moral excellence, character and demeanor, gentleness and kindness— with his— self-restraint and tolerance, in his— courageous pain of patient endurance of our offenses; and— are we ignorant of the fact that— the goodness of God leads —or induces, and brings forth → repentance —which is the compunction of guilt, that leads to reformation and reversal of decisions??
But because of our— stubbornness and callous, un-repentant → HEARTS— we store up the → angry punishment wrath —of God— and the → disclosure of— THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT SENTENCE, of God; who will— give back, pay, recompense, yield and reward, to every man → according to his deeds/actions.
But to those who remain with God, constant, and patient— in well doing deeds and actions— who are WORSHIPING in glory and dignity, genuinely and sincerely— they reap eternal life.
But unto them who are factioned in strife, who do not obey, through— disbelief, and wilfully perverseness, the fundamental true belief, but who, instead, obey— convince, conciliate, pacify assent to, rely upon, agree with friend of, trust in → UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, or— injustice, moral wrongfulness of character, life or actions…
Will reap passionate, fierce wrath— which is— violent passion, ire, justifiable abhorrence, punishment, and anger … and— tribulation, which is— pressure afflicted, anguish of burdens, persecution and trouble → with, narrowness/tight/restrictive calamity, distress, which is anguish.
This will come upon EVERY SOUL— who does evil —or worthlessness, depraved, injurious, bad, harmful, ill, wickedness.
I don’t believe this is too hard to understand— it’s actually QUITE TELLING; decisions, actions, and living truthfully, repentantly in sanctification with, and unto God holy— matters, and is *required.
Otherwise— we are TAKING ADVANTAGE OF HIS GOOD GRACES— which is what these verses state.
If we are saved by his good grace— through faith, which is— persuasion of moral conviction, to be reliant upon Christ to keep us consistent, living truthfully with/in truth himself, and being FAITHFUL in MARRIAGE FIDELITY to him; then we cannot FRUSTRATE HIS GRACIOUSNESS.
Romans 6:1-2
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, so that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, who are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
He’s saying— what account are we going to give, then? Shall we continue transgressing and offending God (sin), so that his GOOD GRACES shall have to be tolerant and abundant over us— GOD FORBID; How do we, who have died to living the ways of offending him (sin), live like that any longer?!
_____________________
2 Corinthians 7:10
“For godly sorrow [grief, heaviness] works [accomplishes, finishes and fashions the performed working out of] repentance [compunction of guilt— unto reformation, and reversal of decisions], to salvation [rescue, safety— morally or physically, deliver] — not to be repented of [irrevocated]: but the sorrow of the world— works death.”
_____________________
Godly grief, heaviness, accomplishes, finishes and fashions the performance of, the working out of repentance; which is the compunction of guilt, unto reformation and reversal of decision making— that leads to salvation, which is— rescue, safety morally or physically— deliverance; which we are never supposed to revoke.
Never revoke means— always keep this; keep what?
Conviction, that brings about the working out of repentance— which is reformation of our person, and reversal of our decisions and decision making; and with all that— we are LED TO SALVATION.
Without all that repentance, reformation and conviction— we are not led to salvation— for WHAT, WERE WE DELIVERED or SAVED FROM???
We are supposed to be saved from our OLD WAYS, EVIL, SIN, ESTRANGEMENT FROM GOD— achieved through the Son’s perfect sacrifice, now not having to do it all without error— BUT WE STILL HAVE TO DO IT!!!
What did we ‘think’ he was
saving us FROM???
Answer— continued in sin, that has a penalty, which is iniquity— that leads to estrangement and torment forever.
So, if we ‘willfully’ continue in sin,
there is no more sacrifice for us.
*WILLFULLY.
Folks, we sin all the time, because we don’t know ALL THE WAYS in which we are living that are OPPOSITE of, or IN OPPOSITION TO— God’s nature; BUT— the ones we know better of, the ones he’s already proven and shown to us— IF WE WILLFULLY CONTINUE IN THEM, for ‘those,’ there is no more sacrifice for us.
We will reap those consequences in life; every choice— has a consequence that comes with it.
If we are WILLFULLY SINNING ALL OVER THE PLACE, not trying at all turn from our wicked ways— we are not living in GRACE, the SACRIFICE, or UNION WITH GOD, at all— we are living REPROBATE, and claiming we are yoked to God.
That is hyper grace— where no one is trying to STOP ANY SINNING— they live how they want, when they want, and they do not reverence God at all; they just want to escape hell, the Lake of Fire and judgment.
But folks— what is hell and the lake of fire, and death— IT IS ESTRANGEMENT, due to SIN, and transgressing God’s ways.
So, what is the OPPOSITE OF ESTRANGEMENT— RECONCILIATION.
What is reconciliation— MAKING UP, COMING BACK TOGETHER, EFFORTING AT A RELATIONSHIP AGAIN, WORKING IT OUT, TURNING FROM THE OLD ESTRANGEMENT WAYS OF DEATH: essentially, REPENTANCE, an about-face, 180 degree turnaround, to walk uprightly, and reverently with God.
If we are UNWILLING TO STOP LIVING LIKE THE WORLD, IN SIN— we are fundamentally NOT WANTING REUNIFICATION, REJOINING, RE-YOKING TO MARRIAGE— unto God holy; which is what salvation is— for he is saving us from ESTRANGEMENT.
If we do not want to ‘rejoin him,’ and revere him— then we only wanted to stop from ending up in a certain destination for eternity— we didn’t want salvation at all; salvation— is REUNION, reconciliation, and YOKING TO GOD HOLY.
It’s not stopping us from living in hell, and giving us heaven; GOD IS HEAVEN; if we don’t want HIM, and to be yoked to him, and to return to his image— WE WANT HELL, now and later— for THAT, is ESTRANGEMENT: Distance, Space, Freedom FROM HIM.
I’m not sure we know what SALVATION IS.?
I hope we are beginning to see— he was saving us from DISUNION, SEPARATION FROM HIM, and BROKENNESS and TRANSGRESSING HIM, being his OPPONENTS— enemies; he was saving us from LACK OF UNION: and he gave us himself— to re-yoke up with, becoming ONE WITH HIM.
_________________________
Righteousness in Strong’s— equity of character and actions, which means— shared values of character and actions: justification.
Justified, definition— adjusted, righted; root definition— do justice to.
So, we are IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, if we have equity of character and actions with him; which means, SHARED VALUES of CHARACTER and ACTIONS: becoming justified.
And Justified character and actions is— adjusted and righted (think, tipped over, or bent, made right) character and actions, SAME AS CHRIST’S— shared values; and THAT— is to do justice to the reformation process, when yoked to the Righteous One.
______________________
Now, for those freaking out that they are possibly not saved, because they are guilty of sinning still— we all are— we are sinning in ways we know not of daily; that’s where his grace abounds— for we are ignorant, but have the truth of the scriptures to study, and his Spirit to bring us into all truth.
But it is WILLFUL SIN, that is the issue, folks; are you desiring to WILLFULLY, DELIBERATELY KEEP SINNING, in ways you KNOW BETTER, and you are NOT EFFORTING AT RELATIONSHIP CLEAN UP WITH GOD??
Because then, if that’s you, and you don’t believe you have to live properly with God— his way, by his leading, with him as one, and holy as he is holy— then you might have a salvation issue.
BUT, if you are putting effort in, and are not perfect, but are working with him to clean up in all the areas he shows you are against his way, person and conduct— then salvation, sanctification, repentance, faith and grace— are at work, inside of you— by his Spirit.
____________________
Hebrews 10:26-27
“For if we sin WILFULLY, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice [victim] for sins, 27 But only a certain fearful looking forward to— of judgment and fiery indignation— which shall devour the adversaries.’
___________________
Okay— see, it says it right here, IF YOU KNOW BETTER; it says— if you willfully, that’s deliberately sin (offenses against God) AFTER you have RECEIVED THE KNOWLEDGE (that’s him showing you in scripture, or his Spirit, and is telling you, informing you) OF THE TRUTH (hence, now you know better) —then there remains NO MORE SACRIFICE; who was the sacrificial, victim Lamb??
Only judgment, fiery indignant wrath— that will devour God’s enemies, adversaries— THOSE WHO OPPOSE HIM; which means— are opposed to living with him, like him, led and reformed —by him.
Those who were fundamentally—
OPPOSED to him and his ways.
But folks— IF —you don’t want to sin, want God refining you, changing you, evolving you— coming into life with him, yoked to him, and you are subject to his person, coming into shared values and conduct with him— you are working at your salvation, with fear and trembling, WITH HIM.
It’s the WILLFULLY SINNING,
continued in— that is INIQUITY;
which is what satan is guilty of.
So, do you see— he would not come out of those ways— he KNEW THE TRUTH, but the truth didn’t free him, cuz God said— NO TRUTH WAS IN HIM.
That means, it never took root, grew, nor was adhered to; knowledge is one thing— being rooted in, or having the truth ROOTED IN US— is quite another.
Let God root you in, graft you in— and grow you from his vine; you will definitely sprout forth fruits from his vine, if you do.
Your works will be his works, as you work them— TOGETHER.
Actions lead to fruits/results; when doing them yoked to God— lives are changed.
___________________
So, if we are saved by God’s good graces, through faith— which is → persuasion of moral conviction, to be reliant upon Christ to keep us consistent, living truthfully with/in truth himself, and being FAITHFUL in MARRIAGE FIDELITY to him…
And grace includes— the graciousness of God’s actions, his divine influence upon the hearts of men, and their reflection of life— from the heart, including gratitude, from his pleasure…
And repentance from sin is required, which is— come under compunction of guilt, including the need for reformation, reversal of decision making …
And sin is— offend/offense, condemn, lead astray, miss it— miss the mark— not share in the prize, trespass, loss, harm, rebellion, revolt— morally, transgression, fault, guiltiness, crime, err...
Then, if we are efforting at turning away from sinning, through reformation, conviction/guilt of offending God, unto reversing our decision making…
by persuasion of moral conviction, to be reliant upon Christ to keep us consistent, living truthfully with/in truth himself, and being FAITHFUL in MARRIAGE FIDELITY to him (which is faith)…
By —the graciousness of God’s actions, his divine influence upon the hearts of men, and their reflection of life— from the heart, including gratitude, from his pleasure (which is grace)…
→ THEN YOU ARE EFFORTING AT IT FOLKS; it’s not about are you ‘perfectly flawless,’ it’s → ARE YOU EFFORTING AT THE RELATIONSHIP and CLEANUP OF SANCTIFICATION??
Which essentially means— being reformed back into his image: holiness.
Be holy, as he is holy— do we understand this a bit better now??
It’s about a real relationship, where we really try, really put effort in, and really don’t WALK ALL OVER HIS GRACE (gracious gift), and we COME OUT OF LIVING IN OPPOSITION TO HIM, his person, conduct and ways: reconciliation.
____________________________
“Saved by grace through faith—” is much different than religion teaches; and partnering with God holy— is what it’s all about.
Yes amen 🙏