Biblical Repentance/The Means of Repentance

From Gospel Translations

Let us consider now the means by which repentance is worked in the heart.

The Word of God Is the Instrument of Repentance

In true repentance we see a radical change of mind and heart that leads to a complete turnabout of life; this is wrought in the soul by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. But what is the instrument He uses? My friend, He uses the Word of God, which He authored, to convict “of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). You see, apart from the Word of God there can be no salvation, for we read in Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” And 1 Peter 1:23 says, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

Now with your Bible in hand, let us read Hebrews 4:12-13:

“For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

You see, in true repentance, the Word of God is brought home to our hearts by the Holy Spirit in convicting power so that we might be saved. Paul, in writing to the church of the Thessalonians on this subject says, “Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.” How? “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance” (1Th 1:4-5). And in salvation, this is exactly the way the Word of God comes home to the heart of every sinner for whom Christ died.

Did you notice the description given of the Word of God in our text, Hebrews 4:12-13? It is spoken of as being “quick,” that is, a living Word. Our blessed Lord represents it in the same way in John 6:63: “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Yes, the Word of God awakens a sinner to his need of turning to God from his rebellious ways. He will cast down his arms of rebellion, hoist the white flag of surrender, and look by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ to save him, cleanse him from sin, and deliver him from the wrath to come. You see, God’s quickening Spirit uses the Word to give that soul knowledge of his sinfulness before God and knowledge of the Holy God against Whom he has sinned.

“For the Word of God is quick and powerful”—it is not a mere dead letter that will soon vanish away! No, it lives in the mind of God! It lives in the decrees of heaven! And it lives and will live forever in the hearts and minds of all God’s redeemed ones because it is the living Word of God. It operates in the mind and in the affection and will not leave you alone. It is truly the law of God in the hands of the Holy Spirit which is the schoolmaster to bring you to Christ (Gal. 3:24).

The Word of God Is Powerful

Also this Word spoken of here in our text is powerful. Hear the appeal which God Himself makes to you concerning His Word in Jeremiah 23:29: “Is not My Word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” And, I say it is! I believe, yea, I know, that every child of God will say that God’s Word burned itself into his soul, and he could not be still until he fell at God’s feet in true repentance. His heart was truly broken by the powerful Word of God!

The Word of God in the hands of the Holy Spirit is so powerful that it slays the soul! Paul says in Romans 7:9, “For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came [home to his heart], sin revived, and I died.” The Word of God slew him, because as II Corinthians 3:7 tells us, the Law is the ministration of death. It puts to death your cherished sins, your cherished ambitions, your cherished plans, your self-righteousness, your self-will, and your pride and leaves you at the feet of a sovereign God crying, “God be merciful to me, the sinner!”

You see, the Holy Spirit puts this powerful and living Word into your mind and writes it upon your heart (Heb 8:10; 10:16). You cannot get away from it; it follows you and cries out in your soul, “Thou art the man; thou art the sinner!” I ask: have you ever experienced the slaying work of the Word of God? If not, you are still in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity. God’s Spirit uses the Word to bring death to the soul before He raises it to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. You must be slain before you are ever raised to life.

This precious Word is described in 1 Peter 1:23 as a living Word. Why? Because by the power of the Holy Spirit it brings life. And, praise the Lord, it can never be destroyed or exterminated! Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s Word shall abide forever (Mat 24:35).

The Word of God Is Effectual

Hebrews 4 also tells us that this Word of God, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, is not only quick and power-ful, but effectual. It is active, operative, energizing, and effective. It brings conviction—convincing us of sin and the evil of unbelief—for it discerns between good and evil in the most holy thought of the best man and shows him what he is: a sinner before God!

The Holy Spirit will use the Word to convince you that you are spiritually blind because of sin. You cannot see the danger you are in nor can you see any beauty in Christ. “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (2Co 4:3-4).

Then the Word will convince you that you are deaf because of sin. You cannot hear the voice of God apart from His effectual call (Mar 8:18). It will convince you that you are defiled, corrupt, and morally unsound be-cause of sin (Gen 6:5; Rom 3:10-12). And it will convince you that you are in a state of spiritual paralysis because of sin. Sin has paralyzed your will, so you have no power to raise yourself from your helpless condi-tion. Romans 5:6 reads, “For when we were yet without strength...”

The Word will convince you that your sins have separated you from God (Isa 59:1-2) and have made Him your enemy. And it will convince you that sin has filled your heart and mind with rebellion, so you will ac-knowledge that Romans 8:7 is true: you are carnal, enmity against God, rebellious against God, and you need true repentance.

Oh my friend, you desperately need the powerful work of the Holy Spirit to write the eternal Word of God upon your hearts! You need to cry out in sorrow for sin and for mercy before God in Christ!

Again, Hebrews 4 tells us that the Word of God in the hands of the Holy Spirit is sharper than any two-edged sword. You see, the Word of God is so comprehensive that there is not a thought or purpose in the whole creation that is not within its range: “God knows my downsitting and mine uprising, He understandeth my thought afar off. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether” (Psa 139:2, 4). Because its Author is spiritual, the Word is spiritual. And it searches men spiritually. When the Holy Spirit brings the Word home to a man’s soul, He convinces him of sins of which he had not the least conception be-fore.

The Word of God Wounds and Makes Alive

God’s Word wounds and makes alive. It kills self-righteousness, sin, and unbelief. It will bring you to God crying, “Woe is me, for I am undone! I am lost! God be merciful to me, the sinner!” Listen to David’s cry in Psalm 51 as the Word of God forced its way into his heart under conviction:

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me...Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow...Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

David did not blame his sins on anyone else; he did not blame circumstances or environment. He took the full blame for his sins and repented of them before God. He cried unto Him for mercy and forgiveness. Oh, this is what you need today—true biblical repentance. You must take the blame before God for your spiritual condi-tion. You must confess, “I have sinned and stand guilty. I need the mercy of God in Christ.”

The Word of God Gives No Short Cuts

So many people I meet today are seeking “the deeper life,” when they so desperately need to find their way to the cross of Christ in true brokenness of heart over sin. They are trying to by-pass Holy Spirit conviction; therefore, they have missed it all! Let me tell you from the depths of my heart, which goes out to you in com-passion: there is no short cut to the overcoming life! When confronted with your sin, you must repent. The Spirit must open your heart so that by the Word of God, you may see your lost, miserable, and sinful condition. I know you don’t like to hear this, because you love sin. Your pride will not let you admit that you are a sinful hypocrite, a hell-deserving sinner, and the chief of sinners! But remember, you will come this way or perish!

Try whatever you will: whitewash the outside, clean up all you can, go to church, pray, preach, teach, wit-ness, have great religious feelings and experiences. But all of this will not avail you, if the foundation of your Christian life is not laid in the foundation of repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We come back to our Lord’s words in Luke 13:5: “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” There is no get-ting around it! You will have to face it: if you do not repent, then there is no salvation in Christ. There must be that radical change of mind and heart that leads to a complete turnabout of your life! These words in Luke 13 are not my words. These are the Word of Him Who speaks from heaven. You must hear Him or you will die in your sins (Heb 12:25).

Let me ask you again: Have you ever taken your place before God as David, crying for mercy, as you con-fessed your sins? If you are a stranger to these exercises of soul, no matter what your profession or performance, no matter how highly you may think of yourself or what others may think of you, God says you are still dead in your sins!

But if, by God’s grace, His Word has come home to your heart and lifted the veil so you can see what God has seen all the time, then I know that you will cry for mercy. You will cry for the Christ of Calvary to come and save you, to cleanse you by His precious and atoning blood. You will cry for Him to clothe you in His per-fect robe of righteousness, so that you may be able to stand before the holy God. Then you will prize the Christ of Calvary. Then you will forsake all and be found in Him, clothed in His righteousness alone.

This is the way that God calls sinners to salvation in Christ. By His Spirit and Word, He works repentance toward God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts. I ask again: has God ever dealt with your heart like this? Or are you a stranger to Holy Spirit conviction and God-given repentance and faith?

Study Questions The Means of Repentance

The instrument of repentance

1. What is the instrument God uses to bring forth repentance in the heart of a sinner?

2. In your own words, what is the key point of Hebrews 4:12-13 as it relates to repentance?

3. a. “God’s quickening Spirit uses the Word to give” what knowledge?
b. Making It Personal How important is it, then, that you regularly read God’s Word?

The Word of God is powerful

4. The Word of God “slew” the apostle Paul, and this same Word will also spiritually kill the ‘old man’ of anyone in whom it works to bring about true repentance. What are some of the other things mentioned that the Word of God puts to death?

The Word of God is effectual

5. Briefly describe some of the ways in which the Word of God “convinces” you of sin.

The Word of God wounds and makes alive

6. What three things does God’s Word “kill”?

The Word of God gives no short cuts

7. What are some of the things listed which people “try” so that they can by-pass faith as the way to come to God?

8. Making It Personal “Have you ever taken your place before God as David, crying for mercy, as you con-fessed your sins, mourning over them in repentance?” Can you answer yes to this question? If not, what has God revealed that you must do?