Repentance and the Gospel of Luke

Here are verses on repentance in the Gospel of Luke.  Remember someone who repents cannot be damned and someone who repents is forgiven of their particular sins.

Luke 3:3 KJV
And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
Luke 3:8 KJV
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Luke 5:32 KJV
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Luke 10:13 KJV
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 11:32 KJV
The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Luke 13:3 KJV
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
 Luke 13:5 KJV
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
 Luke 15:7 KJV
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15:10 KJV
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
 Luke 16:30 KJV
And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Luke 17:3 KJV
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Luke 17:4 KJV
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.
Luke 24:47 KJV
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Gospel Repentance and the Gospel of Mark

Mark 1:4 KJV
John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

There is such a thing as repentance unto the remission of sins.  We ought to preach this doctrine of repentance. 

Mark 1:15 KJV
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

We ought to believe in the Jesus of the Bible.  "Repent and believe the gospel!"

Mark 2:17 KJV
When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Sinners are called to repentance.    
Mark 6:12 KJV
And they went out, and preached that men should repent.



We ought to repent unto the remission of sins.  This means we are forgiven of everything.  We are forgiven when we repent.  That is, if we repent unto contrition, i.e., that we have offended God and injured His tender heart.  God calls sinners to repent.  People that think they are righteous do not seek repentance.  However, people who are in sin and know it, repent of everything.  God grants repentance and faith in the gospel by his Spirit and Word.  This happens in regeneration.  God gives us a new heart to repent.  No one can undo repentance and no angel can take it from us.  God help us to find sin in our lives and repent.  Amen.

Jehovah's Witnesses and the Trinity

"IS THERE A TRINITY?...The doctrine, in brief, is that there are three gods in one: 'God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost,' all three equal in power, substance and eternity" (Let God Be True, 1946 [1952 rev.] p. 100).

The Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Christians worship a three-headed God.  Such is a misrepresentation of the Trinitarian doctrine.  We worship the Trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity.  There are three distinct Persons in one essence: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  (Matthew 28:19, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost...").  We should all pray for the Jehovah's Witnesses that they may embrace the teaching of the Trinity.  I challenge any Jehovah's Witness to debate this teaching on the Trinity.

A Defense of Special Revelation from Scripture

In biblical Christianity there are not four standards of authority, but the written Word of God alone.  The Word of God is the Old and New Testaments.   This is that which is God-breathed.  

2 Timothy 3:14-17 KJV
¹⁴ But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
¹⁵ And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

The 39 books of the Old Testament are inspired, inerrant and infallible.  Jesus quotes from the Old Testament (Mt. 5:27; Lk 23:30; John 13:18).  The New Testament is from those who were with Christ, and those who were authorities by the apostles.  Nothing after the first century A.D.  The Bible has been given to us by God and everything that opposes it is contrary to it and must be rejected.  Other revelations of the Divine Word is not acceptable because they contradict each other.

The King James Version of the Bible is accurate but it should not be esteemed over other translations of the Bible, because other translations like the NKJV, NASB, and ESV reflect translations close to the original manuscripts.  


The Bible is trustworthy and it is without error.  It is God-breathed and essential for spiritual salvation.   It has all we need to be right with God.  The standards of authority in Mormonism open a door to false views because the authority is different.  There are certain problems with the standards when compared to the Bible.  We shall go over the different doctrines held in Mormonism. 

A Study of Mormonism on Special Revelation

There are four standards of works in Mormonism:

"By the standard works of the Church is meant the following four volumes of scripture: The Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price...These four volumes of scripture are standards, the measuring rods, the gauges by which all things are judged.  Since they are the will, mind, word and voice of the Lord...they are true...When the living oracles speak in the name of the Lord or as moved upon by the Holy Ghost, however, their utterances are then binding upon all who hear..."  (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., pp. 764-65).

 The King James Version of the Bible is considered the most accurate:

"...the King James Version is by all odds the greatest of the completed English translations...It is no wonder that the King James Version has been and remains the official version of the Church..."  (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., pp. 422-23).

The Bible is full of errors:

"...acceptance of the Bible is coupled with a reservation that it is true only insofar as translated correctly...The other three, having been revealed in modern times in English, are accepted without qualification" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 764).

"As all informed persons know, the versions of the Bible do not accurately record or perfectly preserve the words, thoughts, and intents of the original inspired authors" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 383).

The sound doctrine of sola scriptura is foolish:

"...many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible!  A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible...Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible...because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written" (BOM, 2 Nephi 29:3, 6, 10).

 The Four Standards of Mormonism restore many facts that were taken away from the Bible:

"BOOK OF MORMON: One of the standard works of the church that has an account of God's dealings with the people of the American continents from about 2200 [B.C.]...to 421 [A.D.]...It was translated from gold plates by Joseph Smith and contains the fulness of the gospel" (Gospel Principles, 1992, p. 375).

The only right interpretation of the Bible is in light of Mormon teaching:

"When the Bible is read under the guidance of the Spirit, and in harmony with the many latter-day revelations which interpret and make plain its more mysterious parts, it becomes one of the most priceless volumes known to man" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 83).

 In the next session we shall study how these doctrines of special revelation in Mormonism contradict the Holy Scriptures, for its in the Divine Word that we find the knowledge of eternal life.

An Apologetic for the Bible

"...one could set his mind to remember, in times of stress, the faith of others in distress...for this purpose the study of the Bible was man's best resource, though every great life or biography might carry assurances--as the Cayce readings often referred to Woodrow Wilson, and at other times to such figures as Buddha, Lao Tse, Swedenborg, or the founder of Zoroastrianism" (Edgar Cayce on Religion and Psychic Experience, pp. 115-16).

The Bible speaks about itself as the only infallible, inspired, inerrant authoritative book in all the world.  It has recorded 300 prophecies about the coming of Jesus.  Let's look at some of the verses that speak of its authority:

The God-Breathed Scriptures are infallible, inspired, inerrant:
2 Timothy 3:15-17 NIV
¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

Scripture cannot be broken and it is infallible:
John 10:35 KJV
If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

Scripture is sufficient:
 Numbers 22:18 KJV
And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.

Is God a man? A Simple Bible Study

Alamo Christian Ministries say God is a man,

"God is a man.  We look like him..." (4/5/94 interview with Alamo Christian Ministries representative)  (This reference is from House, Charts, Sects and Religious Movements, pg. 13).

This is like the teaching of Mormonism; however, the Bible says that God is not a man (Numbers 23:19).  That is, Jesus says that God is a spirit (John 4:24) and Jesus says that a spirit does not have flesh and bone (Luke 24:39).  The Scripture refers to God's body parts but this is a human expression or an anthropomorphism.  God is put in human terms so we can understand Him as human beings.  Let us understand from this that truth and sound theology matters!