1. If we repent we will enter into God's blessings, because repentance is restoration with God. It means someone is getting right before God. It means someone is making "peace" with God. Repentance is not a meritorious good work. We only repent because it is a gift to us by the Spirit and the Word that changed our hearts in rebirth. We have corrupt and depraved and polluted natures of sinfulness. We cannot "repent" on our own or according to libertarian free will, because the Bible clearly says that there is nothing good in us. I think there is a "repentance" of the flesh but it is according to attrition. We ought to understand that "repentance" is rarely taught these days. The minister does not want to offend anyone, but the Bible clearly teaches that human beings are in original sin and totally corrupt and radically depraved. We do not have the spiritual ability to repent because our free will is totally hindered to apprehend God's gift of faithful repentance. What do we need? We desperately need the regenerating power of the Spirit and the Word. Our free wills cannot grasp a faithful and contrite repentance. I suggest to you that this is how the heart is changed from a stoney heart to a heart of flesh by spiritual rebirth! We ought to understand that repentance is a blessings from God that leads to restoration with God. If we confess our sins to a brother or sister in Christ, he or she may pray for us so we may be healed.
2. If we look in the Old Testament we see God's people engaging in rebellion unto explicit idolatry, and worshiping foreign gods or images and practicing evil things of the occult. The nation of Israel had fallen into difficult times. The people of Israel needed God's doctrine and practice of repentance in their daily lives. We see them worship images that cannot speak, walk, hear, or think. We see them engage in worship of strange gods and surrender their lives to them like the "queen of heaven." The right solution is contrite repentance for any nation under God's wrath. The nation of Israel was under God's wrath or fallen into difficult times (1 Samuel). We see that thousands have been killed in battle. We see that the Philistines populated the land. We see that the Ark of the Covenant was captured, but it was returned because it posed a liability or threat to Israel's enemies. Chapter 7 of I Samuel reveals that all of the house of Israel cried after the Lord, because the tabernacle was destroyed and the glory departed. It is said that historians know that this was the most hard time in the nation of Israel's history.
3. Sometimes in the Christian life we experience gloom and depression. We see a picture of hope because of the OT prophet Samuel. He was obedient, faithful and courageous. May we all strive to be like Samuel! Israel reached a point of "desperation" and Samuel came to their aid. Samuel came in the midst of extreme suffering. We ought to see that the hope of the nation of Israel was through the contrite hope of repentance! We ought to understand when we have committed sin. Sometimes it is so elusive that we do not see it in our lives, but delayed obedience is disobedience! We have a fallen nature that wants nothing to do with faith and repentance. It is true that Satan provides us with more bondage, but if we were left to ourselves we still could not repent. I suggest to you that we need the Holy Ghost and the Holy Word to change our hearts. Many rely on the flesh where there is no good thing to repent and believe. This is known as decisional regeneration. I would like to point out that if we are left to ourselves no one would ever repent toward God. The Bible clearly teaches that the nation of Israel needed the divine intervention of God Himself and the all-overcoming power of the written and divine Scriptures! Do you see that your free will only leads you to rebellion against God like Adam and Eve? Do you see that you need a new nature in Christ that only God can provide through His Spirit and Word?
This blog web site is for the in-depth, sound and basic exegetical study of the Bible in Reformed apologetics; that is, I shall expound upon the inerrant and infallible Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. There shall be biblical studies in world religions and non-Christian cults. I also quote and research reformed writers and I am happy to study from them. May the Lord bless everyone who reads this blog with spiritual riches in Christ which is His imputed merit by faith alone.
