Repentance is just to focus on the goodness of God?

Is Repentance just to focus on the goodness of God?
Many sinners today think that repentance is just to focus on the goodness of God, and the goodness of God will lead them to repentance without thinking of any intention to do anything or stop doing any sin? Is it true that repentance is just to have good opinion of God, think of the goodness of God, or change our mind from thinking bad about God to thinking good about God? Is repentance just change of mind from unbelief to thinking of our belief in God? 

If repentance is just doing all those things above, I believe that the Pharisees could have 'repented' better than us. But why did Jesus or John the Baptist find that the Pharisees would never repent?

• Mat 3:8-9 KJV  Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:  (9)  And think 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.
• Luk 18:11-12 KJV  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  (12)  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
• Luk 5:31-32 KJV  And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.  (32)  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The Pharisees could believe, give thanks, confess righteousness, give tithes, and do many things to show that they were the sons or children of Abraham. In fact, they could keep all the Ten Commandments pretty well in front of the people although Jesus knew that they broke them secretly, lawfully, or 'legitimately'. But why did Jesus say that they were not repenting when they came to Him?

• Joh 3:10-12 KJV  Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?  (11)  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.  (12)  If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

Nicodemus had probably believed in Jesus, but he could not repent because he could not see any reason why he must repent, go through the water baptism, crucify the old man, and be born again, with the need to stop oppressing the people and enriching themselves at the expense of others.
It shows us that repentance is not just believing only or thinking of the goodness of God. Repentance is to change our minds from thinking of sinning to thinking of doing God's righteousness. If it is just change of mind from unbelief to believing, it is not repentance:

• Luk 19:8-10 KJV  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.  (9)  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.  (10)  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Zacchaeus believed Jesus and invited Him to his house. But why didn't Jesus say that Zacchaeus was saved until Zacchaeus repented or said that he would change his behavior and conduct? Obviously, Jesus was saying it to show the people clearly that He seeks and saves those who will not just repent or confess it with their lips only; but those who will truly repent like Zacchaeus.


Why can't we preach repentance?
However, many radical grace preachers still argue, "Are you saved by repentance? No, my Bible says, We are saved by Jesus or grace. Hence, we should preach Jesus or grace; not repentance."
I will ask them, Are you saved by prosperity? No, why do you preach prosperity in Christ? Are you saved by doing nothing? No. But why do you still preach about rest in the Lord? Are you saved by the Holy Spirit? No, strictly speaking, you are saved by Jesus Christ. But why do you still preach about the Holy Spirit, tongues, the leading of the Holy Spirit, or the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Hence, if we are saved by Jesus or grace, it does not mean that we cannot preach or teach repentance in Christ.
Similarly, if we are not saved by the commandments of God or the doctrine of Christ, but it does not mean that we cannot teach the commandments of God or the doctrine of Christ. Why do we still teach many things besides the name of the Lord or knowing the Lord?

• Heb 8:10-11 KJV  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:  (11)  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

We do not preach knowing the Lord; but we preach doing the will and the words of the Lord
Isn't it obvious? If we believe in the Savior, isn't it a requirement or a must for us to believe and do what He said or commanded? However, it would look very strange if we would just keep confessing His name or telling others on how much we love Him or know Him without any intention of doing or teaching what He said. We could be in the category which will be rejected by the Lord.

• Mat 7:21-23 KJV  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  (22)  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  (23)  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
• Luk 6:46-48 KJV  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?  (47)  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:  (48)  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood (false doctrine) arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. (Hence, Jesus said clearly that He would not just want us to have right believing, right faith, right miracles, right preaching, or right confession only; he wants us to have right doing with His words too, because right doing would prove that we are His true disciples on the rock of salvation.)

If we pervert or change what He said, it would be more serious than what He had warned us about those who would never do the will or the commandments of the Father. We could become the false prophets who corrupt the words of God:

• Mat 7:15-24 KJV  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  (16)  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  (17)  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  (18)  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  (19)  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  (20)  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (21) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  (22)  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  (23)  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  (24)  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

** We do not preach only looking or hearing Jesus; we preach doing the will and the words of the Lord too
Many will say, "But we do not look to other things; we just look to Jesus only or behold Jesus only, without thinking or keeping any laws or commandments, without our face being veiled by any laws. What's wrong?" I will say, Yes, there is nothing wrong to look only to Jesus, to listen only to Jesus, and to believe only in the finished work of Jesus. But do you tell people to look to Jesus and ignore His doctrine, commandments, and warnings? If you do that, your way of saying (to look to Jesus) is a vain saying. There is no excuse to ignore His words and commandments because Jesus has said that those who are truly His disciples will not just look to Him only or confess Him only; they will also do and teach God's commandments too. Obviously, there are clear blessings in both keeping the commandments of God in the Old Testament and keeping the commandments of God in the New Testament:

• Old Testament
• Exo 20:6 KJV (6)  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
• Deu 26:18-19 KJV  And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;  (19)  And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken. (Hence, keeping His commandments is not a curse; it is a blessing. It is still a blessing in the New Testament.)
• Deu 28:4-10 KJV  Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.  (5)  Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.  (6)  Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out .. (9) The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.  (10)  And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
• Deu 30:16-18 KJV  In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.  (17)  But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;  (18)  I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. (This  commandment is still the same in the New Testament)
• New Testament
• Mat 19:17 KJV  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
• Rev 12:17 KJV  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
• Rev 14:12-13 KJV  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.  (13)  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
• Rev 22:13-15 KJV  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.  (14)  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.  (15)  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

• ** Please be careful of how you hear and what you hear, not just who you hear
• Mat 17:5 KJV  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
• Luk 8:18 KJV  Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
• Joh 8:47 KJV  He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
• Joh 14:24-25 KJV  He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.  (25)  These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
• Mat 13:7-9 KJV  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:  (8)  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.  (9)  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
• Mat 13:40-43 KJV  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.  (41)  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;  (42)  And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  (43)  Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
• Mar 7:15-16 KJV  There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.  (16)  If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
• Luk 14:34-35 KJV  Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?  (35)  It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

** Jesus did not say, Hear only; He said, Hear , Receive, & Do
If I said, "He that has brain to think, let him think". Does it mean that I want him to think only? No, If anyone has a brain to think, he can certainly think and it is meaningless to ask him to think only. Hence, if I asked anyone who can think to think, it means that I did not just want him to think only; I want him to do more than thinking only or to think better. Hence, Jesus knew that those who have ears to hear can hear too but He spoke with the Hebrew understanding that those who could hear, must not hear only; but receive (perceive), know, understand, and do more than just hearing Him only.

• Mar 4:20 KJV And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
• Luk 8:8-11 KJV  And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.  ( He showed us that there are 2 types of 'hearing'. The 1st word 'hear' is a physical hearing with the ear - hath + ears = hear. Hence, when He said 'hear' the second time in 'let him hear', He did not want the disciples to hear with their ears only; He wanted them to hear with the cross in their hearts too - ie. hear + t = heart = hearing, knowing and doing) ..  (9)  And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?  (10)  And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.  (11)  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God ... (21) And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.

Hence, when Jesus told the disciples to believe in Him, He did not want them to believe with their minds only or change their minds only; He wanted them to believe with the cross in their hearts too - ie. Repent, Believe, and Do:

• Joh 3:7-21 KJV Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again .. (16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life .. (21) But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
• Mar 1:15 KJV And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
• Rev 22:13-14 KJV I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (14) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Hence, we will tell the radical grace preachers, How can we preach believe only, easy believism, cheap grace, or vain sayings that keep God's commandments by thinking of Jesus only or beholding Jesus only. Many may argue, "We are preaching the gospel that Paul preached; not cheap grace or the teaching of Jesus which was under the law and obsolete. Jesus has passed the 'baton' of preaching His gospel to Paul who knew how to preach better than Peter and the rest of the Apostles."
I will tell them, Really? Probably, you think that you and Paul could preach better than Jesus too? Yes, you may think that the gospel which focuses on grace or think of grace only, faith only, believing only is more attractive to the sinners, but you've disobeyed the Lord and twisted His words. Jesus did not command us to preach the gospel that is more attractive; but the gospel that He preached. In fact, Paul and all of us are commanded to preach the gospel that He preached, and His words, commandments, and warnings will never become obsolete:

• Mat 28:19-20 KJV Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 
• Luk 24:45-47 KJV Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, (46) And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: (47) And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  
• Luk 21:33-36 KJV Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (34) And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. (35) For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. (36) Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

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