Mat 4:17 KJV From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Luk 13:5 KJV I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Mar 6:12 KJV And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
Act 17:30-33 KJV And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth
all men every where to repent: (31) Because he hath appointed a day,
in the which he will judge the world in righteousness.. (32) And when
they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others
said, We will hear thee again of this matter. (33) So Paul departed
from among them.
Rom 3:21 KJV But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets ..
Do
we remember that Moses and Elijah were the two witnesses in the Lord's
transfiguration? and they bear witness that the righteousness of God
apart from the law can now come by repentance in Christ? Hence, It is
still God's grace for righteousness to be given by repentance apart from
the law; it is given without the law. But please think, Is it given
without keeping any law? No, if we could be 'lawless' and did not have to keep any law, there is still one law we must keep - i.e. To repent (and walk in His commandments).
So we are back to 'square one'; we can never run away or depart totally
from keeping God's commandments, no matter how much we hate it.
Hence, to repent is the 'now'
commandment or the new commandment, though it was the old commandment
which we had from the beginning as we have heard (from the Lord) from
the beginning:
1Jn 2:3-8 KJV And hereby we do know that we know him,
if we keep his commandments. .. (7) Brethren, I write no new
commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
(8) Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in
him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now
shineth.
'To repent' is a commandment of the Lord to walk after
(all) His commandments. We still keep this commandment because this is
love and this is the commandment that we have heard from the beginning:
That we should obey it and walk in it.
2Jn 1:6-9 KJV And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning,
ye should walk in it. (7) For many deceivers are entered into the
world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a
deceiver and an antichrist. (8) Look to yourselves, that we lose not
those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
(9) Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ,
hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both
the Father and the Son.
Hence, Jesus did not make it easy for us to repent; He made it clear for us to repent.
How many of us really hear Him clearly today?
Mat
17:5-7 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. (6) And
when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore
afraid. (7) And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be
not afraid.
However, how many preachers today really hear Him and
preach what they hear from Him? Ironically many keep telling us to hear
Him, hear Him only .., but they themselves would never hear Him or
preach what they hear from Him. Sadly we realize later that many do not
have the integrity with words. They are not really sincere; they will
just want us to hear them only, .. .. hear their lawless doctrine, their
self-righteous confession, their effortless prosperity, their no
condemnation lies, their 'easy repentance', or their mind changing
philosophies only.
Many argue, "No, God did not tell us to hear any
commandment or law from Jesus; He just tell us to hear Him only. Jesus
did not give any command to the disciples when He gave only the gracious
words or positive words and ask them to 'arise and be not afraid' in
Mat 17:7."
I will tell them, Come on. Do you really think that God
would only want the disciples or us to hear only the 'gracious words'
from Jesus at that moment? How about His commandments, His parables, His
prophecies, or His warning later?
Of course, there are people who
will believe them and follow them 'positively' or 'radically', but I
won't envy them; I worry for them and pray that they can still repent.
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