Jump to content
  • Welcome Guest

    For an ad free experience on Online Baptist, Please login or register for free

For those who believe that repentance of sin is a work, do you believe that the prodigal son worked hard to make repentance of sin?


Recommended Posts

  • Members
3 hours ago, mbkjpreacher said:

For those who believe that repentance of sin is a work, do you believe that the prodigal son worked hard to make repentance of sin? 

 

Works follow repentance. Repentance is a change of mind. Repentance is tied into faith but it's faith in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ for our sins that saves. A man can repent and still not get saved like as with Judas Iscariot. His was a worldly repentance and his work was hanging himself. He had no faith in his Savior.

Anyway, the so-called prodigal son repented when he realized "I perish" and said "I will arise and go to my father...". He didn't say, "After I forsake my sins then I will go to my father". He saw his condition, had a change of mind and went to his father. We arose and went to our Father through faith in the gospel (like the old folk hymn says, "I Will Arise and Go to Jesus"). I wouldn't call that a work any more than faith in Christ but it should lead to good works ("the work of faith").

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
9 hours ago, SureWord said:

 

Works follow repentance. Repentance is a change of mind. Repentance is tied into faith but it's faith in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ for our sins that saves. A man can repent and still not get saved like as with Judas Iscariot. His was a worldly repentance and his work was hanging himself. He had no faith in his Savior.

Anyway, the so-called prodigal son repented when he realized "I perish" and said "I will arise and go to my father...". He didn't say, "After I forsake my sins then I will go to my father". He saw his condition, had a change of mind and went to his father. We arose and went to our Father through faith in the gospel (like the old folk hymn says, "I Will Arise and Go to Jesus"). I wouldn't call that a work any more than faith in Christ but it should lead to good works ("the work of faith").

Right I agree that when the prodigal son repented, it was not a work.  Luke 15: 17, "When he came to himself" that was a realization of his sin and the consequence of it.  He said "I perish with hunger".  His thoughts that "I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee" in verse 18, this is a change of mind.  His feelings that he is not worthy in verse 19 is an expression of humility, feeling undeserving.  All of these in verse 17 to 19 are just in the mind, his intellect, emotion, and will as he said "I will arise", is not a work but a decision in the mind or soul.  

The Andersonites contend that Repentance of sin is a work, and that it is only for the saved person.  When they are asked, If the prodigal son is a saved person before he repented, they would say yes.  Now that contradicts with their teaching that repentance of sin is a work for the saved person, because the prodigal son did not work to make repentance rather he worked as a result of repentance.   Therefore, repentance or repentance of sin is not a work, whether the person is saved or unsaved, when he repents it is not a work.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
1 hour ago, mbkjpreacher said:

Right I agree that when the prodigal son repented, it was not a work.  Luke 15: 17, "When he came to himself" that was a realization of his sin and the consequence of it.  He said "I perish with hunger".  His thoughts that "I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee" in verse 18, this is a change of mind.  His feelings that he is not worthy in verse 19 is an expression of humility, feeling undeserving.  All of these in verse 17 to 19 are just in the mind, his intellect, emotion, and will as he said "I will arise", is not a work but a decision in the mind or soul.  

The Andersonites contend that Repentance of sin is a work, and that it is only for the saved person.  When they are asked, If the prodigal son is a saved person before he repented, they would say yes.  Now that contradicts with their teaching that repentance of sin is a work for the saved person, because the prodigal son did not work to make repentance rather he worked as a result of repentance.   Therefore, repentance or repentance of sin is not a work, whether the person is saved or unsaved, when he repents it is not a work.  

Repentance is for the saved or unsaved. Even God himself repented. And as I mentioned not all repentance is godly.

I don't know much about Steve Anderson other than he does not like "Zionism" (i.e. the State of Israel) at all and he was beaten up by a border patrol agent. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Right!  Repentance is for the saved and unsaved.   Repentance means a change of mind, therefore it is not a work.  Repentance of sin is still a change of mind and therefore it is not a work.  Steven Anderson has influenced many independent Baptist to his view that repentance of sin is a work, but such idea is alien from Baptists in the past centuries.   

REPENTANCE IS A CHANGE OF MIND, A CHANGE OF DECISION AND IT IS NOT A WORK.  

1.  In Jonah 3: 10 , when God changed his mind from His intention of bringing evil punishment to the people of Nineveh, but instead forgave them, it was not a work, it was a change of mind. 

2.  In Genesis 6: 4 when God repented that He made man on earth and it grieved Him, it was not a work, Genesis 6: 4. 

3.  When Paul changed his mind for a while of writing the Corinthian brethren and later did not repent for writing them, it was not a work, 2 Cor. 7:8. 

4.  When the Eldest son repented from disobedience of his father but changed his mind to work in the field, the repentance is not a work.  He repented, (past tense) prior to going and working in the field. ( Matthew 21: 29).  

5.  When the prodigal son repented of his sins toward God and his earthly father, it was a change of mind and not a work.  He repented in Luke 15:17-19 and that was only in his mind, thoughts and emotion and will, but not a physical action.  The work is when he rose up to go to his father in verse 20.  Repentance of sin toward God was not a work.  Even when he changed his mind toward his father concerning his sin it was not a work. 

6.  When the people at Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, it was not a work, Matthew 12: 41.  In Matthew it is only mentioned repented, and yet it refers to their repentance of sin in Jonah 3: 10.  

7.  In Matthew 12: 41, it does not say they repented by doing good works but they repented by hearing a preaching.  Gal. 3: 2-3 and Romans 10:17. 

8.  Jonah 3: 10 does not teach repentance of sin as work.  It says, "And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way".  The word that in Hebrew is "ki" and in other passages was also translated as because in Genesis 26: 20.  It means that God saw their works because they turned from their evil way.  The turning from their evil way or the decision to change mind is not a work but is a decision in the mind.  The work is the result of repentance and is the fruit as mentioned by John the Baptist in Matthew 3: 8.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...