Through
Repentance to Faith
by Derek Prince
Faith follows
Repentance
The whole message of the Bible is in this
order: repent and believe. There are lots
of people who might say they are
struggling for faith. The truth is not
that they are struggling for faith, but
that they may have never met the condition
of repentance. Repentance is the first of
the six foundation doctrines. If that
foundation stone is not in place, the
building will always be wobbly.
Over the years, I have counseled hundreds
of people, hundreds of Christians who have
come to me with their personal problems.
After a lot of experience, I came to the
conclusion that at least fifty percent of
the problems of professing Christians are
due to the fact that they have never truly
repented.
They have never really changed their mind.
They have never really made the decision
to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus in
their lives. They are still making
decisions based on this point of view: “If
I do this, what will it do for me?” If
someone has truly repented, that is not
the way they think. Instead they think,
“If I do this, will it glorify Jesus?”
So we have multitudes of people – especially young
people, but not limited to young people – who are double-minded.
The Bible says a double-minded man is
unstable in all his ways. (See James 1:8.)
He does not have a solid foundation. He
cannot produce a stable building.
Right now, quietly reflect on what you
have just read and ask yourself: “Have I
ever really, truly repented? Or am I still
double-minded? Is it my aim to please
Jesus on Monday, but please myself on
Tuesday?” If that is the way you are
thinking and living, in actual fact, you
have the worst of both worlds. If that is
your mindset, you would probably be better
off just living in the world, living for
yourself – because you are a
double-minded person, a split personality.
But if that is, in fact, the way you are
thinking and living, take steps now to
truly repent and live instead to glorify
Jesus.
The Nature of
Repentance
There is one parable that Jesus told which
is the most vivid and perfect illustration
of true repentance. It is the parable of
the Prodigal Son. (Somebody once said it
should be called “The Caring Father.”) The
story is found in Luke 15. The second son
of a wealthy family decided to get all his
inheritance from his father on the spot so
he could go off to a distant country and
live it up. He did all sorts of sinful
things. But then, when he had spent his
whole inheritance, a famine came and the
only job he could get was feeding pigs.
(We must remember that he was Jewish, so
for him to feed pigs was just about as low
as he could go – without any slight to
present-day pig farmers. It just so
happens that for the Jewish people, the
pig is one step below a rat in their
society.)
So here is the wandering son, in rags,
feeding the pigs, hungry, wishing he could
fill his stomach with the husks that the
pigs are eating. Then this is what
happens.
“But
when he came to himself, he said …”
Luke 15:17
That is the point each of
us must come to. It is what I call “the
moment of truth.” You have to see yourself
as you really are. You have to see
yourself as God sees you.
“But
when he came to himself, he said, ‘How
many of my father’s hired servants have
bread enough and to spare, and I perish
with hunger! I will arise and go to my
father, and will say to him, “Father, I
have sinned against heaven and before
you, and I am no longer worthy to be
called your son. Make me like one of
your hired servants.” ’ And he arose and
went to his father.”
verses 17–20
True
Repentance
Do you see the two elements? He made a
decision and then he turned around. That
is repentance: making a decision and
carrying out your decision.
Repentance means going back to the father
whom you have offended, to the God who
loves you, and saying, “I’ve made a mess
of my life. I can’t run my own life. I
need You. Will You take me back?”
It’s wonderful to see how completely he
repented and how eager his father was to
receive him. He planned to say to his
father, “Make me as one of your hired
servants.” But when he started back from
where he had strayed, his father was
watching for him. That is how God is. When
we begin to turn, He is watching for us
and waiting for us. I think this is so
beautiful.
The father saw him from a long way off and
ran to meet him. The father kissed him,
and he never let his son say those last
words, “Make me as one of your hired
servants.” Instead he said:
“
‘Bring out the best robe and put it on
him, and put a ring on his hand and
sandals on his feet. And bring the
fatted calf here and kill it, and let us
eat and be merry.’ ”verses 22–23
This is the result of true
repentance. And it is worth repenting to
be welcomed like that by God.
Just think about that picture for a
moment. The prodigal son came to
himself. He said, “I’ve made a mess
of my life. I’ve wasted everything my
father gave me. But I’m going to make a
decision. I’m going to turn around, I’m
going to go back to my father and say I’m
sorry.” He turned and went. Think about
that. That is true repentance, repentance
in action.
False Repentance
We need to understand that there can also
be a false repentance, which we call remorse.
Judas experienced that kind of false
repentance, as described in Matthew’s
gospel:
Then
Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had
been condemned, was remorseful and
brought back the thirty pieces of silver
to the chief priests and elders, saying,
“I have sinned by betraying innocent
blood.” And they said, “What is that to
us? You see to it!” Then he threw down
the pieces of silver in the temple and
departed, and went and hanged himself.
Matthew 27:3–5
Judas had remorse, but he
never changed. In fact, I believe he had
passed the point where he could
change. To me, this is a solemn thought.
In this life, people can pass the point
where it is possible for them to change.
The most significant moment in any human
life is the moment when God begins to deal
with you about repenting. If you shrug
your shoulders and say, “I’m not
interested. Maybe later,” there is no
guarantee that God will ever give you the
opportunity again. The most critical
moment in any human life is the moment
when God says, “Repent. I’m willing to
take you back. I love you. I want you.”
What Makes Gods
Angry?
Considering what I have seen in people’s
lives and in the Bible, I have come to the
conclusion that one action that makes God
really angry is despising His grace. He
freely offers us His grace, but if we
despise it He turns in anger.
One person who despised the grace of God
was Esau, and his action is described in
Hebrews 12. Let’s look at that passage,
because there is a lot of Esau in people
like you and me. We want to be careful
that the Esau in us does not make our
decisions.
Pursue
peace with all people, and holiness,
without which no one will see the Lord:
looking carefully [diligently] lest
anyone fall short of the grace of God;
lest any root of bitterness springing up
cause trouble, and by this many become
defiled; lest there be any fornicator or
profane [godless] person like Esau, who
for one morsel of food sold his
birthright.
Hebrews 12:14–16
We have no record whatever
that Esau ever committed fornication. But
in God’s eyes, his attitude was just as
bad as fornication. What was his attitude?
For one little bowl of soup he despised
his birthright. He had the birthright as
the elder son – all the inheritance
could have gone to him. But just because
he was physically hungry and could smell
that delicious soup that Jacob had
prepared, he gave it up.
This is very vivid to me, because I lived
among the Arabs for some time. They make
the exact same lentil soup that Jacob
made. It has the most delicious smell that
permeates the whole house. I can just
picture Esau, coming back from his hunting – tired and hungry – and he smells this
delicious soup. And Jacob, bargainer that
he was, says, “Listen, you sell me your
birthright and I’ll give you the pottage,
the soup.”
I suppose Esau thought, What good will
my birthright do me now? I’m hungry.
I’ll just take what was offered to me.
The Bible says Esau despised his
birthright and he made God extremely
angry. Later on, through the prophet
Malachi, God said, “Jacob I have loved,
Esau I have hated” (Malachi 1:2–3). That
is a very solemn thought: If you
deliberately despise the grace of God and
the inheritance He offers you in Jesus
Christ and turn away to pursue some cheap,
temporary pleasure of this world, you make
God very angry.
Avoiding the Point
of No Return
Going on with the message about Esau from
Hebrews:
For
you know that afterward, when he wanted
to inherit the blessing, he was rejected
[by God], for he found no place of
repentance, though he sought it
diligently with tears.
Hebrews 12:17
The Greek makes it clear
that he was not seeking the place of
repentance, but he was seeking the
blessing. He was rejected because he found
no place – no way – to repent. I believe
that in this life, a person can pass the
place of repentance and never be able to
get back. I want to urge you to consider
this, for it is a very solemn thought.
Far too little is said today in
congregations and many denominations about
the need for repentance. But without true
repentance there can never be true faith.
You will always have a wobbly, up and down
experience – in one day and out the
next – because you have not
laid the first foundation stone – repentance. Repentance
involves a decision of the will to turn
away from self-pleasing and doing your own
thing to turn back to God. Face up to God
and say, “Here I am. Tell me what to do
and I’ll do it.”
Some of you reading this have never truly
repented. I want to suggest to you it may
well be the source of many of your
problems. You feel good one day, have a
wonderful meeting in the church, and you
think everything is wonderful. The next
morning something bad happens and down you
go. The problem is that you have never
really laid the first foundation stone.
All you have is a wobbly edifice that one
day will collapse.
Repentance, Then
Faith
I want to emphasize that repentance must
come before faith. There can be no true
faith without repentance. This is
emphasized all through the New Testament.
In Matthew chapter 3 we read about the
ministry of John the Baptist who was sent
to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus
the Messiah. In one word, his message was:
“Repent.” John the Baptist taught that
repentance was essential before the
Messiah could come. Repentance prepared
the way for the coming of Messiah. Until
God’s people, Israel, had been through the
experience of repentance, they could not
be ready to meet their Messiah.
In those days John the Baptist came
preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and
saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken
of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, “The
voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make His
paths straight.’ ”
Matthew 3:1–3
How did John the Baptist prepare the way
of the Lord? By calling God’s people back
to repentance. Repentance is the only way
we can prepare for the Lord to come into
our hearts and lives.
Jesus Continues
the Message
Later, when John had finished his course
and in fulfillment of His own prophetic
word, Jesus Himself came to continue the
ministry of the gospel. It says in the
gospel of Mark:
Now
after John was put in prison, Jesus came
to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom of God and saying, “The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand. Repent, and believe the gospel.”
Mark 1:14–15
Repent and believe. You
cannot truly believe unless you have first
repented. The first word of command that
ever came from the lips of Jesus was not believe
but repent.
I remember being in a meeting in Southeast
Asia where a certain preacher had preached
a message on healing. He had spoken very
eloquently about God’s will and His plan
to heal. He had quoted many of the
promises about healing. But he had not
said one word about repentance before he
called the people forward.
Most of those who responded to the
invitation came from a background of
idolatry and they had no idea what they
had to do to receive what God was
offering. I know, because Ruth and I were
both involved in counseling those who came
forward. It was such a lesson to me. With
all his good intentions and his sweet
language, the preacher had totally
confused those people, because he gave
them the impression that they could come
to God without repenting. He never used
the word repent once in his
message.
I say this not to criticize a preacher,
but because I learned a lesson. I believe
there are many people in many “gospel”
churches who are confused because they are
only being told what God will do for them
without being told what God requires from
them. The first thing He requires is for
us to repent – change our mind, turn
around, make an 180-degree turn. We must
face God and say, “Tell me what to do, and
I will do it.” That is repentance.
If we look on to the end of Jesus’
ministry, His message never changed. After
His resurrection, Jesus gave instructions
to His disciples. (Remember, this was just
before Jesus left this world.)
Then
He said to them, “Thus it is written,
and thus it was necessary for the Christ
[Messiah] to suffer and to rise from the
dead the third day, and that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached
in His name to all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem.”
Luke 24:46–47
Notice the order of the
message: repentance first and then
remission (or forgiveness) of sins. There
is no forgiveness without repentance – and that is the message
that was to begin in Jerusalem and be
preached to all nations. Repentance, then
forgiveness, through His name.
[This article is excerpted from Through
Repentance to Faith, from unpublished
materials in the Derek Prince archives, (c)
2009 Derek Prince Ministries International,
Charlotte, NC]
Derek
Prince (1915–2003) was born in
India of British parents. Educated as a
scholar of Greek and Latin at Eton College and
Cambridge University, England, he held a
Fellowship in Ancient and Modern Philosophy at
King’s College. He also studied Hebrew and
Aramaic, at Cambridge University and the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem. While serving
with the British army in World War II, he
began to study the Bible and experienced a
life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. Out
of this encounter he formed two conclusions:
first, that Jesus Christ is alive; second,
that the Bible is a true, relevant, up-to-date
book. These conclusions altered the whole
course of his life, which he then devoted to
studying and teaching the Bible.
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