FB Group Member: Today I was on TikTok and I saw one that said basically to repent so you will be able to go to heaven when the second coming of Jesus happens. and it got me really scared. I’m new to kinda new to religion so I don’t know if it is kinda silly to be scared of that. But it made me feel I want a stronger relationship with God. But I’m having trouble fully believing. I don’t know where to start to get a strong belief in god. What do you all suggest I do? I go to church every Sunday. But I feel like I should do more.
Jerry Teets: Your security is "in Christ" and not how much you "repent."
"In (Christ)" we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
Why?
...in order that we, who were the first to put our hope "in Christ', might be for the praise of his glory.
And you also were included "in Christ"
When was I included "in Christ"?
a. when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. b. When you believed,
What happened?
...you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance
For how long?
..until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:11-14
The problem in modern Christianity is that the English word "repent" or "repentance" is conflated beyond the meaning of the Greek "metanoia" which mean "change of mind.
Here is an example from Thayer's Greek Lexicon:
..a change of mind: as it appears in one who repents of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done,
Okay, that is all this word means, but he adds to this definition:
especially the change of mind of those who have a. begun to abhor their errors and misdeeds, ...and... b. have determined to enter upon a better course of life, so that it embraces c. both a recognition of sin and sorrow for it ..and.. d. hearty amendment, the tokens and effects of which are good deeds.
What Thyer's adds is penance and good deeds to the meaning of the Greek word that is a total fabrication. It is error.
Here is another example from John MacArthur, who mocks us who hold to the biblical definition as "radical no-lordship protagonists"
Genuine repentance pleads with the Lord to forgive and deliver from the burden of sin and the fear of judgment and hell. Repentance is not merely behavior reform. But because true repentance involves a change of heart and purpose, it inevitably results in a change of behavior. Like faith, repentance has intellectual, emotional, and volitional ramifications. Berkhof describes the intellectual element of repentance as "a change of view, a recognition of sin as involving personal guilt, defilement, and helplessness." The emotional element is "a change of feeling, manifesting itself in sorrow for sin committed against a holy God." The volitional element is "a change of purpose, an inward turning away from sin, and a disposition to seek pardon and cleansing." (Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 486) Each of those three elements is deficient apart from the others. Repentance is a response of the total person; therefore some speak of it as total surrender. Obviously, that view of repentance is incompatible with no-lordship theology. What do no-lordship teachers say about repentance? They do not fully agree among themselves. Some radical no-lordship protagonists simply deny that repentance has any place in the gospel appeal: "Though genuine repentance may precede salvation, ... it need not do so. And because it is not essential to the saving transaction as such, it is in no sense a condition for that transaction" (Hodges, Absolutely Free, 146). This view hinges on making the "saving transaction" nothing more than forensic justification (God's gracious declaration that all the demands of the law are fulfilled on behalf of the believing sinner through the righteousness of Jesus Christ). This single-faceted "saving transaction" does not even bring the sinner into a right relationship with God. Thus the radical no-lordship view offers this peculiar formula: "If the issue is simply, 'What must I do to be saved?' the answer is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Ac 16:31). If the issue is the broader one, 'How can I get on harmonious terms with God?' the answer is 'repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ' (Ac 20:21)" (AF 146).[quote] What Is Biblical Repentance? A330 Jul 13, 2009
This is why we need to test, like the Berean's (Acts 17:11), the words from the Bible to make sure it is true or not.
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