So Great Salvation by Charles C. Ryrie

So Great Salvation by Charles C. Ryrie

Author:Charles C. Ryrie [Ryrie, Charles C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-57567-636-4
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 1997-07-14T16:00:00+00:00


The Bible also gives examples of genuine but nonsaving repentance. Do you remember the story Jesus told about two sons (Matthew 21:28–32)? One said he would do his father’s bidding, but did not. The other said he would not, but afterward repented and obeyed. His repentance had nothing to do with salvation. It resulted in his going to work in his father’s vineyard. No superficial repentance, but it nevertheless was nonsaving.

Judas, who betrayed our Lord, repented after he learned that the authorities had condemned Him and returned the thirty pieces of silver that had been given him. Though it was genuine repentance, it did not save Judas.

After he had bargained away his birthright, Esau tried to retrieve it without success. The writer of Hebrews states that Esau could not find repentance though he sought it (whether the repentance or the restoration of the blessing) with tears (12:17). Had he been able to repent, it would have resulted not in eternal salvation but in receiving the blessings of his birthright. It would have been a nonsaving repentance.

The conclusion: The presence and experience of repentance do not necessarily result in everlasting life or even in a change for the better.

Second, there is a repentance that is unto eternal salvation. What kind of repentance saves? Not a sorrow for sins or even a sorrow that results in a cleaning up of one’s life. People who reform have repented; that is, they have changed their minds about their past lives, but that kind of repentance, albeit genuine, does not of itself save them. The only kind of repentance that saves is a change of mind about Jesus Christ. People can weep; people can resolve to turn from their past sins; but those things in themselves cannot save. The only kind of repentance that saves anyone, anywhere, anytime is a change of mind about Jesus Christ. The sense of sin and sorrow because of sin may stir up a person’s mind or conscience so that he or she realizes the need for a Savior, but if there is no change of mind about Jesus Christ there will be no salvation.

The clearest use of the word repent in this saving sense is found in Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38). We often get so tied up in some of the other parts of that verse—the question of baptism or the reception of the Holy Spirit—that we miss the significance of “repent.”

Some in the Pentecost crowd, hearing Peter’s plea to repent, may have wondered, What do you mean, Peter? Repent about what? If they listened closely—and if we recall what Peter’s sermon was all about—the answer to that question is clear. The apostle first had spoken about Jesus of Nazareth: His life, His death, and His resurrection (Acts 2:22–24). Next, quoting from Psalm 16:8–11, Peter had reminded his audience that Messiah would be raised from the dead, and that since David himself was dead and buried, he could not have been speaking of himself but of Messiah (verses 25–31).



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