An Important Note To Students And Teachers
Repentance properly could be called "the forgotten principle." Much emphasis is [and has been] placed on the importance of baptism. Often only lip service is given to repentance. If a man or woman is willing to be baptized, Christians assume he/she repents.
This series in no way declares baptism is unimportant. It emphasizes a biblical teaching: "Repentance is as important as baptism." Those who repent want to be baptized. Those who do not repent make their baptism insignificant because they did not repent.
The concept of repentance includes two responsibilities: (1) a turning away from evil and (2) a turning to God. One who turns from evil in order to turn toward self has not repented. He/she is like the person in Luke 11:24-26. This person drove an unclean spirit from his life to put his life in order. However, he did not replace the unclean spirit with God's spirit. In time the unclean spirit returned with seven friends, and the person was in worse condition.
It is not enough to turn from evil. Some for health reasons turn from tobacco. Some in fear of sexually transmitted diseases turn from a promiscuous lifestye. Some fearing self-destruction or economic destruction turn from addictive substances. In such concerns, God is not a factor in his/her turning.
Biblical repentance combines a "turning from" evil with a "turning to God." The person consciously seeks to replace evil in his/her life with God in his/her life. Repentance is not turning to emptiness or to orderliness. It is not merely the rejection of a destructive lifestyle. It is a conscious turning to God in the desire to let God recreate the person's mind and behavior. It is motivated by the desire to live the lifestyle only found in Christ.
When a person believes what God did in Christ and [as a result of that faith] repents, baptism is welcomed as opportunity.
To those seeking pragmatic understandings, ask yourself some questions. Why do most of the problems in secular society afflict so many who declare themselves to be Christian? Why do many who are Christians surf the web for pornography? Why is the divorce rate in secular society and in the church virtually identical? Why is it that almost any lilfestyle problem we observe in society we also observe among Christians? Why is it that some Christians are as prone to be greedy, materialistic, pleasure driven, angry, jealous, dishonest, foul mouthed, or vengeful as are many in secular society?
Is it because we are so successful evangelistically that there are many spiritual infants among us who simply have not yet learned better? I would to God that was the situation, but it is not.
Could it be that some were baptized who never repented? Could it be that in fear some sought to escape hell with no real desire to follow God? Could it be that some turned reluctantly from evil because that was "the wise thing to do"?
All problems are caused by numerous factors. We should never oversimplify the causes of problems. However, we should understand that one factor that causes spiritual problems in the lives of those who declare they belong to God is the absence of repentance.
