Can you repent without works?

[michaelvpardo]

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who followed the law of Moses, because it was not the Law of God.
Behold, one greater than Moses is here and He shall give you a better Law, even a Perfect Law:

Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Jesus is "the Way" that leads to the Father, All His Word is True, and Truth is Law.



Why not? His commands are not grievous, repent and get on the straight path.



He also repented and confessed, and was punished accordingly and the child died. If you confess He forgives, so what is the problem?

When you figure it out let me know?

There is no forgiveness for willful transgression of the law. The sentence for adultery under the law was death regardless of confession. Read your Bible.

David was accounted as righteous and a recipient of grace. He's the one who wrote:
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
The same man plotted the death of Uriah the Hittite to hide his sin. There is no one righteous.

 

[michaelvpardo]

God repented for you or through you?

Yes, the two aren't mutually exclusive according to scripture.

 

[Daniel L.]

There is no forgiveness for willful transgression of the law.

This goes to show he was not really under the Law of Moses, but under the True Law, where there is plenty of forgiveness:

Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
The same man plotted the death of Uriah the Hittite to hide his sin. There is no one righteous.

The psalm was written afterward, he was forgiven, and his sin was covered:

Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
5 I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

So, how can you uncover what God has covered? Who are you to mention the sin that God said shall not be mentioned?

Ezekiel 18:22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

Ezekiel 33:16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

There is no one righteous.

1 John 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

What if the victim of the crime wants nothing whatever to do with the criminal? What if I stole $500 from my employer 40 years ago and have absolutely no way of contacting him. (I'm actually not being deliberately obtuse, believe it or not--there's an underlying principle involved here.)

You can donate $500 to a worthwhile charity in the name of the victim of your theft.

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

That's "winder" to you, you nut.

Right or wrong I'm here to fight.
Unless you run away with fright
And if you wonder who I be,
it's me it's me, it's Ernest T. ~ Whoo hoo.

 

[BarneyFife]

You can donate $500 to a worthwhile charity in the name of the victim of your theft.

Could you point to a verse that qualifies that as reparation?

 

[BarneyFife]

Right or wrong I'm here to fight.
Unless you run away with fright
And if you wonder who I be,
it's me it's me, it's Ernest T. ~ Whoo hoo.

♫ Well, if you ever come to Mayberry ♫
♫ Well, you better walk right ♫
♫ Well, you better not squabble ♫
♫ And you better not fight ♫
♫ Deputy Fife will arrest you ♫
♫ And he's sure to take you down ♫
♫ Well, you can bet your bottom dollar ♫
♫ That you'll be jailhouse bound ♫
♫ Let the Midnight Special... ♫

 

[BarneyFife]

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who followed the law of Moses, because it was not the Law of God.

Are you not aware that the elders of Israel had fabricated rich layers of regulations to ensure that no one even came close to the edges of disobedience to the law of Moses? This is what Christ was rebuking them for and it's the very essence of the old covenant: "All that the LORD has said, we will do." (with no help from Him, thank you) The LORD was w-a-a-a-y ahead of them, though:

Deuteronomy 5:29 KJV: O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!
(the essence of the NEW COVENANT)

 

[farouk]

Romans 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace"

Ephesians 2:8-9, "for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory"

Titus 3:5, "not by works [done] in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit"

Romans 3:10-12, "as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one, There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God; They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one"

Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away"

@ByGraceThroughFaith Great verses there; Paul speaks in Romans about 'the obedience of faith' and 'obedience to the faith'; such obedience is not meritorious; indeed, for the believer Paul in Philippians 2 says 'it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure'.

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

Could you point to a verse that qualifies that as reparation?

This issue is I cannot steal money and keep it if I repent of the sin of theft. In all cases, restitution cannot be made but that does not mean I get to keep what is stolen. Repentance is more than just feeling sorry. Paul said there is more for those who steal, Ephesians 4:28. There is a change that is to take place. For a thief to just stop stealing is not enough "but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. One that was a thief goes from 'taking' to being a giver, a productive person in society. Since I cannot keep the money I stole, I can make some reasonable restitution substitution in giving it to a worthwhile charity, give to those "that needeth" if it is impossible to make restitution to the victim of my theft.

 

[Truther]

When you figure it out let me know?

There is no forgiveness for willful transgression of the law. The sentence for adultery under the law was death regardless of confession. Read your Bible.

David was accounted as righteous and a recipient of grace. He's the one who wrote:
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
The same man plotted the death of Uriah the Hittite to hide his sin. There is no one righteous.

This is why we must obey Acts 2:38 to the letter.

 

[Truther]

Yes, the two aren't mutually exclusive according to scripture.

What did God repent of for you?

 

[michaelvpardo]

This goes to show he was not really under the Law of Moses, but under the True Law, where there is plenty of forgiveness:

Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.



The psalm was written afterward, he was forgiven, and his sin was covered:

Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
5 I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

So, how can you uncover what God has covered? Who are you to mention the sin that God said shall not be mentioned?

Ezekiel 18:22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

Ezekiel 33:16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.



1 John 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

This goes to show that you mishandle scripture and are clueless about the law.

 

[Daniel L.]

Could you point to a verse that qualifies that as reparation?

Yes, he can:

Ezekiel 33:15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

"Give again that he had robbed" just means you have to give it away, not necessarily to the victim itself, nor the familly, just give it again to your neighbour.

 

[BarneyFife]

Yes, he can:

Ezekiel 33:15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.

"Give again that he had robbed" just means you have to give it away, not necessarily to the victim itself, nor the familly, just give it again to your neighbour.

There is absolutely nothing in the context of the passage or in the Hebrew that suggests it is appropriate that repayment should be made to anyone other than the robbed party. It seems to stand to reason that some gesture should be made to indicate desire to make amends but what you claim to be a conclusive qualifier is not at all such. Your pontificating, self-important attitude is becoming a bore.

 

[michaelvpardo]

What did God repent of for you?

Sin. Repentance literally means to turn. It's not new years eve resolutions to stop smoking or drinking, etc. It's turning from a life of sin to submission to Jesus Christ.

Making Jesus Lord of your life, committing your soul to His care, is repentance. His work of sanctification in us is showing us our sin, and our part is confessing that what He shows us is sin and then striving against it, but when we do sin despite our attempts not to, the blood of Christ cleanses us of that sin every day. This isn't my idea, but what scripture teaches.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:6-6-8
Verse 7 speaks about fellowship with Christ as walking with Him in the light, but you need to understand what John meant by "light". Scripture says that God's light issues from His word.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.
The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:129-130

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. John 8:31

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;
Try my mind and my heart.
3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked in Your truth.
4 I have not sat with idolatrous mortals,
Nor will I go in with hypocrites. Psalm 26:2-4

The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. Psalm 119:160

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
John 17:16-17

Our nature according to the flesh wants to be busy working for righteousness, but Jesus was clear about what was important for His disciples to do:
28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”John 6:28-29

38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

You'll notice that Jesus wasn't condemning of Martha's service, but commended Mary for sitting near Him and hearing His word (the "one thing is needed"). His Spirit transforms us through His word, and applying His word to life.

12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

You'll notice that verse 12:1 says to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, but "by the mercies of God."
Mercy is always the expression of forgiveness, so our "work" is accepting His forgiveness in sanctification, trusting in His blood to cleanse us from all sin, and not that we are sinless, but seek His righteousness. Recognizing our sin and believing in our forgiveness is what creates our love for God.

Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Luke 7:47

9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:9-11

Sanctification is accomplished by returning God's love, a love expressed in forgiveness of sin. His commandment is to love one another. Love fulfills all the commandments but it should be understood that this "love" isn't simply warm fuzzy feelings, but doing, extending mercy and grace to others.

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. 1 John 3:23

I've heard some say that we satisfy God by obeying the ten commandments, but that ignores what Jesus taught:

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40
The point being that you can not love your neighbor without loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and that love does no evil to a neighbor. This love is the expression of His mercy and in a word, forgiveness, first His forgiveness of our sin, then our forgiveness of our neighbors sin.

Grace goes beyond mercy.

And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
Matthew 5:41

If you can do these things without Christ, you prove God mistaken, but I know that my God can do what I'm not able to do for "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

We are not complete in ourselves or in a spouse, but we are complete in Christ. His righteousness is sufficient to change us, to accomplish what we can't accomplish in ourselves, and to make us acceptable before God. Amen

 

[BarneyFife]

This issue is I cannot steal money and keep it if I repent of the sin of theft. In all cases, restitution cannot be made but that does not mean I get to keep what is stolen. Repentance is more than just feeling sorry. Paul said there is more for those who steal, Ephesians 4:28. There is a change that is to take place. For a thief to just stop stealing is not enough "but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. One that was a thief goes from 'taking' to being a giver, a productive person in society. Since I cannot keep the money I stole, I can make some reasonable restitution substitution in giving it to a worthwhile charity, give to those "that needeth" if it is impossible to make restitution to the victim of my theft.

At the risk of being argumentative, I suggest that if reparation cannot be made to the person or family who has been offended, the priority in an offering of reparation should be made to the One Who ultimately owns both the one who was robbed and the property that was taken. I can't point to a distinct reference to this in the Bible (yet), but the principle of logistical problems with respect to various circumstances of sin as relates to the proper offering to be made is addressed and organizedly administrated in Leviticus, chapters 4 through 6. If a person is willing and able to make an additional offering to other, humanitarian causes as a gesture of repentance, I see no reason why the LORD would not approve. I suspect that Zaccheus was at least as generous to the cause of God as he was to the neighbors he had wronged.

 

[michaelvpardo]

This issue is I cannot steal money and keep it if I repent of the sin of theft. In all cases, restitution cannot be made but that does not mean I get to keep what is stolen. Repentance is more than just feeling sorry. Paul said there is more for those who steal, Ephesians 4:28. There is a change that is to take place. For a thief to just stop stealing is not enough "but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. One that was a thief goes from 'taking' to being a giver, a productive person in society. Since I cannot keep the money I stole, I can make some reasonable restitution substitution in giving it to a worthwhile charity, give to those "that needeth" if it is impossible to make restitution to the victim of my theft.

You mean like the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Kennedys, Gates, and on ad nauseum?

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

You mean like the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Kennedys, Gates, and on ad nauseum?

No.

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

At the risk of being argumentative, I suggest that if reparation cannot be made to the person or family who has been offended, the priority in an offering of reparation should be made to the One Who ultimately owns both the one who was robbed and the property that was taken. I can't point to a distinct reference to this in the Bible (yet), but the principle of logistical problems with respect to various circumstances of sin as relates to the proper offering to be made is addressed and organizedly administrated in Leviticus, chapters 4 through 6. If a person is willing and able to make an additional offering to other, humanitarian causes as a gesture of repentance, I see no reason why the LORD would not approve. I suspect that Zaccheus was at least as generous to the cause of God as he was to the neighbors he had wronged.

One can give the money to a religious organization that runs a food bank or gives away clothing, etc.