Defining Repentance to the Lost

This post will deal with some conversations that I've recently had with a co-worker. My hope is that this will be instructive, helpful, and encouraging for Christians with a zeal for preaching the gospel. First, a little background.

A few weeks ago, several Christian friends from work and I decided to start a Bible study together. I was reluctant at first, because I knew we had some differences (example: they do not hold to the KJV, are involved in ecumenical activities such as campus crusade, etc.). However, these guys seemed to have a desire to know Christ and follow him, so I joined with the hope that they simply haven't been confronted with these issues yet. There's been reasonable progress on that front, but that is not the main purpose of this post.

To try to make a long story short, a catholic co-worker (let's call her Eve) overheard us planning our study one day. In tears, she told us that her priest had told her she can't be saved. We talked for a few minutes (we had a short break in work), convincing her that what her priest said is ridiculous and invited her to the Bible study. That night, instead of our normal study, we spent our time answering Eve's questions and explaining the gospel. I want to highlight part of the conversation because it illustrates something that I've found myself doing more as I get more experienced in evangelism.

After using the law to explain sin and judgment, and preaching the gospel, it came time to call Eve to repentance. She asked me to explain repentance, how does someone repent, etc. This is how I answered: I know from Scripture that as you've been hearing the gospel, God has been convicting you (here I have in mind John 16:8, Isaiah 55:11). Also, I know from experience in talking to people that there's probably one main sin in your life, the one that you really love, that is coming to your mind right now. I'm guessing that you're sitting there asking yourself, "If I become a Christian, would I really have to give this up?" (she nods, confirming that she's having this thought) The answer to that question is "yes". That's repentance. I don't know what sin you're clinging to, but I can tell you for sure that no sin is worth going to hell for.

That explanation seemed to be effective in making things clear. It left Eve with a very definite idea of what she needed to do. It's akin to how Christ dealt with the rich young ruler, and how John the Baptist dealt with the people recorded in Luke 3. I've found that this explanation works very well when preaching the gospel to someone who doesn't have an obvious sin that you can deal with. It allows (relies on) the Holy Spirit to convict them of things we might never dig out in a conversation and defines repentance for each person specifically. I share these details with the hope that others who preach the gospel might be encouraged and add these ideas to their "arsenal".

Originally, when I sat down to write this post, I would have stopped here. This conversation with "Eve" was about two and a half weeks ago. In the time since then she has come to two more episodes of the Bible study. She was very curious and hungry for teaching. Even outside of the study, she was reading her Bible probably more fervently than most churchgoers. Well, about 3 days ago, Eve sent me a message saying she was saved. I'll share a bit of what she told me, because I find it a precious thing to hear this coming from someone just beginning to learn about Christ. That night, Eve said she sat down and started reading the Bible, picked up a catholic tract that I had given her, and started reading it and looking up the references. As she read, she became convinced that the things she has been learning through the study are true and that the catholic church has been deceiving her. That same moment, she said it just hit her that God loves her, more than anyone ever could, and that in spite of that, all she has ever done is fight against him, break his commands, and do the things that grieve him. As she put it, "I just decided I needed to change that. I want to do the things that please him instead." (Romans 2:4 anyone?)

Although I'm overjoyed by this and could probably write so much more, I'll close after a few final points. Naturally, I'll be using wisdom as things proceed with "Eve". Though all data looks good so far, there's always the possibility of a false profession, especially this early. Time and fruit will tell, though I'm very optimistic at this point. I also want to say that I think this whole story points to the necessity of wisdom in evangelism. Unfortunately, I know that most modern "evangelists" would have walked Eve through a prayer or pushed her into a decision. She would have done business with man, been told that the continuing conviction is just "doubt from the Devil" until it went away, and would have never done business with God! How much more refreshing it is to simply preach the gospel, patiently deal with a soul, and watch as God does his work convicting and converting in due time! Praising the Lord for the amazing (and unfortunately rare) opportunity and responsibility it is to witness and see people converted.

Acts 2:38 - Baptism Required for Salvation?

I have recently run into several discussions in which the issue of baptism being required for salvation has arose. This post will specifically deal with the misuse of Acts 2:38, but before I begin my discussion on this verse, I would like to say a few things regarding baptism for salvation in general.

First off, it should be noticed that there are only a handful of verses that even hint at baptism being required for salvation. Of those, I think Acts 2:38 is the only passage which would still give someone trouble after close examination. With this being the case, it's much better to question our understanding of this one passage than to take a single verse and run with it, overthrowing the whole doctrine of salvation in the process. There are hundreds of other verses which talk about salvation with no mention of baptism, not to mention case studies such as the thief on the cross, Acts 10:34-44, and 1 Corinthians 1:14-17. My point is that it's clear that the Bible as a whole does not teach that baptism is required for salvation, so we have good reason to question our understanding of this one verse.

Still, we must respond to this question of the meaning of Acts 2:38, not only to defend the gospel, but also to understand our Lord's words rightly. In studying this point, I have always been unsatisfied with the traditional way of explaining away this passage. It always seemed like a bit of a dodge to me. Then, while studying it out, I had a thought which I have not seen presented before. I feel my explanation is much more satisfying than "the usual" and I have shared my idea with a few other spiritually-minded men and they have agreed that it is valid, so I feel somewhat confident in posting this though I'm not 100%

Let's begin. First, realize who Peter is talking to when he is preaching. Acts 2:5 identifies his audience as Jews. At this point in time, Jews are known for keeping the law, and they pretty much have a correct understanding of God. However, they lack Christ. Jesus Christ is a stumblingblock to the Jews (1 Corinth 1:23) and their unbelief in him is truly their major sin.

So, I believe that when the people come to him and ask, "what must we do?", Peter tells them to repent and outlines for them specifically how they should repent. In other words, it is fair to say that Peter is telling them they must be baptized to be saved, not because baptism is anything, but because the public profession of faith in Jesus Christ by being baptized in his name is exactly what repentance would look like for a Jew. Compare this to Luke 3. John the baptist is preaching repentance and men come up to him and ask the very same question: "what shall we do?" John responds by outlining repentance for each individual. I think the parallels between these passages are very interesting.

In conclusion, baptism is not universally required for salvation, but repentance is. Peter was not teaching that baptism saves any more than John the baptist was teaching that being content with your wages brings salvation. Again, the issue is repentance, not a ritual. If you happen to be reading this and are trusting in a baptism or any other works for salvation, do not deceive yourself by thinking you are saved. I ask you to read Philippians 3:4-10 and ask yourself if you're willing to count all your religious acts as dung before Christ. Please do so, then turn to Jesus in true faith and he will save you.