[Forrest]

Originally Posted by chette777

Forrest,

since I started this thread I have prayerfully considered things that you shared and your book Putting away childish things, I must say they have helped me to walk more in Grace and I am more grateful for what Christ has done for me.

What do you think of this verse? I place the Book of James as transitional from Church Age to Kingdom age spanning the Great Tribulation. there is lots for application in James but little I would form Major Doctrine on.

James 5:16 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I'm so grateful the Lord Jesus continues to draw us closer to Himself, Brother Chette. And I'm glad the resource has encouraged your heart.

As far as James, I’m not sure about it being a transitional book from the Church Age to the Kingdom Age spanning the Great Tribulation. I’m not saying you’re wrong or that I disagree with you here, I just do not know. I do know that James specifically wrote “…to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad…” but agree there are certainly some relevant applications for us today. All scripture is profitable, we know that. Personally, these have been some difficult verses for me to understand.

James 5:14-15 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

What doctrine is this? I don’t see James 5:14-15 for us today, but cannot explain or expound on them. Notice the words “save the sick” not heal the sick. Save from or to what? And “if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” Does this mean that the elders can pray and anoint us with oil in the name of the Lord and our sins will be forgiven?

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

As far as James 5:16, “healed” from what? Is this some type of physical illness or is it a spiritual trespass? Or is it perhaps both? Notice “healed” is conditional to two things. “Confess your faults one to another” and “pray one for another”. Also notice that the prayer which availeth much is to be fervent and comes from a righteous man.

I don’t know… Perhaps you and/or others have some insight on this book.

[chette777]

The verse are outside the church that much is for sure. I searched out the word faults and it only found 4 times in the entire Bible. It would seem to be a short coming but not really sinful. so the context would have to be supplying the meaning.

The only reason some of these guys went and changed it to confess your sins would be to gain ground over another person as the RC Priests and Popes did.

though I put the book in a group transitionally I agree more of it falls into the Tribulation dispensation.

[Forrest]

Originally Posted by chette777

The verse are outside the church that much is for sure. I searched out the word faults and it only found 4 times in the entire Bible. It would seem to be a short coming but not really sinful. so the context would have to be supplying the meaning.

The only reason some of these guys went and changed it to confess your sins would be to gain ground over another person as the RC Priests and Popes did.

though I put the book in a group transitionally I agree more of it falls into the Tribulation dispensation.

It's always a wise thing for us to be meek, humble, and loving to one another. We should be willing to say "I was wrong about that brother" when we are in order to keep unity in the body.

What is it Brother Chette, or anyone, that addresses this letter to the Tribulation Period and not the church today? Are there any markers within the letter that help us know that?

[chette777]

My reason for doing so is based on rightly dividing the word of truth as we have the Scriptures as they are laid out. for example.

We have the four Gospels with Gabriel speaking, John the Baptist, Jesus, the 12 Apostles 70 disciples all speaking to Israel only

then we have Acts starts off speaking to Israel leaves off with only the Apostle to the Gentiles speaking to all men alike without respect of persons.

Then we have the letters of Paul (not counting Hebrews) all written to all men alike without respect of persons.

Then we have Hebrews. this book is a tough one for me to place. I like to keep it transitional as it has plenty of application but is is written primarily to Hebrews. Paul may indeed be the written but he would remain unnamed as he was not purposely sent to them. But his heart for them was true. as we saw in Romans if he could be accursed for his brethren's sake.

then we have James through Revelation again we have angels speaking, Jesus speaking, two Hebrew witnesses, 144,000 Jews speaking and primarily it is to Israel.

So if after the Fullness of the Gentiles God begins to deal with Israel then is the books are laid out by His providence those books fit well to be either transition from church age to Kingdom, or Church age to the Great Tribulation.

Now though I position the books in that way (giving that those positions are up to change) I do not rule out that their is application for the church in a good portion of it. there is plenty of application from Hebrews through Rev 3 for the church.

So I may divide them as such but I do not rule out their benefit for the church today. Just like I do not rule out the Old Testament has lessons and application for the church today as well. I must keep Major doctrines divided properly and allow God to speak to his people via his word.

At least that is my reason for such

[Richard.Strickland]

Originally Posted by Bro. Parrish

WOW, brother Strickland that looks like a good sermon,
I'll read the whole thing when I get a chance.
just kidding brother, God bless...

Thank You Bro. Parrish; I have read several of your post #60,#46,#35 I will try not to be as long with this comment as the last.

Bro. Parrish, I admire your faithfulness to the cause of Christ, for your show that you are gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves; out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Sometimes I just have to stop and acknowledge that I am serving the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Rev. 19:16 (speaking of Jesus)

I try each day to do as written in II Peter 3:18 ...grow and grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Bro. Parrish, How do we grow in grace? Why should we grow in grace? Is that an application that we should consider?

Bro. Parrish, Did you write in one of your post, that you were a member of a fundamental independent Baptist church?

Bro. Parrish, I also am member of a warm and caring fellowship of believers committed to the truth of God’s Word. The church is an old-fashioned, independent fundamental Baptist church. Our music is God-honoring and we use only the authorized King James Bible.


Bro Parrish, is it not written in the authorized King James Bible,
"2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"?
Does that not mean from Genesis to Revelation?


I thank God every day, that he loved me so much that he sent his only begotten Son , to die on Calvary`s cross for me.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Yes, his precious blood was spilt for me and all that shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. I thank him for that daily.

Yes he paid the sin debt for all my sins past, present and future.

My payer is that I might all ways stay near to that Calvary's cross.

Is it too much trouble, In all thy ways to acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Prov. 3:5)

I know that the following scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: because the the Word of God says so.

Bro. Parrish, Did Jesus teach the disciples how to pray? Were the disciples Jews? Does that mean that it is not profitable to us since he was talking to Jews and not Gentiles or the church?

Bro. Parish, what does our Lord and Saviour instruct us in Luke 11:4 as to prayer?

Jesus teaches how to pray. "And forgive us our sins;"

Bro. Parrish, Why does Jesus tell the disciples that they should ask for forgiveness of their sins? Were they not saved by grace also or was this just a prayer pattern for them to use while he was here on earth with them?
Psalm 66:18

Bro. Parrish, should I apply Jesus's instruction of how to pray to my daily life? or Should pray as the hyprocrites do in the synagogues? I know I should not because, "They have their reward".Matthew 6:5


Thank You Bro. Parrish for your help with this message. God Bless You. I pray that you grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Above all, taking the shield of faith ...



richard.strickland


Luke 11:1-4

1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SIN, n.
1. The voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law. 1 John 3. Matt. 15. James 4. Sinner neither enjoy the pleasures of nor the peace of piety. Among divines, sin is original or actual. Actual sin, above defined, is the act of a moral agent in violating a known rule of duty. Original sin, as generally understood, is native depravity of heart to the divine will, that corruption of nature of deterioration of the moral character of man, which is supposed to be the effect of Adam's apostasy; and which manifests itself in moral agents by positive act of disobedience to the divine will, or by the voluntary neglect to comply with the express commands of God, which require that we should love God with all the heart and soul and strength and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves. This native depravity or alienation of affections from God and his law, is supposed to be what the apostle calls the carnal mind or mindedness, which is enmity against God, and is therefore denominated sin or sinfulness. Unpardonable sin, or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, is supposed to be a malicious and obstinate rejection of Christ and the gospel plan of salvation, or a contemptuous resistance made to the influences and convictions of the Holy Spirit. Matt.12.
2. A sin-offering; an offering made to atone for sin. He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin. 2 Cor 5.
3. A man enormously wicked. Not in use.
4. Sin differs from crime, not in nature, but in application. That which is a crime against society, is sin against God.

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

Thank You Bro. Parrish; I have read several of your post #60,#46,#35 I will try not to be as long with this comment as the last.

Bro. Parrish, I admire your faithfulness to the cause of Christ, for your show that you are gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves; out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Thank you for your kind words.
I will try and answer your many questions...

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

I try each day to do as written in II Peter 3:18 ...grow and grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Bro. Parrish, How do we grow in grace? Why should we grow in grace? Is that an application that we should consider?

Definitely we should consider it, the picture is one of building and adding, check out 2 Thess. 1:3, and this passage from 2 Pet. 1, notice the areas I underscored...

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

Bro. Parrish, Did you write in one of your post, that you were a member of a fundamental independent Baptist church?

Correct.

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

Bro. Parrish, I also am member of a warm and caring fellowship of believers committed to the truth of God’s Word. The church is an old-fashioned, independent fundamental Baptist church. Our music is God-honoring and we use only the authorized King James Bible.

Good for you brother...

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

Bro Parrish, is it not written in the authorized King James Bible,
"2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"?
Does that not mean from Genesis to Revelation?

Yes brother, all scripture.

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

Bro. Parrish, Did Jesus teach the disciples how to pray? Were the disciples Jews? Does that mean that it is not profitable to us since he was talking to Jews and not Gentiles or the church?

All scripture is profitable.
We have to be careful with the application sometimes.

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

Bro. Parish, what does our Lord and Saviour instruct us in Luke 11:4 as to prayer?

The passage is right here, this too is profitable and best viewed with an eye on dispensational truth and application as I mentioned above.

"And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

Bro. Parrish, Why does Jesus tell the disciples that they should ask for forgiveness of their sins? Were they not saved by grace also or was this just a prayer pattern for them to use while he was here on earth with them?

You are asking several good questions there.
All men are saved by the blood of Christ. As a moderate dispensationalist and Baptist, I think the sins of these men (at this time) could certainly be forgiven but their sins were not "taken away" and "paid for" or "purchased" yet. God's own blood had not been shed for them at this time. This is the way I was taught, others may see it differently. Please see Heb. 10:1-9, Acts 20:28 for more.

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

Bro. Parrish, should I apply Jesus's instruction of how to pray to my daily life? or Should pray as the hyprocrites do in the synagogues? I know I should not because, "They have their reward". Matthew 6:5

I think Christ is an excellent prayer model (see comments on application), and there are other instructions on prayer as well throughout the Bible.
For me, prayer is talking to God as a loving Father.
When we pray we speak to God. When we study the Bible, God speaks to us. Let God's Word and His Spirit guide you...

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6:18)

"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." (Acts 6:4)

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6)

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

Thank You Bro. Parrish for your help with this message. God Bless You. I pray that you grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Above all, taking the shield of faith ...

Thank you Bro. Strickland...

[Richard.Strickland]

All scripture is profitable.
We have to be careful with the application sometimes.


"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6:18)
brother

"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." (Acts 6:4)


"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6)
brother

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
brother

Thank You again Bro. Parrish

You are subscribed to the thread "Should Christians Search their hearts and confess sins?" by chette777


Brother chette777, Again I say absolutely, YES.
This verse clearly means that a brother can sin a sin that is unto death.


This as we all will agree is only the first death.


We all have agreed that by grace a brother is saved from the second death.


1Jo 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.


GOD THE FATHER may come to a place where he says that is enough, your brother has hurt the cause of Christ long enough and put your brother in a premature grave.



CKG I quote from your #76 Post
"No one has advocated that a Christian can sin all they want with no consequences."
"Any person who can sin and not be bothered by it or thinks they can sin all they want with no consequences could be deceived, but most likely they’re lost. On the other hand we beleivers are dead to and freed from sin."


Yes brother CKG, we are freed by grace from sin unto the second death.

However, to be freed of the wages of sin unto the first death, we have to admit or agree with God that we have sinned and abandon the sin.

CKG we both agree, that a brother can't sin without consequences. Do we not put ourselves back under the consequences of the law for the first death?
Is that not what Paul tells us in the all wonderful passages from Romans Chapter 8 that you quoted from your post #76.

Romans 6
1. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2. God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

The application of this passage is clearly declared

verse 1 ...Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid.

again in verse 15

verse 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Ladies and Gentlemen please notice verse 16

16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

When we became free from sins but Paul says "Know ye not" and then he tells them to "yield your member servants to righteousness unto holiness."

18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
All scripture is profitable.

As I have been reminded
We have to be careful with the application sometimes.

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So, there is the wages of sin for those saved by grace and for those who choose to remain under the Law of the Jews and suffer also the second death

[CKG]

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

CKG I quote from your #76 Post
"No one has advocated that a Christian can sin all they want with no consequences."
"Any person who can sin and not be bothered by it or thinks they can sin all they want with no consequences could be deceived, but most likely they’re lost. On the other hand we beleivers are dead to and freed from sin."

Yes brother CKG, we are freed by grace from sin unto the second death.

However, to be freed of the wages of sin unto the first death, we have to admit or agree with God that we have sinned and abandon the sin.

CKG we both agree, that a brother can't sin without consequences. Do we not put ourselves back under the consequences of the law for the first death?

When believers sin they will be convicted by the Holy Spirit. Paul doesn't tell us to confess or admit our sin. He tells us to turn from it. For example:

Ephesians 4
28. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you

(Note: We forgive because we have been forgiven, not to get forgiveness)

By first death do you mean the normal meaning of death (heart stops, no breathing...etc)? In the Bible there is death (the body dying; heart stops, no breathing...etc) and then there is the second death which is lost people being cast into the lake of fire. Unless the Lord comes and catches we believers away we will all face physical death. A believer who refuses to turn from their sin could face a premature death.

[CKG]

Originally Posted by Richard.Strickland

I have enjoyed the fellowship with each of you, May you grow in grace, and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
since their is an disagreement among you on I John 1:9 I am not backing down from my understanding of that verse and how it applies but I have used different path to show what I believe to be. It begins the way my previous post did but grew in lenght so as to try convey my point of view without hopefully creating any strifes.

The Doctrine of Repentance
Luke 24:46-48
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
The great commission is found 5 times in the New Testament.
Luke 24:46-48
Matthew 28:19,20
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark:15,16
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
John 20:21-23
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Acts 1:8
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Now what I am saying is this, that what we have read in Luke 24:46-48 is just as much of the great commission as what we commonly read in Mathew 28:19,20. So; if this is the great commission, then it necessitates that the doctrine of repentance must be included as we preach the word of God among all nations. And if a person does not include the message of repentance, then he is not fulfilling the great commission.
The doctrine of repentance, In many of our fundamental Baptist pulpits today , the message of repentance is seldom preached. I have seen in revival meetings of years gone by, it was not uncommon to see people coming down an aisle throbbing under conviction and sobbing woe is me for I am undone. But today we see people coming down the aisle, to make their quote unquote decisions for Christ and they`re cracking their bubble gum with a smirk on their face and I want to say seldom is the plow of conviction driven deep into the soil of the human soil. But it is my contention, that whenever repentance is preached and insisted upon, solid results are going to follow. And those who get saved under that kind of preaching, generally turn out to be stalwart robust Christians. It must be insisted upon by the man of God that before the prodigal(Luke 15:11-32) is reinstated, he must return in sorrow. Notice 3 things of the doctrine of repentance:

First of all the definition of repentance is #1 not simply remorse. For an classic example Judas Iscariot in Matthew 27:3 & 4.3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
Get it, repented himself. Now there are some that would say that repentance is simply a change of mind and does not necessitate a change in direction. If that is true than Judas Iscariot repented. But Judas did not repent. His sorrow was not for his sin. His sorrow was that he had gotten caught. Paul describes that in II Corinthians 7:9 & 10
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Now here it is; For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but sorrow of the world worketh death. You see Judas was simply sorry that he had gotten caught. Have you ever got caught in an embarrassing situation and you wept bitter tears because you got caught? And so many claim that as their salvation. I ask you was that Godly sorrow? Was it sorrow for what your sin did to Jesus on the cross at Calvary? or was it just merely the sorrow of the world worketh death? Do you know that it is possible for a person to thrive and weep under conviction and still stop one step short of genuine repentance? it say of Felix in Acts 24:5
And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
Get it, Felix trembled , he was under conviction, but he stopped one step short of genuine repentance. It says of Ahab in I Kings 21:27
27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
He cried Lord have mercy and rent his clothes, but he did not rent his heart. So #1, the definition of repentance is not remorse. #2 it is simply not reformation. Now, consider this statement. While there may be reformation in one area of a person's life. There may be de-generation in another area of a person`s life. For example; I have been in a church worship service and saw those that really were under conviction, and this one said you know I am going to quit drinking, I am going to quit running around on my wife, and I am going to quit using God`s name in vain. Are you Listening? You could quit it all and still be a first class candidate for hell. Romans 8:8 says:
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

There is nothing you can give up that can please God Almighty. As a matter of fact, the bible teaches, that when a person tries to get to heaven by self reformation his last mistake is worse than his first before he even tried to reform. I am sure each or you have seen an example of this in someone that you know. Have known of or have you been around drunkard, who after spending a whole day in jail because while drunk he would get in a fight, and see this drunkard get out of jail and come down the aisle of a church building and say this drinking is no good, it has broken up my family, it has robbed me of my joy, it has taken all of my money, I am going to get rid of the bottle. You know what the tragedy is? The next weekend he will be back at the bottle worse than before. Suppose you cheated on your Federal 2008 tax return ,and suppose that the IRS opens your Federal 2009 tax return and money falls out with an attached note that says Dear Sirs; I cheated on my Federal 2008 tax return this money is what I stole from the Federal Government. Now if it had been repentance; the note would have said, I have been saved by the grace of God. And because God has made me a new creature in Jesus Christ I believe this restitution is in order.

Mathew 12:43-45 says
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

So, you can quit it all, you can look right, your hair can be cut right, you can wear the right length of dresses and still be unsaved. The definition of repentance is not #1 remorse, it is not #2 reformation, and it is not #3 religion. CKG in post #76 made the following statement and I quote, " The idea that a Christian has to get their sins forgiven every time they sin comes from Roman Catholicism and taken up by Protestants and unfortunately many Baptists." Okay a little research reveals; In Matthew, the Roman Catholic (the corrupt)Douay version of the Bible says thisThe Doctrine of Repentance
Luke 24:46-48
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
The great commission is found 5 times in the New Testament.
Luke 24:46-48
Matthew 28:19,20
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark:15,16
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
John 20:21-23
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Acts 1:8
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Now what I am saying is this, that what we have read in Luke 24:46-48 is just as much of the great commission as what we commonly read in Mathew 28:19,20. So; if this is the great commission, then it necessitates that the doctrine of repentance must be included as we preach the word of God among all nations. And if a person does not include the message of repentance, then he is not fulfilling the great commission.
The doctrine of repentance, In many of our fundamental Baptist pulpits today , the message of repentance is seldom preached. I have seen in revival meetings of years gone by, it was not uncommon to see people coming down an aisle throbbing under conviction and sobbing woe is me for I am undone. But today we see people coming down the aisle, to make their quote unquote decisions for Christ and they`re cracking their bubble gum with a smirk on their face and I want to say seldom is the plow of conviction driven deep into the soil of the human soil. But it is my contention, that whenever repentance is preached and insisted upon, solid results are going to follow. And those who get saved under that kind of preaching, generally turn out to be stalwart robust Christians. It must be insisted upon by the man of God that before the prodigal(Luke 15:11-32) is reinstated, he must return in sorrow. Notice 3 things of the doctrine of repentance: First of all the definition of repentance is #1 not simply remorse. For an classic example Judas Iscariot in Matthew 27:3 & 4.
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
Get it, repented himself. Now there are some that would say that repentance is simply a change of mind and does not necessitate a change in direction. If that is true than Judas Iscariot repented. But Judas did not repent. His sorrow was not for his sin. His sorrow was that he had gotten caught. Paul describes that in II Corinthians 7:9 & 10
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Now here it is; For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but sorrow of the world worketh death. You see Judas was simply sorry that he had gotten caught. Have you ever got caught in an embarrassing situation and you wept bitter tears because you got caught? And so many claim that as their salvation. I ask you was that Godly sorrow? Was it sorrow for what your sin did to Jesus on the cross at Calvary? or was it just merely the sorrow of the world worketh death? Do you know that it is possible for a person to thrive and weep under conviction and still stop one step short of genuine repentance? it say of Felix in Acts 24:5
And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
Get it, Felix trembled , he was under conviction, but he stopped one step short of genuine repentance. It says of Ahab in I Kings 21:27
27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
He cried Lord have mercy and rent his clothes, but he did not rent his heart. So #1, the definition of repentance is not remorse. #2 it is simply not reformation. Now, consider this statement. While there may be reformation in one area of a person's life. There may be de-generation in another area of a person`s life. For example; I have been in a church worship service and saw those that really were under conviction, and this one said you know I am going to quit drinking, I am going to quit running around on my wife, and I am going to quit using God`s name in vain. Are you Listening? You could quit it all and still be a first class candidate for hell. Romans 8:8 says:
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
There is nothing you can give up that can please God Almighty. As a matter of fact, the bible teaches, that when a person tries to get to heaven by self reformation his last mistake is worse than his first before he even tried to reform. I am sure each or you have seen an example of this in someone that you know. Have known of or have you been around drunkard, who after spending a whole day in jail because while drunk he would get in a fight, and see this drunkard get out of jail and come down the aisle of a church building and say this drinking is no good, it has broken up my family, it has robbed me of my joy, it has taken all of my money, I am going to get rid of the bottle. You know what the tragedy is? The next weekend he will be back at the bottle worse than before. Suppose you cheated on your Federal 2008 tax return ,and suppose that the IRS opens your Federal 2009 tax return and money falls out with an attached note that says Dear Sirs; I cheated on my Federal 2008 tax return this money is what I stole from the Federal Government. Now if it had been repentance; the note would have said, I have been saved by the grace of God. And because God has made me a new creature in Jesus Christ I believe this restitution is in order. Mathew 12:43-45 says
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
So, you can quit it all, you can look right, your hair can be cut right, you can wear the right length of dresses and still be unsaved. The definition of repentance is not #1 remorse, it is not #2 reformation, and it is not #3 religion. CKG in post #76 made the following statement and I quote, " The idea that a Christian has to get their sins forgiven every time they sin comes from Roman Catholicism and taken up by Protestants and unfortunately many Baptists." Okay a little research reveals; In Matthew, the Roman Catholic (the corrupt)Douay version of the Bible says this: Matthew 4 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say: Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
From that time, according to the Roman Catholic Church, Jesus began to preach and say do penance, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Now what is penance, in 1545 the Roman Catholic Church at the council of Trent said this: This is an Exact Quote "penance is as necessary for one who falls into sin after Baptism as Baptism is for those who have never been baptized. So what are they saying, a Roman Catholic would go into the booth and name his sins to the priest. The priest would grant absolution from those sins. The confessor walking away from the both would have the satisfaction that those sins had been forgiven because the priest had said your sins be forgiven. that work of satisfaction is called the work of penance. Do you know that many times it involves doing bodily harm to one self. There are those who will lock their self in a room and they will take a whip and mutilate their body thinking that God is going to be pleased with that. But that is Religion. That is not repentance. Please allow me to refresh your memory of my stand on this based on the great commission. Now what I am saying is this, and this is from the KJV, that what we have read in Luke 24:46-48 is just as much of the great commission as what we commonly read in Mathew 28:19,20. So; if this is the great commission, then it necessitates that the doctrine of repentance must be included as we preach the word of God among all nations. And if a person does not include the message of repentance, then he is not fulfilling the great commission.

There are two letters difference between Christianity and Religion. Religion is spelled do. Christianity is spelled done. It has already been done. It was paid for at the cross at Calvary. The definition is not #1 remorse, or #2 reformation, or #3 religion.
The definition of repentance is simply to turning around. Consider this: Picture in your mind a man inside of a church building walking down the aisle to the alter and all the time he is walking he is swinging his arms saying, I`m going to hell, I`m going to hell, I`m going to hell... but when he reaches the alter, he turns around and heads back to his seat saying, I am going to heaven, I am going to heaven, I am going to heaven.... brothers and sisters that is repentance. IN the New testament the Greek word is used 61 times; meaning a change of mind: #1 about sin, #2 about self, and #3 about salvation.
First of all it involves the intellect or the mind. Now please consider this carefully, before you go out and tell someone to repent you need to tell them why they need to repent. you can`t just tell someone repent. You don`t do that. You have to tell them why. It must be impressed upon their minds that their sin nailed Jesus Christ to the cross. This is where the ten commandments come in. Galatians 3:24 says:
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Romans 3;19,20 says:
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
The first message that was preached after the cross was in Acts 2:38
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Peter preach repent and be baptized every one of you. Now consider this; before he told them to repent, he impressed upon their mind why they needed to repent. Peter said listen you were waiting for the messiah and he came and you tool a murderer and a thief by the name Barabbas and you let him go free and you put the Holy Spotless Son of God on the cross of Calvary you may have done it in ignorance but you`re guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Acts 2:37 says:
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Now here is what we have done many times, are kids grow up in Christian schools with theology in their head many times without a Christ in their heart. We have taught them the parent phrases; yes I am a sinner, yes Jesus died for me, yes I want him to come into my heart, and many times they go thru the whole scenario, never seeing themselves as a dirty filthy hell deserving sinner. Some of you have been reared in a Christian home, and your parents have made sure that you dress right, look right, and you put on all the appearances of a Christian. But you have never seen yourselves as a dirty filthy hell deserving sinner. The most difficult thing to do is to get someone to realize that they are a dirty filthy hell deserving sinner.
So #1 repentance involves the mind, # 2 in involves the emotions. There is an emotional involvement in repentance. But be cautious, you can`t rely on emotions alone. The classic example is found in Luke 18:10-14
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Now get it He didn`t know nothing about the cross of Christ or the resurrection but he had a deep longing over his sin to get his to get it absolved. So he came to Jesus Christ God be merciful to me a sinner.
So #1 it involves the mind, #2 it involves the emotions, and #3 it involves the will. There must be a willingness. Deuteronomy 4:29-31 says:
29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
Zechariah 1:3 says:
3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
Most people stop one step short of salvation because they have a dominating sin in their life that they do not want to give up such as: In Memphis Tennessee; there was a house lying in rubble and ruin, a preacher went into the house and found a hippie fellow who was living in adultery with a girl, and the preacher urged him to be saved, and the guy told the preacher that he could not get saved, he said if I get saved I`ll have to give up my rock music, now the preacher hadn`t said one thing to the fellow about giving up the rock music but the man knew that rock music and Christianity were not compatible. The man said preacher if I get saved I`ll have to give up my marijuana, he said I don`t want to do that. He said if I get saved I`ll have to give up my girl friend. I don`t want to have to do that. I know I am living in adultery. The preacher said wouldn`t be wonderful to turn from sin have your sin forgiven and to come to Jesus Christ and be a new creature in Christ and know you`re going to heaven? He said preacher I am not willing. The preacher told him you know one day willing or not you will give up your sin. Three days later, he was in bed with his girlfriend smoking marijuana, the covers caught on fire, his girlfriend and he were burnt to ashes in the flames. Did he give up his marijuana? Sure he did. Did he give up his adultery? Sure he did. Too bad he wasn`t willing to give up sin as a life style and come to Christ and be forgiven.

There must be a willingness. No one can realize that he is a sinner until the Spirit of God shines a spot light on his soul. but when the Holy Spirit does that there must be a willingness. Sin is a lifestyle no longer do I want that lifestyle. In I Thessalonians 1:9 it says:
9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
They turned to God from idols to serve the true and living God.
So #1, we have notice the definition of repentance. What it is and what it is not. Now consider #2 the imperative of repentance. Now follow me thru the (KJV) Bible and let me show you that the message of repentance has not been changed. That message is the same in every age. Who was the last of the Old Testament prophets? No, it was not Malachi. It was John The Baptist. In Matthew 3:1,2
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
In Matthew 3:7,8
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
Mark 1:4
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Who was the next major figure that came on the scene after John The Baptist? Jesus Christ.
Jesus did not come saying John said, but I say.
Jesus didn`t reconstruct Johns message. He preached the very same message that John the Baptist preached. Matthew 4:17
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 9:13
13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Luke 10:13
13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 13:1-5 Jesus said twice, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish
1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Okay you say but, that was on the other side of the cross.
The first Gospel message after the cross, preached by Peter in Acts 2:38
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The second Gospel message after the cross, Acts 3:19,20
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
The Third Gospel message by Peter, Acts 5:31
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Okay so now you say, well Peter was the Apostle to the Jews. So his message to the Jews was to repent.
But Paul, was the Apostle to the Gentiles. Do you believe that Paul never preached repentance?
Consider this, Paul had just traveled thru the great cities of Athens, and past all the heathen Temples and he stood on Mars hill. Here were Greeks who worshiped their mind and their bodies. They were not Jews. And he stood there on Mars hill and point to where the woman had given themselves to there heathen Gods in immorality. And Paul said you know I have passed by one of your inscriptions and I say written on that idol to the unknown God. And Paul said you Greeks don`t even know who you are worshiping. Paul said I want to tell you about a God that you can know and that you can worship.
Come with me to Acts 17:30
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Now get it: all men every where to repent
Acts 20:21
21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Repentance is not a Jewish message, it is a universal message. Unless you have repented, you have never been saved.
We have #1 considered the definition of repentance, #2 we have notice the imperative of repentance, and #3 consider the subjects of repentance.
First he commands the sinners to repent. Isaiah 55:6,7
6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Ezekiel 33:11
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. whether you have committed adultery, a blasphemer, pornographer or any manner of wickedness, he wants you. And thou your sins be as scarlet he wants to make them as white as snow. however if you do not repent you will burn in Hell forever.
Two brothers were convicted of stealing sheep in a Mid-western town many years ago. Their punishment was they were taken to the town square. And branded on their forehead "ST" for sheep thief. It would be on their head all of their life. One of the brothers could not stand the reproach the stamp of "ST" brought to him. So he decided to run as far away as he could from his home. But everywhere he went his reproach followed him. Finally in despair he took his own life. The other brother said you can run away if you want to, but this is what I`m going to do. He said; I am going to stay in this town and I am going to live such an exemplary life until what day people will look at that "ST" and forget what it is all about, and he did. Many years ago when he was an old man; still had the "ST" on his forehead. A visitor came to town, and he noticed the old man with the "ST" on his forehead. And he came to one of the town people he asked what did the "ST" mean that was branded on the old man`s forehead? The town person replied , there was a story about that years ago, but could not remember what that story was. the towns person said I have watch that old man for years and I expect that "ST" stand for saved.
The Bible calls that justification. God takes a sinner and write saved to his account. He takes the harlot and writes pure to her account. He takes a thief and writes honest to his account. He commands the sinners to repent. There is room at the cross for you, but are you willing.
Finally, he commands the saints to repent. So was the last word that Jesus spoke to the church was the Great Commission? No it wasn`t.
The last word that Jesus Christ spoke to the church was, repent.
Revelation 2 & 3 You will find that in 5 of his 7 churches, his command is to repent or else. If 5 of 7 churches need to repent. Is it possible 5 out 7 Christians reading this post need to repent.
Please follow me to Revelation 2:1-5

1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Do you know what the name Ephesus means? It means desirable. This church was not only desirable in its name but it was desirable in its nature. There is a seven fold accommodation given to this local church. The number 7 the number of completion and perfection. This was a complete church. Twice it says that they laboured meaning that they worked to point of physical exhaustion. Not for 20 dollars an hour, but for the cause of Christ. It says they could not bear them which were evil. They practiced church discipline. I t says : and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: It was a spiritually discerning church. Verse 6 says that they couldn`t stand the works of the Nicolaitans 6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Nicolaitanism is as we talked about the Roman Catholic Church the priest were the only ones allowed to read and interpret the scriptures. And so you had to rely on the priest to tell you what it meant. We have a lot of KJV believing preacher who are guilty of Nicolaitanism.
The church of Ephesus really appears to be a wonderful church, what in the world could be wrong with them. Well, God said there was something wrong with it. They were deficient in their devotion, but they were diligent in their duty. They were rigid in precept but they were routine in performance. They had they had they head of a fundamentalist. They dotted their eyes and crossed their "t`s". Theologically correct. But they had a heart of a liberal. It is a matter of a cold heart.
Matthew 4 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say: Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
From that time, according to the Roman Catholic Church, Jesus began to preach and say do penance, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Now what is penance, in 1545 the Roman Catholic Church at the council of Trent said this: This is an Exact Quote "penance is as necessary for one who falls into sin after Baptism as Baptism is for those who have never been baptized. So what are they saying, a Roman Catholic would go into the booth and name his sins to the priest. The priest would grant absolution from those sins. The confessor walking away from the both would have the satisfaction that those sins had been forgiven because the priest had said your sins be forgiven. that work of satisfaction is called the work of penance. Do you know that many times it involves doing bodily harm to one self. There are those who will lock their self in a room and they will take a whip and mutilate their body thinking that God is going to be pleased with that. But that is Religion. That is not repentance. Please allow me to refresh your memory of my stand on this based on the great commission. Now what I am saying is this, and this is from the KJV, that what we have read in Luke 24:46-48 is just as much of the great commission as what we commonly read in Mathew 28:19,20. So; if this is the great commission, then it necessitates that the doctrine of repentance must be included as we preach the word of God among all nations. And if a person does not include the message of repentance, then he is not fulfilling the great commission.

There are two letters difference between Christianity and Religion. Religion is spelled do. Christianity is spelled done. It has already been done. It was paid for at the cross at Calvary. The definition is not #1 remorse, or #2 reformation, or #3 religion.
The definition of repentance is simply to turning around. Consider this: Picture in your mind a man inside of a church building walking down the aisle to the alter and all the time he is walking he is swinging his arms saying, I`m going to hell, I`m going to hell, I`m going to hell... but when he reaches the alter, he turns around and heads back to his seat saying, I am going to heaven, I am going to heaven, I am going to heaven.... brothers and sisters that is repentance. IN the New testament the Greek word is used 61 times; meaning a change of mind: #1 about sin, #2 about self, and #3 about salvation.
First of all it involves the intellect or the mind. Now please consider this carefully, before you go out and tell someone to repent you need to tell them why they need to repent. you can`t just tell someone repent. You don`t do that. You have to tell them why. It must be impressed upon their minds that their sin nailed Jesus Christ to the cross. This is where the ten commandments come in. Galatians 3:24 says:
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Romans 3;19,20 says:
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
The first message that was preached after the cross was in Acts 2:38
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Peter preach repent and be baptized every one of you. Now consider this; before he told them to repent, he impressed upon their mind why they needed to repent. Peter said listen you were waiting for the messiah and he came and you tool a murderer and a thief by the name Barabbas and you let him go free and you put the Holy Spotless Son of God on the cross of Calvary you may have done it in ignorance but you`re guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Acts 2:37 says:
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Now here is what we have done many times, are kids grow up in Christian schools with theology in their head many times without a Christ in their heart. We have taught them the parent phrases; yes I am a sinner, yes Jesus died for me, yes I want him to come into my heart, and many times they go thru the whole scenario, never seeing themselves as a dirty filthy hell deserving sinner. Some of you have been reared in a Christian home, and your parents have made sure that you dress right, look right, and you put on all the appearances of a Christian. But you have never seen yourselves as a dirty filthy hell deserving sinner. The most difficult thing to do is to get someone to realize that they are a dirty filthy hell deserving sinner.
So #1 repentance involves the mind, # 2 in involves the emotions. There is an emotional involvement in repentance. But be cautious, you can`t rely on emotions alone. The classic example is found in Luke 18:10-14
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Now get it He didn`t know nothing about the cross of Christ or the resurrection but he had a deep longing over his sin to get his to get it absolved. So he came to Jesus Christ God be merciful to me a sinner.
So #1 it involves the mind, #2 it involves the emotions, and #3 it involves the will. There must be a willingness. Deuteronomy 4:29-31 says:
29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
Zechariah 1:3 says:
3 Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.
Most people stop one step short of salvation because they have a dominating sin in their life that they do not want to give up such as: In Memphis Tennessee; there was a house lying in rubble and ruin, a preacher went into the house and found a hippie fellow who was living in adultery with a girl, and the preacher urged him to be saved, and the guy told the preacher that he could not get saved, he said if I get saved I`ll have to give up my rock music, now the preacher hadn`t said one thing to the fellow about giving up the rock music but the man knew that rock music and Christianity were not compatible. The man said preacher if I get saved I`ll have to give up my marijuana, he said I don`t want to do that. He said if I get saved I`ll have to give up my girl friend. I don`t want to have to do that. I know I am living in adultery. The preacher said wouldn`t be wonderful to turn from sin have your sin forgiven and to come to Jesus Christ and be a new creature in Christ and know you`re going to heaven? He said preacher I am not willing. The preacher told him you know one day willing or not you will give up your sin. Three days later, he was in bed with his girlfriend smoking marijuana, the covers caught on fire, his girlfriend and he were burnt to ashes in the flames. Did he give up his marijuana? Sure he did. Did he give up his adultery? Sure he did. Too bad he wasn`t willing to give up sin as a life style and come to Christ and be forgiven.

There must be a willingness. No one can realize that he is a sinner until the Spirit of God shines a spot light on his soul. but when the Holy Spirit does that there must be a willingness. Sin is a lifestyle no longer do I want that lifestyle. In I Thessalonians 1:9 it says:
9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
They turned to God from idols to serve the true and living God.
So #1, we have notice the definition of repentance. What it is and what it is not. Now consider #2 the imperative of repentance. Now follow me thru the (KJV) Bible and let me show you that the message of repentance has not been changed. That message is the same in every age. Who was the last of the Old Testament prophets? No, it was not Malachi. It was John The Baptist. In Matthew 3:1,2
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
In Matthew 3:7,8
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
Mark 1:4
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Who was the next major figure that came on the scene after John The Baptist? Jesus Christ.
Jesus did not come saying John said, but I say.
Jesus didn`t reconstruct Johns message. He preached the very same message that John the Baptist preached. Matthew 4:17
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 9:13
13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Luke 10:13
13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 13:1-5 Jesus said twice, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish
1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Okay you say but, that was on the other side of the cross.
The first Gospel message after the cross, preached by Peter in Acts 2:38
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The second Gospel message after the cross, Acts 3:19,20
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
The Third Gospel message by Peter, Acts 5:31
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Okay so now you say, well Peter was the Apostle to the Jews. So his message to the Jews was to repent.
But Paul, was the Apostle to the Gentiles. Do you believe that Paul never preached repentance?
Consider this, Paul had just traveled thru the great cities of Athens, and past all the heathen Temples and he stood on Mars hill. Here were Greeks who worshiped their mind and their bodies. They were not Jews. And he stood there on Mars hill and point to where the woman had given themselves to there heathen Gods in immorality. And Paul said you know I have passed by one of your inscriptions and I say written on that idol to the unknown God. And Paul said you Greeks don`t even know who you are worshiping. Paul said I want to tell you about a God that you can know and that you can worship.
Come with me to Acts 17:30
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Now get it: all men every where to repent
Acts 20:21
21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Repentance is not a Jewish message, it is a universal message. Unless you have repented, you have never been saved.
We have #1 considered the definition of repentance, #2 we have notice the imperative of repentance, and #3 consider the subjects of repentance.
First he commands the sinners to repent. Isaiah 55:6,7
6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Ezekiel 33:11
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. whether you have committed adultery, a blasphemer, pornographer or any manner of wickedness, he wants you. And thou your sins be as scarlet he wants to make them as white as snow. however if you do not repent you will burn in Hell forever.
Two brothers were convicted of stealing sheep in a Mid-western town many years ago. Their punishment was they were taken to the town square. And branded on their forehead "ST" for sheep thief. It would be on their head all of their life. One of the brothers could not stand the reproach the stamp of "ST" brought to him. So he decided to run as far away as he could from his home. But everywhere he went his reproach followed him. Finally in despair he took his own life. The other brother said you can run away if you want to, but this is what I`m going to do. He said; I am going to stay in this town and I am going to live such an exemplary life until what day people will look at that "ST" and forget what it is all about, and he did. Many years ago when he was an old man; still had the "ST" on his forehead. A visitor came to town, and he noticed the old man with the "ST" on his forehead. And he came to one of the town people he asked what did the "ST" mean that was branded on the old man`s forehead? The town person replied , there was a story about that years ago, but could not remember what that story was. the towns person said I have watch that old man for years and I expect that "ST" stand for saved.
The Bible calls that justification. God takes a sinner and write saved to his account. He takes the harlot and writes pure to her account. He takes a thief and writes honest to his account. He commands the sinners to repent. There is room at the cross for you, but are you willing.
Finally, he commands the saints to repent. So was the last word that Jesus spoke to the church was the Great Commission? No it wasn`t.
The last word that Jesus Christ spoke to the church was, repent.
Revelation 2 & 3 You will find that in 5 of his 7 churches, his command is to repent or else. If 5 of 7 churches need to repent. Is it possible 5 out 7 Christians reading this post need to repent.
Please follow me to Revelation 2:1-5

1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 6
Do you know what the name Ephesus means? It means desirable. This church was not only desirable in its name but it was desirable in its nature. There is a seven fold accommodation given to this local church. The number 7 the number of completion and perfection. This was a complete church. Twice it says that they laboured meaning that they worked to point of physical exhaustion. Not for 20 dollars an hour, but for the cause of Christ. It says they could not bear them which were evil. They practiced church discipline. I t says : and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: It was a spiritually discerning church. Verse 6 says that they couldn`t stand the works of the Nicolaitans 6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Nicolaitanism is as we talked about the Roman Catholic Church the priest were the only ones allowed to read and interpret the scriptures. And so you had to rely on the priest to tell you what it meant. We have a lot of KJV believing preacher who are guilty of Nicolaitanism.
The church of Ephesus really appears to be a wonderful church, what in the world could be wrong with them. Well, God said there was something wrong with it. They were deficient in their devotion, but they were diligent in their duty. They were rigid in precept but they were routine in performance. They had they had they head of a fundamentalist. They dotted their eyes and crossed their "t`s". Theologically correct. But they had a heart of a liberal. It is a matter of a cold heart.

I was going to answer this point by point but I got a little confused. It appears you were copying from somewhere and hit "paste" too many times. Feel free to correct me as I could've easily misunderstood what you were saying.

[QUOTE=Richard.Strickland;22394]I have enjoyed the fellowship with each of you, May you grow in grace, and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
since their is an disagreement among you on I John 1:9 I am not backing down from my understanding of that verse and how it applies but I have used different path to show what I believe to be. It begins the way my previous post did but grew in lenght so as to try convey my point of view without hopefully creating any strifes.

The Doctrine of Repentance
Luke 24:46-48
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
The great commission is found 5 times in the New Testament.
Luke 24:46-48
Matthew 28:19,20
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark:15,16
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
John 20:21-23
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Acts 1:8
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Now what I am saying is this, that what we have read in Luke 24:46-48 is just as much of the great commission as what we commonly read in Mathew 28:19,20. So; if this is the great commission, then it necessitates that the doctrine of repentance must be included as we preach the word of God among all nations. And if a person does not include the message of repentance, then he is not fulfilling the great commission.
The doctrine of repentance, In many of our fundamental Baptist pulpits today , the message of repentance is seldom preached. I have seen in revival meetings of years gone by, it was not uncommon to see people coming down an aisle throbbing under conviction and sobbing woe is me for I am undone. But today we see people coming down the aisle, to make their quote unquote decisions for Christ and they`re cracking their bubble gum with a smirk on their face and I want to say seldom is the plow of conviction driven deep into the soil of the human soil. But it is my contention, that whenever repentance is preached and insisted upon, solid results are going to follow. And those who get saved under that kind of preaching, generally turn out to be stalwart robust Christians. It must be insisted upon by the man of God that before the prodigal(Luke 15:11-32) is reinstated, he must return in sorrow. Notice 3 things of the doctrine of repentance:

First of all the definition of repentance is #1 not simply remorse. For an classic example Judas Iscariot in Matthew 27:3 & 4. 3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
Get it, repented himself. Now there are some that would say that repentance is simply a change of mind and does not necessitate a change in direction. If that is true than Judas Iscariot repented. But Judas did not repent. His sorrow was not for his sin. His sorrow was that he had gotten caught.

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“Gotten caught” by who? It doesn’t say anyone caught him. It doesn’t say when he got caught he brought the money to the chief priests and elders It says “Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he (Jesus) was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.” Judas admitted his wrong, but to the wrong person. His mistake is he should’ve went to Jesus and not the chief priests and elders. Of course Jesus had been captured at this time, but if he had not hung himself he could’ve encountered the risen Lord.
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Paul describes that in II Corinthians 7:9 & 10
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

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Paul is talking to believers in 2 Corinthians 7:9 & 10. He’s not talking to anyone about being saved.
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Now here it is; For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but sorrow of the world worketh death. You see Judas was simply sorry that he had gotten caught.

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See previous statement about Judas’ getting caught.
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Have you ever got caught in an embarrassing situation and you wept bitter tears because you got caught? And so many claim that as their salvation. I ask you was that Godly sorrow? Was it sorrow for what your sin did to Jesus on the cross at Calvary? or was it just merely the sorrow of the world worketh death? Do you know that it is possible for a person to thrive and weep under conviction and still stop one step short of genuine repentance? it says of Felix in Acts 24:5
And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
Get it, Felix trembled , he was under conviction, but he stopped one step short of genuine repentance. It says of Ahab in I Kings 21:27
27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
He cried Lord have mercy and rent his clothes, but he did not rent his heart. So #1, the definition of repentance is not remorse. #2 it is simply not reformation. Now, consider this statement. While there may be reformation in one area of a person's life. There may be de-generation in another area of a person`s life. For example; I have been in a church worship service and saw those that really were under conviction, and this one said you know I am going to quit drinking, I am going to quit running around on my wife, and I am going to quit using God`s name in vain. Are you Listening? You could quit it all and still be a first class candidate for hell.

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I have no problem with what you’re saying here. I think all on this forum would agree that remorse and reformation do not equal salvation.
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Romans 8:8 says:
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

There is nothing you can give up that can please God Almighty. As a matter of fact, the bible teaches, that when a person tries to get to heaven by self reformation his last mistake is worse than his first before he even tried to reform. I am sure each or you have seen an example of this in someone that you know. Have known of or have you been around drunkard, who after spending a whole day in jail because while drunk he would get in a fight, and see this drunkard get out of jail and come down the aisle of a church building and say this drinking is no good, it has broken up my family, it has robbed me of my joy, it has taken all of my money, I am going to get rid of the bottle. You know what the tragedy is? The next weekend he will be back at the bottle worse than before. Suppose you cheated on your Federal 2008 tax return ,and suppose that the IRS opens your Federal 2009 tax return and money falls out with an attached note that says Dear Sirs; I cheated on my Federal 2008 tax return this money is what I stole from the Federal Government. Now if it had been repentance; the note would have said, I have been saved by the grace of God. And because God has made me a new creature in Jesus Christ I believe this restitution is in order.

Mathew 12:43-45 says
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

So, you can quit it all, you can look right, your hair can be cut right, you can wear the right length of dresses and still be unsaved. The definition of repentance is not #1 remorse, it is not #2 reformation, and it is not #3 religion. CKG in post #76 made the following statement and I quote, " The idea that a Christian has to get their sins forgiven every time they sin comes from Roman Catholicism and taken up by Protestants and unfortunately many Baptists." Okay a little research reveals; In Matthew, the Roman Catholic (the corrupt)Douay version of the Bible says thisThe Doctrine of Repentance

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My above comment had to do with forgiveness and here is what Catholics (erroneously) believe about forgiveness:

“Baptism was given to take away the sin inherited from Adam (original sin) and any sins we personally committed before baptism—sins we personally commit are called actual sins, because they come from our own acts. Thus on the day of Pentecost, Peter told the crowds, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38), and when Paul was baptized he was told, "And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name" (Acts 22:16). And so Peter later wrote, "Baptism . . . now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 3:21).

For sins committed after baptism, a different sacrament is needed. It has been called penance, confession, and reconciliation, each word emphasizing one of its.aspects. During his life, Christ forgave sins, as in the case of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11) and the woman who anointed his feet (Luke 7:48). He exercised this power in his human capacity as the Messiah or Son of man, telling us, "the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (Matt. 9:6), which is why the Gospel writer himself explains that God "had given such authority to men" (Matt. 9:8).

Since he would not always be with the Church visibly, Christ gave this power to other men so the Church, which is the continuation of his presence throughout time (Matt. 28:20), would be able to offer forgiveness to future generations. He gave his power to the apostles, and it was a power that could be passed on to their successors and agents, since the apostles wouldn’t always be on earth either, but people would still be sinning.”
http://www.catholic.com/library/Forgiveness_of_Sins.asp
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Luke 24:46-48
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
The great commission is found 5 times in the New Testament.
Luke 24:46-48
Matthew 28:19,20
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark:15,16
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
John 20:21-23
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Acts 1:8
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Now what I am saying is this, that what we have read in Luke 24:46-48 is just as much of the great commission as what we commonly read in Mathew 28:19,20. So; if this is the great commission, then it necessitates that the doctrine of repentance must be included as we preach the word of God among all nations. And if a person does not include the message of repentance, then he is not fulfilling the great commission.
The doctrine of repentance, In many of our fundamental Baptist pulpits today , the message of repentance is seldom preached. I have seen in revival meetings of years gone by, it was not uncommon to see people coming down an aisle throbbing under conviction and sobbing woe is me for I am undone. But today we see people coming down the aisle, to make their quote unquote decisions for Christ and they`re cracking their bubble gum with a smirk on their face and I want to say seldom is the plow of conviction driven deep into the soil of the human soil. But it is my contention, that whenever repentance is preached and insisted upon, solid results are going to follow. And those who get saved under that kind of preaching, generally turn out to be stalwart robust Christians. It must be insisted upon by the man of God that before the prodigal (Luke 15:11-32) is reinstated, he must return in sorrow.

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Luke 15:11-32 states no conditions for which the prodigal must meet before he returns to his father. The son is sorrowful for the depths he has plummeted to and he realizes he has come to the end of his rope because of his sin, but his father didn’t demand anything for him to return, but only for him to return.

Luke 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
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I stopped here because it seems there was a lot of repetition in the rest of your post.

Conviction of sin and a realization of one's lost condition is a must in order for someone to realize their need of the Savior. All one has to do is read what Paul says in Romans 1-3. He brings them to a point of "All have sinned" before he declares justification by faith. Once a person realizes their need of Jesus he can repent.

Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance, according to Paul, is turning to God and placing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Sorrow and brokeness may or may not be present. Note the incident of Acts 8 -

Acts 8
26. And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
27. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
28. Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31. And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32. The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33. In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35. Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37. And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

People are saved by believing the gospel. Again conviction of sin and a realization of one's lost condition will occur in order for the person to see their need of Jesus, but that realization may or may not manifest itself with outward sorrow and brokeness. I don't know why people get hung up on this. Yes there must be preaching that will point out to the lost their need for salvation.

1 Timothy 1
8. But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
9. Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10. For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine

A lost person will never get saved by putting away their sin. To get saved they must believe on Jesus.

Romans 3
21. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26. To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Romans 4
3. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
23. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24. But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25. Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Romans 5
1. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

1 Corinthians 15
1. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2. By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Ephesians 2
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.

[Richard.Strickland]

Originally Posted by CKG

By first death do you mean the normal meaning of death (heart stops, no breathing...etc)? In the Bible there is death (the body dying; heart stops, no breathing...etc) and then there is the second death which is lost people being cast into the lake of fire. Unless the Lord comes and catches we believers away we will all face physical death. A believer who refuses to turn from their sin could face a premature death.

Dear Brother CKG

The same death as does our LORD here in his Holy Word:

1Jo 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

CKG What death is spoken of Here? What is the meaning of this verse?