God Gives Repentance to the Gentiles:
NKJ Acts 11:11-18
11 "At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea.
- Per 11:13 An angel sends men to Peter
12 "Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.
- The Spirit sends Peter with the men sent by an angel to Peter
- God sends the preacher/proclaimer [of the Good News of Jesus Christ 11:17]
13 "And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, 'Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,
14 `who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.'
- The angel who sent the men to get Peter had told them that Peter would speak to them the words by which they will be saved.
- This language says they would be saved by the words Peter would speak.
- Faith from a message heard Rom10:17
15 "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.
- Peter speaks the words that would save them and God gives them the Holy Spirit
16 "Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, `John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
- Peter recalls what Jesus had spoken to him (and others) about being baptized by the Holy Spirit
17 "If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?"
- The Baptism with/by the Holy Spirit
- Peter describes as a gift given by God
- Peter says the Baptism by the Holy Spirit took place WHEN (simultaneous) they believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ
- The Gospel is what Peter was speaking to them when God Baptized them with the Spirit
18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life."
- Those Peter was explaining this to concluded that God had given to the Gentiles repentance to life
- Repentance to Life:
- The word translated "repentance" in its most basic sense means a change of mind/thinking.
- It can include other nuance depending upon context.
- The only context in these verses is the clear inference that the words Peter was speaking provided a change in thinking - information to believe - the spoken words about Jesus Christ 11:17 - the words that would save them 11:14
- Men needed to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ = the words that would save them
- God sent Peter to give them the Gospel of Jesus Christ
- As Peter was speaking the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
- They believed in Jesus Christ (just as Peter and others had)
- God gave them the gift of the Baptism by the Spirit
- The men Peter explained this to summarized this activity as God giving Repentance to Life.
God gave Repentance here means:
- God sent a preacher/proclaimer of the Gospel (Rom10:14-15 God sends preachers)
- The spoken Gospel saves men who believe it (Rom1:16 the power of God for salvation for all who believe it)
- Repentance as a change of mind seems to logically take place when men hear the Gospel that saves. It changes their thinking.
- When men hear the Gospel, they change their thinking (repent) and believe the Gospel
- When men repented and believed the Gospel, God gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit by which they were baptized
The Gift of Repentance was the Gift of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that changed their thinking and they believed and saved them, and the Gift of the Spirit by which they were baptized.
The Gift of Repentance was essentially God giving the Saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles so they could repent/change and believe. The writers of the Scripture often spoke in such summarizing terms.