Repentance is the Gift Of God !
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Acts 5:31 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.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
The words "give" (in Acts 5:31) and "granted" (in acts 11:18) are translated from the Greek word didōmi.
From Thayer's Greek Lexicon:
Acts 5:31 indicates God gives repentance to Israel ... all of Israel ... and some of those to whom repentance is given do not repent.
Acts 11:18 indicates God gives repentance to gentiles ... all gentiles ... and some of those to whom repentance is given do not repent.
In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul wrote:
8 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.
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.
Paul had written a letter to the church at Corinth and had reprimanded them for some things that were going on. Paul gave God's Word to the church concerning the activities they were involved in which were not according to Scripture. The church had taken God's Word to heart and they were "sorry after a godly manner" (vs 9). And in vs 10, Paul contrasts "godly sorrow" (which results in repentance) with "the sorrow of the world" (which results in death).
Have you ever seen someone who was "sorry after a godly manner"? You know they are truly sorrowful and contrite.
Compare that with the person who exhibits "the sorrow of the world". They are sorry ... not for what they did ... but that they were caught.
I don't know if you have ever seen the difference between the "sorry after a godly manner" and the "sorrow of the world".
An example of godly sorrow from Scripture would be Psalm 51, written by David after Nathan rebuked him.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
The words "give" (in Acts 5:31) and "granted" (in acts 11:18) are translated from the Greek word didōmi.
From Thayer's Greek Lexicon:
6. δίδωμι is joined with nouns denoting an act or an effect; and
...
b. the noun denotes something to be done by him to whom it is said to be given
...
Acts 5:31 indicates God gives repentance to Israel ... all of Israel ... and some of those to whom repentance is given do not repent.
Acts 11:18 indicates God gives repentance to gentiles ... all gentiles ... and some of those to whom repentance is given do not repent.
In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul wrote:
8 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.
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.
Paul had written a letter to the church at Corinth and had reprimanded them for some things that were going on. Paul gave God's Word to the church concerning the activities they were involved in which were not according to Scripture. The church had taken God's Word to heart and they were "sorry after a godly manner" (vs 9). And in vs 10, Paul contrasts "godly sorrow" (which results in repentance) with "the sorrow of the world" (which results in death).
Have you ever seen someone who was "sorry after a godly manner"? You know they are truly sorrowful and contrite.
Compare that with the person who exhibits "the sorrow of the world". They are sorry ... not for what they did ... but that they were caught.
I don't know if you have ever seen the difference between the "sorry after a godly manner" and the "sorrow of the world".
An example of godly sorrow from Scripture would be Psalm 51, written by David after Nathan rebuked him.
But let it be clear. You do not believe this because the bible says this . Thats my point . This is arrived at because you have adopted the view of Calvinism. Calvinism gives people a set of glasses which once put on is then very difficult to see the bible in any other way .
the sky is over every man, woman and child's head. it's granted that everyone should see it -- but not everyone looks.
well i don't know that i'd agree the Bible isn't a 'puzzle book'
there are many deep things in it, hard to understand and needing much prayer, meditation and study to comprehend.
Christianity is a thinking 'religion' -- it's not about what we do by which we are saved, but about what we believe. belief is a mental property, not a physical property. God expects us to think; He is a God of intelligence and He wants us to use our minds, to study, to know, to seek out understanding and teach and encourage one another with it. we are to be wise, to love wisdom and look for it. it's His will that we 'think on' whatever is good and pure and perfect and holy.
God hides things. He says cryptic things. He makes mysteries and reveals mysteries. He gives dreams and visions, and speaks parables and proverbs -- i rather think that the fact He does these things means we should devote time to trying to 'puzzle them out' -- not that He never speaks clearly, because clearly He does lol, but He also speaks in such a way that it's incumbent on us to think and reason and search out the full extent of what He means. not entirely unlike a puzzle.
kinda like you find a way not to believe it when the Bible clearly says many times that Christ died for all?
that is not what's meant by 'comparing spiritual with spiritual' and it isn't the kind of thinking God intends for us to do.
when the Bible says something you are not expecting it to say, you need to apply your mind to figuring out what it means that God has said this -- not to try to figure out how to make it not say what it literally says.
in Acts 11 they are amazed and glorify God because it has been made evident that God has granted the Gentiles repentance to life.
it doesn't say *some* and it doesn't say *all* it says "Gentiles"
it's not informing us that salvation is being held out to every individual nor is it informing us that salvation is being held out only to a narrow preselected group. it's informing us that the people being saved in Christ by grace through faith & repentance to life and belief are not exclusively Jews
the point here is that Gentiles, not just Jews, are included in Joel 2:28/Acts 2:17
it's a statement about God giving signs and evidence of the elimination of Jewish exclusivity -- about Deuteronomy 32:21 being fulfilled.
'having a sound mind' isn't about eisegetically twisting and editing scripture to force it into saying things it doesn't say.
we need to figure out what the things it does say mean.
good grief, look at Acts 10, wow, it comes right before Acts 11. maybe the context is relevant, huh?
as an example right here in the place we're looking at in this thread,
consider Acts 10:
Peter is given a vision. it's full of symbols and types. God doesn't just simply say "Peter, accept Gentiles. set aside the division between Jew and Gentile that I made with the former covenant; I am calling to myself a people out of all nations" -- instead, God gives Him a "puzzle"
Peter thinks about this.
God gives Peter a key to understanding what he has been shown. people come to ask Peter to accompany them to a Gentile's house and teach them the gospel. Peter is told by God to go with them. Peter sees the Holy Spirit fill these Gentiles as soon as they hear and believe, before they are baptized, before they do any work -- but when they hear and believe.
Peter thinks about this.
Peter realizes what the vision meant. Peter exclaims wow! who can forbid water to also baptize them and treat them as brothers in the faith??
now Acts 11 -- believing Jews confront Peter over his going to Gentiles. these Jews are presented with a puzzle, 'how is it that Peter has gone to a Gentile's house?'
Peter explains what happened.
the Jews think about this.
the Jews, using the information they have received through Peter's testimony, solve the puzzle. they become silent, they glorify God, and come to realize that "God has also granted repentance unto life to the Gentiles"
People will always find a way to reject truth, even when it stares them in the face.
you're a living example of it, buddy.
how many verses did i show you explicitly saying that Christ died for everyone? did you count?
Christianity is a thinking man's religion! I like it very much.
That is what repentance is all about, we must think we don't want to sin.
The Lord is never a God of extremes. Paul tells us that he finds himself doing what he hates. God only asks us to give our will to Him, God is quick to forgive. It is important to live in a state of repentance----that what we think about is to not sin.
Our thoughts are to lead us to action as the book of James speaks of. James tells us the faith without works is dead.
False prophets taught the Colossians that they must not celebrate Christ with feasts, they said only the spiritual of life had any reality we were not to live in the physical world. They taught in Colossians 2:21 Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Paul taught to follow Christ instead. God is never a God of extremes, God is also a God of our physical life on earth.
There's your assumption. Some refuse to believe the truth so as to be saved. Jesus marvels at peoples unbelief . Why would he marvel if its a exclusive gift ?