Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. ~ Jonah 3:10

Some among the Free grace advocates like to point to Jonah 3:10 and argue that turning from sin is a work, and since we are not saved by works, repentance has no part in our saving faith. This logic is very flawed because we find that the New Testament speaks of faith as a work as well.

Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. ~ John 6:29

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father … ~ 1 Thessalonians 1:3

Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power… ~ 2 Thessalonians 1:11

Furthermore, in the gospels, Jesus references the repentance of Nineveh to whom Jonah preached as a warning against those who refused to repent and believe the gospel during his generation.

The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. ~ Matthew 12:41 (See also Luke 11:32)

Ironically, Matthew 12:41 & Luke 11:32 would be one of the verses the FG adherents would claim means a change of mind only because those texts do not explicitly mention sin, although sin is the context of the repentance. 

But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 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. 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. ~ Matthew 12:24-45

From the context above we can see that the repentance of Nineveh, to which Jesus holds his generation accountable, parallels their sinful and wicked ways. Jesus wasn’t just speaking about making a quick decision to believe he was the Messiah, he was comforting the manner of people they were. Thus he calls them an evil and adulterous generation, and says that the men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. 

UNREPENTANT BELIEF

And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. ~ Acts 8:8-24

Recently, as I skimmed through a “documentary” in opposition to repentance in relation to believing in Christ, a Free Grace Pastor claimed that when Simon asked Peter to pray for him he was actually saying “pray to the Lord that I don’t become bitter because of this, that I don’t get enwrapped in the bond of iniquity.”

That’s actually not what the scripture says. Simon did not ask Peter to pray for him not become bitter and enwrapped in the bond of iniquity. Peter told him that he was already in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.

In another article on this topic I shared the following regarding the gall of bitterness.

The bitterest grief; extreme affliction. The ancients taught that grief and joy were subject to the gall, affection to the heart, knowledge to the kidneys, anger to the bile (one of the four humours of the body), and courage or timidity to the liver. The gall of bitterness, like the heart of hearts, means the bitter centre of bitterness, as the heart of hearts means the innermost recesses of the heart or affections. In the Acts it is used to signify “the sinfulness of sin,” which leads to the bitterest grief. ~ Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894

This was no small matter. Simon had lost his influence over the people, and could no longer bewitch them. Even though he believed and had been baptized, he was a false convert who rather than having a new heart, cleansed by the blood of Christ, was in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity.

Now, I know that is unpopular to say, especially with those who believe that no repentance is necessary to be saved. Understand this: if you are saved, your attitude towards sin changes because you become a new creature in Christ.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ~ Romans 6:1-4

Those who are saved are not trying to make excuses for sin, those who are saved want to live above sin, in godliness and truth, just as the Psalmist says in relation to repentance, “ thou desirest truth in the inward parts.”

With regards to Simon the Sorcerer, another FG minister made the following statement, “And you know what Simon says? He says, man I want you to pray for me, that none of these things happen to me.” He says he’s sorry. I mean right away he completely repents of it.

This minister then extrapolates how Simon realizes he was just acting foolishly and admits he (Simon) was wrong. The minister then inserted into the text that Simon said, “I was wrong.” Then the FG minister says, “so we see that he has a good heart.”

Did Simon have a good heart? Not according to the apostle Peter who said to him, Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

Even though Simon did believe the things preached by Philip and was baptized, he never turned from his sorcery. He had for a long time bewitched the people, and if he were to truly follow Jesus as a disciple, he would have to turn from his sorcery. Thus Peter rebukes him regarding this.

Simon offered the apostles money for the gift of God because his heart was not right with God, not because he just said something stupid, being a baby Christian. Simon was still steeped in the sin of sorcery, and because he wanted to use the gift of God in the same manner he had bewitched the people with sorcery, Peter rebuked him.

According to Peter, the following were true regarding Simon.

1. He had no part or lot in this matter. In other words he wasn’t qualified to receive or minister to others the gift of the Holy Spirit.

2. His heart was not right in the sight of God. He had not had a true conversion. Belief without turning from your old ways is not true faith. 

3. He had not repented of his sorcery (repent of this, thy wickedness).

4. He needed forgiveness from God.

5. He was in the gall of bitterness and the bond of Iniquity.

It’s important for us to grasp what Peter is saying when he tells Simon, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

Notice that Peter says to Simon, Thy money perish with thee. Simon was not saved. He was going to perish without repentance of his sorcery and the reason for that was that he thought the gift of God could be purchased with money.

Simon’s belief in the things that Philip preached was in the unrepentant mindset of sorcery. His pursuit was all wrong. When Peter tells him Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, it was an indictment against him that he wasn’t saved and in God’s kingdom.

Now, in contrast to what Peter says to Simon, consider his words to those who were repented on the day of Pentecost.

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? 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. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. ~ Acts 2:37-39

In Acts 2, Peter had preached to his Jewish kinsmen that they were culprits in condemning Jesus to death and rejecting him as the Messiah. Consequently, they were pricked in their hearts. A more accurate description is pierced. Its usage in the Greek is, I am pierced, stung, smitten. In other words, they were smitten with conviction and as a result they asked Peter, what shall we do?

In response, Peter tells them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. This is in stark contrast to what Peter told Simon the Sorcerer, Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

Unlike those in Acts 2, Simon the Sorcerer had not yet repented and turned to Christ in his heart. Understand this, it is entirely possible to believe and yet be unchanged because you refuse to turn your heart to the Lord. Such belief will not profit you in the day of Christ.

Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. ~ John 12:42-43

Were these chief rulers who believed on Jesus saved? Absolutely not, because they were ashamed to publicly confess their belief in him, and they desired the praise of men more than the praise of God.

In John 8, some of the very same Jews who momentarily believed in Jesus were the very ones who in the same setting turned on him and took up stones to stone him.

Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.  ~ John 8:28-32

The Jews in this reference who believed, were not some bystanders listening to his dialogue with other Jews. They were some of the very ones who began to question Jesus when he said, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. It was these same Jews (who momentarily believed in him,) who became angry when Jesus began to address their sin.

The confrontation became so sharp that John tells us, Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. ~ John 8:59

Belief in Jesus which leads to salvation is belief that he is truly the Son of God and that kind of belief turns the heart to the Lord.

But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it (the heart) shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:15-18

Repentance is turning our heart to the Lord and when we do, we are changed into his image from glory to glory by the Spirit of Lord. From glory to glory means we grow more and more into his glorious likeness by the Spirit of the Lord, whose work in our hearts is to conform us into the image and likeness of Jesus. Freedom in Christ is not found in not repenting of sin, it’s found in true repentance of sin, because true repentance is a work of grace in the heart by the Holy Spirit. Neither Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8, the chief rulers in John 12, or the Jews in John 8 had repentant hearts. Yet they all had unrepentant belief with unchanged hearts.

In recent weeks I have been writing on themes that pertain to our great salvation, and countering some of the egregious errors that are being taught regarding salvation. In particular, the teachings of Free Grace ( FG) theology.

Within this theology salvation does not require repentance of sin or any commitment to follow Christ. Repentance of sin is actually thought by some who advocate FG theology to be a heresy and a false gospel, because repentance of sin is deemed to be a work which adds to the finished work of Christ. Their logic is that since Jesus paid the price for sin, all that is required is belief in Jesus and Heaven is guaranteed regardless if the person repents of sin or not. 

This is problematic when you follow this teaching to its logical conclusion.  A person living in adultery, or as a rapist, or as a child abducting human trafficker, or a serial killer can believe that Jesus paid the price for their sin  and be granted eternal life, even if they never turn from their sins.

This however, is a mockery of the true gospel and undermines the truth of the character of a Holy God who gave his Son to save us from our sins. Teaching people that they will go to Heaven by believing, even if they refuse to turn from their sins and follow Jesus, is not free grace. It is the equivalent to free loading.

Heaven is not a hand out for wicked people to get a free pass while they continue to live in unrepentant sin. Paul says to the Ephesians, For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. ~ Ephesians 5:5-6

To the Corinthians, Paul says following:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Paul then follows these words by saying, And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. ~ v.11

Notice that being saved is being washed, sanctified, and justified from our sins, both in the name of the Lord and by the Spirit of our God. A person who is on the prowl to abduct children to traffic is not washed, sanctified, or justified. Neither is the man who is actively cheating on his wife with another woman, nor is the one who is getting wealthy cheating the elderly out of their life’s savings. I could go on, but hopefully you get the point.

Saved people are changed people, and saved people have a conviction to live godly because they have turned from their sins through their faith in Jesus Christ. But this is not the salvation taught within FG theology.

Consider the following response that a FG advocate gave to the scripture that says, let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. In response the FG advocate commented, “Not to be saved, but to be disciples. Rightly divide the word of truth, do you know what that means? “

The rationale behind this statement, and others similar to it is that if a person believes that they must stop living in sin to be saved, they are adding to the finished work of Christ. According to the FG theology that I have observed, being saved has absolutely nothing to do with deliverance or redemption from the actual sins in a person’s life. The emphasis is on the penalty for those sins after death. In other words, salvation from sin (in FG theology) doesn’t mean I stop living in sin to live for Christ, it means I will not be judged for my sins, even if I refuse to live for Christ and remain a drunkard, fornicator, or murderer, etc.

When the commenter mentioned above says, “Not to be saved, but to be disciples,” he is claiming that you do not have to depart from iniquity to be saved, only if you choose to be a disciple. Yet Paul tells us that Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify us unto himself as purchased people zealous of good works.

This mindset that separates some as saved only and others as disciples, is what motivated me to write the article I recently titled,  The Call to Discipleship. In no way did I cover all that the New Testament teaches about discipleship, but let me be clear, if you refuse to be a disciple of Jesus, and you think you can live in unrepentant sin and go to Heaven, you are deceived.

Being a disciple of Jesus is not optional for believers. Those who were saved in the book of Acts became disciples, and Paul’s letters to the churches were addressed to the saints (God’s set apart people, i.e., disciples). Becoming a disciple may be optional within FG theology, but it isn’t in gospel according to the scriptures. You will not find a subset of saved people who refuse to repent of sin, and refuse to be disciples of Jesus who have eternal life abiding in them, anywhere in the New Testament!

The commission of the gospel, which we often refer to as the great commission, is to make disciples of all nations, because saved people become disciples. If that bothers you, take it up with Jesus, because I am going to tell you the truth. I refuse to stand by and not condemn this FG theology, which is actually teaching people they can free load at the expense of the grace of God. And that is not the gospel!

The complaint that many FG advocates have with people like me who preach and teach repentance of sin, is their claim that the word repent means to change your mind, and they love to point out that God repented multiple times in the Old Testament by making claims such as one the one below.

I searched repent and didn’t find anywhere in the bible where it says “repent of sin(s)” or “of your sin”. And God repents the most. Man added “of sin” to the word.

Now, I plan to cover the topic of God repenting (changing his course of action) in a future article, but for now I want to stay focused on repentance of sin. As a Bible teacher who’s been offering apologetics for a long time, allow me to explain what’s wrong with the argument, “I searched repent and didn’t find anywhere in the bible where it says “repent of sin(s)” or “of your sin”.

I am sure you will not find the phrase “stop committing adultery” anywhere in the Bible, but that doesn’t mean that adulterers should not stop, or that the Bible doesn’t oppose adultery. Repenting of sin is affirmed often throughout the Bible, and to deny that fact because a phrase (cherry picked) isn’t found in your search, is just being lazy.

My apologies if I sound a little annoyed, but people need to do better when making such claims.

In 2 Corinthians 12:21 Paul expresses his grief concerning those who have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

Is uncleanness sin? Sure it is. What about fornication? Absolutely! How about lasciviousness? You know it is. These are all sins that Paul was concerned that the Corinthians had not repented of.

In Acts 8, Peter confronted Simon the Sorcerer, telling him to, Repent therefore of this thy wickedness (v. 22). Simon’s wickedness of which Peter is telling him to repent is sorcery. Is the wickedness of sorcery sin? Sure it is.

Now consider the following from Revelation 9

And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. ~ v. 20-21

Is worshiping devils sin? What about murder, sorcery, fornication, and theft?

This is exactly why those who make claims like the one highlighted above, which says, “I searched repent and didn’t find anywhere in the bible where it says “repent of sin(s)” or “of your sin”, are being disingenuous. If you truly run a search on all the texts in the Bible that speak of repent, repentance, etc., you would come across the verses which speak of repentance of sin. 

Furthermore, if a person were to do a search on verses which refer to repentance, which doesn’t necessarily use the word repent, they would find even more texts that speak of repenting of sin. For example, consider Isaiah 55:6-7 and Proverbs 28:13.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 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. ~ Isaiah 55:6-7

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. ~ Proverbs 28:13

It doesn’t take a theologian to see that both of these texts above speak of repentance. Forsaking your sin, and returning to the Lord is repentance. Confessing your sins, and forsaking them is repentance.

Even though these verses do not use the phrase, repent of your sins, or the words, repent and repentance, they clearly teach repentance of sins. Repentance of sin is a major theme in the Bible. In fact much of the entire chapter of Psalm 51 has to do with repentance of sin. Consider for example, the first 4 verses.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. ~ Psalm 51:1-4

If we’d continue to read all 19 verses of Psalm 51 we would learn a lot about repentance. Allow me to highlight a few things we would learn. In his repentance, the Psalmist says, thou desirest truth in the inward parts (v.6).

True repentance leads to a heart of integrity in the sight of God, and true repentance seeks to have such a heart of integrity.

In verses 10 -12 the Psalmist says Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Repentance leads to a clean heart and a right spirit, and causes the joy of salvation to be experienced. Now, notice what the Psalmist says next, once his heart has been made clean and a right spirit has been renewed in him.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. ~ v.13

In his repentant state, asking to be made clean and right in his heart, the Psalmist says, “then” will I teach transgressors thy ways. God’s ways are for transgressors to repent and sinners to be converted. Teaching people that they can be saved without repentance is not teaching them God’s ways.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. ~ James 1:12

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. ~ 1 Peter 1:6-9

There are so many ways in which the Bible sheds light on who will be saved and who will not, that we often read right past those verses. Consider with me the 2 references cited above.

James tells us, Blessed is the man that endureth temptation. One who falls away from the Lord and no longer follows or believes in him did not endure temptation. In Luke 8, Jesus gives the parable of the sower and according to Jesus this parable has to do with those who are saved.

Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. ~ Luke 8:12-13

Now consider what James says in view of what Jesus says in this parable of the sower. James says the man who endures temptation (this is in contrast to the person who falls away in the time of temptation), will receive a crown of life which the Lord has promised them that love him.

The crown of life is the reward for those who love the Lord, and loving God is that which produces enduring faith. We endure suffering, hardships, and difficult times because we love God. Now consider this in view of what Peter tells us, by reading Peter’s words again.

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. ~ 1 Peter 1:6-9

Notice that Peter tells us that the reward for the end of our faith (after our faith has been tried by various temptations) is the salvation of our souls. In the middle of this exhortation is our love for Jesus, “Whom having not seen, ye love…” Following these words Peter says, “in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

The words yet believing, is a reference to the continuation of our faith in the midst of various trials (temptations), and it is love for God and Christ that grows out of our commitment to the Lord that causes our faith to grow and become strong so that we endure in faith in the time of testing.

Being tried, tested, and enduring suffering does not mean God is against you. Jesus said, In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. ~ John 16:33, And John tells us,  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. ~ 1 John 5:4

The faith that overcomes the world is not faith that burns out because of a lack of commitment, it is faith that preserves because we love Jesus. This enduring faith leads us away from the sins of the flesh and more perfectly into living to the will of God.

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. ~ 1 Peter 4:1-2

Blessings…

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. ~ Matthew 28:19-20

These words have often been referred to as the Great Commission, and rightfully so. Some translations say, make disciples, whereas the KJV says, teach all nations.

The mission of the gospel given to the apostles by Jesus was not to solicit decisions in which a moment of belief insures a person is going to Heaven. You will never see such a commission given by Jesus, nor will you ever see Jesus eager for others to make an uncommitted decision of belief.

We have examples in the gospels of those who came to Jesus enquiring about eternal life, and Jesus always set before them commitment in one form or another. Consider for example, the rich young ruler who asked Jesus how to have eternal life.

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. ~ Matthew 19:16-22

Unfortunately, in much of today’s evangelical circles, this man would have been told he only needs to believe in Jesus and he’s going to Heaven, and serving Jesus isn’t a requirement because that would mean salvation by works. On the contrary, if we truly believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, our belief in him will be our motivation to follow him. One who refuses to become Jesus’s disciples has the wrong motive for “believing” and has embraced hypocrisy rather than genuine, authentic faith.

Making disciples is the heartbeat of true evangelism. The problem with much of today’s evangelism is that Heaven is the reward instead of Jesus. Faith has become a sort of spiritual life insurance policy rather than embracing the faith which is to become a disciple of Jesus. 

Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. ~ John 12: 42-43

According to the gospels, the rulers played a major part in condemning Jesus to death, not many days later. And these chief rulers did not confess Jesus (even though they believed), because they would have been put out of the synagogue like the man born blind whom Jesus healed in John 9. They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 

In the New Testament, we find no subset of believers on their way to Heaven who refuse to follow Jesus as his disciple. Being a disciple doesn’t mean that you have it all together and that you don’t have some areas in your life that need addressing. Being a disciple means you are committed to following Jesus for the rest of your life, and over the process of time, you grow in knowledge, wisdom, and grace. When we see you 5 or 10 years from now, you are more like Jesus than you are today. That’s discipleship!

In Acts 2, three thousand souls were added to the church and began living as disciples, and from Pentecost onward the church continued to grow until there was a multitude of believers who were all referred to as disciples.

And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. ~ Acts 6:1-7 

Notice that even among the disciples, they were to choose from among them, those who were of impeccable character: brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

Among this multitude of disciples there were some who had just begun their journey in the faith, and others who had not yet grown in grace to the level that others had, yet they were all disciples following Jesus.

Again, being a disciple doesn’t mean you are perfect, or have it all together. It simply means that you are committed to Jesus, and growing in your faith becoming more like him over time, because Christ changes how you live.

Even though they were all at different levels of growth in the Lord, they all had one thing in common: they were obedient to the faith.

The faith which Jesus entrusted to his apostles when he commissioned them to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is the call of discipleship.

In Romans 1, Paul speaks of obedience to the faith saying, By whom (Jesus) we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name… ~ Romans 1:5

Paul, who was formerly Saul of Tarsus, had persecuted the disciples of the Lord Jesus before his conversion. There is no text that tells us that Paul persecuted people who believed in Jesus, but didn’t follow Christ. Paul was out to stop the growth of the faith through the disciples of Jesus.

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest… ~ Acts 9:1

Disciples are the ones through whom the Kingdom of God is advanced in this world because they are the ones who follow Jesus in obedience to him as their Master. The one who claims to believe but refuses to follow, is no threat to the kingdom of darkness. Disciples gain a reputation as did the disciples in Antioch who were the first to be called Christians, which associated them with Christ.

And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. ~ Acts 11:26