Resource Manager Posted March 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 APPENDIX B THE PROCESS OF REPENTANCE AND FORGIVENESS Yancey's definition of the process of forgiveness is the exact reverse of the Scriptural definition. For Yancey, grace is extended to us by God regardless of our state (sinful or obedient, repentant or unrepentant), and repentance is then just the moment in which we choose to receive God's grace: '{Grace} must be received, and the Christian term for that act is repentance, the doorway to grace.'(What's so amazing about Grace, page 182). In fact, repentance is the moment in which we seek grace, not the moment in which we receive grace. The moment in which we receive grace is the moment in which we 'find grace in His sight' – and that moment is forgiveness. Yancey attempts to use the parable of the prodigal son in order to support his claim that repentance is the moment when we receive grace, but in actual fact his attempt is flawed. The moment of repentance for the prodigal was the moment when he decided that he had sinned against his father and against God. This moment occurred when he was still in a foreign country, well before he met his father again. Was this the moment when he received grace from his father? Obviously not. Just as the process of the initial sin (and all sins thereafter), was mental, moral, and physical, so the process of repentance which leads to forgiveness is also mental, moral, and physical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted March 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 THE PROCESS OF REPENTANCE - MENTAL Romans 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. In the absence of law, there is no sin, but where law exists, sin will inevitably exist. In order for repentance to occur, there must firstly be an intellectual realisation that sin has been committed. This will only take place if the individual realises that they have broken a law, and they will only realize that a law has been broken, if they are actually aware of that law. This is the first stage of repentance, the mental comprehension of a law, and the intellectual realisation that this law has been broken: Romans 3:20 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. Unless we have law, principle, and standard, we will be unable to determine right from wrong, unable to determine what is in accordance with the will of God. With knowledge of law comes the opportunity to sin, and the responsibility, the obligation, to repent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted March 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 THE PROCESS OF REPENTANCE - MORAL Hebrews 4:2 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Mere intellectual realisation of a breach of law is not repentance. There must be a change in heart, an emotional and moral response to the realisation of our sin - a contrition, a humility. This is developed when, having realised that we have committed sin, we examine ourselves according to the Word of God, and come to an appreciation of the breach of our relationship with God, and an awareness of how far from His character we have been removed. This is the second stage of repentance, the emotional and moral response to the realisation of our sin. We examine ourselves to determine how our character has become removed from that of our God, and determine within ourselves to submit ourselves to His examination, with a willingness to accept His judgment, and a determination to sin no more: Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted March 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 THE PROCESS OF REPENTANCE - PHYSICAL Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come with confidence unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Having passed through the mental and moral stages of our repentance, we are finally prepared to move to the last stage, the physical. This involves actions which restore our relationship with God, and which seek to re-establish it on His terms. The first step, clearly, is to approach our Father in prayer, seeking forgiveness. If we have been honest and open in our self examination, and have been thorough in following the mental and moral process by which our character has been influenced by the Word, then we are ready to seek forgiveness from our God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resource Manager Posted March 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 Having sought forgiveness, and taken the first physical step in restoring our relationship with God, the next step is to renew that relationship by resolving to live a life which attempts to repudiate temptation, and which keeps from sin: Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The principle here is that both heart and mouth are involved in our response to God's offer of salvation. The heart contains our faith - our mental and moral response to God's forgiveness. The mouth demonstrates our confession - our physical response to God's forgiveness. Together they illustrate the dual process of faith and works, by which we are saved. The mental and moral stages of repentance alone are an insufficient response to God's forgiveness - they have not truly been completed until they have changed the way we intend to live. Other examples of the true moment of grace: - Balaam was forgiven when he turned from his error and acknowledged that God was right. His repentance was the moment when he confessed, and the moment when he received grace was the moment when the angel accepted his repentance and chose not to kill him. Had Balaam not repented, we are told, the angel would have killed him. This is incompatible with the idea that the angel was holding out 'grace' for Balaam and waiting for Balaam to 'receive' it – what the angel was holding out was a sword. - David was forgiven when he admitted that he had sinned and was worthy of death. His repentance was the moment when he confessed and sought grace, not when he received it – 'I have sinned', says David, 'Therefore Yahweh hath put away thy sin' replies Nathan. Annanias and Sapphira refused to repent, and so were killed immediately. There is no evidence that Peter was 'holding out grace' waiting for them to 'receive' it. It is clear that the moment of grace would have been the moment of forgiveness – a forgiveness available only through repentance. Having never repented, they could never be forgiven. ------- A further Review is available @ this Link: What's So Amazing About What's So Amazing? Both Reviews included in the linked attachment: Grace Review Hard copies of the Review available @ CSSS.ORG.AU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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