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What
ls
REAL
REPENTANCE?
Millions have heard the cry, "REPENT! Receive
Christ!" But what does it mean? What is real
repentance? Here's the Bible answer.
r
A WORLD fraughc wich rension
and fear, increasing chous:lnds are
rurning ro religion. Somehow,
many feel rhey nced ro "gcr righr"
wirh God - ro join a Church - ro
become more "religious."
Vasr evangelisric campaigns havc
nerced rhousands of "decisions for
Christ." In a momenc of remorse over
their pase lives, many have dccided ro
"accepr" Jesus as Saviour. .Buc whac is
chis "receiving" of Chrisc? ls it REAI.?
Mass evangelism has bcen sevcrcly
criticized rccently by many who have
shown che "decisions" made usually
don'r LAST very long. Werc rhese de–
cisions
real repentance.'
The Common Bclief
A foremosc religious leadcr once
said: "Firsr, lec us undersrand whar
Chrisrianity is NOT. lt is NOTa
zua)' of
l
;r.
,..
~¡e.
Bur what docs che ncwly convcrted
Christian do, rhen, rhat makes him a
Christian? Commonly, it is bclieved
rhat che remorseful feeling of sorrow
over pase misrakes and misdeeds, plus
PLAIN TRUTH December 1972
by
Garner Ted Armstrong
che acceprance of Chrisr - che wor–
ship of Chrisr - is a saving cxperi–
ence. Hundreds of rhousands of
sincere, welJ-meaning, earnesr people
are conrenr rhey are Chriscians - sar–
isfied chey are headed toward eterna!
life - when chey acrually havc never
raken rhe firsr srep toward becoming
a true Christian, believe ir or nor!
.Bur listen ro what che Bible ac–
rually says!
"From rhar rime Jesus began ro
preach ... " (Marr. 4:17). Jesus was a
preacher! Jesus Chrisr carne with a
message from God rhe Farher - and
rhar message was what He preached.
Whar was che vcry firsr thing He rold
His audiences ro do? " ... REPENT: for
rhe kingdom of heaven is ar hand"
(Mate. 4: 17). Norice - che words of
Jesus are: "REPENT!"
Larer, che apostles preached che
same message Jesus broughr from His
Farher. When Perer srood up ro cx–
plain che amazing evencs of che day of
Penrecosr in A.D. 31, he said, "Re–
pene, and be baprized evcry one of
you in che name of Jesus Christ for
rhe remission of sins, and ye shall re–
ceive che gifr of rhe Holy Spirir"
(Acrs 2:38). Larer, Perer said, '·Re–
pene
ye
rherefore, and
be
converred,
rhar your sins may be blotted out,
when che rimes of refreshing shall
come from che presence of rhe Lord"
(Acts 3:19). Jesus gave stem warning
rhar "excepr ye repenr, ye shall all
likewise pcrish" (Luke 13:3, 5) .
Then there is somerhing rec¡uired
in addition ro che acceprance of Jesus
as personal Saviour! Jesus said so.
To repenr and be converred is ro
CHANGE. Thar is rhe very meaning of
che word "converr." Jusr whar is rhar
changc, rhen?
Chaoge What?
"['m a changed man," said rhe re–
formed smoker...1 have finally c¡uir
che robacco habir!" This man felr, be–
cause he had dropped a bad habir, he
was a changcd man. Bur was he
really?
Whar is ir Chrisr wanrs you ro
change! Merely your way of •·rhink–
ing" about Him? Do you change
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