Bear fruits meet for Repentance.

Unfortunately we are living in a time where repentance as a teaching is being neglected by some parts of the church. What is being taught is that you only have to repent once to be saved forever. The words of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:8 are being ignored by some evangelical teachers who wrongly assume that if you repent after you are saved, you are somehow putting your salvation in question. This could be a modern form of Antinomianism which basically says that Christians are released by grace from the obligation of observing the moral law! The modern argument bases works and faith on unequal terms and says that if you obey the moral law, you fall under a works salvation. Catholic doctrine is being attacked because of this, despite obvious scriptural references that show we are to obey the moral law.

Romans 8:12-13 says "Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation-but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." Why is there a mistrust among many evangelicals to obey the moral law? They will say it is not necessary to live a lifestyle of repentance because all their sins are covered once and for all by the blood of Jesus. They are ignoring warning passages in Hebrews 6:1-7, and Hebrews 10:26-31, because they fear that a Christian can lose their salvation which in their state of mind is unthinkable.

Instead of being told to repent, believers are living in unnecessary guilt about their salvation and are being given an assurance apart from them actually repenting after they sin. Why? I believe it puts the doctrine of eternal security in jeopardy if a believer is told to repent in the 21st Century because the emphasis is not on the cross for our sanctification, but on holding a correct doctrine which if not properly practised leads to unholiness, and a lack of faith. Jesus becomes boring and faith no longer becomes a living faith but a dead one. Faith without works is dead, James 2:26.

Again as in the reformation, the battle is over the doctrine of Justification by faith, but repentance is being held hostage by some, not just dividing Christians on how you are saved, but the fruits of repentance that Catholics and protestants are all called to bear by Jesus. May our Lord and Saviour unite us at least on repentance, that holiness would be preached on both camps, and that we would call everyone to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9.

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