Is the Church Teaching a Corrupt Gospel Part 3

Part 3 Repentance Is the Fruit, Not the Condition

Consider Paul’s salvation -The account of Paul's conversion in Acts 9:17-18 is a detailed example of Gospel practice—how God saves those he calls. Paul never repented of sin before God saved him, and he was never water baptised to receive the Holy Spirit. We see him being made blind as the Holy Spirit came upon him—he was carried off and God called Ananias to go to the house where Paul was—-placing his hands on him, and saying, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes (Paul’s baptism), and he could see again. He got up and was baptised."

In Koine Greek, the "first aorist passive indicative" indicates that Paul was the recipient of an action (being filled) that had already occurred. In other words, he was baptised when he was filled with the Spirit—-past tense—-when the scales were removed. After receiving the Holy Spirit, we can see our thoughts and actions more clearly—activities that are displeasing to God. After being filled with the Holy Spirit, we choose to obey—we have a choice about whatever God reveals to us. But we respond out of love, not obedience as a slave—not because of rules and traditions—but as a Son.

The word "repentance" is rarely interpreted correctly. The Greek is “metanoeō”, which means to think differently, to reconsider, turn around or turn away—it signifies a profound transformation of one’s thinking and behaviour, from an earthly to a divine perspective. This is not to say the word can't be used in connection with sin; rather, it means the word has no specific exegesis of sin—the verb is defined by the context in which it's used—regarding salvation, it refers to facing God and receiving the Holy Spirit—thus it's receiving the Spirit that imputes the unmerited favour of God and forgives our sins, through the cross (all past tense). How does being filled impute forgiveness of all sin?—because we receive what Jesus has already achieved and finished on the cross.

God always has the right man to witness his authority. Peter had his revelation of Paul's Gospel when God instructed him to kill and eat all kinds of animals that were not Kosher (Acts 10:11-15). This led to witnessing the Holy Spirit move in the salvation of Cornelius and his entire Gentile family. Again, no repentance of sin or baptism in water, just the Holy Spirit coming to rest on these Gentile believers, while Peter was still introducing himself. This experience would be vital in his support for Paul when they later went up to Jerusalem to meet with the Apostles.

“Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” Peter went on to say, “When God gave them the same gift he gave us (the Holy Spirit) who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God's way?” When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.” (Note the past tense)

Paul was saved about 3 years after the resurrection. The Apostles were completely unaware that a dispensation would be given to the Gentiles—it wasn't until 6 years after the resurrection that Paul went up to Jerusalem for the first time. On this occasion, he spoke only with Peter and James—we don't know what was said at this meeting. However, some 14 years after this first visit, Paul again went up to Jerusalem—this time to address the Apostles about matters related to the Judaizers (Eph 3:1-13). When they heard what God was doing through Paul, how did they react? Well, they argued with each other—they struggled with the idea that God had granted salvation to the Gentiles, on faith alone. This was incomprehensible; they couldn't understand salvation without repentance of sin, baptism, circumcision and so on. It wasn't until Peter stood and spoke of his experience with Cornelius that the Apostles realised God had extended salvation to the Gentiles—by faith.

A Sacrament might be defined as a sacred or symbolic ritual—often seen as an outward sign of an inner transformation or commitment of faith. However, genuine transformation and commitment cannot be revealed through a ritual or sacrament. In reality, it's a tool for defining who will be accepted, even though not everyone participating is genuine.

"We uphold the importance of communion and believers’ baptism as sacraments within the life of the church. These are significant practices that express our faith and our obedience to Christ."

At first glance, this statement would appeal to many Christians, but it's not convincing that baptism and communion can express someone's faith. No one can see into the heart of a man. People can say or do anything out of obedience, or simply because it appears the right thing to do—"Believer's baptism" is not necessarily a sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit, because the only evidence of genuine faith is the fruit it produces over time, through the work of the Holy Spirit. Enforced sacraments such as baptism and communion may achieve compliance, but little else—in practice, they become flawed examples of the religious enterprise—salvation does not call us into obedience to Christ; this exposes a corrupted understanding of soteriology. Salvation calls us into a relationship with God, as Sons. Anything of spiritual value stems from love, not compliance with a sacrament. Obedience is like being under Law; it's not the fruit of faith, which is motivated by love. What does "Believer's Baptism" mean? It's a convoluted statement that implies a two-step process for salvation—that baptism follows belief. However, if we insert water as the agent of this baptism, the practice becomes corrupted. What does "significant practices" mean? Clearly, it relates to the spiritual status of communion and a believer's baptism within the framework of Church doctrine; however, the words "sacrament and "significant practice" together tend to imply compulsion. It's easy to write these statements, but the corruption of the Gospel begins with the narrative we attach to it—what purpose do they serve when Paul's dispensation reduces these practices to "no Gospel at all"? Even worse, removing words such as "water" or "Holy Spirit" in connection with baptism and salvation hides the actual meaning in the belief statement. This raises the question, why has the language been sterilised to this extent, and what purpose does it serve?

Statement of Belief

"We hold that those who are repentant of their sin are saved by personal faith in Jesus Christ, made possible through His atoning death and resurrection."

This goes some way in explaining what is implied by "believer's baptism". Here, genuine salvation is judged by one's willingness to "repent of sin". Thus, those who don't repent are not considered saved. This statement characterises the same corruption embedded in the Gospel of the Apostles—the 4-step process of being saved has more in common with the teaching of John the Baptist. But it's not Paul's Gospel of believing in faith.

Within Christian theology, sacraments are not typically defined or stated as compulsory in the sense of coercion. However, coercion tends to be more apparent than absolute. When Baptism and communion become sacraments nested under the idea of "significant practices", they add layers of theological interpretation and expectation. If these ordinances are not recognised or practised in the prescribed form, the question of non-compliance affects acceptance within the Church. Consequently, while sacraments may not be stated as compulsory, in practice they function with implicit obligation and carry consequences for those who do not conform.

The Apostles practised the same spiritual milieu of legalism and grace for 20 years after the resurrection, and there's nothing to suggest this changed in response to meeting with Paul in Jerusalem. The general interpretation of ecclesiology today has more in common with Peter and the Apostles—repentance of sin is seen as the first step towards receiving salvation, and water baptism follows as the sign of having received it.

God has already granted forgiveness of sin for all who believe. Forgiveness is waiting to be uplifted by those who believe and receive the Holy Spirit. This is what the Cross achieved (past tense). We are quick to forget that Jesus Christ has paid the price for all sin, and as far as salvation is concerned, we don't need to repent of sin to be saved, because Jesus has already paid for it—this shouldn't be hard to understand. If the penalty for ALL sin has already been paid, why is the Church so incapable of receiving the gift on faith alone? Jesus has nailed all sin, for every person, for all time, past and present, to the cross. Our decision is not repenting; it’s receiving the Holy Spirit. Positionally, all believers are in Heaven with Christ from the moment they receive the Holy Spirit. Throughout the biblical account, every aspect of salvation is declared as a past-tense action: we are justified, we are sanctified, and we are glorified—when we receive. This is not to say we have nothing to do from this point on, but when unbelievers are born again by the Holy Spirit, God sees us as Sons (past tense).  

The Way of righteousness - In Matthew 21:32, we find the word "repent" used in a different context: "For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." Repent and believe whom—John the Baptist. Here, the word repent is "metamellomai" and conveys the idea that even after hearing about the way of righteousness, they showed "no regret or consideration" that resulted in believing John and receiving forgiveness from God.

If the act of repenting of sin could remove sin, then the Old Testament Law would have been sufficient—even John's baptism would suffice (Mark 1:4)—we wouldn't need a saviour in Jesus Christ, we could repent and go to Heaven. This alone should be sufficient to invalidate any argument about the need for "repentance of sin" as a precondition for salvation. Proponents continue to focus on sin by suggesting "well, it's at least the evidence of genuine salvation", thus redefining “metanoeō” as a work—a need for signs.

By Grace - the unmerited favour of God, freely given to Man—according to Romans 3:21-31, we are justified by God's grace, so that no one can boast. If the grace of God is a gift—free and without preconditions—then it cannot be achieved by works. If it could, grace would cease to be free. In Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul confronts those who were saved by grace but were reverting to "works" to achieve righteousness. In this instance, Paul suggested that their actions were not from God—they were separating themselves from Christ in the vain pursuit of their own righteousness. They were rejecting grace. The pursuit of repentance from sin implies that grace is insufficient. Grace that falls under the definition of “works” sabotages the idea that "faith" is free. This false pursuit undermines the love that’s embedded in the word grace. The addition of conditions moves the gift of salvation away from faith to obedience—thus, detaching ourselves from Christ’s work on the cross. Not unlike the Galatians, the current fascination with symbolism and sacraments, such as Lent, can become "sacrimental works" if taken too far. How is it that we are captured by observing special days, months, seasons, and years? 

Sanctification is a continuous state of repentance–turning away from sin is a process, and the Apostle Paul spoke at length about his race to win the prize and the works of righteousness that justification initiates. Repentance is the physical expression of a regenerated spirit—without it, maturity is elusive, if not impossible. Therefore, a changed life is the spirit that animates our actions and acknowledges repentance. Salvation is by faith alone, through grace alone, in Christ alone (Gal. 2:15). Repentance flows naturally from a heart that’s already been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, unless it's not regenerated. The Bride who freely chooses the Bridegroom will be clothed in wedding garments of holiness, and turning away from all unrighteousness will be the evidence that naturally flows from this relationship, not as the condition for it.