Principles of the Doctrine of Christ Series — Pt.1: Repentance from Dead Works
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.
Acts 2:38 KJV
In The Art of Understanding God’s Word, we discovered 6 foundational principles taught to the disciples by Christ that are necessary to understanding bible doctrine, and the first on our list is understanding repentance from dead works.
WHAT IS REPENTANCE?
According to Apostle Peter, repentance is one of the requirements for the forgiveness of sins; the other being baptism (but we’ll get back to that later), and he suggests that those whose sins are forgiven will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit from God.
A quick analysis of the word itself reveals that “repent”, in Acts 2:38, is the Greek word: “metanoéō”, which means: “to change one’s mind”, “to think differently”, or “to reconsider”.
This is an excellent guide to what repentance means as it relates to “dead works” because it leads us to understand that there is a need to change our minds about things God identifies as dead works.
WHAT ARE DEAD WORKS?
The Apostle Paul helps us understand this concept further when he says:
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:17–32 KJV
In his letter, Paul urges the church in Ephesus to “renew the spirit of their minds”, which is a fancy way to say “repent”, and he lists some examples of what God considers as actions that alienate their doers from His promised life.
The examples he mentions are lying, stealing, corrupt communication, bitterness, malice, uncontrolled anger, lasciviousness (to openly express sexual desire), greed, and quarrelsomeness; all of these actions (which are referred to as “works” in Scripture) alienate their doers from life, which qualifies them as “dead works” or actions that lead to death.
He summarizes all sixteen verses in one sentence, as he writes to the Romans, saying:
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2 KJV
THE DEFINITION OF REPENTANCE FROM DEAD WORKS
Being conformed to the world is to live a lifestyle of dead works that alienates us from receiving the eternal life that God has promised to us.
However, we become new creatures in Christ when we have been transformed by repentance when we allow our minds to be convinced by the Word of God concerning what the good, acceptable, and perfect, will of God is.
God wills that we should live lifestyles that substitute lies, greed, anger, lust, bitterness, and vulgar language with truth, generosity, peace, self-control, kind-heartedness, and clean language.
A LIFESTYLE THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6 KJV
Christ is the way, the truth, and the life because His doctrine teaches us the true way that leads to eternal life. Those who believe His instruction wholeheartedly, and commit themselves to living according to the way of life that He taught, are promised the gift of the Holy Spirit as a sign and confirmation of their fellowship with God the Father.
This is why the angel who was sent to the apostles when they were arrested for teaching Christ’s doctrine, instructed them saying:
Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
Acts 5:20 KJV
The life referred to by the angel is the lifestyle that the apostles were taught to live by Christ, which is also the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
How to Avoid Grieving the Spirit of God
Repentance precedes the giving of the Holy Spirit because our minds must be renewed from dead works to avoid grieving the Spirit with them.
Scenario:
Imagine your friends invite you to share a living space with them to reduce their high monthly rental payments, but you know they are messy housemates. Wanting to be a good friend, you agree to become their roommate on the condition that they commit to first cleaning up their house and maintaining it because you prefer a clean living environment.You spend some time explaining all the benefits of a “clean living” lifestyle and your friends seem to understand the value and importance of this new way of life, and they commit to it, cleaning up their household in preparation for your arrival. You then leave your clean apartment, where you practice “clean living” daily, for their sakes, and you move in with your friends.
For as long as you live with them, being a person who enjoys neat surroundings, you will be happy to continue staying with them for their sakes, as long as they remember their commitment to the “clean living” lifestyle that you taught them.
Because you’re a reasonable person, you forgive occasional mishaps that happen due to their ignorance, and you are ever willing to guide your friends when these kinds of mishaps occur. But when your friends begin to ignore your guidance and revert to “dirty living” after living with you for a few months, you will begin to regret your decision to help them reduce their rental obligations.
Ultimately, you will leave them in their house and find yourself alternative accommodation because they did not honour their commitment to “clean living”.
This is what it means to grieve the Holy Spirit.
John 1:32 reveals that the Holy Spirit’s primary residence is Heaven, where God dwells. For our sakes, the Spirit is sent down from Heaven to help our infirmities (Romans 8:26–27). When we hear the words of the Gospel of Christ preached, believe it, and repent, we commit ourselves to the “clean living” lifestyle, and the Spirit of God, according to the word in Acts 2:38, is sent from Heaven to dwell within our bodies. While the Spirit of God dwells within us, our conscience will convict us of dead works that we may perform from time to time in ignorance, and as long as we receive correction and repent, God’s Spirit will continue to abide in us.
However, if we have received the Holy Spirit but ignore correction by our conscience, we harden our hearts against the voice of God and we grieve His Spirit like Israel in the wilderness, as Paul confirms when he says:
Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, In the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, And saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, And said, They do alway err in their heart; And they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Hebrews 3:7–11 KJV
And, if God’s Spirit is grieved with us, we are in danger of finding ourselves in the same position as the rebellious King Saul, of whom it was said:
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
1 Samuel 16:14 KJV
THE DANGER OF GRIEVING THE SPIRIT OF GOD
Again, the Apostle Paul teaches us saying:
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Hebrews 6:4–6 KJV
It is mercy for God to withhold the heavenly gift of the Holy Spirit from those who are ignorant of the implications of receiving it from Him because those who receive the gift are warned that they will be measured against God’s highest standard of commitment to the Gospel of Truth.
Those who fall away for any reason, having received the gift of the Spirit in them from God, will be irredeemable and without hope when the Son of God appears.
Let us consider these things as we contemplate this understanding of repentance from dead works, recognizing that God desires everyone to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1–4).
CONCLUSION:
Repentance is a decisive action, not a decision that is followed by an action. Heaven will not be inherited by those who simply decided to act when they heard the truth, it will be filled with the souls of those who acted decisively regarding the truth, committing themselves to the lifestyle of Christ until the end, for God’s name and glory.
In my next study, I will discuss why Christ, in Mark 16:16, says: “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved” in contrast to the words of Peter in Acts 2:38, who said: “Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”, as we get into the second principle of the Doctrine of Christ, which is: Understanding Faith in God.
May the LORD God of Israel bless you always! Amen.
Thank you for taking the time to read this study.
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