Richard Owen Roberts

Perhaps the most popular subject of all time is the subject of sin. It is not only frequently spoken of but regularly practiced by an overwhelming majority of the world’s people.

What is sin? According to Richard Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament, eight different terms are used to describe sin:

Many sin without any fear of the consequences, not even knowing that the God who made them has the right to regulate their conduct and to punish all their infractions of His law. These seem to sense no restraints of conscience and thus they sin with abandon.

Others are hindered from the full enjoyment of sin by exposure to ethical standards, moral training, and religious teachings. While they may sin regularly, they may also suffer from restraints of conscience and fear of consequences, especially if caught sinning. Thus they tend to put a brake on sin, and endeavor to keep their conduct within the boundaries they themselves have set and within which they are comfortable.

Moral standards have not been uniform throughout human history. Great peaks and valleys are observable. The ethical position of colonial America is vastly different from today. The level of flagrant public sinning at the moment can hardly be compared with the moral restraints of a half century ago. The place that the Holy Bible occupies in a society is a major factor in this rise and fall of sin. Those familiar with the Bible know that it speaks frequently of sin, and is the greatest single source of vital information on the subject of sin to be found anywhere in the world. Yet, because the biblical perspective on sin is negative, it has no great appeal to a sin-loving society. It is popular only among those who have grown weary of their sins and long for deliverance, and during those seasons when mankind is longing for a fresh beginning with God.

The biblical doctrine of repentance hinges on the fact that all sin is a grievous affront against God. None of us has a right to offend Him. We must turn from our sin in repentance. Thus it is scarcely surprising that in a time of deep moral and spiritual decline, the world cares as little for the doctrine of repentance as it does for negative statements about

sin. It is time for alarm, however, when the church that the Lord Jesus Christ established knows scarcely any more about repentance than does the sin-loving world. Tragically, that is the situation today. Granted, the word repentance is still in our religious vocabulary, but it is nonetheless a tragically misunderstood and carelessly disregarded term.

There are a number of reasons why the doctrine of repentance is so largely neglected and is having relatively little impact upon church and society.

First, there is a general disregard for biblical doctrine in the church. It is common to hear religious leaders say, "You must not preach doctrine! It is divisive! The great hindrance to the growth of Christianity in today’s world is the lack of unity among Christians. Stress on doctrine adds to this disunity." How valid is such a statement? It is certainly true that doctrinal preaching is divisive. Preaching the great doctrines of the Bible divides the sheep from the goats. Without careful, searching, doctrinal preaching the church becomes an assorted lot of flesh and spirit which is nearly impossible to effectively pastor. A mixture of sheep and goats are a Shepherd’s nightmare. Further, the world cannot believe in Christ because it cannot believe in the mixed multitude that calls itself Christian. It has no means whatsoever of distinguishing between the sheep of Christ’s flock and the goats of the world that sit side by side in the same sanctuaries.

The sobering truth is that the greatest hindrance to the growth of Christianity in today’s world is the absence of the manifest presence of God from the church. The Lord has been so deeply grieved by the refusal of the church to faithfully proclaim the whole counsel of His Word in the power of the Holy Spirit, that He has largely withdrawn from the church and left her to her own devices. The heart cry of God is most certainly, "Return to Me, and I will return to you." (Mal 3:7)

Second, portions of the church that still believe in doctrinal preaching have allowed themselves to become grievously negligent about the doctrine of repentance. Many who sincerely believe repentance is necessary have simply failed to give the doctrine its rightful place. Thus the strength of these churches is diluted by unrepentant and unconverted persons who, nonetheless tragically, suppose themselves "Christians."

Third, there is an increasingly common failure in the church in understanding the mandatory nature of repentance. Some seem to be of the persuasion that repentance is an option. "One can repent," they say, "and maybe even should, but it certainly isn’t mandatory." In consequence, multitudes have sought to turn to Christ without ever turning from their sins. Thus it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish the church from the world.

Fourth, others have developed the preceding error into a pernicious doctrine which is being widely taught and preached. This grievously erroneous viewpoint insists that repentance has nothing whatsoever to do with salvation. Repentance is described by these false teachers as a "work." They insist, "We are not saved by works. We are saved by

faith alone." Their error is not so much in stressing salvation by faith alone as it is in failing to understand the irrevocable link that always exists between repentance and faith. This is theological nonsense.

Fifth, repentance has been neglected because of a grievously distorted focus upon the positive. There is a widespread notion that Christianity must always be stated in positive terms. Faith is perceived as positive whereas repentance, by such reckoning, obviously falls into the category of negative. But how would you like to take your automobile to a mechanic who always had a positive outlook and could never bring himself to find anything wrong with your vehicle?

Sixth, the doctrine of repentance has suffered at the hands of the church’s large-scale commitment to success. A focus on the love of God, the role of faith in human happiness, the benefits of holistic living and the upbeat elements of a well integrated human personality, are seen as much more helpful in building large churches than thundering against sin, insisting upon repentance, and issuing warnings about judgment and hell. Consequently, there is a noticeable absence of any vital convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit in these churches. (Jn 16:8-11)

Seventh, there exists a tragic lack of moral earnestness among religious leaders. Even in cases where repentance is accurately taught and preached, it is commonly done with such lack of moral energy and vital spiritual concern that few indeed catch the urgency of biblically mandated repentance and respond accordingly.