April 13, 2022 – Wednesday
John 1: 17 NIV
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Comment.
For those who think the gospel of John has nothing about repentance I am continuing a series on verses that clearly point to repentance. First, however, a quote from H.A. Ironside’s book, Except Ye Repent, p.37-38,
The arrangement of the four Gospels is in perfect harmony. In the Synoptics [Matthew, Mark, and Luke] the call is to repent. In John the emphasis is laid upon believing. Some have thought that there is inconsistency or contradiction here. But we need to remember that John wrote years after the older Evangelists, and with the definite object in view of showing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, believing, we might have life through His Name. He does not simply travel over ground already well trodden. Rather, he adds to and thus supplements the earlier records, inciting to confidence in the testimony God as given concerning His Son. He does not ignore the ministry of repentance because he stresses the importance of faith. On the contrary, he shows to repentant souls the simplicity of salvation, of receiving eternal life, through a trusting in Him who, as the true light, casts light on every man, thus making manifest humanity’s fallen condition and the need of an entire change of attitude toward self and toward God
With that said, consider our verse for today, For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Can we have grace, forgiveness, without repentance? No, for the idea makes no sense. How can God forgive you of something you have not repented of? Jesus came to make THE payment for the sins of mankind, if they would but repent. If they repented and believed, then they would receive forgiveness.
Paul makes all of this explicitly clear in Romans 3:10 & 23, There is no one righteous, not even one and for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Then he adds in 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift Paul speaks of is what John calls grace in our verse of the day – forgiveness upon repentance and believing.
How important is believing? Paul continues in Romans 10:9-10, If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Repentance and believing (or faith) go hand in hand. We know the wages of sin is death, but we also know the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. And here we know gift equals grace equals forgiveness which begins with repentance.
Then there is Romans 10:13, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. A few versions say will be delivered.
Saved or delivered from what? Eternal death, For the wages of sin is death. The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) expands this a bit to, For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved. The Him is Jesus of course.
Bottom Line: Repentance, believing/faith, and calling upon Jesus as Lord results in the incredible gift of grace, forgiveness, which we do not deserve, but our loving God provides.
Prayer: Almighty God, Your love knows no bounds and we are so grateful for the wonderful gift of grace. That You would forgive us our sins through the sacrifice of Your Son on the cross goes beyond our understanding. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek