Repentance and the New Mind

My wife and I were heading home one evening when the conversation turned to dinner. We were reviewing our options, reflecting on the contents of the refrigerator. Then, I suggested that we eat out instead of eating leftovers. We had changed our minds about dinner.

Did repentance come to mind as you read about our dinner decision? 

Probably not.

The meaning the Greek term that is translated ’repent’ in our New Testaments actually meant to change the mind. Yet, who would describe our changed dinner decision as repentance?

In last week’s blog, I explained the way the Greek word metanoeo (repent) was used in the New Testament. While its technical meaning was to change the mind, its actual usage suggested a deeper meaning. It was most often used in a negative sense after a person had come to the realization that he was operating with an erroneous perception. As a result he was practically forced to change his mind, or more accurately, change his perception.

When we use the expression change of mind in reference to dinner, we intuitively understand that we are not referring to a changed perception (repentance); so also the Greek-speaking world of the first century. In fact, the Greek language at the time of Jesus had as many as eighteen different words for 'a change of mind.’ One was descriptive of the impromptu change of mind describing my dinner plans. Others terms described:

• A change of purpose (based on chance);
• A change of purpose (based on knowledge);
• A change of opinion;
• A change of mind because of sorrow;
• A change of mind due to persuasion.

Many of the eighteen change of mind terms do not appear in the Bible. Yet the Greek-speaking people of the first century would have distinguished those words in their vocabulary. So, the shades of meaning were/are very important.

The term translated repentance in the New Testament reflected a change of mind that dealt with the perception. Your perception is like a filter that interprets everything coming into your mind through your senses, and going back out of your mind in speech and behavior.

An atheist and a Christian both have a bank account and worldly possessions. The atheist find meaning and value in his possessions. The Christian agrees with the Apostle Paul:

I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 
 —Philippians 3:8

Why the difference?

When the Christian repented (i.e. changed his perception) he replaced his old value-filter with a new one based on his convictions regarding Jesus Christ. He adopted a new view toward possessions, a new view of people, of the world and life itself. His mind was changed from a perception defined by and governed by the human senses and human values, to a perception defined by and governed by Christ. Or, as Paul explained, we who are in Christ, have been given the mind of Christ through the Holy Spirit. So we look at life from Christ’s perspective.

Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
—2 Corinthians 5:16-17

Mark Stinnett

November 24, 2019

What You Might Not Know About Repentance

“REPENT! THE END IS NEAR!”

As soon as you read or hear the word ‘repent,’ what comes to your mind?

I don’t know anyone who consistently uses the terms repent and repentance the same way they were used by Jesus and His disciples.

English dictionaries only reflect how ‘we’ English-speaking folks have used the word ‘repent,’ but not necessarily how the Bible did. The definition is presented as a kind of menu selection:

• To do penance (i.e. deeds to pay for sin);
• To feel sorrow;
• To change behavior; or
• To change one’s mind/heart.

Do you know how repentance is used in the New Testament...every time?

The Greek term behind repent and repentance meant to change one’s mind/heart. More literally, it meant ‘to perceive afterward.’ Let me explain.

There are two times that people think about things: before they decide, and after they decide. The wise person thinks ‘before’ making a decision. He investigates, thinks, ponders, studies, and processes. From that he forms a perception upon which he will base his decision. All of that comes before the decision; and as a result, he does not have to change his mind later. The Greeks called that pronoeo (perceiving beforehand). That’s wise.

In great contrast is the person whose investigating and thinking and pondering and processing comes after making a decision. Circumstances occur that prove their decision to be a poor decision based on wrong perceptions. With embarrassment that person, upon coming to terms with their poor thinking, has to change his mind; all because he did his thinking afterward. The Greeks called that metanoeo (perceiving afterward).

The Greek term metanoeo was most often used in a negative sense. It was a sign of foolishness because it followed the surprise or even shock of coming to terms with a previous false perception. Understandably, a sense of sorrow or regret usually preceded metanoeo, but often lingered.

Follow a perfect example of metanoeo in Scripture, when the Apostle Peter preached the first gospel sermon: 

Fifty days after the crucifixion of Jesus, Peter faced a crowd of people on the temple grounds in Jerusalem. Among those people were some (many?) who had been among those who had called for the death of Jesus.

Peter appealed to Old Testament prophecy and showed the crowd that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the long-awaited Messiah and Lord.

They were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 
 —Acts 2:37

Having previously perceived Jesus to have been a fraud, they called for his crucifixion. Then, Peter had showed them the error in their thinking. Their pierced hearts revealed their shock and sorrow regarding their previous erroneous perception.

Peter answered their question: “Repent!” They heard, “change your minds,” or more accurately, “change your perception.” He called for them to change their perception about Jesus of Nazareth from blasphemer to Lord and Messiah.

Their repentance was a change of perception that would affect all future thought and behavior. Everything coming into their minds would be filtered through this new conviction: Jesus is Lord and Messiah. The natural result was a change in all of their future decisions, behavior and speech.

The next time you come across repentance in your Bible reading, remember that it is a change of perception which will naturally result in changed thinking, changed speech and changed behavior. 

But it is first an internal change of perception.

Mark Stinnett
November 17, 2019

How Do You Get a Good Conscience?

Considerable time, effort and money have gone into materials designed to answer the question: “Should Your Conscience Be Your Guide?” Pages in pamphlets and pulpit pounding proclamations have emphatically answered, “NO!”

I do not wish to sound argumentative, but let’s face it, your conscience IS your guide. That’s just how God designed us. So, the real question is, “Since the conscience is my internal moral guide, how can I make sure mine is a good, pure conscience?”

When comparing the old covenant with the new covenant, the author of Hebrews stated that the gifts and sacrifices offered under the Law of Moses could not “make the worshiper perfect (complete) in conscience” (9:9) (Note also that the Law was given by God and described as holy and righteous and good (Romans 7:12).) He posed a question saying, if the old covenant could cleanse the flesh,

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 
—Hebrews 9:14

So, man needs outside help in the cleansing of his conscience, and that help comes in the sacrifice of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Of course, not every soul on earth automatically gets a cleansed conscience. So, how is the distinction made? How do YOU obtain a cleansed conscience through Christ?

The Apostle Peter answers...

Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. —1 Peter 3:21

Simply put, the believer appeals to God for a good (cleansed) conscience. His appeal is not made by crying out or praying some sort of man-devised statement, but rather, in baptism. (No explanation; let the text stand.)

The point is that when a believer is baptized into Christ he is actually asking God to bring about a change to his conscience; that part of the mind that deals with moral decisions.

Let’s take this thought a step further...

The Apostle Paul wrote about the gospel of Christ saying that it had been revealed to him through the Spirit of God. He then explained that the spirit of man knows the thoughts of a man. Likewise, the Spirit of God knows the mind of God. And…

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. 
—1 Corinthians 2:12

The connection I wish to make is that the mind and spirit are inseparable. In addition, the spirit of the believer is intimately related to the Spirit of God. Finally, the Apostle Peter instructed...

Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. —Acts 2:38

The final connection I wish to make is that the gift of the Holy Spirit and the appeal for a cleansed conscience both occur at a believer’s baptism into Christ. These scriptures suggest that, at least in part, the gift of the Holy Spirit involves the cleansing of the conscience.

The believer who does not have a cleansed conscience will simply not be able to avoid sin. We can overcome sin only with help from the Holy Spirit. 

So...How was your conscience cleansed?

Mark Stinnett

November 10, 2019

Don't Violate Your Conscience!

(The Conscience, Part 4)

The conscience is one of the most important aspects of your being. It is of such great importance that the Apostle Paul taught Christians that they should never violate their conscience.

Paul was addressing an issue in the church in Rome concerning the eating of certain foods. (See Romans 14.) He writes about one person who ‘has faith’ that he can eat all things. Yet another person who is ‘weak in faith’ eats only vegetables. Paul is addressing not only an issue of eating certain things, but more broadly, the convictions of the heart, that is, the conscience.

One Christian ‘has faith’ (i.e. confidence) that he can eat all things, so his conscience is not bothered by what he eats. He feels no guilt for eating anything.

On the other hand, another Christian feels that there are moral restrictions on what he can eat. (For example, a Christian with a Jewish background might feel guilty for eating pork, an unclean food according to the Law of Moses.) Though it is not morally wrong under the new covenant, his conscience has been trained to avoid pork out of a moral response to the Law of Moses. So, to eat the pork would violate his conscience and make him feel guilty.

The key to understanding and dealing with the conscience is found at the end of the chapter:

The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
—Romans 14:22–23 (NASB95)

The phrase, “Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves” is another way of saying, “happy is he who does not have an evil conscience.” Someone with an evil conscience labels morally bad things as good. His evil conscience approves of evil actions. So, his conscience is clear, though he has done wrong.

Still addressing the food issue, Paul writes that “he who doubts is condemned if he eats.” The doubt is his conscience warning him to stop. In his conscience, he believes it is morally wrong to eat food which he considers to be restricted. So, to doubt his own conviction is to go against his conscience. Or, as Paul puts it, his eating is “not from faith.” Stated succinctly, he doesn’t believe that he should eat the food he perceives to be restricted, but he eats it anyway. That is “not of faith.” It IS a violation of his conscience. So, to violate his conscience is to sin.

The odd thing in all of this is that Paul actually resolved the moral issue. He said that in reality, there were no longer restrictions on food as there had been in the Law of Moses. So, technically, the person who still felt guilty about eating certain foods was not guilty...of eating unclean food. Yet, if he ate, he was guilty of violating his conscience.

This might seem a little confusing until we focus on the heart of the matter: the conscience.

The conscience functions in two ways:

• Moral guide (before we act); and
• Judge and jury (after we act).

Paul simply taught that whenever a person goes against his moral guide (conscience) he sins, even if his moral guide is more restrictive than God’s standard. God does not want us to get into the habit of violating the moral standard embedded in our mind. So, don’t violate your conscience; that is sin. 

Train your conscience with God’s word, and follow it...ALWAYS!!

Mark Stinnett

November 3, 2019