BEWARD OF SWEARING: BE SURE YOU KEEP YOUR WORD - James 5:12

 

Beware of Swearing: Be Sure To Keep Your Word

by Pastor David L. Brown. Ph.D.

First Baptist Church of Oak Creek Wisconsin

www.FirstBaptistChurchOC.org www.sermonaudio.com/fbcoc

Facebook –www.facebook.com/DrDavid.Brown

Email – FirstBaptistChurchOC@gmail.com

James 45.03252012

Text: James 5:12

Introduction

We continue on with our study of Practical Biblical Principles That Believers Are To Practice In Their Daily Lives. Today’s principle is – Beware of Swearing (taking an oath): Be Sure To Keep Your Word.

Review

One of the key themes of the letter is James’ admonition on the proper use of the tongue.

First, believers are encouraged to listen carefully, think before we speak and not to easily get angry in James 1:19 “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:”

Second, in that same chapter, we read in verse 26 that the person who claims to be “religious” (pious or godly) and yet does not bridle or control his or her tongue is lying to themselves and not godly at all. Their profession of godliness is vain (empty). Hence, control your tongue.

Third, in James 3:1-12, James explains the power of the tongue. The tongue has the power to direct, the power to destroy and the power to delight. We are to use our tongues to direct in a godly direction and to delight (encourage).

Fourth, in a recent message focusing on James 5:9 we are exhorted not to grumble!

Now we come to today’s admonition relating to the proper use of our tongue.

ü Beware of Swearing (taking an oath): Be Sure To Keep Your Word

James 5:12 “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.”

·        What “Swearing” Is NOT In This Passage

In the context of James 5:12, the word swear is not referring to how we commonly use the English word today. When we refer to someone swearing we are talking about using the so-called four-letter words, dirty talk, illicit speech, filthy jokes, talk with double sensual meanings, etc.

This kind of talk IS certainly wrong. Paul exhorted the Ephesians; “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.” Ephesians 4:29. The things mentioned above are certainly corrupt communication. Another applicable verse is Ephesians 5:4 “Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.”

Further, when we talk about swearing, it is understood to mean, “taking the Lord’s name in vain.” The third Commandment says, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7  (Deuteronony 5:11; Pslam 139:20).

I want to explain what taking the Lord’s name in vain means. It means to use God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit’s name in an irreverent, flippant, trifling, disrespectful way. It means to make it common, cheap, and insignificant.

When you use the Lord’s name like a throw-away word like the utterance of “God!” or “Jesus!” or “Jesus Christ!” you are taking the Lord’s name in vain! When you damn someone or something in God’s name you are taking the Lord’s name in vain! Further, you are taking the Lord’s name in vain when you say, “O my God!” or OMG! 

In fact we are to revere the name of God! His name is Holy. In fact the Jews never even pronounced the name Jehovah, the Covenant name of God. It was a capital crime to use the name of God irreverently in the Old Testament. Leviticus 24:16 says “And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.”

There is a higher name than Jehovah! Turn to Philippians 2:9-11 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

To use the name of Jesus in a common way is sin of the highest degree! We are to speak of God and Jesus Christ with reverence and respect. We are to delight in His name and honor it.

·        What “Swearing” IS In This Passage

In the context of this passage, “swearing” means making an oath. To “swear” means “to affirm or utter a solemn declaration, with an appeal to God or some other high or holy thing, for the truth of what is affirmed.”

Let me try to explain what is going on here. The Devil is the father of lies according to John 8:44. As one preacher said, “Fallen men are basically inveterate (chronic, confirmed) liars.” In Old Testament times, there were no written contracts, so oaths in the name of God served to attest that what the person said was true. It was to call God to witness to the truth of one’s promise and to invoke His judgment if one defaulted on the promise. It was a very serious matter.

I need to note something here. I like what one commentator said:

“The Bible does not forbid taking oaths, acknowledging that in a world filled with liars there are times when they are necessary. Certainly it is not wrong to take an oath when testifying in court, being ordained, or getting married.”

As I will show in a moment, what I believe James is addressing is the use of ungodly oaths that were designed to deceive.

The Bible gives examples of godly men who took oaths, and in fact, God took an oath (Deuteronomy 29, key verse is 12).

Abraham required his servant to take an oath that he would get Isaac a wife from his relatives and not from the Canaanites (Genesis 24:2-4). The two Israelite spies swore an oath to Rahab (Joshua 2:12-20). David swore an oath to Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:12-17 & 2 Samuel 21:7).

In the New Testament Paul takes an oath before God of his truthfulness (2 Corinthians 1:23 & 11:31). Even an angel swore an oath (Revelation 10:5-6).

God expects a man who vows a vow/oath to keep his word. However, when a girl lived at home and took an oath, her father could nullify it. A wife’s oath/vow could be nullified by her husband (Numbers 30).  

I have said all that to say this: I do not believe that James is laying down a blanket prohibition against all vows/oaths. I believe oaths were and are permitted on serious occasions (like marriage) and only in the name of God. What James is speaking out against is unnecessary and deceitful oaths. The Jews had developed the practice of swearing false, evasive oaths by everything other than the name of Lord. They swore by things other than the Lord for the very purpose of pretending truthfulness while they had no intention of keeping their oath. They knew that an oath in the name of the Lord was the only binding oath. Hence, James says, “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath…” James 5:12a.

I believe he very likely had in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who was addressing the Jewish practice of false oaths and said:

Matthew 23:16-22 “Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.” (see Matthew 5:33-37, key verse 37).

James makes it clear; people of integrity no not need to swear elaborate oaths in an effort to assure others of their truthfulness. And certainly you would not swear an oath to deceive people! Your YES should mean YES and your NO should mean NO! As the Lord said in Matthew 5:37, “for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”

Be a person of integrity! Keep your word!

Don't Trade In YOur King James Bible!

Don’t Trade In Your King James Bible

by Dr. David L. Brown

PastorDavidLBrown@gmail.com                          www.facebook.com/KJBRC

ÓSeptember 2011 by David L. Brown                  Don’t Trade In Your King James Bible-C[1]

Hebrews 11:32-40

For nearly 2000 years, the Bible has remained the most controversial and contested book of all times. The Dragon, that Old Serpent, which is the Devil, or Satan has hated the Words of God since Eden. He has sought to corrupt it, compromise it, water it down, obscure it and destroy it. (Genesis 3:1-7) Satan is still doing that today in the modern Bible versions.

There was a time when men or women who dared to handle it, possess it, or yes, even read this sacred Book and were found out, it would cost them their very life.

Since the completion of the New Testament canon it can be said that the Bible has become the most bloodstained book in all of history.

Men have fought for it and even been burned at the stake for it. Believers have been (and continue to be) imprisoned, beaten, buried alive and killed, just for reading it. One account in Foxes Book of Martyrs tells of a true story of a widow who was brought to trial for teaching her children the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer in English. But no solid evidence was produced, so at first she was released. However, when the sheriff went to help her down from the platform, he felt something in her sleeve. Reaching in, he pulled out a little scroll containing the Lord’s Prayer and Ten Commandments in English. Immediately she was convicted of heresy and shortly thereafter burned at the stake.

Others, like John Wycliffe, who gave us the first English Bible, have had their bones disinterred, and burned to ashes and have been accursed to damnation and eternal fire by the Roman Catholic Church.

Bible believing Christians have suffered all this and more for daring to share the empowered Words of the Holy Scriptures with a lost and dying world. The baton has been passed to us. We must carry the Light of the Gospel to our friends, and neighbors!

God Gave Us His Perfect Word(s)

In 2008 I took a group of people on a trip to see the important biblical places in the Middle East. We arrived at St. Catherine’s Monastery guesthouse in Sinai, Egypt for a late supper. It was already dark. The monastery is a Greek Orthodox monastery located at the foot of Mt. Sinai. This is where the corrupt Greek Manuscript, Sinaiticus, also called א – Aleph, was found in a trash can by a flamboyant antiquity’s dealer named Constantin Von Tischendorf. They claim it is the oldest and best manuscript, neither of which claim is true. What is even more interesting is how liberal scholars hide the public claim of Constantine Simon Simonides, a senior textual scholar, that he had written the manuscript himself in 1839 when he was at Panteleimonos monastery at Athos. Either way it is a horribly corrupt manuscript.

Now, St. Catherine’s is said to be the oldest, continuously inhabited Christian Monastery in the world. But it certainly was NOT the monastery that interested me! It was Mt. Sinai! The next morning I stared up at that mountain and tried to picture in my mind what it was like almost 3500 years ago when God met Moses on that mountain top. In about 1280 B.C. the first written communication from God to man came on Mount Sinai, etched in stone tablets by the finger of God. “These sacred words from the Ten Commandments have shaped the world and its ethical system for 3,500 years.” (A Visual History of the English Bible by Donald L. Brake; Baker Books; p. 25).

My heart is grieved as I see our Nation move from the Solid Rock of the Judeo-Christian ethic (Old Testament-New Testament principles) to the shifting sand of the relativistic ethic of Humanism.

Although Moses destroyed the tablets God had written when he saw the idolatry of the people upon descending from the mountain (Exodus 32:19), God instructed Moses to, “Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.” (Exodus 34:1). But, in spite of a bad start, it is on Mount Sinai that God began to communicate with human beings in written form using the language that the people knew. God continued His progressive revelation for the next 1500 years until the canon of Scripture was closed with the book of Revelation.

Let me give you an overview of how God revealed His Word(s) to us. Consider this from William Smith written in the 19^th century. – “There are at least 36 different authors, who wrote in three continents [Europe, Asia & Africa], in many countries, in three languages - Hebrew, Aramaic (Genesis 31:47; Jeremiah 10:11; Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:21-26; Daniel 2:4-7:28) and Greek. The Bible is written from every possible human standpoint. Among the authors were kings, farmers, mechanics, scientific men, lawyers, generals, fishermen, ministers and priests, a tax collector, some poor, some city bred, some country born, thus touching all experiences of men, extending over 1500 years." (Smith's Bible Dictionary; by William Smith; published 1884; p.91)

As I stared up at the 7,498 foot summit of Jabel Musa my mind took me to Exodus 19: 16 ff, which gives the account of Moses being on Mt. Sinai early the morning God visited Moses. There was thunder, lightning, loud trumpets, fire, and smoke. The whole mountain shook. As I looked at Mt. Sinai I thought, this may have been the place where Moses received the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God three and one half millenniums earlier. It was on Mt. Sinai that Moses received the very first written communication from the Lord God Almighty. It was on Mt. Sinai that the written progressive revelatory journey of God speaking to man began. Praise God For Our King James Bible, God’s Inerrant Words To All Who Speak English.

God Inspired His Word(s)

I believe God inspired His Words! Why because He says so! 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

In fact, I believe in the Verbal, Plenary Inspiration for the 66 books of the Bible. By verbal inspiration I mean, every word is inspired.

By plenary inspiration I mean every book is fully, equally and entirely inspired – from Genesis to Revelation!

2 Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

God inspired His Word(s) once when the Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost! What they wrote was NOT their own private or personal ideas. But, inspiration would be of no value to us today if God did NOT preserve His Word(s).

God Preserved His Word(s)

As a friend of mine put it, “God gave us His Words by verbal plenary inspiration. God preserved those Words by Verbal plenary preservation. Almighty God promised and performed both events!” D.A. Waite

God did promise to preserve his Word(s) and I believe He did!

Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

Matthew 5:18  "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

There is a bunch of intellectual bible believers, who ignore what the Bible says and who try to hoodwink, dupe and con Christians by saying God only inspired the thoughts of the Bible, not the words! In fact, virtually all the new versions take that approach in their translations! NO! NO! NO! That is not what Christ said; the FACT IS that not only are the Words inspired, but the letters are inspired. The jots and the tittles are inspired! Romans 3:4 “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

Shame on them for promoting something that is A LIE! Proverbs 30:5-6 My Bible says – “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”

My Bible says in - Deuteronomy 4:1-2 “Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.”

Don’t ADD and don’t TAKE AWAY!

So Where Are the Words of God TODAY?

God HAS providentially preserved His Word, including the very words of Scripture, in the traditional texts of the Bible. Our King James Bible preserves by accurate translation, the inerrancy of the Greek Received Text and the Hebrew/Aramaic Masoretic text for English speaking people. ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLE HAVE THE WORDS OF GOD IN THE KING JAMES BIBLE! They have had it for 400 years!

You do NOT have the pure words of God in the Modern Versions of the English Bible! They are corrupted!!! They may contain the words of God, but they also contain errors! Allow just one illustration -

Our King James Bible, the pure Words of God, says in Mark 1:1-3  "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. [Malachi 3:1] 3  The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” [Isaiah 40:3]

The new versions say – “It is written in Isaiah the prophet…” and then goes on to quote Malachi and Isaiah!

That is an error my friends!

Let me cite one more. In John 1:18 the King James Bible reads –

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

Here is what the NASB says – “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

My God was NOT begotten! He has always existed from the beginning! Now, Jesus was begotten (born) of Mary! Though he was the eternal WORD (John 1:1&14) he took on a human body that he might die for our sins!

Don’t use a paraphrase! They really are not Bibles at all. Don’t use the modern versions; they are based on the corrupt texts that we read about in the New Testament.

2 Corinthians 2:17 “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”

2 Thessalonians 2:2 “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”

Satan’s Design is to Corrupt the Word(s) of God. He tried to do it in the past and he continues to do it today. Our King James Bible is the Word of God for English speaking people today!

Did you know that there are 17 complete verses missing from nearly all the modern versions of the Bible? Here is a list. Check it out for yourself.

Matthew 17:21              Mark 15:28                Acts 24:7        

Matthew 18:11              Luke 17:36                Acts 28:29

Matthew 23:14              Luke 23:17                Romans 16:24

Mark 7:16                     John 5:4                    I John 5:7

Mark 9:44 & 46             Acts 8:37                 

Mark 11:26                   Acts 15:34               

It took 231 years (from Wycliffe to KJB – or 85 years from Tyndale to the KJB) for English speaking people to have the pure word of God. The King James Bible has endured for 400 years! Do not trade in your pure Bible for a corrupt one!

Christmas - The Birth of Christ Is The Most Important Day In History

Christmas

Christmas is the day that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. No on really knows when he was born, though there is much speculation on the issue. But, December 25^th is the day most Christians remember his birth. The fact is that even the enemies of Christianity claimed that Christ lived, and that he performed miracles! Early Jewish documents such as the Mishnah and even Josephus, as well as first-century Gentile historians such as Thallus, Serapion, and Tacitus, all testify that the one called Christ lived in Palestine and died under Pontius Pilate. As the British scholar, F. F. Bruce put it, “The historicity of Christ is as [certain]. . . as the historicity of Julius Caesar” (NT Documents, 119).

My point is this: since Jesus lived, then Jesus was born! The Gospel of Matthew tell us that his birth was shortly before Herod the Great died (Matthew 2:19). Herod's death can be fixed with certainty. Josephus records an eclipse of the moon just before Herod passed on. This occurred on March 12th or 13th in 4 B.C. Josephus also tells us that Herod expired just before Passover. This feast took place on April 11th, in the same year, 4 B.C. From other details supplied by Josephus, we can pinpoint Herod the Great's demise as occurring between March 29th and April 4th in 4 B.C.

Likely it sounds strange to suggest that Jesus Christ was born no later than 4 B.C. since B.C. means before Christ. But our modern calendar which splits time between B.C. and A.D. was not invented until A.D. 525. At that time, Pope John I asked a monk named Dionysius to prepare a standardized calendar for the western Church. Unfortunately, poor Dionysius missed the real B.C./A.D. division by at least four years!

Matthew tells us that Herod killed Bethlehem's babies two years old and under. The earliest Jesus could have been born, therefore, is 6 B.C. Through a variety of other time indicators, we can be relatively confident that the Messiah was born in either late 5 or early 4 B.C.

The birth of Christ is the most important events in human history. So important in fact, that the timeline of history is divided by it - B.C. abbreviated for “Before Christ” and A.D. abbreviated for the two Latin words Anno Domini (meaning in the year of our Lord). This was no ordinary birth and it changed human history forever. Even a complete skeptic like H.G. Wells, a professional historian and science fiction writer who made no profession of Christianity, admitted in his Outline of History, “More than 1900 years later, a historian like myself, who doesn’t even call himself a Christian, finds the picture [of history] centering irresistibly around the life and character of this most significant man.…” The True Celebration of Christmas focuses the birth of Emmanuel (God with us). You can read about all the related facts surrounding the Savior’s birth in the Gospels of Matthew (1:18-2:11) and Luke (1:26-56, 67-75, 2:4-40). But what was the purpose of Christ’s birth? We read in 1 John 4:14 “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” Why do we need a Savior? The birth of Christ was necessary because all people are lost sinners (Romans 3:23). God gave His Son Jesus a body so that so that he could pay for our sins by offering of His own body (Hebrews 10:5 & 10; 1 Peter 2:24; Colossians 2:13-14). If you have never received Jesus Christ as your Savior, do it today! “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

The Obsession With Greenness? We Were Green & Did Not Even Realize It!

A friend sent me this the other day. I found it very interesting in light of the obsession with "Greenness" in this current generation! Hmm! We were "green" and did not even realize it!

This reminded me that my generation was not as irresponsible as everyone today seems to think we were in many ways. I liked the article.

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment."

He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day. Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.
Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.
In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water.

We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

People took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service.

We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then.

Have You Been Converted?

Have You Been Converted?

by Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.

First Baptist Church of Oak Creek Wisconsin

http://www.firstbaptistchurchoc.org/ www.sermonaudio.com/fbcocEmail - FirstBaptistChurchOC@gmail.com

       Conversion.07242011

I want to ask you a very important question that has Eternal ramifications. Have YOU been converted?  “Salvation begins with conversion--that turning from doubt, sin, self, Satan, and turning toward God, Christ and righteousness.” (The Victor Bible Source Book, Stephen D. Swihart, Victor Books, p.116). Merrill C. Tenney writes, “In the process of salvation, it (conversion) is the first step in the transition from sin to God.” (Handy Dictionary of the Bible, Merril C. Tenney, Zondervan Publishers, p. 37). The goal of this message is to help you understand the nature of conversion so you can be sure you have been converted.

ÖTHE NEED & DEFINITION OF CONVERSION                                  

Christ told people very clearly that they needed to be converted. Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Peter preached, Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19  

           

What is conversion? “Conversion is that voluntary change in the mind of the sinner, in which he turns, on the one hand, from sin, and on the other hand, to Christ. The former or negative element in conversion, namely, the turning from sin, we denominate (call) repentance. The latter or positive element in conversion, namely, the turning to Christ, we denominate faith.” (Systematic Theology by Augustus Hopkins Strong; Judson Press, p. 829)

The Greek word translated converted in Matthew 18:3 is strafhte (strepho, stref'-o; 4762). It is from the root word that means to twist, turn around or reverse. The term conversion refers to the human response to the Gospel. Strong’s Concordance says, “Conversion is that voluntary change in the mind of the sinner, in which he turns, on one hand, from sin, and on the other hand, to Christ.” It is turning from sin, self, Satan, and the world and turning to Christ and His righteousness. “Conversion requires the commitment of the total personality, intellect, emotion, and will. This is how people respond to the message of the gospel, when they understand the nature of Christ’s atonement, when they feel the guilt of conviction, love of God, and surrender their wills to the offer of salvation. The result of conversion is the changed life.” (The King James Study Bible, Nelson, p. 1741)

ÖTHERE ARE TWO ELEMENTS IN CONVERSION:

REPENTANCE & FAITH

·       REPENTANCE

üRepentance Defined

“Repentance is that voluntary change in the mind of the sinner in which he turns from sin. Being essentially a change of mind, it involves a change of view, a change of feeling, and a change in purpose.” (Systematic Theology by Augustus Hopkins Strong; Judson Press, p. 832)

üBiblical Support For Repentance

No one can be saved who does not repent -- The Bible makes it clear repentance is a part of salvation. We are told that God is "longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" 2 Peter 3:9

ûRepentance was preached by John the Baptist  -- Matthew 3:1-2  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

ûRepentance was preached by Christ -- Luke 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And -- Luke 13:3&5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Christ's goal in dealing with men was to bring them to repentance. Christ confronted men with their sinfulness and their need to turn from their sinfulness. No one can be saved who does not see themselves as lost sinners and repent of their sins.

ûRepentance was preached by the Apostles -- Acts 2:38 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 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no Bible example of a person being saved who did not evidence a drastic change in his or her life. Further, the Apostle Paul, reviewing his ministry before King Agrippa, noted that he went about preaching to Jews and Gentiles both "that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance" Acts 26:20.

3 Areas Involved In Repentance

üThe Intellect (our mind) -- Repentance includes an acknowledgment of personal sin or guiltiness before God. Matthew 3:8 indicates this when it says, Bring forth therefore fruits meet (suitable) for repentance. King David of old illustrates this acknowledgment of personal guilt. Psalms 51:3-4 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Job gives us an Old Testament illustration of one that was truly repentant. Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. There is no doubt about this man realizing his guiltiness before an Holy God.

üThe Emotions -- Repentance includes a deep sense of sorrow for the transgression committed against God. This is noted by the Apostle Paul in his letter -- 2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. The Greek translated sorrow is luph (3077. lupe, loo'-pay) which means to cause grief; sadness, grief, grievous, + grudgingly, or heaviness.

üThe Will -- Repentance includes the positive determination to change in thought, in speech and in action. Jeremiah 25:5 illustrates this aspect of repentance of will --  They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever. Again, King David shows his change in will in Psalms 51:10 when he says, Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

·       FAITH

üFaith Defined

“Faith is that voluntary change in the mind of the sinner in which he turns to Christ.” (Systematic Theology by Augustus Hopkins Strong; Judson Press, p. 836). It is important to point out that “repentance never saved a soul by its merits; it lays the needful foundation for the temple of faith in the heart. But all the penitential sorrows of Adam's family would not remove one faint stain of sin. If a man borrowed five thousand dollars, for which he gave security, and squandered it most foolishly, and afterwards, filled with true repentance, he solicited and expected the forgiveness of the debt because he was sorry for it, the spendthrift would only meet with contempt in his application; his sureties would have to pay the money. Faith alone in the Crucified cleanses from all sin, and repentance is God's instrumentality for leading the sinner to the Lamb of God, the Great Remover of sin” (Cathcart).

Ø The Greek Word & Expanded Meaning

The Greek word translated faith is pistewV (pistis, pis'-tis; 4102). Faith means that which is believed or that which you are persuaded of. The Bible make it clear that it is impossible to please God without it. Hebrews 11:6 says, But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. A companion word, from the same Greek root is the word pisteuson  (pisteuo, pist-yoo'-o; 4100) which means to trust, have faith in, to be persuaded of a thing or believe. This is the word used in John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

A Look At The 3 Aspects of Faith

üThe Intellect -- There must be knowledge of the facts of the Gospel and a recognition of the truth of those facts. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. No one can be saved without having the Gospel (the death, burial and resurrection of Christ) communicated to them. They must read it or hear it and recognize it as true. (Romans 10:13-16). But, this intellectual assent as to the historical facts and truth of those facts does not alone yield saving faith. John 2:23-24 illustrates this intellectual, non-saving faith -- Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. 24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men...”

Nicodemus comes to Christ by night with this kind of faith -- John 3:2  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Though there must be an intellectual understanding and belief in the facts of the Gospel there must be more than that.

üThe Emotion -- There must be an acknowledge (admitting) that Christ alone is the answer to the present need of their sinful soul. I like the way Bancroft puts it -- “There must be a heart response to Him as my Saviour which springs from the sense of realized need and deep seated desire.” (Elemental Theology; Emery H. Bancroft; p. 211). The Apostle Paul put it this way -- Romans 10:9-10  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Note: If there is no recognition of the deep personal need for Christ’s Salvation, there is no salvation.

üThe Will -- There must be the consent of your will, a volitional (deliberate) choice for Christ. One writer put it like this -- “Faith not only recieves the word of Christ, it reaches out and lays hold upon the person of Christ.” (Elemental Theology; Emery H. Bancroft; p. 211)

            Davis says, “There is a volitional element in faith. There must be a will to believe. Hence faith involves not mere passive acquiescence in the truth, but an active response to the demands of truth. Faith is stepping out on the promises of God.” (Elemental Theology; Emery H. Bancroft; p. 211). John 1:12 shows the volitional aspect of faith --  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Biblical faith involves not one or two of the above elements but all of them... your intellect, your emotions and your will! 

In conclusion, conversion involves repentance and faith. In the last analysis repentance and faith are one and the same act. This is seen in 1 Thess 1:9 “Ye turned to God from idols”. Repentance is included in believing. I want you to know that repentance is not faith, nor faith repentance. But repentance is an essential part of faith or belief.   “He that believeth...” implies repentance. “Repent and be converted...” involves faith.  In fact, repentance and faith can never be separated as we see in Acts 20:21 --“Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Have you been converted? Have you repented of your sins and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ?