REPENTANCE AND GRACE

By Cornelius R. Stam

When the sinner is convicted by the Holy Spirit of the seriousness of

sin and of judgment to come, and cries to the Lord to save him, he

has, of course, repented, or changed his mind, as the Greek

word signifies. Many of God's servants, however, considering only the

fact that sinners need such a change of mind, conclude that the way to

produce the greatest results in their ministry is to stress

repentance.

Such should take note of the response to the three great calls

to repentance by which the dispensation of the Law was brought to a

close: John the Baptist called Israel to repentance but was beheaded

as a result (Matt.3:1-12; 14:3-10). The Lord Jesus took up the cry

where John had left off (4:17), but was crucified for it. After the

resurrection He sent His disciples to preach "repentance and remission

of sin...in His name" (Luke 24:47) but Jerusalem refused to

repent and it was not long before blood again flowed, as Stephen was

stoned to death and a great persecution followed (Acts 8:3).

The guilt of Israel's impenitence increased too, as the call to

repentance was intensified, for while John's murder was

permitted by the people, Christ's was demanded by them,

and Stephen's was actually committed by them. Thus the

so-called "Great Commission" was bogged down at the very start, for if

Jerusalem and the covenant people refused to repent,

what hope was there that the "nations" (Luke 24:47) would do

so?

"But where sin abounded, GRACE did much more abound: That as sin

hath reigned unto death, even so might GRACE reign through

righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord"

(Rom.5:20,21).

After calls to repentance had failed, the ascended Lord stooped down

to save Saul, the chief of sinners, on the road to Damascus, in

anything but a repentant mood. Not by threatening or dealing with him

in judgment, but by speaking to him in the tenderest tones He showed

him the glory of His grace. This "trophy of grace" was then

sent forth to proclaim "the gospel of grace", and the

merits of his crucified, glorified Lord.