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Repentance, as 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 demonstrates, is not sorrow, but neither is it itself the change in behavior. Repentance is the mindset that lies between the two. However, interpretations attempting to make clear the mindset of repentance have oversimplified it, failing to analyze it as the whole of a series of internal changes in viewpoint. Paul actually provides an explanation of the changes required in repentance in 2 Corinthians 7:11. Commending the Corinthians for their response to his previous letter,…

Repentance is fundamental to Christianity, yet it often provokes controversy, including among God’s people, when a person suggests that repentance requires more than saying, “Oops!” When Paul addressed the Corinthians in his second epistle, he commended them for their positive response to his first epistle, especially in regard to the matter of church discipline, using it as a motivation for positive response to this second letter. Moreover, Paul’s word choices in this section of scripture augment his overall argument. Repentance…

The great principles of restoration have evidently been placed in mothballs-something to keep in a box and be brought out again occasionally as a curiosity, to support a certain position, or to ridicule. The real concept and vitality of true restoration are lost upon the current generation. When one quotes, “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths . . .”(Jer. 6:16), too often he is thought of as some mossy…

If you were to ask the average Sunday morning Bible class, “What is repentance?” I am sure there would be some diversity as far as answers go. Some would say, “Repentance is godly sorrow,” while others would answer, “Repentance is a turning or a conversion.” Though we realize that both of these answers are very closely linked to repentance, neither is an adequate definition alone. Notice what Paul says about this in 2 Corinthians 7:10. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance…

It was Solomon who described himself as “…on the verge of total ruin, in the midst of the assembly and congregation” (Prov. 5:14). What caused this? Was it because he hated instruction, despised correction, chose disobedience and refused to listen. Every Christian needs to be aware of how this could happen to them in the assembly. On the other hand, in that same assembly of Christians, there are those who understand that in so many respects the assembly of the…

Our world is falling apart. Our country is going down the toilet. Smut, garbage and trash of all sorts are thrust in our faces while society grows comfortably numb and the church languishes under the burden. It seems like all is lost. Tired of hearing “gloom and doom”? Well, allow me to remind you of something gloomy Christians seem to have forgotten. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My…

One might think of life as a journey and all humans as pilgrims. Every journey has a destination. People usually like to map out a plan and know the nature of the destination before them. We usually look for the best route and the most pleasant place when we arrive. Every person has a destination for eternity where one shall ever be. There will be no return trip. Each should consider where he is headed. Let us consider the two…

One of the mistakes far too many make is forming opinions and often arriving at a final conclusion before we hear the complete story. Solomon said, “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him” (Prov. 18:13). Also remember that in defense of Jesus, Nicodemus said, “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing” (John 7:51). Yet, many people arrive at conclusions simply because of…

Western culture has done a masterful job of normalizing abnormal, unhealthy, and immoral behavior. This, in large degree, is due to the fact that we have sought to remove every ounce of shame from our society. Shame is a feeling of humiliation and embarrassment brought about by wrongdoing. Though our world rejects the notion, Scripture teaches that a feeling of shame and embarrassment can be a good thing because it prompts us to turn away from what is wrong and…

Some things that we do in life do not require special attention on our part. We can successfully complete some tasks while we have the radio blaring and are talking on the telephone at the same time. Other tasks, however, require us to be completely focused on what we are doing. One that drives a school bus had better keep his attention on the task at hand. The same goes for a doctor that is performing open-heart surgery or a…

“And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:1-2). Persecution against Peter and John began because they announced the coming resurrection of the dead. How else could they preach Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)? Why would anyone oppose such preaching? The Jewish leaders must have known that Jesus raised Lazarus, and…

No, I have not gone geographically goofy! It’ll take more than a sack lunch to go from Florida to southern Asia, but because some pet owners have deposited their no-longerwanted pythons into the Everglade Swamp there have arisen some interesting ecological dilemmas. The most spectacular one I have seen had pictorial documentation to prove itself. There, in the black and white of today’s Richmond Times-Dispatch, was a burmese python that had bursted in its attempt to swallow… an alligator! What…