Am I Still a Christian if I’ve Made Jesus my Savior But Haven’t Repented?

This is core Christianity, where answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday.

Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question. At 1833. The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez.

Welcome back to another app code of corporate entity where we talk about the word of God together, opening up the Scriptures with Prof. Michael Horton and I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez.

How would you define repentance. According to the Greek English lexicon of the New Testament the word repentance means quote to change one's way of life as the result of a complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness. Or here's another definition from the 1600s that I really like repentance until life is a saving grace whereby a sinner out of a true sense of his sin and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ does with grief and hatred of this in turn from it unto God with full purpose of an endeavor.

After new obedience.

That's a great definition yeah how can you be sure if you've actually repented. That's what Annette wants to know… And in her call spring. Gary and I like to know if you can be a Christian you have HHS. Your Savior and save you and you don't know if you've repented or not is fat required being saved. Just asking Jesus to save you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much Annette yeah you know it's first of all important going back that definitions a little. Just read to realize that repentance is a grace of the Holy Spirit. It's a gift that is given to us. We tend to think of both faith and repentance is sort of boxes that we took off okay. We check this box did I do that. Did I do this rather in Jeremiah 31 God promises that he will take away our stony hearts and give us a heart of flesh. In the last days, he will pour out his spirit and he will write his law on our hearts. He will forgive all of our trespasses, and that day he will make a new covenant, and so God makes all these promises to give us repentance and faith.

Now you actually can't believe in Christ unless you repented what what I mean by that, while again it's not checking the box. It's that repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin of conversion. So repentance is turning from a change of mind from believing one thing to faith in someone or something else. So if I took this particular job that isn't going very well to quit that job before I take another job you're looking away from what ever you have looked to in the past for your identity in order to look to someone else and so everybody who has faith in Christ has repented. Now there's also the fruit of repentance, and that is the new obedience repentance doesn't mean either a you have fully and completely stop sinning otherwise. None of us would have root repented. It doesn't mean that even you have the same degree of hatred for every sin that you commit what it does mean is that you now realize your under new ownership.

So there's a doctrine that's been floating around called carnal Christian idea where you can have Jesus as your Savior but you have you yet made him Lord of your life will first what you don't make him anything he is Lord Jesus said in John 17 verse nine. You have given me authority over everyone so that I may save all those you have given me.

He has authority over all flesh in the great commission Jesus said all authority in heaven and earth has been given to may therefore go and make disciples.

So he has all authority to save but he never ever ever ever saves anyone. He also doesn't rule as King as Lord he rules to save any saves to rule and so those two things go hand-in-hand again.

There two sides of the same coin. Don't turn your repentance into a good work that you perform in order to merit or earn salvation a box to check rather see repentance as something God has given you, and is continually giving you otherwise you wouldn't have been able to turn to Jesus in faith because you would still be putting your faith, your trust in these idols. So your repentance and your faith are just one time decisions and that every day we die to ourselves and live to Christ Dido ourselves repentance and lifted Christ faith but are repentance and faith are weak there imperfect. The greatest irony and tragedy here.

Annette would be to understand repentance in such a way that now you're trusting, not in Jesus.

But in your repentance that would behave the worst tragedy of all, the whole point of repentance is to look away from everything, including your repentance looking away from everyone, including you, so that you set your eyes on Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of your faith. You know Mike, I think that so important Annette you there's this wonderful text in second Corinthians 7 with the apostle pulse is verse 10. Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. So I think that there are a lot of people who are doing and worldly grief, but they're not willing to turn to Jesus and Mohammed were to go through life feeling guilty and regretful hating themselves for what they've done, but they have nowhere to take it, you know. And oddly enough that's one of the ways we try to atone for our own say yes we think to ourselves if I can just live my don't love you and I just feel real bad.

What we never do is turn to Jesus and receive that grace and that's that positive aspect of repentance it that Mike was talking about and so hopefully that helps you out Annette and Ann is also an encouragement to what we can turn from our sins by the grace of the Holy Spirit and our good works and yet exact with our good works which fall short and clean to Christ, but we got an Instagram question here from Joey he asked. I like apologetics. Sometimes I worry that it gives the impression that if a person doesn't have really good reasons for their faith. They don't have true faith.

I met some good Christian people who can't give a good argument for the resurrection. What do you think Joey I've always been amazed by the words of David in Psalm 22 verse nine he prayed to the Lord literally said you are he who took me from the womb. You made me trust you at my mother's breasts. Think about how shocking this statement is and if it wasn't in the Bible we wouldn't even believe it. David says before, I was weaned before I could even make an argument God. You made me trust in you. That's why the very next verse he he can say in Psalm 22 verse nine on you was I cast for my birth and from my mother's womb. You have been my God is a joy. Faith is a gift that even little kids can have isn't that beautiful how that works is a mystery to me is the work of the Holy Spirit. But just because someone can't articulate in or are defendant doctrines like the resurrection doesn't mean that they don't actually believe in the resurrection, as we mature in the faith, we ought to grow in our understanding of these doctrines and I mean that thing is one of things were doing here, the court Mike is trying to help people understand what it is that they believe and why they believe it there so much in terms of evidence for the resurrection and the inspiration of holy Scripture that we can spend our whole lives studying the proofs if you will, for the Christian faith.

Look, there are people out there who can make an intellectual argument for Christianity who don't know Jesus and there are people who aren't very good at making the historical case for the resurrection, but nevertheless believe in and have a relationship with the risen Christ met Mike, my grandma couldn't of water way out of a paper bag look you know if somebody had asked her what are the arguments for your belief that Jesus rose again from the dead him, but no one had more confidence than Jesus rose from the dead than my grandma yeah you know you don't become a member.

This is a person right work faith in a person. The question can I really believe Jesus rose again from the dead is a historical question that when raised needs a good answer.

No question about it to just say about this belief because grandma believes that's not gonna do it, they're gonna need an answer now, but that doesn't mean everybody is vexed over this question out of I know Jesus really rose from the dead. He died I think of Jesus's prayer at the end of Matthew 11 where he sprang to the father and he said thank you, father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to the babes anything again. It just does highlight them. You think back to that Psalm Psalm 22 were David said that God caused him to trust while yet on weaned in his we need the work of the Holy Spirit. We might not be able to articulate everything or defend everything. Like maybe we will as we grow in the faith, but at the end of this is a work of the Holy Spirit. And that's what gives us confidence and so look at the difference to between the disciples you had some disciples who gradually came to believe that Jesus was raised when he appeared to them. You have others who just owe Jesus his back and then you have doubting Thomas who said I'm not going to believe until I can put my hands in his side and he says okay here I come. Put your hand my side, I urge you put your hand in my side and fill in the nail prints. Isn't it wonderful that Jesus comes to us as individual persons for some the trust is just instantaneous with other people. It's a process and with other people. They really need arguments they need evidence and isn't it wonderful that Jesus stoops to all of us and he provides as much or as little argumentation and evidence and proof as were asking for the joy.

Thank you for that question.

We are the core and we're working through the Scriptures together answering your questions about the faith. If you have a question, reach out to us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833 the core or email us at questions at core, Christianity.com and Mike.

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The core got another question now from Ohio. I'm getting so caught up in politics that they forget the gospel well by getting so caught up in the gospel that they begin to see even the world in a new light.

Seek God needs to be so big, so front and center in our church services and in our own personal lives that everything else becomes secondary. Not unimportant, not unessential, but secondary. It's not that politics is unimportant, but it's secondary to the kingdom of God.

Christ didn't come to give us a better world, but to inaugurate a new creation.

It is in this world.

In this age but it's not of this age, Christ didn't come to make America great, but to make his name great in all the world because of his victory in Jesus Christ. The Best Way, Cynthia to overcome the sinful divisions in the church over politics is to make the triune God and his gospel. Central to make that so full in our vision that everything else just kind of moves to the margins, at least on the Lord status one day out of the week we come away from 24 hour news cycles where people are divided into Fox Christians and CNN Christians and instead we become gospel Christians, people who are united together by the word of God and the scent of another kingdom.

Another realm that is not of this world to get out of all this cultural, national, and political paraphernalia that distract us from the greatest story ever told and our participation in it.

I'm just amazed Cynthia, this is the greatest story ever told. And yet sometimes pastors give the impression that other stories are more interesting.

The story of America or the story of this party winning or that party winning this force for cultural change or that movement over there now fixing our eyes on Christ, who he is and how he's the climax to the story that reaches from Genesis to Revelation that is what were all about. Everything else becomes important in a different way, not central but also not irrelevant. Now we begin to see each other as brothers and sisters, and even the world outside in a different way through gospel lenses. Amen. It was in the court Christianity were answering your questions about the faith in the Bible that they were excited to offer our listeners. Mike's book putting amazing back into grace to me.

Christians don't understand the richness of what it means to be saved by grace.

This book will inspire you with the fresh amazement of God's grace can request your copy for your donation of any amount by calling 1-833-843-2673. That's 1833. The core Mike is another Facebook question that we received in Jeremiah 1025 Jeremiah prays, pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you on the peoples who do not call on your name. Is it okay for Christians to pray this way. There's a time for every prayer and today is the day of salvation. Everyone in every nation is invited to that wedding banquet. Think of the James and John in Luke chapter 9 learning the hard way that this isn't the time to call fire down on unbelievers Jesus said in John 1247 that he has come this time not to judge the world, but to save it.

Only when he returns will the coming judgment and so right now we're not praying with Jeremiah. Pour out your wrath on the nations do not acknowledge on the peoples not: your name we pray, Lord, draw the nations to your son. Please give me an opportunity to talk to somebody today who will call on your name. Paul tells us in Ephesians 612. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, so we're not driving out the unbelievers from any holy land there is in a holy land, the church, the body of Christ spread out throughout the world is God's holy land is holy because it's in Christ. Now the church is not identified with any particular geopolitical nation so it would be inappropriate for us to pray that prayer that Jeremiah was called by God to pray because this is not yet the time of judgment.

All of those judgments in the Old Testament including the one for which Jeremiah prayed our previews of coming attractions. These are just small-scale anticipations of the great day of judgment.

That's up ahead, but were not there yet that great day of judgment has not come upon us happily because it's still the day of salvation and God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Reminded of another prophet, the prophet Joel in Joel chapter 2 Heath looking forward to a day when the nations are to be flocking to God and he says in Joel chapter 2 verse 32. It shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. That's where were at right now and so are our hope is look at the gospel out to the ends of the earth preaching the gospel being failed.

Jesus, absolutely because then in the book of Revelation and other passages in the New Testament. You read that the saints will judge the nations with Jesus and so in that day we will be saying with Jesus, pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you on the people who do not: your name that's not for us to say now is another Facebook question. I don't understand the story of Judah in Timor in Genesis. How should I understand it out with this question. I'm assuming that the difficulty comes with just the absolute wildness of the story you read Genesis 38 and it sounds let it one of those things you don't read your eight-year-old kids before bed like episode of Jerry Springer yet nothing I've ever seen it. But if you have you have Judah. The fourth son of Jacob with Leah and he has three sons air Onan and Sheila takes a wife for air and her name is Taymor air dies because the sinful and that culture.

It was the duty of the next brother in line to raise up children in honor of his deceased brother and so Onan gets a shot in the missus and as a result, God strikes him down as a now Judah has two dead sons and he's concerned for his youngest, Sheila, and he delays giving Sheila in marriage to Taymor because he's afraid he doesn't want to lose another son. That's when Taymor takes things in her own hands. She dresses up like a temple prostitute seduces her father-in-law and conceives twins Perez and Sarah now.

Guess Sue Perez becomes the great great great great-great-grandfather of Jesus through Perez, you have the kingly line.

The Davidic line that traces all the way down to Jesus.

You can actually read the genealogy in Matthew chapter 1.

And I think that at least one surface level encouragement.

We can take from all of this is that God is able to take the mess that we often create in our lives and in our families and you read Genesis 38 it seems like a mess, and he's able to bring something beautiful out of it.

Just another example that a lot of times the Bible seems like a closed book.

These stories just don't make sense to you, until you realize they're all episodes in a story that is itself pointing to Jesus Christ. That's right. And I think ultimately that's the heart of the answer to this question, you understand the story in light of God's bigger redemptive purposes for his people, culminating in Jesus so beautiful. Let's go to another call spring while Carolyn that's a hard one. Martin Luther called it the fifth the gospel.

I think that's right. The gospel according to Isaiah.

There's so much great stuff in there you have the first half of the book woes, God commands the prophet to announce judgment on his people and then from chapter 40 on he says hey Isaiah go announce to people my good news my gospel, and from then on. It's the promise of what God will do in the last days, which is now done in Jesus Christ. One of my favorites is Isaiah 25. There we read, oh Lord, you are my God, I will exalt you.

I will praise your name for you've done wonderful things plans formed of old faithful and sure for you have made the city that's Jerusalem a heap.

The fortified city a ruin the foreigners palace is a city no more. It will never be rebuilt. Therefore strong peoples will glorify you cities of ruthless nations will fear you for you've been a stronghold of the poor a stronghold to the needy in distress a shelter from the storm, and a shade from the heat and angles don't down to say in verse six on this mountain, this is Mount Zion, the true mountain of the Lord when Jesus Christ returns on this earth we read on this mountain, the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples of the feast of rich food, a feast of well aged wine of rich foods full of marrow of aged wine well refined and he will swallow up on this mountain, the death covering that is cast over all peoples. The veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. And the reproach of his people.

He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken, but it just goes on and on with great stuff would be remiss not to mention also Isaiah 53.

Of course, anticipates John the Baptist's announcement when he points to Jesus and says behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world really that has to be understood in the context of Isaiah 53 and the suffering servant who will bear the sins of his people and justify many just doesn't get better than that. The next chapter. Chapter 59, all the nation streaming to Zion.

The image there begins with a sunrise after the darkness, light and just a wonderful missionary chapter so anyway that is there so much in Isaiah, especially the servant songs that I think is justly celebrated as 1/5 gospel and Mike we see time and time again is her answering these questions about the Scriptures, whether it's from the book of Genesis are from the prophets. The whole story is one I mean, it's not eating really do that culminating event, the redemption that we have in Jesus Christ.

And that passage that you quoted from Isaiah 25 and I love how it's picked up by John. Revelation 21 when he talks about the new heavens and the new earth.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning or crying or pain anymore, for the former things have passed what I hope. Absolutely. Thanks for listening to court Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at court, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu for or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33, the court when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time.

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