Acts 20:21

REPENTANCE AND FAITH

‘Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.’

Acts 20:21

Repentance must have in it three things. It must have in it hope; it must have in it love; it must have in it God.

I. It must have in it hope.—The sorrow which comes without hope, mere fear, is remorse. Remorse made Judas a suicide. Repentance made Peter’s tears, and Peter’s life of holiness and service.

II. It must have love, and ‘God is love.’ God is all love.

III. It must have God.—It is a real, deep sorrow for sin, because the sin has grieved God, with a strong desire and an earnest and immediate effort. With an innate sense to do right, because we love God, and we believe God loves us.

Repentance such as this is never the result of natural causes.

IV. The faith which believes without repentance would be presumption; and the repentance that has not faith in it is infidelity. The two are one, the two are one. ‘Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.’ The degree of each is the measure of both.

—Rev. James Vaughan.

Illustration

‘A lady went to Charles Wesley, complaining that she was the chief of sinners, the worst of transgressors, utterly lost and helpless. “I have no doubt, madam,” replied he, “that you are bad enough.” She instantly flew into a passion, declaring that she was no worse than her neighbours, and scolded the preacher as a slanderer. She had not the spirit of repentance.’