Appendix: The RAC Position as Historic Baptist Doctrine
The
testimony of all of Baptist history favors the fact that repentance is a change
of mind that always results in a change of action (the RAC). The RNC doctrine that repentance may not always result in a
change has infiltrated Baptist churches largely as a result of the replacement
of Biblical evangelism[i]
with carnal techniques of salesmanship and marketing techniques, very
inappropriately called “soulwinning,” that have led to only a tiny percentage
of those who are “saved” ever showing evidence of the new birth in their lives
(2 Corinthians 5:17).[ii] The quotes below, reproduced from pgs.
64-69 of the fine book Repentance and Soul Winning by David Cloud,[iii]
are only representative of historic Baptist confession of the RAC. While
certain antinomians outside of true churches held the RNC heresy in earlier times, the view that repentance
only potentially results in a change of action is absent from Baptist
confessional and doctrinal life until very recently, since God in His great
mercy has kept His churches from falling into and adopting this dangerous
heresy.
testimony of all of Baptist history favors the fact that repentance is a change
of mind that always results in a change of action (the RAC). The RNC doctrine that repentance may not always result in a
change has infiltrated Baptist churches largely as a result of the replacement
of Biblical evangelism[i]
with carnal techniques of salesmanship and marketing techniques, very
inappropriately called “soulwinning,” that have led to only a tiny percentage
of those who are “saved” ever showing evidence of the new birth in their lives
(2 Corinthians 5:17).[ii] The quotes below, reproduced from pgs.
64-69 of the fine book Repentance and Soul Winning by David Cloud,[iii]
are only representative of historic Baptist confession of the RAC. While
certain antinomians outside of true churches held the RNC heresy in earlier times, the view that repentance
only potentially results in a change of action is absent from Baptist
confessional and doctrinal life until very recently, since God in His great
mercy has kept His churches from falling into and adopting this dangerous
heresy.
“Unfeigned
repentance is an inward and true sorrow of heart for sin, with sincere
confession of the same to God, especially that we have offended so gracious a
God and so loving a Father, together with a settled purpose of heart and a
careful endeavor to leave all our sins,
and to live a more holy and sanctified life according to all God’s commands”
(The Orthodox Creed, Baptist, 1679).
repentance is an inward and true sorrow of heart for sin, with sincere
confession of the same to God, especially that we have offended so gracious a
God and so loving a Father, together with a settled purpose of heart and a
careful endeavor to leave all our sins,
and to live a more holy and sanctified life according to all God’s commands”
(The Orthodox Creed, Baptist, 1679).
“This saving repentance is an evangelical grace,
whereby a person, being by the Holy Spirit made sensible of the manifold evils
of his sin, doth, by faith in Christ, humble himself for it with godly sorrow,
detestation of it, and self-abhorrency; praying for pardon and strength of
grace, with a purpose and endeavor by supplies of the Spirit to walk before
God unto all well-pleasing in all things”
(Philadelphia Confession of Faith, Baptist, 1742).
whereby a person, being by the Holy Spirit made sensible of the manifold evils
of his sin, doth, by faith in Christ, humble himself for it with godly sorrow,
detestation of it, and self-abhorrency; praying for pardon and strength of
grace, with a purpose and endeavor by supplies of the Spirit to walk before
God unto all well-pleasing in all things”
(Philadelphia Confession of Faith, Baptist, 1742).
“Repentance is an evangelical grace, wherein a person
being, by the Holy Spirit, made sensible of the manifold evil of his sin,
humbleth himself for it, with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and
self-abhorrence, with a purpose and endeavor to walk before God so as to please Him in all
things” (Abstract of Principles, Southern
Baptist Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, 1859).
being, by the Holy Spirit, made sensible of the manifold evil of his sin,
humbleth himself for it, with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and
self-abhorrence, with a purpose and endeavor to walk before God so as to please Him in all
things” (Abstract of Principles, Southern
Baptist Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, 1859).
“Just now some professedly Christian teachers are
misleading many by saying that ‘repentance is only a change of mind.’ It is true that the original word does convey the idea
of a change of mind; but the whole teaching of Scripture concerning the
repentance which is not to be repented of is that it is a much more radical and
complete change than is implied by our common phrase about changing one’s mind.
The repentance that does not include sincere sorrow for sin is not the saving
grace that is wrought by the Holy Spirit. God-given repentance makes men
grieve in their inmost souls over the sin they have committed, and works in
them a gracious hatred of evil in every shape and form. We cannot find a better definition of repentance
than the one many of us learned at our mother’s knee: ‘Repentance is to
leave the sin we loved before, and show that we in earnest grieve by doing so
no more’” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon,
“The Royal Saviour,” Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, England, Feb. 1, 1872).
misleading many by saying that ‘repentance is only a change of mind.’ It is true that the original word does convey the idea
of a change of mind; but the whole teaching of Scripture concerning the
repentance which is not to be repented of is that it is a much more radical and
complete change than is implied by our common phrase about changing one’s mind.
The repentance that does not include sincere sorrow for sin is not the saving
grace that is wrought by the Holy Spirit. God-given repentance makes men
grieve in their inmost souls over the sin they have committed, and works in
them a gracious hatred of evil in every shape and form. We cannot find a better definition of repentance
than the one many of us learned at our mother’s knee: ‘Repentance is to
leave the sin we loved before, and show that we in earnest grieve by doing so
no more’” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon,
“The Royal Saviour,” Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, England, Feb. 1, 1872).
“[R]epentance … is a turning from sin, a loathing
of it; and if thou hast that, thou hast sure repentance; but not else. Repentance is also a sense of shame for having lived
in it, and a longing to avoid it. It is a change of the mind with regard to
sin—a turning of the man right round.
That is what it is; and it is wrought in us by the grace of God. Let none
therefore mistake what true repentance is” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “Mistaken
Notions about Repentance,” Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, England, April 20,
1879).
of it; and if thou hast that, thou hast sure repentance; but not else. Repentance is also a sense of shame for having lived
in it, and a longing to avoid it. It is a change of the mind with regard to
sin—a turning of the man right round.
That is what it is; and it is wrought in us by the grace of God. Let none
therefore mistake what true repentance is” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “Mistaken
Notions about Repentance,” Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, England, April 20,
1879).
“Repentance is a change of mind or purpose. Until a
man repents he commonly feels comfortable about himself and his ways; but when
the Saviour, through the Spirit, gives him repentance, he changes his mind
about himself, and seeing nothing
good in his heart or in his works, his whole soul cries out, “Lord, be merciful
to me a sinner” (Lk. 18:13)” (William Cathcart, The Baptist Encyclopedia, 1881).
man repents he commonly feels comfortable about himself and his ways; but when
the Saviour, through the Spirit, gives him repentance, he changes his mind
about himself, and seeing nothing
good in his heart or in his works, his whole soul cries out, “Lord, be merciful
to me a sinner” (Lk. 18:13)” (William Cathcart, The Baptist Encyclopedia, 1881).
“Repentance and the firstfruits of repentance [baptism and other steps of discipleship mentioned in
Acts 2:38-42] were generally inseparable. The former could not be genuine without manifesting itself in the
latter. And in the circumstances of that day a willingness to be baptized was
no slight evidence of a new heart” (Horatio Hackett, Commentary on Acts, American Baptist Publication Society, 1882).
Acts 2:38-42] were generally inseparable. The former could not be genuine without manifesting itself in the
latter. And in the circumstances of that day a willingness to be baptized was
no slight evidence of a new heart” (Horatio Hackett, Commentary on Acts, American Baptist Publication Society, 1882).
“To repent, then, as a religious term of the New
Testament, is to change the mind, thought, purpose, as regards sin and the
service of God—a change naturally accompanied by deep sorrow for past sin,
and naturally leading to a change of the outward life” (John A. Broadus, An American Commentary on the
New Testament, Matthew, 1886).
Testament, is to change the mind, thought, purpose, as regards sin and the
service of God—a change naturally accompanied by deep sorrow for past sin,
and naturally leading to a change of the outward life” (John A. Broadus, An American Commentary on the
New Testament, Matthew, 1886).
“The
preacher who leaves out repentance commits as grave a sin as the one who leaves
out faith. I mean he must preach repentance just as often, and with as much
emphasis, and to as many people as he preaches faith. To omit repentance, to ignore it, to depreciate it, is
rebellion and treason. Mark its relative importance: You may make a mistake
about baptism and be saved, for baptism is not essential to salvation. You may
be a Christian and not comprehend fully the high-priesthood of Jesus Christ
(Heb. 5:11), but “Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.” So said the
Master Himself. Repentance is a preparatory work. For thus saith the Lord:
“Break up your fallow ground and sow not among thorns.” I submit before God,
who will judge the quick and the dead, that to preach faith without repentance
is to sow among thorns. No harvest
can be gathered from an unplowed field. The fallow ground needs to be broken
up. The most striking instance on record of repentance as a preparatory work
was the ministry of John the Baptist. He was sent “to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord.” He did it by preaching repentance, and Mark says his
preaching was “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Here is the true starting point. Whoever starts this side of repentance
makes a false beginning which vitiates his whole Christian profession. When
true repentance was preached and emphasized, there were not so many nominal
professors of religion. TO LEAVE OUT OR MINIMIZE REPENTANCE, NO MATTER WHAT
SORT OF A FAITH YOU PREACH, IS TO PREPARE A GENERATION OF PROFESSORS WHO ARE
SUCH IN NAME ONLY. I give it as my deliberate conviction, founded on
twenty-five years of ministerial observation, that the Christian profession of
today owes its lack of vital godliness, its want of practical piety, its
absence from the prayer meeting, its miserable semblance of missionary life,
very largely to the fact that old-fashioned repentance is so little preached. You can’t put a big house on a little foundation. And
no small part of such preaching comes from a class of modern evangelists who
desiring more for their own glory to count a great number of converts than to
lay deep foundations, reduce the conditions of salvation by one-half and make
the other half but some intellectual trick of the mind rather than a radical
spiritual change of the heart. Like
Simon Magus, they believe indeed, but “their heart not being right in the sight
of God, they have no part nor lot in this matter. They are yet in the gall of
bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” Such converts know but little and care
less about a system of doctrine. They are prayerless, lifeless, and to all
steady church work reprobate” (B.H. Carroll, Baptist, Repentance and
Remission of Sins, 1889).
preacher who leaves out repentance commits as grave a sin as the one who leaves
out faith. I mean he must preach repentance just as often, and with as much
emphasis, and to as many people as he preaches faith. To omit repentance, to ignore it, to depreciate it, is
rebellion and treason. Mark its relative importance: You may make a mistake
about baptism and be saved, for baptism is not essential to salvation. You may
be a Christian and not comprehend fully the high-priesthood of Jesus Christ
(Heb. 5:11), but “Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish.” So said the
Master Himself. Repentance is a preparatory work. For thus saith the Lord:
“Break up your fallow ground and sow not among thorns.” I submit before God,
who will judge the quick and the dead, that to preach faith without repentance
is to sow among thorns. No harvest
can be gathered from an unplowed field. The fallow ground needs to be broken
up. The most striking instance on record of repentance as a preparatory work
was the ministry of John the Baptist. He was sent “to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord.” He did it by preaching repentance, and Mark says his
preaching was “the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Here is the true starting point. Whoever starts this side of repentance
makes a false beginning which vitiates his whole Christian profession. When
true repentance was preached and emphasized, there were not so many nominal
professors of religion. TO LEAVE OUT OR MINIMIZE REPENTANCE, NO MATTER WHAT
SORT OF A FAITH YOU PREACH, IS TO PREPARE A GENERATION OF PROFESSORS WHO ARE
SUCH IN NAME ONLY. I give it as my deliberate conviction, founded on
twenty-five years of ministerial observation, that the Christian profession of
today owes its lack of vital godliness, its want of practical piety, its
absence from the prayer meeting, its miserable semblance of missionary life,
very largely to the fact that old-fashioned repentance is so little preached. You can’t put a big house on a little foundation. And
no small part of such preaching comes from a class of modern evangelists who
desiring more for their own glory to count a great number of converts than to
lay deep foundations, reduce the conditions of salvation by one-half and make
the other half but some intellectual trick of the mind rather than a radical
spiritual change of the heart. Like
Simon Magus, they believe indeed, but “their heart not being right in the sight
of God, they have no part nor lot in this matter. They are yet in the gall of
bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” Such converts know but little and care
less about a system of doctrine. They are prayerless, lifeless, and to all
steady church work reprobate” (B.H. Carroll, Baptist, Repentance and
Remission of Sins, 1889).
“Repentance being, as it is, an inward change of
purpose resulting in an outward change of life, cannot be performed by one person for another. Repentance
is a turning from a life of self and sin to a life of submission and obedience
to God’s will. Repentance, as used in
the New Testament, means a change of mind, but it is a word of moral
significance and does not mean merely a change of opinion. Such a change often
takes place without repentance in the New Testament sense. The will is
necessarily and directly involved, as well as the emotions, but in
scriptural repentance there is a change of mind with reference to sin, a sorrow
for sin and a turning from sin.
Repentance means sins perceived, sins abhorred and sins abandoned. This change
is wrought by the power of God through the Holy Spirit, the word of truth being
used as a means to convict the sinner of sin and lead him to forsake it and to
resolve henceforth to walk before God in all truth and uprightness” (W.D.
Nowlin, Baptist Fundamentals of the Faith, c. 1897).
purpose resulting in an outward change of life, cannot be performed by one person for another. Repentance
is a turning from a life of self and sin to a life of submission and obedience
to God’s will. Repentance, as used in
the New Testament, means a change of mind, but it is a word of moral
significance and does not mean merely a change of opinion. Such a change often
takes place without repentance in the New Testament sense. The will is
necessarily and directly involved, as well as the emotions, but in
scriptural repentance there is a change of mind with reference to sin, a sorrow
for sin and a turning from sin.
Repentance means sins perceived, sins abhorred and sins abandoned. This change
is wrought by the power of God through the Holy Spirit, the word of truth being
used as a means to convict the sinner of sin and lead him to forsake it and to
resolve henceforth to walk before God in all truth and uprightness” (W.D.
Nowlin, Baptist Fundamentals of the Faith, c. 1897).
“The New Testament emphasizes repentance and faith as
fundamental conditions of salvation. Repentance is a change of mind toward sin
and God, and a change of will in relation to sin and God. Repentance is not merely sorrow. It is rather godly
sorrow which turns away from all wrong doing and enters upon a life of
obedience. Faith is belief of God’s Word concerning his Son, and trust in his
Son for salvation” (E. Y. Mullins, DD., LL.D., Late President of the Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, published by The Sunday School
Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1920).
fundamental conditions of salvation. Repentance is a change of mind toward sin
and God, and a change of will in relation to sin and God. Repentance is not merely sorrow. It is rather godly
sorrow which turns away from all wrong doing and enters upon a life of
obedience. Faith is belief of God’s Word concerning his Son, and trust in his
Son for salvation” (E. Y. Mullins, DD., LL.D., Late President of the Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, published by The Sunday School
Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1920).
“We believe that repentance and faith are sacred
duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating
Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and
helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned
contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus
Christ as our Prophet, Priest and King and relying on him alone as the only and
all-sufficient Saviour” (Baptist Faith and Message, Southern Baptist
Convention, 1925).
duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating
Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and
helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned
contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus
Christ as our Prophet, Priest and King and relying on him alone as the only and
all-sufficient Saviour” (Baptist Faith and Message, Southern Baptist
Convention, 1925).
“To repent literally means to have a change of mind
or spirit toward God and toward sin.
It means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in
Jesus Christ to save you. You can see, then, how the man who believes in Christ
repents and the man who repents believes in Christ. The jailer repented when he
turned from sin to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ” (John R. Rice, What
Must I Do to Be Saved? 1940).
or spirit toward God and toward sin.
It means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in
Jesus Christ to save you. You can see, then, how the man who believes in Christ
repents and the man who repents believes in Christ. The jailer repented when he
turned from sin to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ” (John R. Rice, What
Must I Do to Be Saved? 1940).
“We believe that Repentance and Faith are solemn
obligations, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the
quickening Spirit of God; thereby, being deeply convicted of our guilt, danger
and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with
unfeigned contrition, confession and supplication
for mercy at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ and openly
confessing Him as our only and all-sufficient Saviour” (Baptist Bible
Fellowship, Articles of Faith, 1950).
obligations, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the
quickening Spirit of God; thereby, being deeply convicted of our guilt, danger
and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with
unfeigned contrition, confession and supplication
for mercy at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ and openly
confessing Him as our only and all-sufficient Saviour” (Baptist Bible
Fellowship, Articles of Faith, 1950).
“Repentance is a godly sorrow for sin. Repentance is a
forsaking of sin. Real repentance is putting your trust in Jesus Christ so
you will not live like that anymore.
Repentance is permanent. It is a lifelong and an eternity-long experience. You
will never love the devil again once you repent. You will never flirt with the
devil as the habit of your life again once you get saved. You will never be
happy living in sin; it will never satisfy; and the husks of the world will
never fill your longing and hungering in your soul. Repentance is something a
lot bigger than a lot of people think. It is absolutely essential if you go to
heaven” (Lester Roloff, Repent or Perish, 1950s).
forsaking of sin. Real repentance is putting your trust in Jesus Christ so
you will not live like that anymore.
Repentance is permanent. It is a lifelong and an eternity-long experience. You
will never love the devil again once you repent. You will never flirt with the
devil as the habit of your life again once you get saved. You will never be
happy living in sin; it will never satisfy; and the husks of the world will
never fill your longing and hungering in your soul. Repentance is something a
lot bigger than a lot of people think. It is absolutely essential if you go to
heaven” (Lester Roloff, Repent or Perish, 1950s).
“Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of
grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and
commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior” (Baptist
Faith and Message, Southern Baptist
Convention, 1963).
grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and
commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior” (Baptist
Faith and Message, Southern Baptist
Convention, 1963).
“What do I mean by repent? I mean to turn your heart
from your sin. Turn from sin in your heart and start out to live for God. …
A penitent heart that turns from your sin and turns to Jesus” (John R. Rice, “Repent or Perish,” Sword of the
Lord, March 3, 1971).
from your sin. Turn from sin in your heart and start out to live for God. …
A penitent heart that turns from your sin and turns to Jesus” (John R. Rice, “Repent or Perish,” Sword of the
Lord, March 3, 1971).
A Baptist church that renounces
the RAC for the RNC heresy should cease to call itself Baptist. A Baptist
pastor who adopts the RNC heresy
should voluntarily resign from his position, and be barred from the pulpit,
removed by his congregation from his office, and placed under church discipline
if he refuses to leave voluntarily.
Baptist church members who adopt the RNC, and who refuse to repent of it after being
instructed and admonished, should be removed from church membership and placed
under church discipline.
Corruption of the gospel has awful eternal consequences (Galatians
1:8-9), and since “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9),
all such leaven of false teaching must be kept from entering into the church
and immediately purged out if it enters (1 Corinthians 5:6-7).
the RAC for the RNC heresy should cease to call itself Baptist. A Baptist
pastor who adopts the RNC heresy
should voluntarily resign from his position, and be barred from the pulpit,
removed by his congregation from his office, and placed under church discipline
if he refuses to leave voluntarily.
Baptist church members who adopt the RNC, and who refuse to repent of it after being
instructed and admonished, should be removed from church membership and placed
under church discipline.
Corruption of the gospel has awful eternal consequences (Galatians
1:8-9), and since “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9),
all such leaven of false teaching must be kept from entering into the church
and immediately purged out if it enters (1 Corinthians 5:6-7).
You are
encouraged to use the comment section here for thoughts related to this
post. Also, please feel free to
use the comment section in the post immediately below this one to supply
further quotes that the RAC is historic
Baptist doctrine. Please provide
clear documentation for your quotations, so that someone who wished to do so
could verify your references. You
can use the post below the one with further quotes documenting the historic
Baptist doctrine on repentance to provide quotes from men that have been
infected with the RNC heresy that
still call themselves Baptists.
Once again, please provide clear documentation for your quotations.
encouraged to use the comment section here for thoughts related to this
post. Also, please feel free to
use the comment section in the post immediately below this one to supply
further quotes that the RAC is historic
Baptist doctrine. Please provide
clear documentation for your quotations, so that someone who wished to do so
could verify your references. You
can use the post below the one with further quotes documenting the historic
Baptist doctrine on repentance to provide quotes from men that have been
infected with the RNC heresy that
still call themselves Baptists.
Once again, please provide clear documentation for your quotations.
-TDR
[i]
For an
exegetical study of Biblical methods of evangelism, see “The Biblical Mandate
for House to House Evangelism” at http://sites.google.com/site/thross7.
For an
exegetical study of Biblical methods of evangelism, see “The Biblical Mandate
for House to House Evangelism” at http://sites.google.com/site/thross7.
It is obvious that fundamental Baptists have
traditionally defined repentance as a radical change of mind that results in a
change of life. They have defined it as turning to God from sin and idolatry. .
. . [T]he change in the definition of repentance among some fundamental
Baptists is the product of the change in evangelism methodology that has spread
widely throughout fundamental Baptist circles. It is a justification for an unscriptural,
manipulative, man-centered, pressurized, numbers-oriented methodology of soul
winning that is more akin to salesmanship than to anything we see in the New
Testament. If a man boasts that thousands are getting saved when only a tiny
percentage of them demonstrate any evidence of regeneration, it is not
surprising that he would want to redefine repentance to mean a mere change of
mind without any necessary change of life.
traditionally defined repentance as a radical change of mind that results in a
change of life. They have defined it as turning to God from sin and idolatry. .
. . [T]he change in the definition of repentance among some fundamental
Baptists is the product of the change in evangelism methodology that has spread
widely throughout fundamental Baptist circles. It is a justification for an unscriptural,
manipulative, man-centered, pressurized, numbers-oriented methodology of soul
winning that is more akin to salesmanship than to anything we see in the New
Testament. If a man boasts that thousands are getting saved when only a tiny
percentage of them demonstrate any evidence of regeneration, it is not
surprising that he would want to redefine repentance to mean a mere change of
mind without any necessary change of life.
The late Jack Hyles said that repentance as defined
traditionally (as a change of mind in relation to God and sin so radical that
it results in a change of life) is one of the enemies of soul winning. He
redefined repentance to mean a mere change from unbelief to belief.
traditionally (as a change of mind in relation to God and sin so radical that
it results in a change of life) is one of the enemies of soul winning. He
redefined repentance to mean a mere change from unbelief to belief.
The late Curtis Hutson, who assumed the editorship of the
Sword of the Lord following the death
of its founder, John R. Rice, boldly claimed in 1986 that repentance is not to turn from sin and is not a change of mind that leads to a change of action.
Sword of the Lord following the death
of its founder, John R. Rice, boldly claimed in 1986 that repentance is not to turn from sin and is not a change of mind that leads to a change of action.
These two men have had a vast influence on the thinking
of fundamental Baptists in the matter of repentance. Most others who have
changed the traditional biblical definition of repentance have done so upon the
“authority” of these two men.
of fundamental Baptists in the matter of repentance. Most others who have
changed the traditional biblical definition of repentance have done so upon the
“authority” of these two men.
How did Dr. Hyles and Dr. Hutson get to that point in
their thinking? . . . By changing the doctrine of repentance and by calling the
old doctrine of repentance the “enemy of soul winning,” . . . Dr. Hyles was
acknowledging that a biblical understanding of repentance got in the way of his
methodology. The old doctrine of repentance is not the enemy of biblical soul
winning; it is the enemy of the Jack Hyles type soul winning.
their thinking? . . . By changing the doctrine of repentance and by calling the
old doctrine of repentance the “enemy of soul winning,” . . . Dr. Hyles was
acknowledging that a biblical understanding of repentance got in the way of his
methodology. The old doctrine of repentance is not the enemy of biblical soul
winning; it is the enemy of the Jack Hyles type soul winning.
A traditional biblical understanding of repentance does
not allow a man to claim that thousands of sinners are being saved when most of
them show no evidence of regeneration. A traditional biblical understanding of
repentance does not allow a man to count a mere sinner’s prayer as salvation.
It is one thing to say that 100 or 1,000 people prayed a prayer; it is another
thing to say that those people are saved. “Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). . . . The idea that you cannot tell if someone is
saved is unscriptural nonsense. It is possible, of course, for a person to show
false signs of salvation and to deceive those who observe him, as Judas did the
other apostles; but on the other hand, if someone is genuinely saved, there
will definitely be some evidence of it in his or her life. Profession is not
the same as possession. “They profess that they know God; but in works they
deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate” (Titus 1:16).
not allow a man to claim that thousands of sinners are being saved when most of
them show no evidence of regeneration. A traditional biblical understanding of
repentance does not allow a man to count a mere sinner’s prayer as salvation.
It is one thing to say that 100 or 1,000 people prayed a prayer; it is another
thing to say that those people are saved. “Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). . . . The idea that you cannot tell if someone is
saved is unscriptural nonsense. It is possible, of course, for a person to show
false signs of salvation and to deceive those who observe him, as Judas did the
other apostles; but on the other hand, if someone is genuinely saved, there
will definitely be some evidence of it in his or her life. Profession is not
the same as possession. “They profess that they know God; but in works they
deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate” (Titus 1:16).
Some documentation for the true view is mentioned in comments on the RNC documentation post below also.
I realize this is a few years old, but I have called out my pastor and my family has left the church over this issue.
It is clear from the Bible that the RNC position is based on personal experience and not on the Bible. My former pastor, which I don't even like to refer to him as a pastor now, has relied on his own experience for Salvation and tries to defend his position by relying on the word believe to get around repentance.
I am tired of an "experience" Hyles preacher. How does God get the glory from those who follow this cultish mindset? How different is the Hyles experience of unbelief to belief than Joel Osteen's ministry? Why would I want to visit a Hyles church when I can go to a Joel Osteen ministry and hear of more saved and attending his church on a weekly basis?
Dear JMark,
I am sorry that you had to do this, but if your preacher was teaching heresy on repentance, then it is absolutely the right decision, Galatians 1:8-9; 2:5.