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#4.02 REPENT AFTER BELIEVING IN JESUS 1

Greek Word Study on μετανοέω, metanoeo, 'to repent'
Greek Word Study on μετάνοια, metanoia, 'repentance'

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Introduction 4.02

This is a bible study showing that the foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) were not righteous, that people who commit sin are not righteous, and that the robber on the cross who believed in Jesus was not righteous. They prove that sins are not automatically forgiven (in a manifested sense) when we first believe in Jesus, or get water baptized. This section is for those people who believe that past sins are automatically forgiven when we become believers in Jesus Christ, or those others who believe that sins are removed from our heart when we are water baptized. If the devil can deceive us into believing either of these errors, then he will be able to prevent us from seeking for the cleansing that is so necessary to enable us to overcome sin in our own lives. He will also be able to keep us from being healed sometimes, deceive us in other areas, and keep us living without the manifestation of the real spiritual power of God in our lives. Forgiveness of all sins has been paid for by Jesus when he died on the cross and is a PROMISE that can be asked for and received by faith when we believe in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20; Matthew 7:7-11; Mark 11:23-24). This does not mean that they are immediately manifested.

#4.02 The Foolish Virgins Were Not Righteous

MATTHEW 25:1-13 (Jesus)
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 Those who were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, No; lest there is not enough for us and you: but you go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterwards the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Amen I say to you, I do not know you.
13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of man comes.

Note: Here we have a parable about ten virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom to come, the spiritual equivalent of which would be Christians waiting for Jesus to return. Many Christians (symbolized by virgins) are today waiting for Jesus (symbolized by the bridegroom) to come, but what guarantee do they have of being with Jesus when he does return? The foolish virgins were shut out (v10): they called him "Lord, Lord," (v11) but he would not let them in. Why were they not accepted? - simply because they were not prepared, and did not have enough oil (v8). So it will be with many Christians today who think that they are righteous just because they say that they believe in Jesus. Those who really believe will prepare themselves; they will seek for righteousness (See #4.26), learn righteousness from the scriptures (See #4.28), and become doers of the word of God (See #4.24). Obviously the foolish virgins did not do this. Compare the parable that Jesus told in Matthew 7:24-27, where the foolish man was the one who heard the words of Jesus but did not obey them. The wise man heard the same words and obeyed. So it is here.

#4.04 Servants Of Sin Are Not Righteous

JOHN 8:34
34 Jesus answered them, Amen, amen, I say to you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin.

ROMANS 6:20 (Paul)
20 For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness.

Note: These scriptures put together show that, "Whoever commits sin is ... free from righteousness", and the apostle John agreed with this when he wrote, "Whoever commits sin is of the devil;" (1 John 3:8). So how can we be totally righteous when we are living in sin, either knowingly or unknowingly? Until we get God's word in our heart we cannot live free from sin (Psalm 119:11). This is an attribute of a righteous man (Psalm 37:30-31; Isaiah 51:7), not a new born babe in Christ. So how can the forgiveness of our sins be automatically manifested when we first believe, or get baptized in water?

#4.06 The Robber On The Cross Was Not Righteous

EXODUS 12:46
46 In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not carry forth any of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall you break a bone of it.

PSALMS 34:19-20 (David)
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones: not one of them is broken.

LUKE 23:39-43
39 And one of the robbers who were hanged railed on him, saying, If you are Christ, save yourself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, seeing that you are in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man has done nothing wrong.
42 And he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
43 And Jesus said to him, Amen I say to you, To day you shall be with me in paradise.

JOHN 19:31-37
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, [for that day was a great Sabbath,] besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32 Then came the soldiers, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with him.
33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they did not break his legs:
34 But one of the soldiers with a spear, pierced his side, and immediately there came out blood and water.
35 And he who saw it has borne witness, and his witness is true: and he knows that he says true, that you might believe.
36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
37 And again another scripture says, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

Note: There seems little doubt that one of these robbers became a believer in Jesus just before he died. He could see the kingdom (Luke 23:42), and that shows that he was born again (John 3:3). He had a repentant heart, admitting his guilt for past sins (Luke 23:41), and he called Jesus "Lord" (Luke 23:42), which no man can do, except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). In addition to all of this evidence Jesus told him, "Today you shall be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43), making it certain. So was this robber righteous, or not? Jesus was here fulfilling the type of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:46), and the scripture concerning a righteous man (Psalm 34:19-20), and that is why they could not break his bones (John 19:36). If the robber had been righteous, then they could not have broken his bones either (Psalm 34:19-20), because "the scripture cannot be broken;" (John 10:35). However, his legs were broken (John 19:32), proving that he was not righteous, and that we do not automatically become righteous when we first believe in Jesus.

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