How Important is Repentance and Rebuke?

[AndTheWordWasGOD]

In my meditations this evening I ran across these verses that led me to ask, "How important is repentance and rebuke?"

Luke 17:1-5 (WEB)
(1) He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come!
(2) It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
(3) Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.
(4) If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
(5) The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

So the thing with verse 3 and 4 that's difficult is this. Jesus has commanded that I am to rebuke my brother if he sin against me. Now I know this is the essence of the law of holiness and love concerning our neighbor as recorded in Lev 19.

Lev 19:11-18 (KJV)
(11) You shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.
(12) And you shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shall you profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
(13) You shall not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with you all night until the morning.
(14) You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind, but shalt fear your God: I am the LORD.
(15) You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: you shall not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
(16) You shall not go up and down as a talebearer among your people: neither shall you stand against the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
(17) You shall not hate your brother in your heart: you shall in any wise rebuke your neighbor, and not allow sin upon him.
(18) You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

**Lev 19:17-18 (CEV for more clarity)**
(17) Don't hold grudges. On the other hand, it's wrong not to correct someone who needs correcting.
(18) Stop being angry and don't try to take revenge. I am the LORD, and I command you to love others as much as you love yourself.

But this has been extremely difficult at times for me to do because I truly hate conflict and used to find it easier to just keep "turning the other cheek" by keeping silent per se, rather than address the issue. But I have learned over the past 7 years that by faith, grace and mercy is acceptable in the sight of God and especially when you may be striving to stop doing to others that same error that you perceive is being done against you. I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for His mercy and grace.

2Co 10:6
(6) And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Mat 7:1-5
(1) Judge not, that you be not judged.
(2) For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.
(3) And why behold you the mote that is in your brother's eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye?
(4) Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull out the mote out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye?
(5) You hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of your own eye; and then shall you see clearly to cast out the mote out of your brother's eye.

So in this walk with God I sometimes can hear Christ's warning, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." I want to love God and my fellow man and neither do I want to be found a hypocrite in the sight of God.

Have you ever felt this way too; condemned if I do and condemned if I don't? When those feelings arise, I think that's where Romans 8:1 and 1John 3:20 come in. And therefore, I die daily as Paul said; that Christ's righteousness should deliver me from this body of death.

Repentance is the story of my life before God in Christ Jesus that I offend not any. And yet there is cause for righteous rebuke once we take up our cross, whereby many often get offended. Even in our proclaiming of Jesus' name; and that there's no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved; we stand as a salty rebuke to a world that has forgotten The God of Israel Who lead His people through the sea.

 

[AndTheWordWasGOD]

Below are selected verses I found that layout a solid New Testament line concerning Rebuke and Repentance.

Mat 3:1-2
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, (2) And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mar 1:14-15
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, (15) And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mar 6:10-12
And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. (11) And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. (12) And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

Act 2:36-38
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (37) Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Act 17:29-31
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. (30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent: (31) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Act 26:19-20
Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: (20) But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

Php 2:14-16
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: (15) That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; (16) Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

1Ti 5:20-21
Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. (21) I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.

2Ti 4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Rev 2:5
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Rev 3:3
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Rev 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

 

[lastofall]

[for me anyway] the first command which Christ commanded when He began His ministry (i.e.Christianity) was "Repent" (Matthew 4:17) just as at the end of His time in this world in the flesh He again made it plain and clear saying that "repentance for the remission of sins should be preached in His Name among all nations" (Luke 24:47); and His first disciples understood this as well for they "went out and preached that men should repent" (Mark 6:12). Beside this the Holy Spirit of Truth speaking through Peter makes it also clear that we cannot receive the remission of our sins nor receive the gift of the Holy Ghost except we "Repent" (Acts 2:38). So therefore when we sin we should repent, its that simple. As for rebuke it is another matter which applies to believers one to another as a means to keep each other from going astray, and is referred to by many scriptures.

 

[Chester]

I am with you in that I tend to be passive and find it difficult to actually go talk to a brother that has sin in his life and needs to be rebuked.

But I think a key is our own attitude: if I am living a life of ongoing repentance myself and realize that I am also a human subject to sin just like my brother, then I will not go to rebuke him with the spirit of pride.

Instead, the "confrontation" will become a time of growth and unity together as brothers!

Easier to write about it than to actually see it happen!

 

[AndTheWordWasGOD]

@Lastofall and @Chester

Thanks for responses. Much appreciated.

 

[resurrection33]

You can really have no lasting peace of mind without repentance.

 

[resurrection33]

You can really have no lasting peace of mind without repentance.

And how many of us would repent without the Lord, at some point, rebuking us?

 

[AndTheWordWasGOD]

Romans 2:3-4 And think you this, O man, that judges them which do such things, and do the same, that you shall escape the judgment of God? (4) Or despise you the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Indeed God is Good! His love is genuine though so many reject it!!!

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

I praise God through Jesus Christ whose word is pure and true. It continually increases my faith and His spirits gives me strength and peace. Hallelujah Praise God, The Eternal Reigns!

 

[Magenta]

And how many of us would repent without the Lord, at some point, rebuking us?

... because the Lord disciplines the one He loves,
and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son.

 

[AndTheWordWasGOD]

1John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. (8) He that loves not knows not God; for God is love.

1John 4:9-11
(9) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
(10) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

 

[Johnny_B]

... because the Lord disciplines the one He loves,
and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son.

What translation is that? This is the ESV,

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

 

[Magenta]

What translation is that? This is the ESV,

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

It is the NIV, Hebrews 12:6

 

[oldethennew]

if one doesn't feel the need/conviction to accept rebuke and/or repent, then
the most important reason for living is absent in their lives...

 

[AndTheWordWasGOD]

Galatians 6:1-3
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering yourself, lest thou also be tempted.
(2) Bear you one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
(3) For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

 

[AndTheWordWasGOD]

Repentance is the story of my life before God in Christ Jesus that I offend not any. And yet there is cause for righteous rebuke once we take up our cross, whereby many often get offended. Even in our proclaiming of Jesus' name; and that there's no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved; we stand as a salty rebuke to a world that has forgotten The God of Israel Who lead His people through the sea.

In all of our rebuking let us remember that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Because if He be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Him.

Jesus Christ the Lord of all died to forgive all my sins that are passed and He is The Priest of The Most High God who ever lives to make intercession for me and all those who wait for His re-appearing!

Blessings and peace unto those of you who wait.... And blessed be God our Savior!