REPENTANCE

or
RECLASSIFICATION
by Robert]. Bailey
When is sin not sin? When it can be reclassified
under another heading? The Scriptures clearly teach
that abuse of alcohol is a sin and labels it as
drunkenness. Paul lists this sin in I Corinthians
6: 10 as evidence of an unregenerate heart and
accordingly states that drunkards "will not inherit the
kingdom of God." Since humanistic psychology is
built on the evolutionary theory of the origin of man,
it can not stand the thought of man as created in the
. itnage of God nor allow that our problems stem from
'a willful rebellion against the God who is there and
~ s spoken in His Word. How does it cope with
. this problem of reality. RECLASSIFICATION.
Since all men are sinners they stand in need of a sin-
bearer. Jesus Christ is the only Savior of sinners.
He is not only the One who saves us from the eternal
consequences of our sins through His atoning death
on the cross, but by His Holy Spirit He gives us
power to put to death the sin that remains in us.
This point all ties in perfectly with the example of a
recent house-resident. For this article we will call
. her Christi.
When I first met Christi she had admitted herself to a
local hospital because she feared that she was about
.to relapse into drug/alcohol dependency and/or
' attempt suicide. She had been attending Alcoholics
Annonymous meetings with the hope that she could
handle the disease (reclassification #1). In these
classes she was told that she may need the help of a
higher power (reclassification #2), which
according to the class leader could be a "doorknob or
whatever worked for you." (Now there is serious
help for someone hurting.) Furthermore there is no
hope for deliverance, only a limited knowledge of
the disease apd hardnosed efforts to cope
(reclassification #3) with it At last some honest
speech by a humanist There is no hope apart from
Christ and His power to liberate us from our sin.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits
sin is the slave of sin. lf.therefore the Son shall
make you free, you shall be free indeed. II (John
8:34,36)
In contrast, the Christian religion offers the only true
way to deal with the destructive tendencies that come
with our sinful natures. A well-known commercial
asks the question, "Howdo you spell relief?" We
should answer, "REPENTANCE!" However,
the sad truth concerning much of the church today is
that it is offering bones (the reclassifications of
humanistic psychology) instead of bread (the truth of
God's Word) to those who are suffering in their
sins.
The Westminster Confession of Faith reminds us
of the Biblical imperative to preach repentance in
chapter XV.l by saying, ''Repentance unto life is an
evangelical grace, the doctrine whereof is to be
preached by every minister of the gospel, as well as
that of faith in Christ." This truth is clearly reflected
in the following Scriptures, (Mark 1:5, Luke 24:47,
Acts 11:18, Acts 17:30, Acts 20:21). But, what
precisely is repentance? Again, the WCF Shorter
Catechism gives us this excellent definition of
repentance in response to Q. 87., "What is
repentance unto life." ' "Repentance unto 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, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn
from it unto God, with full purpose of, and
endeavour after, new obedience."
During Christi's stay with us she made a profession
of faith in Christ Her faith was put to the test
almost immediately. One side of her family invited
her to come live with them as she was nearing the
latterpartofherpregnancy. The next week the child
was delivered prematurely and died the next day.
How would Christi handle such devastation? Like a
Christian! She picked the funeral sermon passage
from I Samue112:22 quoting David after the death of
his infant son, "/ shall go to him, but he will not
return to me.:' It was a sad day, a day of weeping,
but not as Paul says like "those that have no hope. II
I Corinthians 6:9-11 is a passage of Scripture that I
always use in counselling unwed mothers. It states
the bad news for sinners in unmistakeable terms.
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived;
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God." This
passage speaks directly to the deceptive nature of
The Counsel of Chalcedon October 1990 Page 17
our hearts because we can . be easily fooled into
thinking that there is no for breaking God's
law. Paul certainly has in mihd the Lord's verdict
on the heart; is found in Jeremiah 17:9, "The
heqrt is deceitfUl above all things, . and desperately
wicked: who can know it?" But Paul does not point
us to depression and misery_ without giving us the
only remedy for our sins. This is the hope of the
Gospel. There is good news for those who repent
and tum to Christ Verse 11 says, "And S_l,f.Ch were
some of you; but you were washed, but you were
sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the
Lord jesus Christ, cmd in the Spirit of our God."
Christi now sees more clearly that Jesus does give
to " Jreak the power of and
the pnsone free." .. Jesus Chnst IS GOd,
humanism l as only doorknobs .
. }>erhaps in reading this letter sonte of you are
wondering about those friends of yours who have
: seemingly been helped by self-help organizations
like AA. Should we deny that they have been in
some way greatly relieved of a serious problem?
No. Humanism is a religion which seeks to help its
adherents in ways that are consistent with its
foundational principles. In some cases it defmitely
helps its followers to cope with problems. Should
we deny that they.have been delivered from bondage
to. sin? Yes. Should we continue to exhort them to
repent arid trust Christ? By all means.
As long as modem humanistic psychology remains
on the scene offering false hope through reclassifi-
cation, its adherents will fare no better that . King
Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:2S) in his pretense to
greatness through autonomy. Thank you for
s1,1pporting us in our efforts to see Biblical solutions
to today's problems. Repentance and faith in Christ
and not reclassification and false hope are the goals
for which we strive.
The North Georgia Reformation Center, oj)ened _in
1984, houses and counsels unwed mothers and
provides them with a life alternativeto abortion. If
you would like to contact this ministry you may do '
&o through the followi11g: . :
Providing Distinctly Christian And Bi.lblical
Ministries of Compassion And Education
Robert J. Bailey
President
Rt. 1 Box 88,.0
Winder, GA. 30680
. (404) 8674754
:The Counsel of Chalcedon October 1990 Page 18
.;
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Introduction by Raymond P. Joseph
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