All people have sinned and broken God's law. None of us are good (Rom. 3:10). And as a result of our sin, God commands us to repent. But what does repentance look like? In this booklet, Dr. R.C. Sproul looks at several people in the Bible and how they give us a model of repentance. Dr. Sproul explains that true repentance is not simply a religious ritual or the resolve to do better next time. Rather, it's a spiritual conversion in which we turn from our sin and to God in faith. The Crucial Questions booklet series by Dr. R.C. Sproul offers succinct answers to important questions often asked by Christians and thoughtful inquirers.
A Study Guide and a Teacher’s Manual Gospel Principles was written both as a personal study guide and as a teacher’s manual. As you study it, seeking the Spirit of the Lord, you can grow in your understanding and testimony of God the Father, Jesus Christand His Atonement, and the Restoration of the gospel. You can find answers to life’s questions, gain an assurance of your purpose and self-worth, and face personal and family challenges with faith.
“Hilarious, honest, and full of the hard-won wisdom...At its core is this truth: real change only happens when we realize God loves us whether we change or not.” —Susan E. Isaacs, author of Angry Conversations With God From a popular pastor and radio host—Three Free Sins teaches that the only people who make any progress toward being better are those who know that God will still love them, regardless of how good they are. This book is about the misguided obsession with the management of sin that cripples too many Christians. It’s about the view that religion is all about sin…about how to hide side sin or how to stop sinning all together. In the Introduction, the author toys good-naturedly with an agitated caller on his radio program, teasing him in a segment where he offers three free sins. The offer is real. Not that Steve has the power to forgive sins, but he wants to make the point that Jesus has made the offer to cover all of our sins – not just three. Chapter one, titled “Teaching Frogs to Fly,” is even better. The gist of this chapter is that you can’t teach frogs to fly, just like you can’t teach people not to sin. Steve tells a story about a guy who has a frog, and he’s convinced he can teach the frog how to fly. The man keeps throwing the frog up in the air or up against walls – all to the poor frog’s demise. The message is that even though people can be better, they can never not sin—just like a frog can never learn to fly, no matter how much pressure is put on it. Steve continues through the book to show readers that while they can never manage sin, they can relax in knowing that they are completely forgiven—not just of three, but of all.
Throughout the history of Christianity, great confusion has surrounded the condition for eternal life and the meaning of the term "repentance." Does it mean to do penance for one's sins? To feel sorrow or remorse for sin? To forsake all and follow Christ? To stop sinning or at least make a determination to sin less? Dr. Michael Cocoris writes with clarity in explaining the biblical meaning of this term as simply "a change of mind" or "a change of belief." This book offers a distinctively biblical approach to the subject of repentance. It surveys the words "repent" and "repentance" in the Bible as they are used by John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostles Peter, Paul, and John, and the writer of Hebrews. The key Greek and Hebrew terms are also explained. The result is a refreshing treatment of repentance that is based upon the authority of God's Word rather than human tradition.
Most people associate repentance with displays of emotion that signal regret. But the emotional responses of remorse, guilt, or regret are insufficient to produce behavioral change. In fact, those toxic emotions may lead to an even deeper sense of hopelessness, defeat, and despair without the restorative power of true repentance. Genuine repentance dispenses with any attempt to remove guilt through a show of emotion. When activated, it leaves in its powerful wake the fruit of a changed life blazing a trail toward true deliverance, freedom, and salvation. This is the life God desires for us a life waiting on the other side of a door called repentance.
“The contents of this volume consist largely of the Smyth Lectures delivered at Columbia Theological Seminary, 1941. Chapters III and VI have been completely rewritten and there has been some revision in each of the other four. The conclusions stated in these chapters have grown out of firsthand investigation of the materials lying in the twenty-seven ‘canonical books’ of the New Testament. The method pursued has been to study the New Testament directly, rather than to read what others say about it. It is an increasingly strong conviction with me that we as ministers have not done enough of this kind of study. Reference to the various theories of authorship, date, and provenance of the ‘books’ has been studiously avoided, for the simple reason that I wanted to examine the New Testament as a body of writings expressing the convictions and faith of the Early Church.” —From the Preface
Easton's Bible Dictionary is a classic book of definitions which serves to explain and clarify the meaning of the names, places, and words found in the Bible. Many Christians and scholars who read the Bible often remain unawares of the meanings or significance of the Holy Book's vocabulary. Such words are often derived from Ancient Hebrew or other old scripts, which makes it even more difficult for readers who only speak English to understand. Location names, in the context of ancient geography, are likewise hard to scrutinize - yet Easton's Dictionary not only explains what these places are, but their size and overall impact across the entire Bible. First published in 1893, this dictionary uses the authoritative King James Bible as its source. As well as containing definitions and accounts of the many terms found throughout the Old and New Testaments, Easton's Bible Dictionary points out the significance of certain things and exactly where mentions of such phenomena appear in the Bible. The presence and significance of iron, for example, is noted in the Books of Genesis, Chronicles, Ezekiel, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Job, Joshua, Kings and in the Psalms. Individuals in the Bible are also given biographical definitions. Through Easton's referencing of the names, we can discover the exact Bible passages where such figures are mentioned. Likewise we hear of terms relevant to the life of the ancient peoples; the term 'Levy' for instance is shown to equate to a form of involuntary recruitment which kings ordered. Words in frequent use today, such as 'Schism', are also shown to originate from the Bible. Other words we use today - such as 'Teeth', are shown to have been informal terms: 'cleanness of teeth' in Amos 4:6 denotes an outbreak of famine, for example. Many of the parables and tales of the Bible are retold in abbreviated form in Easton's Bible Dictionary. These retold anecdotes reference other relevant passages, further evidencing how the various portions of the Bible are interconnected and related to one another. Such a style also gives this unconventional dictionary a flowing quality, making it easier for the reader to enjoy large tracts of this text without pause. The ancient world of the Biblical canon is given life and color by Easton's descriptions. Primarily however, Easton's masterwork is designed for reference. Yet it not only defines the individual entries, but places these entries in their proper context throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Owing to this wealth of information, the reader may perceive that Easton's Dictionary is not merely a book of definitions, but an authoritative and significant work of classic Christian literature.
Born out of the experiences of hundreds of thousands of women who Raechel and Amanda have walked alongside as they walk with the Lord, She Reads Truth is the message that will help you understand the place of God's Word in your life.
