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Sunday, January 16, 2022

Bible Study with the Cincotti's - Repentance - 01/16/2022


 Today's Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti. 01/16/2022

Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: Repentance Podcast


Repentance

 

Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet,     but is completely clean; and you are clean…” Jn. 13:10

 

Interestingly, the first mention of foot washing in the Bible is all the way back in Gen. 18:4 where Abraham, startled by three unexpected visitors, quickly offers to serve them by washing Their feet and preparing a meal. In our above passage, One of those visitors would wash the disciples feet hours before His passion.

 

Feet washing was a common practice among Bedouin’s who wore sandals as they traveled across a dusty landscape. It was typically done by a servant, or the lowliest member of a household, or at the very least water was provided that one may wash their own feet.

 

In Lk. 7:44 Jesus rebukes a Pharisee named Simon by pointing out, “you gave Me no water tor My feet…”

 

Note: It is important to say that, with the exception of some     Orthodox communities, feet washing in not invoked as an        ordinance of the Church.

 

So, what does this have to do with repentance?

         Much I think. Jesus never wastes a teachable moment by         simply performing nice rituals.

 

Recalling the Jn. 13 passage, Jesus engages with Peter who first who proclaims, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus responds, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

                  So we know that Jesus is not talking about hygiene

Peter continues, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

                                    Peter still doesn’t get it.

Our first act of repentance is in turning to Christ. This is an act of God. Notice how Jesus says, in Jn. 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you”. “By grace...not of yourselves” Eph. 2:8 That's the bath!


Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus imperative was consistently  “repent”

         Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Mt. 4:17

         Repent, and believe the gospel” Mk. 1:15

         I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will likewise perish.”                                                                                   Lk. 13:5

         “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” Jn. 5:14

         “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more: Jn. 8:11

         I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to                                 repentance.” Mt. 9:13

So we see that repentance is an act of faith by turning to Jesus for the remission of sins; see Acts. 2:38, 10:43; Heb. 10:18

 

But we also understand that repentance is an ongoing imperative;

                             a lifestyle so to speak!

Paul says, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on…” Phil. 3:12-15

That word is “dioko” meaning: to pursue, follow, press forward.

The Greek word for repent is: “metanoeo”.

Notice, the word change, from II Cor. 3:18 is “metamorphoo”

This change is both a process and a pursuit that we engage in.

We, as believers should always have a sense, in our understanding of self, of what we need to change, or repent of. God is always bringing us in deeper, and as we glimpse His holiness we are, and should be shocked and humbled by the comparison.

J. I Packer: “Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged.”

---------------------------Join  Us for another Study Next week---------------------------------------

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