Obedience- the key to Repentence By Dr. Royce Mitchell

What is the standard that God put into place for mankind to be saved? That seems a very important question since without that salvation we are all walking dead men. If you turn on your television on Sunday mornings you will hear that all you have to do is to accept Jesus as your savior and live a good life to be saved. Their idea of being saved is that when you die you go to heaven. Satan has indeed, as it says in Rev. 12:9, deceived the whole world.

To begin with, bible scholars know that heaven is promised to nobody. Jesus Himself is quoted as saying in John 3:13 that NO man has ascended to heaven. This includes the man after God’s own heart, David King of Israel.

But, misunderstanding the gift and rewards of God does not influence our salvation. The ideas that one can just say that Jesus is one’s Savior, and the vague notion of being good, are far more insidious, and dangerous to anyone who accepts this satanic “salvational” dogma.

Lip service is often given to the idea of repentance but is usually defined to be generating some “sorrow” for having not done good in our lives. But, is that what God says to us through His Word?

A young man approached Jesus when He walked the earth in human form. He asked Jesus what he had to do to receive eternal life. Jesus did not correct him to remind him that he had an immortal soul, yet another deception found promoted from the Sunday morning pulpits. Instead, Jesus pointed him back to the Commandments of God. We find His answer in Mar 10:19: You know the
commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother. Those commandments are found in Exodus 20

Jesus also did NOT tell the young man that He was going to nail those commandments to the cross of His sacrifice. Yet, when we discuss the test commandment, keeping God’s Sabbaths, the answer is always that those commandments were nailed to the cross, citing Col 2:13-14: And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.

It is astounding to me that people can read those scriptures and not see the contradiction between what Jesus told the young man and what Paul wrote to the Corianthians, and the dogma that proclaims that God’s Commandments were nailed to the Cross by Jesus.

Moreover, it stakes that claim on the idea that the commandments were ordinances that are against us. However, Paul puts that statement to the lie also. We read this in Rom 7:7: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Let it not be said! But I did not know sin except through the law. For also I did not know lust except the law said, You shall not lust.

Anyone who actually reads their bible knows that Paul is referring to the commandment against lust in Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

Coveting is defined in Webster’s dictionary as “To desire or wish for, with eagerness; to desire earnestly to obtain or possess.” Lust is defined in Webster’s as “Longing desire; eagerness to possess or enjoy.” Lust and covet mean the same thing. When Paul talks about lust he is talking about the command found in Exo 20:17! He is pointing back to God’s Commandments!

Returning to Rom 7:7, Paul is saying that the Law is not sin. Instead, he explains that he would not have known what sin was except by the law. Then gives the example that points us back to God’s Commandments!

Some seeking to excuse their failure to follow the Commandments of God will state that they keep the Royal Law, claiming that they need merely to love God and their fellow man. But, does that excuse their failure? James, the brother of Jesus, proclaims otherwise. We find in Jas 2:8-12 the following: If you fulfill the royal Law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor
as yourself,” you do well. But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin and are convicted by the Law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” But if you do not commit adultery, yet if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the Law. So speak and do as those who shall be judged by the Law of liberty.

James is telling us that the Royal Law of love pertains to keeping the Commandments of God as found in Exo 20! James cites the commandments related to adultery and murder as part of that Royal Law. It is clear that those who claim the Royal Law as exempting them from God’s Commandments are not reading their bibles except to justify their sin. Let’s make no mistake about it, they are justifying sin!

The Apostle who leaned on Jesus at His last supper had this to say about sin in 1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. John also refers us all back to God’s Commandments! He tells us that breaking or transgressing that Law IS sin. If we are going to repent, then we had better know of what we are repenting, shouldn’t we?

We will return to this idea of repentance shortly. First, though, the thinking bible student might ask him or herself why anyone would be making the false claims that the law is done away, nailed to the cross or for some reason no longer applicable. None them would claim that dishonoring one’s parents, murder, theft, lying or improper lust are acceptable to God. Likewise, none of them would claim that having idols or taking God’s Name in vain are acceptable. What element of those Commandments leads others to claim the demise of the requirement to keep them?

There is only one of the Commandments that people specifically object to; it is the Commandment to keep the Sabbath Day holy. And, yet, we find it is that very Commandment that indicates who are God’s people. Notice what we find in Exo 31:13: Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. Keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Anyone who profanes it must surely be put to death. Whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from among his people.

The Sabbath is a sign that we know who God is. I’ve heard the response to that in that past. It goes like this, “That only pertained to the Israelites.” That’s true! But, also notice this. Paul wrote something of vast importance to the Gentiles in Rome that we would do well to understand.

In Rom 11:1, Paul asks whether Israel has been cast away. He goes on to state that he is trying to stir up the Gentile brethren to emulate Israel in vs 14. However, to really drive home the point, Paul goes on to state that the casting away of the Israelites was for the purpose of including the Gentiles in God’s plan, vs 15. He compares Israel to an olive plant whose roots are in Christ, who alone, of all the humans who have ever lived, can be called holy. Paul states that the firstfruits are holy, and in another place that Christ IS the firstfruit.

However, notice what Paul goes on to tell the brethren in Rome. Rom 11:17-21 And if some of the branches (Israel) be broken off, and thou (Gentiles), being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

We should not overlook the importance of what Paul is saying. He is saying that Gentiles MUST become part of Israel to be a part of Christ. Becoming part of Israel, and Christ’s, necessarily means doing what He commanded. As we have already seen, Christ’s command was to keep the Commandments—and those commandments include keeping the Sabbath holy! It is clear then that those who follow Christ must keep God’s Commandments. Those refusing to keep God’s Commandments are not following Jesus, at least not the Jesus sent by God to be our Savior. They are following a false Jesus promulgated by Satan whose sole desire is to kill the potential children of God.

We return to repentance now that we understand of what we are to repent, that is to say, sin—the breaking of the Commandments of God. As previously mentioned, repentance is not some emotion generated without knowledge of what constitutes sin. John the Baptist gives us a glimpse into what repentance actually is. We read in Mat 3:7-8, But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance…

Repentance requires fruit. The fruit of repentance is a changed mind! Indeed, the word repent is from a Greek word that means to have a change of mind or direction. While personal sorrow for sinning against God who has given us life is certainly a part of repentance, standing alone it is worthless. Repentance must be accompanied by a change of mind toward obeying God, and a change of direction toward keeping God’s Commandments. As John ordered the Pharisees, to show God our repentant attitude we must DO something! That thing we must do to show repentance is to quit sinning.

The conclusion is clear. God’s Commandments are still in force today. Those Commandments define sin for us. Breaking even one Commandment is sin against God and brings with it the death penalty God warned Adam and Eve about in the Garden. But, God sent us His only begotten Son who would present Himself as the Lamb to be sacrificed once and for all time for our sins. He commands all men to repent, and that means to seek the redeeming sacrifice, and to stop sinning. It means to obey
the simple Commandments God gave us and stay on His path toward God’s Kingdom.

The next step is up to us. God will not force us to repent and obey. He will allow us to choose the death penalty that we have earned. It is past time to make our choice and claim the incredible blessings God has for us.

This article appeared in the Sep/Oct 2024 edition of The Sabbath Sentinel and can be viewed at https://biblesabbath.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/SabbSent0924_Proof.pdf

To learn more about The Bible Sabbath Association visit https://biblesabbath.org/