Weekly Bible Study with Dr. Hardiman

COMMAND 2 REPENT (LESSON 2 PART 1) Jesus' first command of his public ministry was repent. Repent has to do with an internal change of the heart (really our minds where we do our thinking). It is not sorrow for our sins or mere self improvement. Repent comes from the Greek word metanoeo. Noeo refers to the mind concerning its thoughts, perception of things, attitude towards things and our purpose for doing things. It also includes our motivation behind our thoughts. The prefix meta means a movement or change. Therefore repent means a change in our mind. Read Romans 12:2. Write it down and memorize it Looking back on Lesson 1, this change is brought to us by the Spirit as He washes our hearts turning them from stone and making them hearts of flesh. Our hearts are alive to God and no longer dead. The deeds we do from an uncircumcised heart or unwashed heart mean nothing to God because the motivation and the source will be wrong. Read Lk3:8 and LK3:11. These verses talk about a new behavior. It says bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Read JN15:5-8. Here Jesus says that He is the vine and we are the branches. Without the vine working and feeding us thru the Word the branches do not bear fruit. When we do bear fruit, it is actually God working thru us that brings forth the fruit. His fruit for His glory. We are to be the submissive conduits with no life power to do it outside of the vine. Repentance is not the new deeds it is about the inward change of heart that leads to submissive behavior and obedience toward God. He says in John 15:9 that he who loves me, obeys me and will bear fruit. His spirit and word tell us what to do. Repentance is Jesus demanding that we experience this inward change. When the love for God grows in us we will obey Him more and more and with that He imparts to us His love that gives us a greater capacity to love others. Read 1Jn 2:3. By obeying God and keeping His 2 great commandments Jesus says He will give us joy in our lives (JN 15:11) Next lesson about sin and the battle within us.