Articles
Unless You Repent You Will Perish - Luke 13:3
Unless You Repent You Will Perish - Luke 13:3
Notice the importance of the words in this statement..
REPENT – the universal demand of God unto sinners. Such was the constant message of the prophets to Israel. Such was the message of John the Baptist (Mark 1:5), Paul (Acts 17:30), Peter (Acts 2:38; 2Peter 3:9), and Jesus. We see Jesus demanding it here in Luke, but this was the basic demand of his preaching: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15). Such was the basic message to the seven churches in Revelation (2:5, 16, 22; 3:3, 19).
Repentance involves a changing of our mind, in this case about our sinful life that leads to a change of our activities and lifestyle. One of the best examples to show us what repentance looks like is 2 Cor. 7:9-11. There Paul states: “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter” (2 Corinthians 7:10-11).
UNLESS – so this is translated in the ESV, NASB95, NIV, NRSV, etc. The King James used ‘except’. All have sinned, all will perish – EXCEPT and UNLESS. Have you sinned? Then you will perish – UNLESS and EXCEPT you repent.
PERISH – not annihilated, but suffer ruin. We were created to live with God, but sin will cause us to be separated from Him. He will not dwell in the presence of sin and sinners (Ps. 5: ). Those who persist in such will NOT inherit the kingdom of God (1Cor. 6:19-20, Gal. 5:19-20). Those who have not repented of their sins will be denied the privilege of living in the presence of God (Matt. 25: ).
YOU – means you! YOU have sinned. YOU will stand in judgment. YOU will answer for your deeds. YOU will either stand FORGIVEN in Christ or condemned. Such simply applies unto ALL PEOPLE INDIVIDUALLY.
Which will it be for YOU? Repentance and heaven or sin and hell?
Hugh DeLong
