Repentance Is God's Gift

"Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth." - Jeremiah 31:18-19

    The elect are the ones brought to repentance by the Spirit of regeneration. God is longsuffering toward the elect, unwilling that any of them should perish but that all of them should come to repentance. God decreed that all the elect should come to repentance. A mere change of mind is a repentance that needs to be repented of. Men cannot repent until they have been changed by God's grace. Men change their opinions, but God alone can change their whole personalities. God not only gives a new heart and a new spirit, but He also writes His laws in our minds and in our hearts (Heb. 8:10). Men can neither think themselves to nor be educated to repentance. Furthermore, no human can persuade a sinner to repent toward God. God first turns an individual by grace in order that he can in turn repent: "Surely after that I was turned, I repented" (Jer. 31:19). Repentance is God's gift: "God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life" (Acts 11:18).

    Persons who do not fear God have never repented. The unrepentant are described as having no fear of God: "There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Rom. 3:18). There is fear of man and fear of God. There is a certain amount of fear by man of other men, but "the fear of man bringeth a snare" (Prov. 29:25). On the other hand, God said, "I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me" (Jer. 32:40). The one who fears God has nothing else to fear. On the other hand, the one who fears not God has much to fear. He is the hopeless victim of every fear and is therefore a coward. Bravery is natural, not spiritual. There is a difference between natural courage and spiritual or holy boldness.Therefore, the fear of God makes the Christian brave and victorious in what appears to men to be defeat.