What Is "Repentance to Life?"

[Darris McNeely] What may be keeping you from developing a relationship with God? I mean a real relationship. I mean a relationship where God is actually working in your life by His very essence, His spirit, His nature. You think that you may not be good enough, that you're putting it off. Well, that's a normal reaction.

In teaching the book of Acts currently with a group of our students at Ambassador Bible College, we've covered a section out of Acts 11 where the Apostle Peter is describing to his fellow countrymen, his fellow Jews, how it is that he baptized this Cornelius and his household and this group of Gentiles into the church and how they now are a part of the community, the fellowship of the Church of God, at that time. And Peter explains to them that God is working with them, and they were baptized, the fruits of their conversion, their changed life was there. But he makes a profound statement in Acts 11:18 when the assembled friends of Peter... Here is explanation and it says that when they heard these things, being the story of the baptism of Cornelius, they became silent and they glorified God saying, "Then God has granted to the Gentiles repentance to life." They could not deny the obvious. God had granted the Gentiles repentance to life. I love that phrase, repentance to life. But he says that God grants that.

What might be keeping you from beginning to really achieve the fullness of life, the potential that is yours with God's help? You think you're not good enough. We've all thought that. You think that there's something that's lacking. Yes, we've all thought that. And there is. What's lacking is God's spirit. But here's the step you can take. Do what the Scripture is saying. If God granted repentance, that's the key right there. God has to give us the repentance. Ask God to give you the repentance, the nature, the spirit, the attitude, where you recognize that you need God, you have the recognition that you should change, and you have the inner conviction that you must. God can give that to you. He can grant to you repentance. We can't work it up. No amount of study, no amount of our own efforts can work up the repentance that is described here, which is a repentance to life that begins that life. Ask God for repentance to life. He can grant that to you, but you have to ask. That is the key. That is the key to getting ourselves ready to receive the very nature of God through the Spirit of God, to begin a better life, a new life, a life with God working in us.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.