John Gill (1697-1771)
SIN, SINNERS, AND REPENTANCE
John Gill (1697-1771) T HE OBJECT OF REPENTANCE IS SIN. Hence, [it is] called "repentance from dead works" (Heb 6:1), which sins be. From [this] the blood of Christ purges the conscience of a penitent sinner and speaks peace and pardon to it (Heb 9:14). And,
(1) First, not only grosser sins, but also sins of a lesser size are to be repented of. There is a difference in sins. Some are greater, others lesser (Joh 19:11). Both are to be repented of. Sins against the first and second tables of the Law, sins more immediately against God, and sins against men—some against men are more heinous1 and enormous than others, as well as those against God, [such as] worshipping devils and idols of gold and silver, etc., but murders, sorceries, fornications, and thefts…And not only those, but also sins of a lesser kind are to be repented of: even sinful thoughts, for "the thought of foolishness is sin" (Pro 24:9)…The unrighteous man is to repent of and forsake his thoughts, as well as the wicked man his ways, and turn to the Lord. Not only unclean, proud, malicious, envious, and revengeful thoughts are to be repented of, but even thoughts of seeking for justification2 before God by a man's own righteousness, which may be intended in the text referred to (Isa 55:7).
(2) Secondly, not only public, but private sins are to be repented of. Some sins are committed in a very public manner, in the face of the sun, and are known to all. Others are more secret. A truly sensible sinner3…heartily repents of them, even sins known to none but God and his own soul. This is a proof of the genuineness of his repentance.
(3) Thirdly, there are sins of both omission and commission, which are to be repented of. When a man omits those duties of religion that ought to be done or commits those sins that ought to be avoided by him; or [if he] omits the weightier matters of religion and only attends to lesser ones, when he ought to have done the one and not to have left the other undone (Mat 23:23); and as God
1 heinous – extremely wicked.
2 justification – Justification is an act of God's free grace, wherein He pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone. (Spurgeon's Catechism Q. 32)
3 sensible – awakened; aware intellectually or emotionally; conscious.
The Object and Subjects of Repentance
forgives both (Isa 43:22-25), [then] both sorts of sins are to be repented of. A sense of pardoning grace will engage the sensible sinner to it.
(4) Fourthly, there are sins that are committed in the most solemn, serious, religious, and holy performances of God's people, which are to be repented of. There is not a just man that does good and sinneth not in that good he does. There is not only an imperfection, but an impurity in the best righteousness of the saints of their own working out and [are] therefore called "filthy rags" (Isa
64:6)… (5) Fifthly, the daily sins of life are to be repented of. No man lives without sin. It is daily committed by the best of men. In many things, we all offend, even in all things. As we have need to pray and are directed to pray daily for the forgiveness of sin, so we are to repent of it daily…It is continually to be exercised by believers, since they are continually sinning against God in thought, word, and deed.
(6) Sixthly, not only actual sins and transgressions in thought, word, and deed are to be repented of, but original4 and indwelling sin. Thus, David, when he fell into some grievous sins and was brought to a true sense of and a sincere repentance for them, not only made a confession of them in the penitential psalm he wrote on that occasion, but he was led to take notice of, acknowledge, and mourn over the original corruption of his nature. From [this] all his sinful actions flowed: "Behold I was shapen in iniquity"
(Psa 51:5)…Now when a sensible5 sinner confesses, laments, and mourns over the original corruption of his nature and the sin that dwells in him, it is a clear case his repentance is genuine and sincere…
SECONDLY, THE SUBJECTS OF REPENTANCE ARE SINNERS AND
ONLY SUCH. Adam, in a state of innocence, was not a subject of repentance. Having not sinned, he had no sin to repent of. Such, who fancy themselves to be perfectly righteous and without sin in their own apprehensions, stand in no need of repentance. Therefore, Christ says, "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mat 9:13; Luk 15:7). Now,
4 original sin – The sinfulness of that estate wherein man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the [lack] of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called Original Sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. (Spurgeon's Catechism Q. 17, available from
CHAPEL LIBRARY)
5 sensible – awakened; aware intellectually or emotionally; conscious.
The Object and Subjects of Repentance
(1) All men are sinners, all descending from Adam by ordinary generation. All his posterity being seminally6 in him and represented by him when he sinned, sinned in him. They have both his sin imputed to them and a corrupt nature derived from him.
[Thus, they] are transgressors from the womb and are all guilty of actual sins and transgressions. So all stand in need of repentance, even such who trust in themselves that they are righteous and despise others as less holy than themselves. [These] think they need no repentance, yet they do. And not only they, but such who are in the best sense righteous need daily repentance, since they are continually sinning in all they do.
(2) Men of all nations, Jews and Gentiles, are the subjects of repentance. All are under sin, under the power of it, involved in the guilt of it, and liable to punishment for it. God has commanded
"all men everywhere to repent" (Act 17:30)! During the time of John the Baptist and of our Lord's being on earth, the doctrine of repentance was only preached to the Jews. But after the resurrection of Christ, He gave His Apostles an instruction and order "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luk 24:47). In consequence of [this], the Apostles first exhorted the Jews and then the Gentiles to repent. And particularly, the Apostle Paul "testified both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance towards God," as well as "faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ" (Act 20:21).
(3) Men are only subjects of repentance in the present life.
When this life is ended, the gospel dispensation is over, and Christ is come a second time, the door of repentance as well as of faith will be shut. There will be no place found for it, no opportunity, no means of it, nor any subjects capable of it. As for the saints in heaven, they need it not, being entirely without sin. As for the wicked in hell, they are in utter despair and not capable of repentance unto life…though there is weeping and wailing there, yet no repentance. Hence, the rich man in hell was so [anxious] to have
Lazarus sent to his brethren living, hoping that by means of one that came to them from the dead to warn them of the place of torment, they would repent (Luk 16:19-31). [He knew] they never would, if not in the present life, before they came into the place where he was. Therefore, repentance is not to be procrastinated.7
From A Complete Body of Doctrinal Divinity Deduced from Sacred Scripture, The Baptist Standard Bearer, www.standardbearer.org.
6 seminally – in seed form, i.e., all people came by natural reproduction from Adam.
7 procrastinated – postponed; needlessly delayed.