( Exodus 32:14 ) And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. He always keeps His Word. "For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not: So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not" (Zech 8:14,15). So, no, God does not repent. The debate begins, though, with the question of whether suicide is forgivable. And this too is consistent with His unchanging character. For spiritual assistance call: 1-877-746-3437 • [email protected], But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers onlyJames 1:22 (KJV), Does God repent? It’s the same word in Hebrew. All the Old Testament verses use the same Hebrew word, nacham, which Strongs defines: "a primitive root; properly, to sigh, i.e. If not, then why does the KJV display God responding by way of repenting? The King James version says, “And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart” (Genesis 6:6 also Exodus 32:14). And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. God repented because the people did, consistent with His merciful character, and in contrast to Jonah's. Yet Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, vigorously preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and told his audience to “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:2, 8). Whenever we think we see a contradiction in His Word, it is because we lack understanding. Answer: The word repentance in the Bible literally means “the act of changing one’s mind.” True biblical repentance goes beyond remorse, regret, or feeling bad about one’s sin. For the LORD will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants" (Psa 135:13,14). "God repented that He had made man; but we never find Him repenting that He redeemed man (though that was a work of much greater expense)" (Matthew Henry). The point of this verse seems to be that, even though there is a sense in which God does repent (verse 11), there is another sense in which he does not repent (verse 29). And again, this is consistent with His gracious and merciful character. This is why his demand for repentance is part of his central message that the kingdom of God is at hand. When God punished His people, He was grieved to see them suffering, as a father who chastises his son is grieved to see him suffer, even though he deserves it. In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result in a change of actions (Luke 3:8-14; Acts 3:19). But God’s “repentance” is not an acknowledgement of any failure. Our minds can't comprehend omnipotence, omniscience, foreknowledge, or eternity, so we can't fully comprehend God's repentance. He does repent. Question: "What does it mean to have reverence for God?" Seldom is a modern-day religious audience exhorted to repent. We could still choose to depart from God. "Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.… And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people" (exo 32:12,14). In verse seven, He even goes so far as stating, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”. Saul had made excuses and begged for leniency without really repenting, so God said his sentence was fixed; he was past the point of no return. Did Father change? According to some Scriptures (such as num.23:19; 1Sam.15:29), the answer is, "no, God does not repent." God put these words into Balaam's mouth, perhaps because Balak hoped Balaam could make God change His mind. He enjoys serving his church as a deacon and Sunday School teacher. Scripture examples of God repenting We can't follow our way and expect to twist God's arm to accommodate us, as Balak tried. Does not God know all things? like Jesus and the Apostles, we must preach the message of repentance as long as the opportunity remains. God later used Samuel to anoint a new king, David, whose lineage would produce the Messiah, Jesus. And if God grants that prayer, then they haven't. No one can repent unless God grants repentance. In justice God brought His people low when they sinned, but in mercy He delivered them when they repented. Question: "Does God change His mind?" All rights reserved. We must recognize our sin and repent to receive and enjoy God’s merciful forgiveness. If someone commits suicide, he/she has no opportunity to repent or confess. In context these verses refer to God's everlasting covenant with Israel. Scriptures stating that God does not repent He will not say to the faithful at the end of life, "I decided Jesus' blood is not good enough; you can't enter Heaven after all." Acts 26:20 declares, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God … And I say, "That's not it. God knew at Creation that man would fail, and He would have to destroy him. In Genesis 6, we learn that Noah’s obedience was rewarded as he was put into action. God’s His plan does not change even though the course may be altered in order to accomplish the final result. Judah and Jerusalem had refused God's call to repent, so He pronounced judgment on them and would not change His mind. He said so much in Psalms 110:4 , “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” We can rest assured that His eternal purposes will stand. When you repent, you see sin as evil and harmful. Background. Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil" (Jonah 3:9- 4:2). Another common question is “what happens if I commit a sin, but then forget about it and never remember to confess it to God?” Both of these questions rest on a faulty assumption. Repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation. The point of this verse seems to be that, even though there is a sense in which God does repent (verse 11), there is another sense in which he does not repent (verse 29). But they goof off and don't get done, so he changes his mind. Further, He purposed to bless them for their faithfulness (v21), a purpose He would not repent of as long as they were faithful (more on this later). We see in the above Scriptures that in several cases God refused to change His mind because man refused to change his mind, for judgment or for blessing. "Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting.… I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways" (Jer 15:6,7). Because of the Lord God’s awesome power and majesty, He is deserving of the highest level of reverence (Leviticus 19:30). Just a couple of questions I would like to discuss and possibly provide some clarity. If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I [God] will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. Our choice to leave God will forfeit His blessing and ultimately our salvation. God's repenting or not repenting is consistent with His unchanging character. 5 So, in reality, the Bible never says that God repents of doing evil, but, in fact, indicates that God does not repent. God doesn’t change his mind; he doesn’t repent. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright © 2021, Christianity.com. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17). When we think of “repentance,” we instantly connect it with asking for forgiveness of a sin. Because they would not repent, He would not repent. His rejection of Saul was consistent with what He had said earlier (1Sam 12:14,15). God brought consequences for David's sin, but repented and reduced the reaping because David repented (vv8,17).

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