starting from the Beginning Bible Word Studies
Bible Students
"Come Let Us Reason Together"
Since repentance was the first thing that both John the Baptist and Jesus said when they started their ministries, we have chosen this same word to show you how to do a word study.
Each verse that has the word 'repent' or 'repentance' will be shown FIRST like the following example - Acts 17:30 (16-34). The context, or full puzzle piece, is shown within the parentheses like the following example - Acts 17:30 (16-34). One cannot read just the verse to get to the truth, but must read the verse in light of its full context.
Next, we suggest that you write the verse exactly as shown in the Bible in the space provided and if there are a few facts that you might pick up, you can make a note of, but be careful to be as accurate as a reporter who is covering a news story and does not try to be prejudiced or prejudge. To put it another way, it's best to be open-minded to God, so we might learn what is in His heart and mind.
How to investigate
The word repentance comes from two Greek words combined together or called a compound word.
They are meta which is to change and nous the mind. So you'll be reading about the first thing God requires us to do and that is to change our mind.
This is the study of only one Greek word, and you'll be comparing apples with apples so to speak.
Like a reporter who is investigating a story, we can ask similar questions while we are reading through the Bible learning about this subject matter concerning repentance.
We will provide a sample of this using the first time this word repentance is used in the Stegenga Concordance so you can have an understanding how this is done.
- Who is this context about?
- Who is speaking in verse 30?
- Who were listening to him speak?
- What was Paul doing?
- What is the main message?
- What is the reason for repentance in this context?
You can download a copy of this first section of repentance to your computer, then if you would like, tell me what you came up with. You can email your sheet to me with your conclusions: [email protected].
There is much more going on in the Greek than we care to bring out at this time, but as we go along, you'll see how exact this is and all the facts that you can get out are amazing!
There will be more pages coming, but we'll do them one at a time for now.
Please notice every place you see imper. (in red), that the word is in the imperative mood, meaning that it is a command. And if you believe that God is speaking to you in that particular instance, you, my friend, are commanded to repent.
Hearing & Acting on Jesus' Words is like building a house
In Luke 6:46-48 Jesus makes the following statement - "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
First foundation principle is repentance!
Repentance or changing our mind is the first principle of Jesus that we can learn about and put into practice.
This would be the first foundation stone we lay upon The Rock, who is Jesus.
