Some People Will Never Repent!
God calls all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). “For God so loved the WORLD, that He gave…” The Bible says the Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). To repent means to have a change of mind and heart. It means to renounce the "old man" of the flesh and embrace the "new man" of the Spirit. Repentance leads to life and true joy.
But in spite of God's clear call, some people will never repent. We are called to sow the seeds of the gospel. Some seeds land on good ground; some seeds fall into stony places. Some seeds are devoured by fowls. Unfortunately, not every one is going to say "yes" to the Lordship of Christ.
Check this out. In the book of Revelations, the wrath of God is being poured out on a rebellious people. We see in chapter 9, verses 20-21, “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” Even after the pain and the plagues, they still would not repent!
We find another graphic example in chapter 16, verses 9-11, “And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” That's amazing, and sad.
One key point in my new book, The Spiritual Awakening of America, is God uses pain to get our attention. Our glorified Lord said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent” (Rev. 3:19). In love, he rebukes us. If you’re a parent, you know what that means. “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15). Pain is his way of preparing us for revival.
The psalmist said, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” And “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.” See Psalm 119:71,75. I firmly believe the current painful situation we’re now facing in America is God’s call to repentance and our preparation of revival, but not everyone will heed God's call. Some may witness this pandemic, and the famines, and the plagues of locust as manifestations of divine anger (2 Chronicles 7:13), but still not humble themselves, and pray, and seek God's face and turn from their wicked ways (2 Chronicles 7:14).
In light of the fact that some people will never repent, will never submit to the Lordship of Christ, will never willingly confess Jesus is Lord, let me offer three “quick” takeaways. No pun intended.
First of all, God will not override our free will. In spite of overwhelming evidence in the power and sovereignty of Yahweh, some will still refuse to acknowledge their lost condition and their need for a spiritual awakening. In spite of knowing God is behind the pain, and that pain is His call to repentance, these folks go headlong into their sin and rebellion. Revelations tells us they will blaspheme the name of God, the selfsame God who has power over their plagues!
God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), but He will not overrule the will of the person who is determined to not repent and change their ways. We all have free will. We have the power to be for the Lord or against him, see Matt. 12:30. Joshua called the people of his day to make a decision for the Lord one way or the other. “If it seems evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose today whom you will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh” (Joshua 24:15). God calls us all to repent, but He doesn’t not run roughshod over the will of a man or woman. Unfortunately, some people will refuse his call.
Secondly, the fact that some will never repent should saddened us but not surprise us. Jesus said wide is the gate and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in by it. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it (Matt. 7:13-14). Our Lord tells us plainly that many are on the broad way, but few are on the narrow way. MANY vs. FEW. A lot vs. Not so many. So, I think it’s fair to say MOST are not following the way, the truth and the life. Most people have decided to not fear the Lord, Proverbs 1:29.
Believers are commanded to work the fields, but we’re not issued rose colored glasses. We’re called to have compassion on some, making a distinction, and some save, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh (Jude 22,23). Yet we go forth realizing MOST will be lost. Some seed falls by the roadside. But praise God, some seed falls on good ground! Therefore, “let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don’t give up” (Galatians 6:9)!
Finally, since some will never repent, if you’re waiting on someone else to repent before you do, you may wait too late! The person you’re waiting on to get right with God - before you do the same - may never repent! Your spouse, your child, your parent, your best friend, your cousin, your lover - may NEVER repent. So, if you’re waiting on them, that opportunity may not present itself. I’m reminded of the old song: “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, oh Lord. Standing in the need of prayer. Not my father, not my mother. But it’s me, oh Lord. Standing in the need of prayer.” Some places we must all go single file. Genuine spirituality is an individual matter. It's something only you can decide for yourself.
It's dangerous to delay your decision all because someone else is delaying theirs. This thing is too serious for you to wait on someone else to get their affairs in order with the LORD before you get your affairs in order with the LORD! Those dear ones won’t be around when you’re standing by yourself before the throne of heaven. The excuse - “I was waiting on so-and-so to repent” - is not going to cut it on the day of reckoning!
If the Holy Spirit is tugging at your heart, please don’t delay your response until someone else senses their tug from God. They may resist that still, small voice. And where will that leave you? Jesus said, "The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don't know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). The Spirit of God dances and flows in a manner that's beyond our full comprehension. Yet the Bible says in Hebrews 3:15, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” God may not call you to repentance at the same time and in the same manner that He may call another lost soul. Therefore, we must not harden our heart and wait for another to respond before we respond. That's dangerous, because some people will never repent. “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
Grace, Peace and Jahspeed!
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