What is that whole counsel of God? If Paul says, I have been hesitated to give it to you, what is it?
solemnly [and wholeheartedly] testifying to both Jews and Greeks, urging them to turn in repentance to God and [to have] faith in our Lord Jesus Christ [for salvation]
Acts 20:21
Testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.
The very first two elements of the whole counsel of God are found in this verse, repentance toward God, faith toward God. The word repent means to turn around and you go back. So, returning to God through repentance means turn around, not a 360, because you’re going to end up right back where you were, but you’re going to do a 180 from this or that which you have been doing wrong from what God wants you to do.
Our repentance is to return to. It’s not to feel sorry or sad. It’s not to feel sorry that you got caught. It’s not to feel sorry because you’re overwhelmed with shame or guilt. It means to drop it and turn and repent back to God. Turn back to God. That is an important part of our walk with the Savior because we tend to just cry out to God, because we do all the stupidest stuff in the world.
And we tend to just cry out, oh, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me. Oh, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, and this just gives you a momentary feel good. But overall you haven’t repented it at all. Repent means drop it. Drop it and turn. And once you drop it and you turn, He will give you the grace to keep going in the direction you need to go.
Repentance toward God is the first element in the whole Counsel of God. The second is here as well. It tells us very clearly in the same verse that faith and faith toward our Lord Jesus. The emphasis here is on the word Lord.
Do you know what the word Lord means? In every language of the world, the word Lord means the same thing. It means boss. When we make Jesus Christ, Lord, we make Him boss. We allow Him to call the shots, and allow Him to be in charge, leading our lives. We submit to that willingly. So, we are continually going back to God, because we’re continually blowing it. But all we’re doing is going back, being refreshed, renewed, and we’re given the grace to keep going. We are putting our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in Him and what He has already done.
Grace is a work already given, freely given, and we can embrace what He’s already done, and we can believe it and walk in it and receive it. We just need to yield to that. So, the first two elements of the whole counsel of God are found in just one verse. Verse 21, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.