Repentance: The Fruit of Revival -- By: John Richard de Witt
Journal: Reformation and Revival
Volume: RAR 01:2 (Spring 1992)
Article: Repentance: The Fruit of Revival
Author: John Richard de Witt
RAR 1:2 (Spring 1992) p. 83
Repentance: The Fruit of Revival
From an academic point of view repentance is a familiar concept. It is one of the two parts of conversion. Conversion consists of repentance and faith. It is a turning from sin in heartfelt sorrow for one’s transgression against God and His law, and a turning to the Lord Jesus Christ in saving faith. Repentance thus pertains to the very heart of the application of the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ to sinners. No one can be a child of God without repentance.
I remember a haunting question put to me by an old man in my first congregation. Whenever I called on him he used to ask me, “What does one do if he feels no remorse, no sorrow at all for anything he has ever done?” This man knew that he should be sorry for his sins, but he found it impossible to humble himself before God and acknowledge his need of the Lord Jesus Christ. So far as I know, he met his Maker in that condition.
The Heidelberg Catechism asks early on in the course of that beautiful series of questions and answers: “How many things are necessary for thee to know, that thou...mayest live and die happily?”
The answer follows: “Three things: First, the greatness of my sin and misery. Second, how I am redeemed from all my sins and misery. Third, how I am to be thankful to God for such redemption.” Think of the first part of that answer: It is necessary for me to know how great are my sins and miseries. This means that all evangelical preaching, whether addressed to converted or unconverted persons, must deal with repentance. In times of revival, however, repentance figures prominently. It is not too much to say that repentance is a fundamental aspect of revival. When the church comes alive, through the movement of the Holy Spirit of God, repentance is a prominent feature of its life. A period of revival is a time of intensification of evangelical activities: the manner and content of preaching, praying, the operation of the Holy Spirit and repentance.
RAR 1:2 (Spring 1992) p. 84
Water on Dry Ground
Revival generally takes place on dry ground. Isaiah 44:3 says, “I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground.” In times of dryness and barrenness God’s people begin to become concerned about their own spiritual condition, and it is on such people, in such states, that the Lord powerfully pours forth His Holy Spirit.
One thinks of what took place in the Reformation period, the greatest time of both revival and reformation in all the history of the church. We know the condition of the church before the ministry of Martin Luther. Alexander VI, the Borgia...
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