Daily Bible Nugget #82, Luke 13:3

The Nugget:

Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

My Comment:

Some would argue that since repentance is not mentioned in the Gospel of John that repentance is not necessary for salvation. This reflects mistaken reasoning. All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:15-17), so what Luke records Jesus as saying is surely part of the Gospel. Repentance involves a change of mind and direction of life, and without that, one surely is not saved. There are some who follow a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate, where instead of “repentance” that translation reads “do penance.” That is a mistaken translation, and a very misleading translation. In the first place, it is the Greek text which is Divinely inspired, the Latin text is merely a translation, sometimes even a translation of a translation. Some flawed thinkers in the “Hebrew Roots” movement think the Greek is not inspired, supposing the New Testament to have been originally written in Aramaic. That would mean, if they were right, that the New Testament in Greek is a translation of a lost Aramaic original. Those who have studied Greek enough realize that New Testament Greek is not “translation Greek.” We can tell that because the figures of speech (especially the presence of the Figure called Paronomasia) and the grammar demonstrate that the original language of all parts of the New Testament was Greek. But getting back to the mistaken idea of “doing penance.” If you track with a concordance the places where the Greek term for repentance occurs, and try inserting “penance” in its place, there appear a number of texts that are reduced to absurdities (try Matthew 11:20, 21 on for size), so this cannot possibly be correct. Also, penance is a “work,” and we are saved apart from works by faith alone. True faith results in genuine good works wrought by the Holy Spirit called the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24). Faith precedes works; works verify in man’s eye the possession of faith. In this Bible memory verse plan of salvation text, Jesus clearly commands us to repent, warning that if we do not repent, we will perish. Perish does not mean to experience annihilation. The underlying Greek word is never used with this sense in the New Testament in connection with one’s eternal destiny.

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1135 for Luke 13:3.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 1156-1157 or in Logos 5 Bible software for Luke 13:3.

(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:

Luke 13:3. I tell you. Lk 17:34. Dt 8:19. Ezk 3:18. Nay. Despite this direct denial by our Lord, many still wrongly suppose that sickness and misfortune always result from God’s punishment of personal sin, a belief nowhere supported by the teaching of Scripture, confounding as it does misfortune and sickness with God’s chastening of his children or sons (He 12:5, etc.). Nu +**32:23. Jb +*9:22n. Jn **9:3. I tell. FS8, Ps +118:1. except. FS184C, Mt +4:9. Je 18:8. Jn 3:5. 6:53. ye repent. T#606. ver. 5. Lk +5:32. 15:7, 10. 16:30. 24:47. Nu 29:7. 2 Ch +**7:14 (T#607). Je 25:5. +35:15. Ezk 14:6. *18:30. Mt 3:1, +2, 10-12. 4:17. 11:20. Mk +*1:15. 6:12. Jn 8:11. Ac *2:38-40. +*3:19 (T#601). 5:31. *8:22. **11:18. **17:30. *20:21. 26:20. 1 T 1:13-16. 2 T 2:25, 26. Ja +4:10 (T#357). 2 P +**3:9. Re *2:5, 21, 22. 16:9. ye shall. Note.—There is a primary reference to the approaching terrific desolation at the siege of Jerusalem, as appears from the parable following, ver. 6, etc. (De Burgh, p. 194). ver. 23, 24. Lk 19:42-44. 21:22-24. 23:28-30. Ezk 33:14. Mt 12:45. 22:7. 23:35-38. 24:21-29. perish. Gr. apollumi, Mt +2:13. Dt 8:19. Ps +*37:20. Mt +**10:28n. Ac 5:37.