Call to repentance I
Christian Religious Studies J.S.S1 Second Term
Sub-theme: Call to repentance
Week 2
Call to repentance I
Performance objectives:
Students should be able to:
- Identify the demand to repentance on John the Baptist.
- State and discuss some consequences of the lack of repentance.
Content
A. John the Baptist calls for repentance Luke3:1-14
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was the ruler of Galilee and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis.
During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the regions around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God’.
In verse 7-9 of the same chapter, it shows the manner of john’s preaching, it was bold, blunt and stark. And he called on them not to give lip repentance but show evidence in the way they live and dealings with people.
B. Consequence of lack of repentance 1Sam3:18, 4:10-21.
God is not happy with those who lack repentance. He punishes them for their refusal to repent. Hophni and Phinehas were two brothers, the sons of Eli- a prophet in Israel in charge of the house of God at Shiloh in the bible. It was recorded that they were so wicked that the men of Israel abhorred going to the tabernacle, because they were adulterers, fornicators, thieves, etc. God punished them for their lack of repentance of many evil they did in the sight of God, with a hardened heart and also other sins they committed on the altar of God.
Moral lesson
Even in our dark times and circumstances, God can make all possible. John started his ministry in the time of the powerful ruler and God still made a way for him.