Several passages in the Bible repeat a phrase to emphasize a thought and help us remember it. We will notice a few in this article.
But why is this necessary?
Oftentimes, we may hear something, understand it, but immediately think of an excuse to justify not doing it. We think, perhaps even subconsciously, “Yeah, but…” and then come up with a reason for not doing what we are told to do. Then we dismiss it. Yet when the instruction is repeated, our minds receive a signal that we really do need to take this seriously. So let us consider a few examples in the New Testament.
Repent
“Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish’” (Luke 13:1-5).
This discussion occurred as Jesus and some others were discussing current events (some who died at the hands of a wicked ruler and others who were killed when a structure collapsed). There are lessons to be learned from current events,* but these people were in danger of learning the wrong lesson. They heard of these events and thought that the victims of these tragedies were “greater sinners” than others (including themselves). However, Jesus emphasized a different lesson. They should have learned from these events that death is a reality and that we need to be prepared for it. For this reason, Jesus told them, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5).
What does it mean to repent? This is a change of mind leading to a change in behavior. It involves turning from the world and turning to God. If we fail to repent, we are “storing up wrath for [ourselves] in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:5).
Do not dismiss Jesus’ statement! Many want to ignore the seriousness of sin. Some will even “pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality” (Jude 4, NIV) and claim that we can continue in sin because God’s grace will cover it. We need to repent – put away sin and follow the Lord.
Do Not Follow a Different Gospel
“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” (Galatians 1:8-9).
In this passage, Paul addressed the problem of the Galatians turning away from the Lord (Galatians 1:6-7). They had been “called…by the grace of Christ,” yet they were falling from grace (Galatians 5:4). This happened because some were perverting the gospel, making it “a different gospel” (Galatians 1:6). Therefore, Paul said that anyone who preaches a different gospel was “accursed” (Galatians 1:8).
What is the gospel? The foundation of it is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We “re-enact” this when we are “obedient from the heart to that form of teaching” (Romans 6:17) by becoming dead to sin, being buried in baptism, and then being raised to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). This was the message Jesus commissioned His apostles to teach (Matthew 28:19-20). We follow this teaching because Jesus has “all authority” (Matthew 28:18), and we must obey Him in all things.
Do not dismiss Paul’s statement! If we let our guard down, false teachers could lead us astray, as they “deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” (Romans 6:18). We need to continue following the true gospel of Christ in its simplicity and purity.
Do Not Harden Your Heart
“Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness’” (Hebrews 3:7-8).
“While it is said, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me’” (Hebrews 3:15).
“He again fixes a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts’” (Hebrews 4:7).
The Hebrew writer was using the example of the Israelites as a warning. They tried the Lord and were not able to enter the promised rest (Hebrews 3:9, 11). Similarly, we can “come short” of the reward the Lord has prepared for us (Hebrews 4:1). So the Hebrew writer amonished them to “be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11). He warned them not to “harden [their] hearts” (Hebrews 3:8, 14; 4:7)
What does it mean to harden our hearts? One sign of this is that we no longer feel guilt for sin. As Paul warned Timothy, those who continue in sin will eventually be “seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). When this happens, repentance can be very difficult, even to the point where it seems “impossible” (Hebrews 6:4-6).**
Do not dismiss this warning! We can miss out on our reward if we do not take this seriously. Even the apostle Paul took heed to this for himself: “But I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
Rejoice in the Lord
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).
This instruction is more positive compared with the others we have noticed. Paul told these brethren to rejoice. Interestingly, he wrote this from prison. Yet he had “learned to be content in whatever circumstances” he was in (Philippians 4:11). So the apostle told them to “rejoice in the Lord always.”
What does it mean to rejoice in the Lord? This is to be filled with joy because of God and His blessings, and this is expressed through praise to Him. In order to do this, we must never lose sight of the blessings we have in Christ, as “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places [is] in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). We must also remember the hope that we have through Him, which is “an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19). We need to “[fix] our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
Do not dismiss this admonition! Otherwise, we could get discouraged over the trials, tribulations, and temptations we face in life and give up. Let us instead “consider [Jesus] who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that [we] will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:3).
Conclusion
Sometimes we need to have things repeated to us. Maybe we were not listening. It could be that we got distracted. Or perhaps we did not take what we heard seriously. However, these statements that we find repeated in the Scriptures are serious. We need to pay attention to them. Let us turn from sin, follow the gospel, obey God wholeheartedly, and rejoice in the Lord always.
———
* For more about lessons we can learn from current events, see the article, Should Christians Pay Attention to Current Events?
** For more on the difficulty of restoring one who has departed from the faith, see the article, Impossible to Renew the Fallen.
