CONDITIONS  FOR GAINING  LEGITIMATE SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY

1.    REPENTANCE

In the natural world, when a soldier joins an army, he must deny any previous allegiance he has had to another army or country.  When you join the army of God, you must repent of your allegiance to sin and the Kingdom of Satan.  This is done by repentance. Repentance is "an inward decision or change of mind resulting in the outward action of turning from sin to God and righteousness."  Acts 20:21 calls it "repentance toward God."  By the act of repenting you turn away from your sin and leave the Kingdom of Satan.

Repentance is a personal decision to change your allegiance from the Kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of God.  This change of mind and turning from sin cannot be done in yourself.  It is the power of God which actually brings the change in the mind, heart, and life of a sinner:

Then God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.  (Acts 11:18)

Repentance is a gift of God:

Him [Jesus] hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for  to give repentance...(Acts 5:31)

Although emotions may be involved in repentance, true repentance is a decision, not just an emotion.  Sorrow for sin and the shedding of tears is not enough in itself. This must be accompanied by an inward decision that results in an outward change.  

Repentance is important because:

God Commands It:

...but [God] now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.  (Acts 17:30)

It Is Necessary To Avoid Spiritual Death:

...but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.  (Luke 13:3)

It Is Necessary For Eternal Life:

Through repentance the penalty of death is removed and eternal life is granted:

When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. (Acts 11:18)

It Is Necessary For Forgiveness:

God cannot forgive your sins unless you repent:

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  (Acts 2:38)

It Is God's Desire For All:

God does not want anyone to experience the spiritual death of eternal separation from God in Hell:

The Lord...is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  (II Peter 3:9)

It Is The Reason Jesus Came Into The World:

    I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  (Luke 5:32)

It Is Necessary To Enter God's Kingdom:

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the Kingdom

of Heaven is at hand.  (Matthew 4:17)

When you become part of the Kingdom of God, you are enlisting in God's army.

2.    CONVERSION

When you ask for forgiveness of sins you experience "conversion."  Conversion means "to turn." When it is used in connection with Biblical repentance, it means to "turn from the wrong way to the right way."  You leave the Kingdom of Satan and join the Kingdom of God.

And many of the children of Israel shall He turn to the Lord their God.  (Luke 1:16)

And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw Him, and turned to the Lord. (Acts 9:35)

And the hand of the Lord was with them; and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. (Acts 11:21)

Conversion is turning from the darkness of sin to the light of God's righteousness:

...to turn them from darkness to light.  (Acts 26:18)

It is turning from the power of Satan to God:

...to turn them...from the power of Satan unto God. (Acts 26:18)

It is turning from worldly things to spiritual things:

...Ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God.  (Acts 14:15)

It is turning from false gods to the true and living God:

...Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.  (I Thessalonians 1:9)

Conversion must accompany repentance.  You must turn from the wrong to the right because...

It Is Necessary To Enter The Kingdom Of God:

Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.  (Matthew 18:3)

It Saves From Spiritual Death:

He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins.  (James 5:20)

It Is Necessary For The Blotting Out Of Sin:

Your sin is written in the records of God until you repent and are converted, then your sins are blotted out:

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out... (Acts 3:19)

Repentance and conversion are best illustrated by a story Jesus told about the prodigal son.  Read the story in Luke 15:11-24.  This young man left his father and home, went to a distant land,  and through sin wasted all he owned.  Eventually this young man realized his condition.  He was hungry, lonely, in rags, and tending pigs for a job.  Then he made an important decision.  He said, "I will arise and go to my father."  This inward decision resulted in a change in his outward actions.  He went home to his father to seek forgiveness.

Read Luke 15:17-19.  The young man realized his sinful condition. He made a decision to go to his father and repent of his sin.  This is an example of repentance, an inward decision which results in outward action.

Luke 15:20 records how the young man arose and left the old life and went to his father to start a new life.  This is conversion.

Man is like the prodigal son.  In his sinful condition he turned his back on God his Father and Heaven his home. Each step he takes is a step away from God and one step nearer the spiritual death of eternal separation from God.  There is a major decision he must make.  He must "come to himself" and recognize his spiritual condition.  He must make a decision which will result in a change of spiritual direction.

There are two other terms used in the Bible which relate to repentance.  These terms are

"justification" and "salvation."  God is the judge of all mankind.  When you are living in sin you are condemned before Him:

...but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  (John 3:18-19)

When you repent from sin and make the decision to turn from your sinful ways,  this establishes a right relationship with God. This right relationship or right standing before God is called "justification":

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (Romans 6:16-18)

When you are justified by repentance and conversion, you are "saved" from a life of sin as well as from the penalties of sin. This is what it means to be "saved" and what the Bible is speaking of when the term "salvation" is used.