The last half of verse twenty six holds the true understanding of biblical repentance in that the conviction of truth renders the one unwilling to engage in the destructive behaviors of the world. Paul says here, “..and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” Three major points are in order here. First, the word “escaping” does not appear in the Greek text as its own term; rather it is the Greek preposition “ek” (ἐκ ) meaning a locomotion out of one place toward another. The significance of this construct is that the so called “escaping” is directly tied to the “being balanced again” or literally translated “and they might be well balanced again from the slander’s trap” (καὶ ἀνανήψωσιν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου παγίδος). More specifically, to be balanced necessarily means that one escapes. If one has not seemingly escaped, that is they have not refrained from the thinking and behavior indicative in the world, they have not yet come to their senses and thereby have not come into true repentance since coming to one’s senses is the necessary result of knowing the truth brought on by repentance. This singular idea stands as perhaps the greatest tell-tale sign of genuine conversion in the life of the believer; the supposed regenerated believer can see it and so can the rest of the world. Worldly sorrow only senses guilt and condemnation for its actions; there is no movement out of or away from the behavior that has precipitated the guilt. The genuine conviction found in repentance moves the individual out of such behavior and away from what seems to be the natural course of life. This does not mean to indicate that “escaping” is easy, quick or neat. Rather, it truly is a process but a process moving forward toward increasing levels none-the-less. Next, what the repentant believer is escaping from is first of all the “snare” (παγίδος) of the devil. Paul does not say that the new believer was ensnared, although this is certainly true, but that he is escaping from the constant presence of sudden, unadvertised danger that would lead to destruction. Repentance in this way is vigilant against the subversive and unseen attractions of sin that lure those who are unsuspecting into certain doom. Sin is no longer seen casually but causally. Sin is seen as the source of all that moves one out of the presence of God and not just something that must be avoided because it brings bad consequences. Again, this mark of true repentance is easily seen within the life of the individual. There by necessity must be a comprehensive understanding of sin and its destructive nature as well as an aversion toward the “snares” of sinful rebellion on the grounds of broken fellowship with God to qualify as genuine repentance. It is regrettable that in modern faith life, not only has the reality of sin been greatly downplayed in lieu of a more palatable gospel but as a natural result, repentance has been equally abandoned as a cornerstone of genuine faith. Many believe they have an honest relationship with Christ though they themselves are not honest about their lack of a true knowledge of the danger of sin. To further compound this failure, there seems to be very little desire to even speak about this subject in the expounding of most Church leaders. The simple truth is this, sin’s hidden crevices are a real danger that if unheeded will lead to the temporal destruction of the regenerated believer and the eternal destruction of the unregenerate. Lastly, genuine repentance and the knowledge of the truth that results moves the newly regenerated out of the enslavement to the devil that he has been under for all his life up unto that point. This is not simply a change in position but rather an ontological change in that the believer in Jesus Christ is by nature freed from their bondage to sin and by extension their bondage to the evil forces of this present age. At the conclusion of verse twenty six, Paul says, “after being captured by him (the devil) to do his will.” This concluding remark is introduced by the term “after” which is actually implied by the perfect passive participial form of the Greek term “captured” (ἐζωγρημένοι). The perfected aspect here indicates not only completeness, but more specifically intentionality in that the purposed plan of human depravity is that sinful man be placed under the dominion of the satanic realm; a subject to that specific kingdom. Accordingly, subjects to any given monarch cannot by nature be rightfully subject to any other ruler concurrently and thusly; the unregenerate are by nature (evidenced by Paul’s use of the participle here) given to enact what is the will of their sovereign, the devil. Repentance liberates the sinner from the feudal bonds to the satanic kingdom and translates the individual into a new citizenship; the kingdom of God. Just as the sinner cannot be subject to the devil and any other monarch including God concurrently, the regenerate believer cannot be a subject in God’s kingdom and the demonically ruled kingdom of the world concurrently; it is an ontological impossibility. In this way, genuine repentance serves to move the individual out of the kingdom of the world and into the kingdom of heaven resulting in a shift of fidelity. Worldly sorrow makes no such translation. It simply brings guilt upon those who do not behave in keeping with the standards of the kingdom and is in fact the indication that the divine translation has not occurred. In these three ways repentance is pictured not simply as a philosophy but as an ontological condition precipitating material changes to thought and behavior. Once again, without these material changes it is doubtful that genuine repentance has actually occurred regardless of what the individual may think or say. However, one may ask why such a necessity of material change within one’s thoughts and actions. Is it not good enough to believe in such a change without the necessity demonstrable proofs? This philosophical assertion overlooks the forensic nature of genuine repentance; that is, repentance as the anchor of justification is not simply an intellectual endeavor but rather must be a legal declaration. To this subject attention must now be turned.
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