Despite being God’s chosen ethnic group, Jews remained resistant to the gospel. They remained without persuasion with regard to their Messiah. But the exhortation to think and perceive afterwards did not remain restricted to Jews. Following the ‘Great Commission’ given to the Apostles in Matthew 28 v 19, the good news of the Messiah was heralded not only to Jews but also to other, non-Jewish ethnic groups as well, referred to in the New Testament as ‘Greeks’ or ‘Gentiles’. We see this development emerge in the narrative in Acts of the Apostles. As with Jews, Gentiles are urged to repent – to think and perceive afterwards.
On one occasion Paul was invited to speak to Gentile philosophers who loved to debate on Mars Hill. Introducing the gospel Paul said, ‘Indeed therefore, overlooking the times of ignorance, God at this present time instructs beside all people everywhere to think and perceive afterwards because He stands a day within which He intends to judicially separate out the inhabited within justice’, (Acts 17 v 30, 31b). After the death and standing up again of Jesus, the good news was extended beyond Jews. Thus God exhorts non-Jews to think and perceive after hearing the good news – to reason things through to their conclusion. This was Paul’s usual approach – declare the gospel and exhort hearers to think, reason things through and perceive afterwards. ‘…first to those within Damascus and then all Jerusalem and the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, I announced to think and perceive afterwards and return on the basis of God, accomplishing actions worthy of a change of mind [metanoia]’, (Acts 26 v 20). In this verse we see a clear distinction between thinking and behaviour. The order is this –
Hear the announcement of the gospel
Think and reason it through to a conclusion afterwards
Perceive the reality, the truth
Then -
Apply this enlightened knowledge
Exercise mastery over your body
Turn around or return to God and
Accomplish behaviour, construct fruit, worthy of this change of mind
Many, but not all of these kinds of references to repentance look at Jewish and Gentile responses to the heralding of the gospel.
Less often a verse addresses a Jew or a Christian who has fallen into error and behaving in a way that misses the mark when seeking to live a godly life. Then the procedure is this –
After falling into error
Think and perceive the reality, the truth of your error
Then -
Apply enlightened knowledge
Exercise mastery over your body
Turn around or return to God and
Accomplish behaviour, construct fruit, worthy of this change of mind
Thus Paul says, ‘…lest when I come again my God humble me towards you and I grieve much over those sinning previously but absolutely not having thought and perceived afterwards on the basis of the impurity, the harlotry that they are accomplishing’, (II Corinthians 12 v 21). Similarly in the book of Revelation we have this verse that I propose is a prophecy written mainly to Jews. ‘Therefore recollect from what place you have fallen and think and perceive afterwards, and construct the most important actions. But if not, I come to you and will remove your lampstand from out of its place if you do not think and perceive afterwards’, (Revelation 2 v 5). Similarly there is this, ‘…some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam…. In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore, think and perceive afterwards! But if not, I come to you quickly and will contend with them within the sword of my mouth’, (Revelation 2 v 14 - 16).
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