Repentance

At the heart of James B. Torrance’s theological project was a concern to demonstrate the importance of an evangelical account of repentance, over against a legal account. This was a concern that he inherited from John Calvin, who stood as the greatest theological influence on Torrance. Out of his respect for Calvin, Torrance did not seek to commandeer Calvin’s work on this topic for his own project. Rather, he sought to communicate Calvin’s own vision of evangelical repentance to a new generation. Accordingly, this essay will primarily devote itself to exploring Calvin’s position. Before so doing, however, I shall provide a brief analysis of the distinction between the “covenant God” and “contract God,” which underlays Torrance’s emphasis on Calvin’s distinction between legal and evangelical repentance. Also, following our exploration of Calvin, I shall look briefly at Torrance’s own account of evangelical repentance, as it followed Calvin’s trajectory.

New Calvinism is a theological movement that has significantly impacted evangelical Christianity and has served to weaken the influence of dispensationalism. New Calvinism portrays itself as the flagship of Reformed theology. Part of the attraction to New Calvinism is its claim to represent the historical position of the church; however, while retaining the primary weaknesses of Reformed theology, it also differs in some respects from historical Reformed theology. Like historical Reformed theology, New Calvinism’s priority on soteriology and forced Christocentric hermeneutic constrain it to conclusions that are contrary to a literal, grammatico-historical interpretation of Scripture. The theology of New Calvinism also produces a dangerous lack of assurance of salvation for the believer, at times approaching the same level of insecurity as is found in Arminian theology.
This dissertation will focus on the teachings of the following influential New Calvinist “leaders”: John Piper, Wayne Grudem, Albert Mohler, Timothy Keller, Kevin DeYoung, D. A. Carson, and Mark Driscoll, while also considering the contributions of other New Calvinist preachers, teachers, and authors. Of particular importance will be what this author considers to be the sine qua non of New Calvinism, namely: (1) Dortian Calvinism, (2) eclecticism, (3) soteriocentric focus, (4) A supersessionist view of Israel and the Church, (5) a focus on the Reformed doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, and (6) a compromised practice regarding the authority of Scripture.

Jeremiah  starts this section 1-12 with a lesson about Yahweh and Judah from the potter’s workshop displaying the Potter's Freedon.  Apostasy, idolatry, and judgment are the themes of verses 13-17.  The choice of those in Judah to forsake the LORD was not natural or rational. Therefore, Jeremiah reminds them that going against nature is dangerous.

Jeremiah makes the point that Judah unfaithfulness is unnatural.  Even the pagan nations are loyal to their false gods revered by their region. Israel was brought into the land as a virgin, and now she has gone the way of a prostitute.  Her sin is great.  Thus, the first natural analogy was the loyalty of pagans to their national false gods.  Why does not Judah have the same loyalty as the pagans?

Deel 4 van de hertaalde uitgave van Petrus van Mastricht Theoretisch-Praktische Godgeleerdheid. In dit deel gaat het over de verlossing zoals die toegepast wordt aan de zondaar en over de kerk. De volgende onderdelen van de heilsorde worden behandeld: roeping, wedergeboorte, bekering, vereniging met Christus, rechtvaardiging, aanneming tot kinderen, heiligmaking en heerlijkmaking. In het boek over de kerk gaat het ondermeer over de dienaren van de kerk, de sacramenten, tucht en kerkregering.

In partial fulfillment of the course requirements for "Psalms in Depth," this essay is a post-critical and devotional exegesis of Psalm 51, with an emphasis on the themes of repentance and new creation. In particular, this essay is designed to show that Psalm 51 foreshadows the creation of New Humanity in Jesus's own flesh through the New Covenant.

Maqaam.
Station 1. Repentance (al Tawbah)
Station 2. Fear (al Khawf)
Station 3. Renunciation  (al Zuhd)
Station 4. Forbearance (al Sabr)
Station 5. Gratitude  (al Shukr)
Station 6. Sincerity ( al ikhlas)
Station 7. Reliance ( al tawakkal)
Station 8.  Love  (al mahabba)
Final Station. Contentment (al rida)

Repentance is considered one of the foundational principles of the gospel. As demonstrated in this article, there is a harmony in how repentance is portrayed in the Old Testament, New Testament, and Book of Mormon. In all three books the principle of repentance is shown to be a two-part process of turning away from sin and returning to the Lord through good works. Just as faith has been called “active belief,” repentance could be called “active remorse,” and must be accompanied by good works to be effective in our lives. The goal and end result of sincere repentance is a turning to the Lord with the whole heart, enabling us to return to the presence of God.

The narratives of the Old Testament are rich with characters full and complex. This is one of the geniuses of the authors of Scripture, that though they relate historical events, places and people, they still take time to colour in the rich complexity of the characters involved. Indeed, only in Scripture will you meet people as vastly deep and complex as Abraham, Moses, Samson, Esther, David, Solomon, Ahab, Manasseh, Herod, Pilate, Peter, Paul, and a host of others. And yet the depth and complexity of the characters of Scripture are never shared simply for the sake of literary excellence. These are historical people being described to us. Human as we are. And the literarily shaped narratives in which they are found are given to us by God for our salvation and edification.

This paper will cover the portrayal of just such a character – Josiah, king of Judah from 640-609BC. It will be asked, what is the author trying to convey through his portrayal of Josiah in the narrative of 2 Chronicles 34-35.

Twee maanden na het begin van de coronacrisis heeft de Amerikaanse ds. C.M. McMahon een actuele, bijbelse wake-up call  (coronawekker) voor de kerk geschreven. In een tijd waarin weinig meer gerekend wordt met Gods regering en voorzienigheid, houdt de scribent een diepgeestelijk betoog waarin hij wijst op de geestelijke oorzaak van de plagen in de wereld. Het is de pandemie van de zonde. De echte ramp die zich voltrekt, is volgens hem, het aantoonbare geestelijke verval van de kerk.
Het is niet zomaar dat kerkdeuren gesloten werden. De (gedeeltelijke) leegstand van de heiligdommen, het heilig avondmaal dat weggenomen werd, moeten ons in het licht van Leviticus 26 veel te zeggen hebben. Christus zendt de kerk Zijn plagen uit liefde om hen geestelijk terecht te brengen. Het enige gepaste antwoord van de kerk daarop, moet zijn: verootmoediging, schuldbelijdenis en bekering (Numeri 16:47-50; 2 Samuel 24:14, 25).
De auteur gelooft, overeenkomstig Gods Woord, dat God een lichamelijke plaag kan genezen met een geestelijk middel. Hij is immers een Arts voor lichaam en ziel.

This paper focuses on how Philip Melanchthon organized his theology of preaching in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the very first defense of the early church reformers’ approach to doctrine against formal papal criticism as drafted in the Confutation of the Augsburg Confession by Johann Eck, who had been commissioned by emperor Charles V to provide a papal romanist refutation of the reformist Augsburg Confession. The article is going to demonstrate that Melanchthon’s theology of preaching insists on the proclamation of God’s Word as Christ, Gospel, and repentance, an indication that his homiletical theory encompasses key dogmas like christology, revelation, and soteriology, all fundamental tenets which not only define the core of Protestant theology and practice but also provide listeners with the possibility of a changed life experience based on Christ’s work as savior. The main contribution of this paper resides in the fact that on the one hand, it attempts to clarify Melanchthon’s theological position not as a Protestant writing against Catholics but rather as reformist challenging his papal peers within the Catholic church, while on the other hand, it identifies various aspects of his early thought as presented in the Apology—Christ, Gospel, repentance—and places them together systematically into a building block which constitutes his early theology of preaching
as dogmatically founded on as well as anchored in christology, revelation, and soteriology.

It is the premise of this paper to show that if the collective
consciousness shifts towards Love, then Love/God will prescribe our Reality. Love's truth says that we are creatures bound together, unique, and interdependent, collectively created to be image barriers of Love. This Love reality eradicates "separateness" and is the antidote to the brokenness in the world.

Throughout the nineteenth century, Maskilic journals increased their publication of anti-Hasidic satires. From the eighteen-sixties onward, this literature came primarily as a response to the revival in the publishing of Hasidic hagiography and to the spread of Hasidism into new territory. To this point, no complete review or even general survey has been performed on this extensive polemical literature, despite the fact that it has much to teach us about Hasidism and the Haskalah in those years. We are not speaking of an insignificant bibliographical lacuna, but of a disregard for an entire field of research which would shed light not only on a forgotten chapter of modern Hebrew and Yiddish literature but also on an important chapter in the relationships between Maskilim and Hasidim in that period and the genesis and development of the different streams of Hasidism. This Maskilic literature intended to do more than eradicate Hasidism; it aimed to strengthen the self-consciousness of the individual Maskilim who found themselves alone in Hasidic territory. Paradoxically, the literature documented the very movement it intended to eradicate from the world. The distorted reflection displayed in the anti-Hasidic literature does more than present a caricature of its subject -- it conceals hitherto unknown elements about the nature and development of the Hasidic movement. The present article deals with one such case, a satire on Bratslav Hasidism from 1863, which has at its core a Maskilic satirical text written by Yehiel Meller on pilgrimage to the grave of R. Nahman of Bratslav in Uman.





כתבי עת של משכילים לאורך המאה התשע עשרה הרבו לפרסם סאטירות בגנותה של החסידות. משנות הששים ואילך באה ספרות זו בעיקר כתגובה להתעוררות הדפסת ספרות השבחים החסידית ולהתפשטות החסידות במרחבים חדשים. לא קיימת עד עתה סקירה שלימה, ואף לא מיפוי כללי, של אותה ספרות פולמוסית ענפה, על אף שיש בה ללמד הרבה על דרכי החסידות וההשכלה באותן שנים.  לא מדובר רק בחסרון ביבליוגרפי שאין לו משמעות, אלא בהתעלמות משדה מחקר רב עניין שעשוי להאיר לא רק על פרק נשכח בספרות עברית ויידיש החדשה אלא גם על פרק חשוב ביחסים בין משכילים לחסידים באותה תקופה, ועל דרכי צמיחתם, פיצולם והתפתחותם של זרמים שונים בחסידות. הייתה זו ספרות שיותר מאשר נועדה לבער את החסידות נועדה לחזק את תודעתם העצמית של המשכילים הבודדים במרחבים החסידיים; ספרות שבאופן פרדוקסלי תיעדה תנועה אותה חפצו לבער מן העולם. הבבואה המעוותת בה התהדרה הסאטירה האנטי חסידית לא רק הציגה דימוי – אלא טומנת בחובה הצבעה על אלמנטים חדשים ועל התפתחויות בחסידות. במקרה אחד ממין זה הנוגע לחסידות ברסלב בשנות השישים של המאה התשע עשרה עוסק המאמר. שלפנינו - שעיקרו מהדורה של טקסט משכילי שכתב יחיאל מלר - בשנת 1863 - על העלייה לקבר ר' נחמן מברסלב באומן
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We know we live in a world where people hurt each other, and where armed conflicts are commonplace, recurring quite often even after reaching peace agreements. Nevertheless, we also know we have the abilities to forgive and reconcile after wrongdoing has been committed, that means, after an immoral action has taken place. The processes of forgiveness and reconciliation are part of those human abilities which enable us to break the cycles of violence, and which allow victims to heal and perpetrators to be reintegrated into their communities. Establishing dynamics of forgiveness and reconciliation in post-conflict settings will produce more peaceful societies, where the dignity and rights of each person are respected, and where people are able to fulfil their needs and grow and develop as human beings.

The Church of England’s recent study on Christian–Jewish relations, "God’s Unfailing Word" (Dec 2019), calls for Christian repentance about historic antisemitism, turning away from past offences to reshape our future together. One prime opportunity for the Church to put these noble ideas into practice relates to the upcoming eight-hundredth anniversary of the Synod of Oxford, which is to canon law what Magna Carta is to civil law. The Synod in April 1222 was responsible for instituting the notorious badge of shame upon English Jews, the forerunner of the yellow star. It inflicted church tithes upon Jews, despite preventing them from turning to churches for safekeeping of property, and forbade the building new synagogues. It curtailed all social interaction between Jews and Christians as much as possible, not only denying Jews the freedom to enter churches or employ Christian servants, but also threatening with excommunication any Christians who developed friendships with Jews or sold them provisions. As a shocking visual warning against the danger of friendship, its ‘opening ceremony’, so to speak, featured the degrading and burning at the stake of a deacon who had converted and married into Judaism; this became the common-law precedent for the death penalty for heresy thereafter. The attached research paper sets out what is known through publicly available documents, and invites the Church of England to conduct further archival investigations and then take an active lead in preparing for a national service of repentance and reconciliation on the 800th anniversary of the Synod in spring 2022.

The concept of the ‘Day of the Lord’ requires definition in regard to other ‘Days’ in the Hebrew Bible and has proven difficult for scholars to find an agreed approach to, let alone come to a consensus definition. The prophet Joel and its locust imagery provide a matrix for interpreting the term. The militarisation of the locust horde in Joel 2 compared to that of Joel 1 clarifies the author’s metaphorical intent. It also signals the actual, literal Day of the Lord that Joel wishes to signify. While eschatological in nature, this Day of the Lord can be averted by repentance. Thus Peter’s call for repentance in Acts 2, based on the text of Joel 2, can be seen to avert the Day of the Lord and its horrific judgment. In contrast the lack of repentance by the rebellious subjects of Revelation 9 leads to their judgement and the execution of the Day of the Lord upon them.

Bible scholars across the theological spectrum have noted the Apostle Paul's scarce use of the word metanoia and related repentance words in his Epistles. Given the prevalence of metanoia in Judaism and the teachings of John the Baptist and Jesus, the lack of this concept in Paul is puzzling. Many scholars have taken this to be indicative of Paul's diversion from the teaching of Christ or his establishment of a new understanding of salvation that ignores repentance altogether. However, the historical context of Paul's day hints at an alternate explanation. It seems clear that many Jews in the 1 st century had essentially equated metanoia with justification and a work that merits the acceptance of God. Because of this, Paul prefers to use the pistis concept when discussing justification and uses metanoia only when pistis would not precisely refer to the aspect of conversion or the Christian life that Paul was addressing.

The righteousness of God (δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ) is revealed in the gospel which brings salvation to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ (Rom 1:16-17). In Romans 3:21-26, Paul explains that this righteousness of God, as witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, comes to all who believe in Jesus Christ. Christ atoned for the sins of the children of God by shedding his blood (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14).  By the grace of God, believers in Jesus Christ are justified freely through the forgiveness of sins that is in Christ Jesus (Rom 3:24). In short, the term δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ correlates with faith and atonement in Jesus Christ. Moreover, it originates in certain antecedent term (s) in the Old Testament (specifically the Law and the Prophets). Therefore, in the content of the Law and the Prophets, the antecedent term for δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ must be identified and explained in terms of faith and atonement in Jesus the Messiah.

The signing of the Abraham Accords on September 15, 2020 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, as brokered by the United States, was significant historically, and prophetically, as seen by verses from Jeremiah 6.  When Ashkelon and Ashdod were attacked after the Abraham Accords were signed, it seems that Zephaniah 2 could also be seen as being relevant.  Both these chapters signal impending judgement or destruction, and call the reader to repentance.  We would do well to heed that advice.

A Solemn Assembly is a Biblical idea worthy of our consideration. It is a process, provided by God, whereby a people, stand before Him, as accountable to Him, for the sins of their group, their entity, often, a nation. And in such a gathering, they express sorrow, name their sins, and ask for God's mercy. The event may be triggered by some calamity, famine, pestilence, war - and in the process, they sense that they have grieved God, and no longer qualify for His favor. Thus, they repent, and what follows, is redirection. In the paper, seven stages of the repentance process are suggested. Each step provides an opportunity for digression, and requires the resolve to move forward to complete the repentance process.

In 1 Sam 3:18b, Eli responds to a prophetic judgment with the phrase “it is the Lord, may he do what is good in his eyes.” Most commentators understand this response as an example of pious acceptance of divine judgment. The claim of this article is that a plausible case can be made for reading Eli’s response as culpably passive. This case will be made following two lines of evidence. First, I will examine an oracle of judgment against an individual and the response as a type-scene in Samuel-Kings. Second, I will examine how this culpable passivity fits with the characterization of Eli in 1 Samuel 1-3.

This book asks how early Christian monastic writers conceived of, represented, and experienced spiritual direction, and its central argument is that they did so medically.  Late antique monastic formation took place through asymmetrical relationships of governance and submission worked out in confession, discipline, and advice.  This study situates those practices against the cultural and intellectual world of the late antique Mediterranean.  In conversation with a biopsychosocial models of health and Urie Bronfenbrenner’s “bioecological” model of development, the first chapter explores the logic of Galenic medicine (2nd c.):  the goal of good health, a widely ranging theory of human nature, diagnostic strategies, and therapeutic techniques.  The next four chapters show how this logic operates in Evagrius Ponticus’ (4th c.) interpretation of dream imagery and demonic attack, in John Cassian’s (5th c.) analysis of wet dreams, in Cassian’s nosology of vices, and in John Climacus’ (7th c.) demonic pathologies of passions.  The second half of the book engages Paul Ricoeur’s theory of metaphor to show that spiritual directors claim trust and obedience by cultivating expertise along medical lines.  This begins with a study of self-representation and popular perceptions of physicians as experts over human bodies and souls and applies it to Basil of Caesarea’s (4th c.) advice on when and whether ascetic Christians should seek medical assistance, to Cassian’s tales of spiritual direction in Egyptian monasticism and the Apostle Paul’s therapeutic hierarchy, and to John Climacus’ multiple metaphors of spiritual direction in a monastery reconceived as clinic.

Compilation of Scriptures bearing on The Excellence and Essentialness  of The Sovereignty of God Considered Broadly and in Connection With
Election unto Salvation in Particular
[WITH OCCASIONAL INTERSPERSED COMMENTARY AND SUPPLEMENTAL NOTES]

I.      GOD’S ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY, INVOLVING:
          HIS SUPREME WILL AND CONTROL OVER ALL THINGS, HIS ETERNAL PLAN
          AND PURPOSE, HIS ETERNAL DECREE, HIS PREDETERMINATION, WITH
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

II.      GOD’S SOVEREIGN, UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION, WITH
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON ACTS 13:48
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON UNCONDITIONAL INDIVIDUAL ELECTION
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON THE SALVATION OF THOSE WHO DIE IN INFANCY

III.    GOD’S SOVEREIGN FOREKNOWLEDGE, WITH
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON ACTS 2:22-24
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON ROMANS 8:28-34

IV.    GOD’S IMMUTABILITY

V.      FALLEN, NATURAL MAN’S CONDITION OF BEING TOTALLY LOST/RUINED AND
          COMPLETELY IMPOTENT TOWARD GOD, AS WELL AS THAT OF BEING
          SATANICALLY BLINDED, INVOLVING:
          THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITY FOR THE SOVEREIGN GRACE OF GOD IN
          THE DIVINE ORIGIN AND SPRING OF GENUINE SAVING FAITH, WITH
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON THE UNDENIABLE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN
TOTALLY RUINED, LOST, IMPOTENT TOWARD GOD
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON FALLEN MAN’S ALLEGED “FREE WILL” TOWARD GOD
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON ACTS 26:18; COLOSSIANS 1:13; 1 JOHN 5:19;
REVELATION 12:9; EPHESIANS 2:1-3; 2 TIMOTHY 2:26; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:3-4

VI.    GOD’S EFFECTUAL, UNFAILING CALL OR SUMMONS TO SALVATION
          BY SOVEREIGN GRACE
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON LUKE 14:16-24 (PARABLE OF THE GREAT SUPPER)

VII.    MAN’S EXERCISE OF FAITH/REPENTANCE (GENUINE SAVING FAITH)—
          A GIFT OF GOD BY SOVEREIGN GRACE, WITH
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON JOHN 1:11-13
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON JOHN 6:37, 39-40, 44, 64-65
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON EPHESIANS 2:8-9
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON 2 PETER 1:1
(ALONG WITH REMARKS ON 1 PETER 1:5, 7)

VII.    [CONTINUED:] MAN’S EXERCISE OF FAITH/REPENTANCE (GENUINE SAVING FAITH)—
          A GIFT OF GOD BY SOVEREIGN GRACE, WITH
 SUPPLEMENTAL  NOTE  ON  MERE  HUMAN  FAITH, I.E.,  DEAD FAITH
(JOHN 2:23-25; ACTS 8:5, 9-24; LUKE 8:13;  JOHN 8:30-31, 37-47;
JAMES 2:17, 20, 26)
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON MATTHEW 11:20-24

VIII.  PRETERITION (OR NON-ELECTION), INVOLVING:
          THE PASSING OVER OF THE NON-ELECT, GOD RIGHTEOUSLY AND JUSTLY
          LEAVING THE NON-ELECT TO THEIR OWN SELF-WILLED WICKEDNESS AND UNBELIEF
          OVER AGAINST THE UNSCRIPTURAL NOTION OF “DOUBLE PREDESTINATION” OR
          “DECREE OF REPROBATION” AND THE PASSAGES ALLEGED IN SUPPORT THEREOF, WITH
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:9
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON PRETERITION AND REVELATION 13:8; 17:8; 20:15:
“NOT WRITTEN” IN THE BOOK OF LIFE
 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON: WHAT ABOUT THE UNEVANGELIZED?

This study examines the biblical teaching of confession throughout the Old and New Testaments. The various Hebrew and Greek terms are analyzed, and the pertinent passages are surveyed. The scriptural conception of confession involves public thanksgiving, open acknowledgment of truth claims, affirmation of Christ’s lordship, and repentance for sins.