Theology Thursday
Q. 87. What is repentance unto life?
A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
It was in the 4th century (382. A.D.) that the scholar Jerome of Stridon was commissioned to translate the Bible into Latin. His choice to interpret the Greek word metanoia/metanoeite into the Latin paenitentiam agite which means ‘do penance’ changed the history of the Church.
Why do Roman Catholics say ‘Hail Marys’ or go on pilgrimage or in more extreme cases, whip themselves. It’s because the Roman Catholic Bible for centuries told them that the faith-filled response to sin was to ‘do penance’ or essentially, good works.
The problem is. That’s not what metanoia/metanoeite meant. The Greek word means ‘a change of mind’. It means to turn around. It means to repent. Just like the Westminster Catechism captures, it means to be convicted of the danger and foolishness of continuing a course of behaviour or action and pursue a completely different path.
This is the message of the gospel. Repent! Turn around! Any other path but Christ leads to death and destruction. But follow Jesus and you are on the path to life. And the Christian life is like a ship, repentance is a life-long manoeuvre of turning more toward Jesus.
Every day we are tempted to stray back onto that doomed path. But God has given us everything we need to be reminded that choosing Jesus is better. Repentance isn’t a one-off decision. It’s a daily and sometimes every hourly choice to turn towards Him.
For Today:
Pray:
Passages: Acts 11:18 & 2:37, 2 Timothy 2:25, Psalm 51:1-4, Luke 15:7 & 1:16-17, 2 Corinthians 7:10
A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
It was in the 4th century (382. A.D.) that the scholar Jerome of Stridon was commissioned to translate the Bible into Latin. His choice to interpret the Greek word metanoia/metanoeite into the Latin paenitentiam agite which means ‘do penance’ changed the history of the Church.
Why do Roman Catholics say ‘Hail Marys’ or go on pilgrimage or in more extreme cases, whip themselves. It’s because the Roman Catholic Bible for centuries told them that the faith-filled response to sin was to ‘do penance’ or essentially, good works.
The problem is. That’s not what metanoia/metanoeite meant. The Greek word means ‘a change of mind’. It means to turn around. It means to repent. Just like the Westminster Catechism captures, it means to be convicted of the danger and foolishness of continuing a course of behaviour or action and pursue a completely different path.
This is the message of the gospel. Repent! Turn around! Any other path but Christ leads to death and destruction. But follow Jesus and you are on the path to life. And the Christian life is like a ship, repentance is a life-long manoeuvre of turning more toward Jesus.
Every day we are tempted to stray back onto that doomed path. But God has given us everything we need to be reminded that choosing Jesus is better. Repentance isn’t a one-off decision. It’s a daily and sometimes every hourly choice to turn towards Him.
For Today:
- Do you know any Roman Catholics who ‘do penance’?
- What does repentance look like for you today?
- Is there someone you need to pray for - for them to repent?
Pray:
- Praise the Father that He makes no wrong decisions.
- Give thanks for Christ who makes a way for us to escape destruction and receive eternal life.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others repent daily and pursue faithfulness in Christ.
Passages: Acts 11:18 & 2:37, 2 Timothy 2:25, Psalm 51:1-4, Luke 15:7 & 1:16-17, 2 Corinthians 7:10
Posted in Theology Thursday
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