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Faith and Repentance: The Heart of Regeneration | John Calvin · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed thinking. Today we're going to take a
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close look at some really foundational source material.
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That's right, we're diving into excerpts from a significant work
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of Christian theology, and the focus is squarely on repentance.
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Yeah, it's a topic that comes up constantly, but these texts
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really tried to pin down what it means.
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We've got material here that defines sin, talks about turning
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back to God, how faith fits in. And even, as you mentioned, that
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very serious concept of a sin that's described as
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unpardonable, it's quite comprehensive.
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So our mission today for you listening, is to unpack these
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sources. We want to pull out the key
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insights and help you understand the picture they paint of what
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genuine turning to God looks like according to this specific
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theological viewpoint. It's dense material, no doubt,
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but really central. Absolutely.
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So let's start at the beginning. Before we can talk turning back
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to God, we need to understand what these sources say we're
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turning from. How do they define sin?
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What is it fundamentally? Well, the core idea right from
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the start is that sin is fundamentally a turning away
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from God. It's not just a mistake or
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falling short passively. It's presented as an active
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orientation. An active turning away.
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OK, so it's it's described as being against what is law, his
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will. All of the above.
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Against his law, his will, his control is a word.
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They use the phrase is quite strong.
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It talks about bold and unbridled impulses which contend
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against God's control. Contend against God's control.
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That really does sound like active resistance, doesn't it?
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A kind of rebellion, almost. It definitely carries that
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sense. It's framed as amounting to
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hostility against God. There's a line that says failing
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to deny a nature whose emotions are hostile to God means you're
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failing to obey his law. Wow, hostility.
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That's strong. It is, and more simply, sin is
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just described as whatever displeases God.
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Anything that runs counter to his justice, for instance, is
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seen as acting against Him. And I noticed in the material
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there's a real emphasis on God's honor.
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Sin seems deeply connected to that.
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Very much so. That's a key thread.
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A failure to give God his due honor is central, the sources
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say. A life not directed to God's
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worship is sheer abomination. Sheer abomination.
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OK, Yeah. So sin, from this perspective,
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is like impiously defrauding God of His right and honor when you
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don't subject yourself to His control.
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It's about who gets the ultimate allegiance, whose glory you live
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for. So if it's not God, you're
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essentially robbing him of what is rightfully his.
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That's the idea presented. A kind of spiritual theft, you
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could say. So this isn't just about, you
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know, specific bad actions. Then it seems rooted much deeper
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than that. Something about our nature.
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Exactly. The sources trace it back.
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They talk about a corrupted nature, one disfigured by Adam's
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original transgression. This depravity of nature, as
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they call it, is seen as the source.
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Depravity of nature, OK, and that produces.
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What it produces persistent disorder and intemperance, and
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crucially, it gives rise to what the texts call inordinate
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desires. Inordinate desires.
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Can you unpack that a bit? Does that mean all our desires
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are bad? Like wanting food or friendship?
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It's a good question, and the sources are careful here.
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They say all human desires as they currently exist in our
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fallen state are evil and charged with sin, but not
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because the capacity for desire is inherently evil.
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OK, so why then? It's because they are
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inordinate. Due to this corrupted nature,
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our desires are out of whack, unrestrained, disordered.
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They contend against God's control instead of operating
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within His intended bounds. So it's the disorder in the
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desires stemming from that deeper corruption.
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It's the problem, not desire itself.
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Precisely. The desire faculty isn't the
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issue, it's the orientation and lack of proper order because of
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the fall. And these desires, in their
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inordinate state, are themselves considered sin.
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They're called the source from which all sins rise up.
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The source itself, Wow. Yes, and they are inherently
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against the law of God because they're disordered and not
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submitted to Him. OK, so the picture forming is
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that the corruption is fundamental.
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It's not just that we sometimes do bad things, but our very
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internal makeup, our default desires, are bent away from God
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and that state, just having those inordinate desires, is
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considered sinful. That is the perspective laid out
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here, yes. And because it's so internal,
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the sources insist, sin involves the soul itself, the inmost
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heart. It's not just about external
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actions or religious ceremony. Right, it's deeper.
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They talk about having a double mind or a double heart.
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A heart divided, not wholly set on God.
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A double heart. Which means, logically, that
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repentance has to deal with that inner reality.
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It requires casting out wickedness from the inmost heart
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and cleansing what's called secret filth.
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Secret filth, So the hidden stuff inside an internal
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cleansing. Exactly, and internal house
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cleaning is a good way to think about it.
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And what are the consequences, according to these sources of
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this Interstate, this turning away and hostility?
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Well, the direct consequence is guilt before God.
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It makes a person miserable and lost.
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The state itself and the actions flowing from it are described as
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damnable before God. Any transgression of the law
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which stems from this nature involves sin and carries these
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serious consequences. Is there a link made between
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this sin state and, well, our love for God or lack of it?
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Yes, definitely. A lack of love for God is tied
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directly to sin. The sources argue that when the
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soul is open to vain and depraved thoughts, it
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demonstrates that it's empty of the love of God.
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So failing to love God properly is part of this sinful state.
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Right. It's failing to meet the primary
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command of the law, loving God with all your heart, soul and
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faculties. Sin is essentially the opposite
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of that required love. And the sources do give concrete
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examples, right, of how this inner corruption shows up
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outwardly. Oh yes, they provide write a
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list things like fornication, cunning, falsehood, extortion,
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murder, drunkenness, pride, contention, avarice, fraud,
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lewdness, licentiousness, a whole range of what they call
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gross offenses. And these aren't seen as just
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isolated incidents. No, they're viewed as the
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predictable fruit that springs from that corrupted nature and
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it's disordered desires. They are the outward evidence of
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the inward problem. OK, so summing up this part, Sin
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from this viewpoint is much more than just breaking rules.
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It's a fundamental state of being turned away from God,
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hostile in our nature due to a core corruption.
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This leads to disordered desires and actions, robs God of his
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honor and resulting guilt and a lost state.
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That captures the essence of it. And you mentioned something
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earlier. These sources suggest this
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internal struggle, this depravity of inordinate
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desiring. It continues even in believers.
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That's right, they state clearly that even in those who have
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experienced God's grace, this remaining depravity of
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inordinate desiring is still considered sin.
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The fight against it is presented as lifelong.
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Wow, that really sets the stage for why repentance would need to
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be such a profound thing. It certainly does.
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It establishes the depth of the problem that repentance must
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address. OK, having laid out that
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definition of sin, let's move to a particularly sobering topic
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that these sources address this specific offense they call the
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unpardonable sin. Yes, this is definitely a heavy
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part of the discussion. The sources refer to it as the
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unpardonable sin, the sin against the Holy Spirit, or
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blasphemy against the Spirit. It's presented as something
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distinct and uniquely serious. So how do they define it?
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What makes it different from other sins which in this
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framework can be forgiven? The core definition given is
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sinning against the Holy Spirit by those who, with evil
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intention, resist God's truth. The key elements there are the
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evil intention and the deliberate resistance to truth
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that they know. Resistance, even when they know
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it's truth, not just ignorance or confusion.
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Exactly. That's the critical point.
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The resistance happens, although by its brightness they are so
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touched that they cannot claim ignorance.
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They describe these individuals as people whose consciences,
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though convinced that what they repudiate and impugn is the word
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of God, yet cease not to impugn it.
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So their own conscience testifies it's God's word, but
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they fight against it anyway. Yes, they actively strive
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against the illumination that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
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It's portrayed as a conscious, willful opposition to what they
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recognize as truth revealed by the Spirit.
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So this isn't someone wrestling with doubts or maybe falling
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into sin out of weakness. This sounds like a very
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deliberate high handed rejection.
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That's exactly how the sources frame it.
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It involves knowingly and willingly rejecting the
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communion with Christ offered in the gospel.
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It's called a deliberate rejection of the entire teaching
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of the Gospel. That sounds less like one
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specific bad act and more like a hardened, settled stance against
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God. It's definitely presented that
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way, the sources clarify. It's not just a particular
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failing, but a complete turning away from God and, so to speak,
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apostasy of the whole man. Apostasy of the whole man Wow.
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It's termed A deliberate impiety, and the description
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gets quite graphic, choking the light of the Spirit, consciously
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spewing out the taste of the heavenly gift they might have
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experienced, cutting themselves off from the Spirit
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sanctification and trampling upon God's Word.
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That imagery is incredibly strong, actively fighting
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against God's grace after having had some real encounter with it.
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Yes, it means expressly denying the truth of the Gospel after
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having received knowledge of it. The sources contrast this with
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sinning against the Father or Son out of ignorance.
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How so? They use the example of Paul
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before his conversion. They say he obtained mercy
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because he acted ignorantly in unbelief.
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The implication they draw is that if knowledge is combined
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with unbelief, meaning a deliberate rejection despite
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knowing better, then there's no place left for pardon.
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So it's that specific toxic combination, knowing the gospel
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is true, being convicted by the Spirit's work, and then
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conjugally, willfully, perhaps even maliciously turning against
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it. That's the specific combination
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these sources identify as this particular sin.
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It's described as stemming from desperate madness, something
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that cannot be ascribed to weakness.
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It's seen as so severe that it clearly demonstrates that a man
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is possessed by the devil. And the consequence?
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Why is it called unpardonable? The sources state the
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consequence very directly. God denies that such people can
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rise to repentance. They are struck by His just
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judgement, and part of that judgement is the removal of the
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ability or the opportunity to repent.
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So the reason it can't be pardoned isn't that God's mercy
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runs out, but that God, in judging this specific extreme
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rebellion, justly withholds the gift of repentance itself from
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that person. That's the perspective put
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forward here, the deliberate, knowing, contemptuous rejection
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of God's revealed truth. And the Spirit's work hardens
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the heart to such an extent that God confirms that hardness by
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removing the possibility of turning back.
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It's part of his judgement on that specific sin.
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That's a very sobering thought. It really underscores the
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seriousness with which these sources view our response to the
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gospel message once we've truly encountered it.
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It certainly does. It emphasizes the waiting of how
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we react to God's self revelation and the Spirit's
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work. OK, we've established the
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definition of sin, including this particularly grave example.
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Now let's pivot. Let's talk about the solution,
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the turning back repentance. What do these sources tell us
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about the nature of repentance itself?
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Well, they start by looking at the words used in the Bible.
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The Hebrew word often relates to conversion or return, like
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physically turning around, and the Greek word points more
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towards a change of mind or of intention.
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A change of mind to turning back.
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How do they flesh that out into a fuller definition?
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The core idea is departing from ourselves, that old self we
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talked about, and turning to God.
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It involves consciously taking off the former mind, the one
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shaped by sin, and putting on a new one.
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And they offer a concise definition.
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Repentance is the true turning of our life to God, a tuning
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that arises from a pure and earnest fear of Him.
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Arises from a pure and earnest fear of Him.
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Now that might strike some people as odd.
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We often associate turning to God with love or finding peace.
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Why is fear presented here as the starting point or the
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source? That's a key point in these
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texts. They argue that genuine
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repentance requires a really deep transformation, not just
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changing outward behavior, but changing in the soul itself.
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It means getting a new heart, undergoing a circumcision of
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heart, a spiritual cutting away of the old.
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Right, dealing with that inner reality we discussed.
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Exactly searching the inmost emotions.
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And this kind of profound internal shift, they contend,
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actually proceeds from an earnest fear of God.
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Now, this isn't necessarily a cowering terror, but more of a
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reverential awe, a deep seriousness that's sparked by
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contemplating divine judgement. So it's about taking God's
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holiness and our accountability seriously.
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Precisely when the thought really sinks in that God will
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demand A reckoning for how we've lived, it forces a kind of
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existential crisis. It makes you realize I need a
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different way of life entirely if I'm going to stand.
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That initial wake up call. Yes, and it's seen as necessary
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because remember how sin was defined?
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Even a life that looks good on the outside is called an
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abomination if it's not actually directed towards God's worship,
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if it's defrauding Him of his honor.
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Realizing the seriousness of that state before a holy, just
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God is what's needed to shake the soul out of its complacency
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in sin. The sources even say God has to
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use severity in his threats sometimes because gentle appeals
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might not work on those who are spiritually asleep.
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So fear of judgement isn't the end goal, but it's the necessary
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catalyst to wake us up to our need.
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That's how it's presented and this fear leads to something
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positive. It's not just being scared.
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OK, what does it lead to? It leads to sorrow.
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According to God. This is a specific kind of
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sorrow. It's different from worldly
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sorrow, which might just be regret over consequences like
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getting caught. Godly sorrow means hating and
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abominating in itself, primarily because it displeases God.
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So it's grief over offending God more than grief over personal
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repercussions. Exactly.
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It's a sorrow rooted in a recognition of God's holiness
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and goodness and regret over having violated that.
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OK, so to recap repentance so far, it's a fundamental inward
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U-turn of the whole life towards God.
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It starts with an earnest fear or awe of God, especially His
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judgement, which then produces A godly sorrow, a hatred of sin,
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because it offends Him. That captures the initial thrust
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and motivation for repentance as laid out here.
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But the sources go further, don't they?
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They break repentance down into two main parts or processes,
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mortification and vivification. Let's get into those.
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Yes, these two terms, mortification and vivification,
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are presented as the two essential components or
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movements within the overall process of repentance.
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All right, let's tackle mortification first.
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What does that involve? Mortification is explained as
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sorrow of soul and dread conceived from the recognition
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of sin and the awareness of divine judgment.
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So it builds directly on that fear and godly sorrow we just
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talked about. This is where the person gains a
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really sharp true knowledge of their own sinfulness.
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Because they see their sin clearly, they begin to genuinely
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hate and abhor it. They become heartily displeased
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with themselves. They confess themselves
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miserable and lost before God, and crucially, they sincerely
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wish to be another man. They want to be fundamentally
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different from the sinful person they recognize themselves to be.
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So it's a deep active turning against their own sinful state,
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a renunciation of it. Yes, exactly.
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The language used is quite strong.
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When touched by this awareness of sin and judgment, the person
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is described as lying, stricken and overthrown, humbled and cast
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down. He trembles, He becomes
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discouraged and despair. Despair.
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That sounds negative again. It's important to qualify that
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it's despair in oneself and one's own ability to fix the
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situation or be righteous. It's not despair in God's mercy,
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which comes in with the next part, vivification.
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This initial phase of mortification is sometimes
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specifically called contrition, that sense of being crushed by
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the weight of sin. OK, so despair in self leading
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to humility. And it's not just about feeling
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bad, right? It involves actively dying to
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sin. Yes, that's the core meaning of
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mortification, putting to death the sources connected to the
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language of the prophets who called for the destruction of
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the whole flesh, which is full of evil and of perversity.
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It means actively putting off your old self, departing from
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your inborn disposition, which is naturally bent against God.
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It's a deliberate dismantling of the old way of being.
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How do they say this putting to death happens?
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Is it just willpower? No, it's tied directly to
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Christ. This mortification happens
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through participation in Christ's death.
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The sources state that through union with Christ, by faith, the
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believers old man is crucified. The old man is crucified,
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spiritually speaking. Yes, a spiritual reality.
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This happens so that the corruption of original nature,
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that root of disordered desires, may no longer thrive.
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It's seen as the believer spiritually dying with Christ to
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sins dominating power in their life.
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OK, that's mortification, the dying aspect.
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Now what about the second part? Vivication.
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Vivification is the flip side. It's understood as the
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consolation that arises out of faith.
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So here's where faith comes in explicitly again, consolation
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after the dread and sorrow. Exactly after the painful but
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necessary work of mortification, seeing sin, grieving it,
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despairing in self, faith looks outward.
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When the person is distressed by sin and fear, they look to the
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goodness of God, to His mercy, grace, salvation, which is
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through Christ. And looking to Christ in faith
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brings. Life.
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Yes, yes. As they look to him, they are
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unable to raise himself up. He takes heart.
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He recovers first courage and as it were, returns from death to
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life. It's the life giving aspect.
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So it's more than just feeling relief that the bad feelings are
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gone, it's a positive infusion of something new.
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Absolutely. It's described as more than just
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happiness after being upset. It means the desire to live in a
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holy and devoted manner, a desire arising from rebirth.
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The source has been powerfully It's as if it were said that man
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dies to himself, that he may begin to live to God.
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This is the part of repentance focused on new life, new
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desires, new direction. And this new life life, this
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vivification, it should show up in tangible ways.
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Yes, it's known by its fruits. The texts mention righteousness,
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judgement, and mercy as key examples, qualities reflecting
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God's own character. This renewal happens when the
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Spirit of God imbues our souls, steeped in His Holiness, with
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both new thoughts and feelings that they can be rightly
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considered new. Our inner landscape changes.
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And just like mortification is linked to Christ's death,
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vivification is connected to his resurrection.
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Precisely this new life comes through sharing in Christ's
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resurrection. Through that union we are raised
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up into newness of life to correspond with the
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righteousness of God. So mortification is dying with
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Christ to sins. Rule vivification is rising with
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Christ to live a new life pleasing to God.
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OK so putting it together, repentance in this view is this
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2 sided dynamic. There's a necessary dying to the
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old sinful self and it's ways mortification, and there's a
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coming alive to a new holy orientation toward God.
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Vivification. Both are rooted in the believers
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participation in Christ's death and resurrection empowered by
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the Spirit. And vivification specifically
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springs from faith in God's grace.
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That's a very good summary of the two core components
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described in these sources. Now the sources make another
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interesting distinction. They talk about different kinds
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of repentance you might see especially in biblical examples.
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They contrast repentance of the law with repentance of the
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gospel. What's going on there?
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This distinction is really helpful for understanding what
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makes repentance genuine in life giving versus something that
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just leads to more misery. The sources see two potential
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responses when someone becomes aware of their sin and God's
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judgment. OK, let's start with the first
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one. Repentance of the law.
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What does that look like? With repentance of the law, the
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Sinner definitely feels the sting of sin.
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They're wounded by it, and they experienced dread of God's wrath
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and judgment. That part is similar, but the
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key difference is, according to these sources, they get stuck
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there. They remain caught in that
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disturbed state and can't find a way out.
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Stuck how? They conceive of God only as an
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avenger and a judge. They see the condemnation, but
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they don't see a path to mercy or reconciliation.
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And the result of seeing God only as judge.
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It inevitably leads to despair. The sources give examples like
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Cain, King Saul and Judas. They argue that while these
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figures acknowledge their sin and feared God's wrath, that
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awareness just crushed them. It overwhelmed them.
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This kind of repentance is describes starkly as an entryway
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of hell. An entryway of hell?
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Wow. Because it recognizes the
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problem but offers no solution, no hope.
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Exactly. It sees the guilt and the
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deserved punishment under the law, but it doesn't grasp the
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possibility of grace offered in the gospel, so it ends in
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despair. That's a powerful contrast to
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the hope we just discussed in vivification.
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So legal repentance is defined by this narrow focus on
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judgement leading nowhere but despair.
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That's its defining feature, yes.
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An awareness of offense against the law and fear of
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consequences, but without apprehending God's mercy.
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OK, so how does the repentance of the gospel differ?
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In gospel repentance, the Sinner is also genuinely afflicted by
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their sin. They feel that same distress and
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awareness of God's displeasure. But, and this is the crucial
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difference, the person arises above it, and lays hold of
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Christ as medicine for his wound, comfort for his dread,
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the haven of his misery. So they find their refuge and
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solution in Christ. Precisely.
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Those experiencing gospel repentance are described as
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being aroused and refreshed by trust in God's mercy.
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Yes, they turn to the Lord acknowledging their sin, but
21:40
they do so with hope, and that hope is specifically grounded in
21:44
the character and promises of God revealed in the Gospel.
21:47
Do they give examples of this kind too?
21:49
They do. They point to King Hezekiah, who
21:51
faced death with fear and weeping, but also turn to prayer
21:54
and trust. The Ninevites, who were
21:57
terrified by Jonah's message but responded by praying and hoping
22:00
God might relent. David, whose Psalms show deep
22:04
confession but also seeking pardon and waiting on God's
22:07
mercy. More examples.
22:09
Yes, also those who heard Peter preach at Pentecost.
22:12
They were cut to the heart, deeply convicted, but their
22:15
response was to ask what shall we do?
22:17
Showing they believe there was something they could do.
22:20
Trusting in God's goodness and even Peter himself after denying
22:23
Christ. His weeping was bitter, but it
22:26
LED back to restoration, implying underlying hope.
22:29
So the absolute key difference is the object of focus and the
22:32
result. Does the awareness of sin lead
22:34
only to despair under judgement law, or does it lead to hope
22:38
found in God's mercy revealed in Christ gospel?
22:41
That's the heart of the distinction presented in these
22:43
sources. Gospel repentance breathes the
22:45
air of hope because it's rooted in grace.
22:48
Legal repentance suffocates in despair under the weight of
22:51
condemnation alone. That really clarifies why the
22:54
gospel message is so central to this whole understanding of
22:57
turning back to God. Which brings us right to the
23:00
next major theme in these sources, the vital inseparable
23:04
connection between the gospel, faith, and repentance.
23:08
How do they explain how these three fit together?
23:10
They make this connection extremely explicit.
23:13
They state flatly that the sum of the gospel is held to consist
23:17
in repentance and forgiveness of sins.
23:20
That's the core message. Repentance and forgiveness, the
23:23
two main elements. Right.
23:25
And both of these, the newness of life that repentance brings
23:28
and the free reconciliation through forgiveness, are
23:31
presented as gifts given by Christ, and crucially, they are
23:34
received or attained through faith.
23:36
And they insist you can't really talk about faith properly
23:38
without bringing these in. Absolutely, they say.
23:40
Any discussion of faith that leaves out repentance and
23:43
forgiveness is barren and mutilated.
23:45
It's just incomplete. These are seen as essential
23:47
parts of the salvation package, you could say.
23:49
OK. And then there's the order which
23:51
comes. First, this is a really
23:53
significant point. In these texts.
23:54
They state very clearly that repentance not only constantly
23:58
follows faith, but is also born of faith.
24:01
They even use the analogy repentance is produced by faith
24:04
as fruit from a tree. So faith first, then repentance
24:08
grows out of it, like a consequence, a result of faith.
24:10
Yes, that's the order they strongly assert.
24:12
This might contrast with views where you have to repent first
24:15
in order to believe. Here faith is the root,
24:18
repentance is the fruit. Why do they argue for that
24:21
order? What's the reasoning?
24:22
The reasoning is grounded in the nature of the gospel itself.
24:26
What is the Gospel? It's the message that offers
24:29
pardon, reconciliation, forgiveness freely through
24:32
Christ. It's the news that frees the
24:34
Sinner from bondage to sin and Satan, allowing them to
24:37
crossover into God's Kingdom. So it's hearing and believing
24:40
that good news of freedom and grace first that actually makes
24:44
the turning possible and motivates it.
24:46
Exactly. The sources argue, therefore,
24:48
that no one can embrace the grace of the gospel without
24:51
turning from the errors of of their past life into the right
24:54
way and applying their whole effort to the practice of
24:57
repentance. Repentance isn't the
24:59
prerequisite for grace, it's the necessary response to grace
25:03
already offered and received by faith.
25:06
So the foundation for repentance is the gospel message.
25:09
Yes, repentance has its foundation in the Gospel, which
25:12
faith embraces. The reason for repenting, they
25:15
say, is derived from grace itself and the promise of
25:18
salvation offered through the gospel.
25:20
Grace motivates repentance. They even reinterpret some
25:23
famous Bible verses through this lens.
25:25
Don't. They they do take the call
25:27
repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.
25:30
These sources understand that not as repent, so the Kingdom
25:33
will come, but more like because the Kingdom of heaven, the reign
25:35
of grace, forgiveness, salvation in Christ has come near,
25:38
therefore repent. The nearness of the Kingdom of
25:42
grace is the reason for repentance.
25:44
That's the interpretation. The arrival of the Kingdom
25:46
signifies forgiveness, life, all that we get in Christ.
25:50
So the gospel message of God's mercy provides the context, the
25:54
motivation, and really the power for repentance.
25:57
And they connect this to knowing you belong to God.
26:00
Yes, they argue. You can't really apply yourself
26:02
seriously to repentance without knowing himself to belong to
26:04
God. And how do you know you belong?
26:07
No one is truly persuaded that he belongs to God unless he has
26:10
first recognize God's grace. So faith grasps God's grace and
26:14
acceptance first, and that assurance enables the turning.
26:18
Precisely. It's trusting that God is
26:21
propitious, meaning merciful, favorable towards you through
26:24
Christ, received by faith, that enables genuine reverence and
26:27
the desire to turn from sin. The hope of pardon grasped by
26:32
faith acts like a goat, they say, pushing us away from sin
26:35
and towards righteousness. This ties right back to
26:37
vivification, doesn't it? The life giving part of
26:40
repentance. It does explicitly.
26:42
Remember vivification was defined as the consolation that
26:46
arises out of faith. It's when the distressed Sinner
26:48
looks to God's goodness, mercy, grace, salvation through Christ,
26:53
all grasped by faith, that they can raise himself up and take
26:56
heart. Gospel repentance is aroused and
26:59
refreshed by trust in God's mercy.
27:01
Faith and mercy fuels the whole process.
27:04
So faith and repentance are distinct, but you can't pull
27:07
them apart. Like maybe two sides of one coin
27:10
or the root and the fruit as they said earlier.
27:12
That's a good way to think about it.
27:13
They are held together by a permanent bond, similar to how
27:16
faith and hope are related, but they insist they ought to be
27:19
distinguished. Why distinguish them if they're
27:21
so closely linked? Because they have different
27:23
primary objects. You see, both repentance and
27:25
forgiveness are received by faith.
27:27
But the proper object of faith, they clarify, is God's goodness
27:31
by which sins are forgiven. Faith primarily looks to God's
27:34
mercy in Christ. Repentance is the resulting
27:37
turning away from sin and towards God.
27:40
So while inseparable, faith focuses on the promise,
27:43
repentance on the response. OK, that makes sense.
27:46
Faith receives the grace. Repentance is the life changed
27:49
by that grace. Right.
27:51
And interestingly, they also suggest that the painful
27:54
awareness of sin that happens in mortification can actually drive
27:57
someone to Christ. The hatred of sin, the beginning
28:00
of repentance, gives access to the knowledge of Christ because
28:04
he reveals Himself particularly to those poor and afflicted
28:07
sinners who feel their need. And God himself seems to link
28:11
forgiveness and repentance in his calls to us.
28:14
Yes. The sources observed that when
28:16
God offers forgiveness in Scripture, he usually requires
28:19
repentance of us in turn. This isn't because repentance
28:22
earns the pardon. Rather, it implies that God's
28:25
mercy itself ought to be the cause for people to repent.
28:27
So God shows mercy in order that people might repent.
28:31
That's the idea. He determined to have pity on
28:33
people to the end that they may repent.
28:35
His mercy shows the way to obtain grace.
28:37
It motivates the turning. Repentance isn't the price of
28:39
admission. It's the path you walk once
28:41
you've been LED in by grace through faith.
28:44
And this ability to repent, it's ultimately from God.
28:47
Yes, it's called a singular gift of God, The power to actually
28:51
turn. Its efficacy depends on the
28:53
spirit of regeneration. God draws people and enables
28:57
this turning with rays of his fatherly favor.
29:00
Which connects back to the unpardonable sin.
29:02
Exactly. Willfully resisting God's known
29:05
truth is striving against the Spirit's illumination, and God
29:09
justly hardens those who show such sacrilegious contempt that
29:13
willful rejection makes repentance impossible for them
29:16
because God justly denies them the ability to rise to it.
29:19
The gift is withdrawn in judgement.
29:21
OK, let me try to summarize this crucial relationship.
29:24
Faith comes first, grasping the gospel promise of God's free
29:27
grace and forgiveness in Christ. This grace received by faith
29:31
then becomes the foundation, the motivation and the enabling
29:34
power for repentance, the genuine turning from sin and
29:37
towards God. Repentance doesn't earn faith or
29:40
forgiveness, it's the necessary fruit that grows from them,
29:43
distinct functions. Faith receives mercy, repentance
29:46
turns from sin. But inseparable, both gifts
29:49
received through the Gospel. I think that captures the
29:51
essence of their interconnectedness as presented
29:53
in these sources very well. This leads naturally to the next
29:56
question. Is this turning this repentance
29:58
just a one time thing that happens at conversion or is it
30:02
ongoing? The sources seem to emphasize a
30:05
necessary lifelong struggle against sin that remains.
30:08
Yes, this is a very important aspect of their teaching on
30:11
repentance. They make it clear that
30:13
repentance, especially when understood as regeneration or
30:16
the restoration of God's image in US, isn't something completed
30:20
in a single moment or day or year.
30:22
So it's definitely presented as a continuous process throughout
30:25
the Christian life. Precisely.
30:26
It happens through continual and sometimes even slow advances.
30:31
God is pictured as progressively wiping out the corruptions of
30:34
the flesh and his people over time.
30:36
Because believers are consecrated as God's temples and
30:39
their minds are being renewed, they may practice repentance
30:42
throughout their lives and know that this warfare will end only
30:45
at death. This warfare will end only at
30:47
death. That's a striking phrase.
30:49
It strongly suggests that sin isn't just eradicated from a
30:52
believer's life when they first believe.
30:54
That is definitely the strong assertion in these sources.
30:56
They state that even after regeneration, believers don't
30:59
get full freedom from sin's presence, not so as to feel no
31:03
more annoyance from their flesh. There remains A continuing
31:06
occasion for struggle against sin within them.
31:10
And they use some pretty blunt language to describe what's
31:12
left, don't they? They really do.
31:14
They refer to sounder judgment writers who agree that a
31:17
smoldering cinder of evil remains even in the regenerate
31:21
person, and from this ember desires continually leap forth
31:25
to allure him to sin. A smoldering Sinner.
31:28
And they stated even more directly in the Saints, until
31:31
they are divested of mortal bodies, there is always sin.
31:35
Always. Always sin present, even in
31:37
genuine believers. Why?
31:39
Because they argue that depravity of inordinate
31:41
desiring, the corrupted nature that contends against
31:44
righteousness, still resides in their flesh.
31:47
It hasn't been fully removed yet, and this remaining
31:49
depravity and the disordered desires it spawns are are
31:52
themselves still considered sin itself, even in believers.
31:56
That's a very high view of sin's persistence, isn't it?
31:59
Even after Grace has begun its work.
32:00
It is a significant point in this theological framework.
32:04
It means sin ceases only to reign.
32:07
It loses its ultimate dominion. It no longer holds the believer
32:10
captive in the same way, but it does not also cease to dwell in
32:14
them. So it's a resident, but not the
32:16
ruler. That's a good way to put it.
32:19
And these remaining vestiges of the old nature aren't left there
32:23
to dominate the believer, according to these sources.
32:27
They're left there partly to humble them by the consciousness
32:30
of their own weakness. So this ongoing struggle
32:33
actually serves a purpose in God's plan for the believer.
32:36
It's not just a defect. That's how it's presented.
32:39
This struggle exercises believers.
32:41
It helps them better learn their own weakness and reinforces
32:44
their constant dependence on God's grace and strength.
32:47
The presence of this remaining sinfulness is even seen as
32:50
something that compels God sometimes to use severe charity,
32:53
maybe through discipline to correct the believers lingering
32:56
laziness or stubbornness. It's viewed as part of the
32:58
sanctification process. And because sin continues to
33:01
dwell and surface, what does this mean for the believers
33:04
response? It means repentance must be
33:06
continual. Since sin remains.
33:09
Repentance is required throughout life.
33:11
The Christian life is that true turning, consisting of ongoing
33:15
mortification of our flesh and of the old man, and in the
33:18
vivification of the Spirit mortification, The destruction
33:21
of the whole flesh is described as a very hard and difficult
33:25
thing, definitely not a one and done event.
33:27
So the Christian life is portrayed as a constant active
33:30
battle against this indwelling sin, lasting right up until
33:34
death. Yes, it's defined as a continual
33:36
effort and exercise in the mortification of the flesh till
33:39
it is utterly slain and God's spirit reigns in US completely.
33:42
Because these base desires and vices keep sprouting from the
33:45
remaining corruption, the believer has to keep giving
33:48
attention to mortification throughout about our lives.
33:51
Does this ongoing battle have any practical benefits besides
33:54
humility? Yes, the sources suggest it
33:57
fosters diligence. This struggle ensures believers
34:00
shake off sloth and carelessness.
34:02
It forces them to watch with intent minds, lest they be
34:06
overwhelmed by the stratagems of their flesh.
34:09
That godly sorrow, which is part of mortification, leads to a
34:12
resulting carefulness or diligence, an active effort to
34:16
avoid sins, traps and stay under the Spirit's guidance.
34:19
And these sources seem very firm in rejecting any idea that true
34:23
believers somehow get a pass from this struggle.
34:26
Oh, absolutely. They forcefully refute any
34:28
notion that regenerated people are restored to some state of
34:30
perfection where they no longer need to actively bridle the
34:34
flesh. They call that idea monstrous.
34:36
Monstrous strong word. It is, they undo, that the
34:39
Spirit leads us into obedience, yes, but this obedience requires
34:42
that our inordinate desires have been tamed and subjugated, which
34:46
implies an ongoing effort. They even point to the Apostle
34:49
Paul's own description of his internal battle in Romans 7 as
34:52
proof that the struggle continues even in the most
34:54
mature believers. So the picture is clear.
34:57
Repentance isn't just the doorway into the Christian life,
35:00
it's the pathway itself. It's a lifelong journey of
35:04
continually dying to the old self, continually coming alive
35:08
to God, constantly fighting against the sin that remains
35:10
within, all the while relying on the Spirit's power until death
35:14
brings final victory. That's the consistent
35:17
perspective presented here, a continuous turning and striving
35:20
that characterizes the life of faith.
35:22
OK, so beyond the deep internal transformation and the ongoing
35:25
struggle, repentance also has outward aspects.
35:28
The sources talk about the visible fruits of repentance and
35:32
also the role of confession. Right.
35:33
They connect the inward reality to outward expression.
35:36
The fruits of repentance are described as flowing into the
35:39
duties of piety toward God, of charity toward men, and in the
35:42
whole of life, holiness and purity.
35:44
So basically, a life that increasingly reflects God's
35:47
character and follows his commands is the evidence that
35:50
genuine inward repentance is happening.
35:52
That's the idea. The sources say that the more
35:55
earnestly you measure your life against God's law and try to
35:57
live accordingly, the surer the signs of repentance become.
36:01
However, they immediately stress again that true repentance is
36:06
fundamentally inward. It has to start in the heart.
36:09
The heart is the source. Yes, the Spirit first condemns
36:12
the uncleanness there in the wellspring of our actions, and
36:16
then this internal change produces the external evidence.
36:19
They emphasize that nothing really counts with God unless it
36:22
begins with the inner disposition.
36:24
Do they quote scripture on that? They do.
36:26
They bring up Joel 2.13 rend your hearts and not your
36:29
garments, showing God wants inner sincerity, not just
36:32
outward show. And also James 4.8 cleanse your
36:35
hands, purify your hearts, highlighting the need for both
36:39
outward actions and inward purity.
36:41
What about some of those traditional outward practices
36:43
people associate with repentance, like fasting or
36:46
wearing sackcloth and ashes in the Bible?
36:48
How do these sources view those? They address those directly.
36:51
They acknowledge that outward exercises like weeping, fasting,
36:54
and using ashes aren't the main point or the essence of
36:57
repentance itself. However, they do have specific
37:01
appropriate occasions. Like when?
37:03
Typically during times of threatened disaster or
37:06
widespread sin in the community. In those situations, such
37:10
practices can be used to publicly or privately express
37:13
the inward sorrow and humility. They're seen as remedies to
37:17
humble oneself or as public testimony stemming from what the
37:20
sources call avenging, which seems to mean being
37:23
appropriately severe towards oneself because of sin against
37:26
God. But they caution against relying
37:28
on them too much. Yes, definitely.
37:30
They warn against depending heavily on these outward things,
37:33
or emphasizing them so much that the real inward turning of the
37:36
heart gets neglected. The outward should reflect the
37:39
inward, not replace it. Makes sense.
37:41
And what about confession of sin?
37:42
What role does that play? Confession of sin directly to
37:45
God privately is described as a part of true repentance that
37:49
cannot be omitted. It's essential.
37:51
This involves acknowledging daily failings and also
37:53
recalling past significant offenses before God.
37:56
And public confession. Public confession is also
37:59
mentioned. It can be appropriate, they
38:01
suggest, especially for serious public offenses.
38:03
It serves as a testimony of your displeasure with your own sin
38:06
before others, and also as a way of anticipating God's judgment
38:10
by judging yourself. First.
38:12
They cite First Corinthians 11.31.
38:14
If we judged ourselves, we would not be judged.
38:17
Suggesting self examination and confession help us avoid God's
38:20
disciplinary hand. And does this discussion of
38:23
fruits and confession loop back to the idea of repentance being
38:26
ongoing? It does.
38:28
While they acknowledge that repentance can feel like a
38:30
dramatic passage and resurrection from death to life
38:33
when someone turns from a particularly shameful fall, they
38:36
emphasize that the ordinary repentance, the kind required by
38:40
the ongoing corruption of nature within believers, needs
38:43
attention throughout our lives. Daily confession, ongoing self
38:47
examination, striving for holiness, these are all part of
38:49
that lifelong turning. So the outward life, piety
38:52
towards God, love for others, holiness is the necessary fruit.
38:56
Validating the interchange and confession to God is an
38:59
essential ongoing practice within this lifelong journey of
39:02
repentance. That sums up the practical
39:05
expressions and outward dimensions as these texts
39:07
present them. Well, we've certainly covered a
39:09
lot of ground today, really digging into these sources on
39:12
repentance. We started by seeing how they
39:14
define sin, not just actions, but a fundamental turning away
39:18
from God, rooted in a corrupted nature, showing up as hostility
39:22
and disordered desires. Right, And then we saw
39:25
repentance not as a one time act to earn favor, but as this
39:29
lifelong process born from faith in the Gospels, message of
39:33
grace, a process involving that crucial dying to the old self,
39:38
mortification and coming alive to God vivification.
39:41
We explore that key distinction between a despairing repentance
39:45
of the law and the hope filled repentance of the gospel,
39:47
underscoring how vital God's mercy in Christ is as the
39:51
foundation for any true turning. And we also touched on that very
39:54
serious concept of the sin against the Holy Spirit, that
39:56
willful, knowing rejection of truth, which according to these
39:59
sources, places someone beyond the possibility of repentance by
40:02
God's just judgment. Yeah.
40:04
All together, these sources offer a very consistent and
40:07
frankly quite challenging view of human sinfulness and the
40:11
nature of God's grace. The Christian life is painted as
40:14
this continuous turning, a constant battle against the sin
40:17
that remains within us, always needing to rely on God's grace,
40:21
which we receive through faith. It really highlights both the
40:24
depth of our ongoing need and the sufficiency of the provision
40:28
found in the gospel, the gospel which both initiates that first
40:32
turn and sustains the lifelong journey of repentance.
40:35
So as you, our listener, reflect on this deep dive today, here's
40:38
something to consider. If genuine repentance is, as
40:42
these sources argue, a lifelong turning that is born out of
40:45
faith in God's mercy, something that flows from grace already
40:48
received, rather than something you do to get that grace, how
40:51
might understanding that relationship differently shape
40:53
the way you view your own struggles with sin?
40:56
How might it change your approach to living a life aimed
40:58
at giving God the honor He is due?
41:00
It really pushes you to ask, is my effort fueled by trying to
41:03
earn God's favor, or is it the grateful, empowered response to
41:07
the Amazing Grace I've already been freely given in Christ?
41:10
That distinction seems central to everything we've discussed.