Dr. J. I. Packer (Ph.D., University of Oxford), On faith, on repentance.

Contents

I. An excerpt from “The Perfect Penitent” in Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (University of Oxford)

… Now what was the sort of “hole” man had got himself into? He had tried to set up on his own, to behave as if he belonged to himself. In other words, fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying down your arms, surrendering, saying you are sorry, realising that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor—that is the only way out of a “hole.” This process of surrender—this movement full speed astern—is what Christians call repentance. Now repentance is no fun at all.

It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means killing part of yourself, undergoing a kind of death. In fact, it needs a good man to repent. And here comes the catch. Only a bad person needs to repent: only a good person can repent perfectly. The worse you are the more you need it and the less you can do it. The only person who could do it perfectly would be a perfect person—and he would not need it.

Remember, this repentance, this willing submission to humiliation and a kind of death, is not something God demands of you before He will take you back and which He could let you off if He chose: it is simply a description of what going back to Him is like. If you ask God to take you back without it, you are really asking Him to let you go back without going back. It cannot happen. Very well, then, we must go through with it. But the same badness which makes us need it, makes us unable to do it. Can we do it if God helps us? Yes, but what do we mean when we talk of God helping us? We mean God putting into us a bit of Himself, so to speak. He lends us a little of His reasoning powers and that is how we think: He puts a little of His love into us and that is how we love one another. When you teach a child writing, you hold its hand while it forms the letters: that is, it forms the letters because you are forming them. We love and reason because God loves and reasons and holds our hand while we do it.

— An excerpt from “The Perfect Penitent” in Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (University of Oxford)

II. “A Christian Changes Radically” by J.I. Packer (Ph.D., University of Oxford)

60. REPENTANCE
A CHRISTIAN CHANGES RADICALLY

I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. Acts 26:20

The New Testament word for repentance means changing one’s mind so that one’s views, values, goals, and ways are changed and one’s whole life is lived differently. The change is radical, both inwardly and outwardly; mind and judgment, will and affections, behaviour and lifestyle, motives and purposes, are all involved. Repenting means starting to live a new life.

The call to repent was the first and fundamental summons in the preaching of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2), Jesus (Matt. 4:17), the Twelve (Mark 6:12), Peter at Pentecost (Acts 2:38), Paul to the Gentiles (Acts 17:30; 26:20), and the glorified Christ to five of the seven churches in Asia (Rev. 2:5, 16, 22; 3:3, 19). It was part of Jesus’ summary of the gospel that was to be taken to the world (Luke 24:47). It corresponds to the constant summons of the Old Testament prophets to Israel to return to the God from whom they had strayed (e.g. Jer. 23:22; 25:4–5; Zech. 1:3–6). Repentance is always set forth as the path to remission of sins and restoration to God’s favour, impenitence as the road to ruin (e.g. Luke 13:1–8).

Repentance is a fruit of faith, which is itself a fruit of regeneration. But in actual life, repentance is inseparable from faith, being the negative aspect (faith is the positive aspect) of turning to Christ as Lord and Saviour. The idea that there can be saving faith without repentance, and that one can be justified by embracing Christ as Saviour while refusing him as Lord, is a destructive delusion. True faith acknowledges Christ as what he truly is, our God-appointed king as well as our God-given priest, and true trust in him as Saviour will express itself in submission to him as Lord also. To refuse this is to seek justification through an impenitent faith, which is no faith.

In repentance, says the Westminster Confession,

a sinner, out of the sight and sense not only of the danger, but also the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary to the holy nature, and righteous law of God; and upon the apprehension of his mercy in Christ to such as are penitent; so grieves for, and hates his sins, as to turn from them all unto God, purposing and endeavouring to walk with him in all ways of his commandments. (XV.2)

This statement highlights the fact that incomplete repentance, sometimes called ‘attrition’ (remorse, self-reproach, and sorrow for sin generated by fear of punishment, without any wish or resolve to forsake sinning), is insufficient. True repentance is ‘contrition’, as modelled by David in Psalm 51, having at its heart a serious purpose of sinning no more but of living henceforth a life that will show one’s repentance to be full and real (Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20). Repenting of any vice means going in the opposite direction, to practise the virtues most directly opposed to it.

— Dr. J. I. Packer (Ph.D., University of Oxford), Concise Theology. 60. Repentance: A Christian Changes Radically. On faith, on repentance. Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology, Regent College. He was a prolific writer, and he also served on the translation board of the English Standard Version of the Bible. The 2005 Time listed him as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals. During his time at Oxford, Packer attended lectures by C. S. Lewis, and hearing Lewis greatly affected his spiritual thinking.

III. Genuine faith always “results” in repentance.

The true meaning of repentance is a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ. Repentance is the “resulting” fruit of genuine saving faith. Obedience does not merit salvation, the Holy Spirit produces obedience (1Cor 3:6-7; Ga 5:22-23 NLT; Jn 15:4-5, Ac 17:30; 1Jn 2:4).

I believe saving faith will result in obedience… We must guard jealously the fact that faith alone is what saves us, not faith plus obedience. … No historic Protestant confession says that saving faith includes obedience. — Dr. Wayne Grudem (Ph.D., University of Cambridge), Historic Protestant Position.

Justification is by faith alone (Rom 3:28), but a faith that does not grow the fruit of obedience by the power and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, is not true faith; it is a dead faith, and James rejects salvation by a dead and superficial faith (James 2:14-26). Genuine faith always “results” in the fruits of the faith (Ga 5:22-23 NLT; Jn 15:4-5; 1Cor 3:6-7), denying this, denies His transformative power.

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, — Acts 17:30 ESV

3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. — 1 John 2:3-6 NLT (article)

A person who loves God will obey his commandment to repent (Ac 17:30; Jn 14:15,21). When a Christian does not repent (inward resolve to turn from sin), it brings into serious question, the validity of his faith. The message that ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ should be preached to the entire world in the name of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31).

  • Not justifying (Rom 3:28; Eph 2:8-10).
  • Imperfect (1Jn 1:8–10; 2:1-2).
  • Taught alongside faith by Christ Himself (Mark 1:14-15).
  • One of the reasons Jesus came (Lk 5:32).
  • Taught as an inward resolve to turn from sin (Ac 3:19; 26:20; Mt 3:8 NLT; Rev 2:5).
  • An immediate fruit of genuine saving faith resulting in good works and righteous behavior (Mt 3:8 NLT; Ac 26:20; Rev 2:5).
  • Will happen in genuine believers (1Jn 3:6-10). logically (Ac 17:30; 1Jn 2:4).
  • Commanded by God (Ac 17:30; Mt 4:17).
  • Granted by God (Ac 11:18; 2Tim. 2:25).
  • Growth given by God (1Cor 3:6-7; Ga 5:22-23 NLT; Jn 15:4-5).
  • Preached for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31).
  • Produced from Godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:10; Matt. 11:21-22; Job 42:6).
  • Leading to salvation and eternal life (2 Cor. 7:10; Acts 11:18).
  • Described as needed and necessary (Lk 15:7).
  • Repent or Perish (Lk 13:3; Mt 3:10).
  • Unrepentant sin not tolerated by the Apostles and not a one time event (Lk 17:3-4; 1 Cor. 5:11-13).

If the fruit isn’t growing, the root is dead (Mt 3:10; James 2:14-26). This is the raw logical conclusion.



“If you love me, you will obey my commandments. — John 14:15 NET

“The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.” ― Ecclesiastes 12:11