"Free Grace" Theology: 7 Ways Grudem Misrepresents Biblical Repentance

This article is Part 2 of a previous article I wrote titled: “Free Grace  Theology: 6 Ways Grudem Misrepresents Biblical Repentance”. In this follow-up article, I’m going to cite yet another example of how Wayne Grudem misrepresents both Dr. Bing and the Bible in regards to biblical repentance. 

    

In Grudem's book “Free Grace” Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel, one of the things he says is: “In order to evaluate Bing’s ‘change of mind’ definition [of repentance], in the next two sections we need to examine evidence from Greek lexicons and from English translations of the Bible.”[1] In my previous article which I mentioned above, I showed how Grudem misrepresented the Greek lexicons. In this article I will show how Grudem misrepresents English translations of the Bible.

In evaluating Bing’s “change of mind” definition of repentance, Grudem makes a bold claim in regards to how the English translations of the Bible translate the Greek word metanoeō. Grudem claims that: “ALL ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS SAY ‘REPENT!’ AND NOT ‘CHANGE YOUR MIND!’”[2] In the next sentence, Grudem similarly declares that “the definition of repentance as a mere ‘change of mind’...differs from all widely known English Bible translations.”[3] Grudem then proceeds to quote several Bible verses from the New Testament which translate the Greek words metanoeō and metanoia as repent and repentance, but strangely he never once mentions how repentance (including the word metanoeō in the Septuagint) is translated in the Old Testament! This is especially odd considering the fact that Grudem is evaluating Charlie Bing’s understanding of repentance as “a change of mind,” and Bing does in fact discuss how the word repent is translated in the Old Testament. For example, under the heading “The Meaning of Metanoeō” (p. 69), Dr. Bing discusses the Hebrew word shub and the Hebrew word nacham. Concerning the Hebrew word nacham, Bing writes the following: 

“In the LXX [the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament] the verb [metanoeō] often translates the Hebrew n`h~m [naham, also spelled nacham], ‘to be sorry, to comfort oneself’ (A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament [BDB, by Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, 1980], s.v. ‘n`h~m [naham],’ pp. 636-37) which shows an emotional element. It is significant, however, that n`h~m [naham] occurs 108 times in the Old Testament, but is used only three times of the repentance of men (Job 42:6; Jer. 8:6; 31:19); and none of these refer to salvation from eternal judgment. For further discussion, see Robert N. Wilkin, ‘Repentance and Salvation, Part 2: The Doctrine of Repentance in the Old Testament,’ JOTGES 2 (Spring 1989): 26.”[4]

Although Grudem quotes from page 69 of Bing’s book, Grudem never once mentions Bing’s statements on that very page about the Hebrew word nacham. Why is this? Could it be because the Hebrew word nacham (the word often translated metanoeō in the Septuagint) is frequently used in the Old Testament in reference to God Himself and is translated into English in a number of places as “change His mind”! For instance, the New American Standard Bible (NASB), a “widely known English Bible translation,”[5] translates the Hebrew word nacham (metanoeō in the Greek Septuagint or LXX) as “change His mind” in the following instances: 

“And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind [Heb. nacham / Gr. metanoēsei in LXX]; for He is not a man that He should change His mind [Heb. nacham / Gr. metanoēsai in LXX].” (1 Samuel 15:29, NASB) 

“For this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be dark, because I have spoken, I have purposed, and I will not change My mind [Heb. nacham / Gr. metanoēsō in LXX], nor will I turn from it.” (Jeremiah 4:28, NASB) 

“if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better [Heb. nacham / Gr. metanoēsō in LXX] of the good with which I had promised to bless it.” (Jeremiah 18:10, NASB) 

“The LORD changed His mind [Heb. nacham / Gr. metanoēson in LXX] about this. ‘It shall not be,’ said the LORD.” (Amos 7:3, NASB) 

“The LORD changed His mind [Heb. nacham / Gr. metanoēson in LXX] about this. ‘This too shall not be,’ said the Lord GOD.” (Amos 7:6, NASB) 

What's more, when I looked up these verses in several of the other "widely known English Bible translations" such as the NET, NIV, NLT, and NRSV for example, I noticed that Grudem again misrepresents the facts when he says on page 66 of his book: "These verses and others like them with the English word repent give further evidence that no committee of English Bible translators has agreed with Bing definition, 'change of mind.'" Here Grudem is either not being honest with the facts or he has simply not done his research, because the truth is that actually several committees of English Bible translators have agreed with Bing's definition of repent in the sense of "a change of mind"! I want to point out several more examples in addition to the ones that I mentioned above. Notice how some of the other "widely known English Bible translations" besides the NASB render the same verses:

"Furthermore, the Eternal One of Israel does not lie or change His mind [not: repent], for He is not man who changes his mind [not: repents]." (1 Samuel 15:29, HCSB.)

"The earth will mourn and the heavens will be draped in black because of my decree against my people. I have made up my mind [not: repented] and will not change it." (Jeremiah 4:28, NLT.)

"And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in My sight, not listening to My voice, then I will change My mind [not: repent] about the good that I had intended to do to it." (Jeremiah 18:9-10 NRSV.)

"And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider [not: repent] the good I had intended to do for it."(Jeremiah 18:9-10, NIV.)

"The LORD decided not to do this [not: repented]. 'It will not happen,' the LORD said." (Amos 7:3, NET Bible. There is a translation note in the NET Bible after the words "decided not to do this."  The translation note reads: "Or 'changed his mind about this.'")

"The LORD decided not to do this [not: repented]. The Sovereign LORD said, 'This will not happen either.'" (Amos 7:6 NET Bible. There is a translation note in the NET Bible after the words "decided not to do this." The translation note reads: "Or 'changed his mind about this.'")

Grudem in his book unfortunately never mentions any of these Bible verses which support Dr. Bing's definition of repentance as a "change of mind".

    

Interestingly, in an article titled "The Repentance of God," Lester J. Kuyper notes that in the Pentateuch, the scholars who translated the Greek Septuagint (LXX) shied away from having God repent, because to them: "Repentance or changeableness seemed to be at variance with the omniscience of God....This scruple, however, did not bother the Greek translators of the rest of the OT, for they rather consistently translate NHM [nacham] with metanoeo". Kuyper goes on to say: "The point to be made here is that the LXX apart from the Pentateuch understood this verb [NHM] to mean a change in mind or purpose which occurred when it is said that Jahweh repented."[6] 

    

Sadly, Grudem never once mentions these relevant Old Testament Bible verses which Dr. Bing alluded to in his book.[7] Instead, Grudem simply glosses over a few Bible verses of his own liking (none from the Old Testament), and then quickly concludes “that no committee of English Bible translators has agreed with Bing’s definition, ‘change of mind.’”[8] But here Grudem misrepresents both Dr. Bing and the Bible by failing to mention Dr. Bing’s statements on metanoeō in the LXX and failing to mention the relevant Bible verses in the Old Testament where the Hebrew word nacham and the Greek word metanoeō (in the LXX) are both translated in several instances as “change His mind” in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and similarly in several of the other "widely known English Bible translations"!

    

Grudem makes several remarks in his book about how we should arrive at the proper definition and understanding of saving faith. Grudem's statements about faith are also relevant to repentance because in the Bible, faith and repentance are closely connected (see Jonah 3:5; Matt. 12:41; Acts 20:21, etc.). Grudem correctly points out on page 49 of his book that it "is simply incorrect theological reasoning" to base our understanding of saving faith on only one book in the Bible. He writes:

“The early church rightly condemned the teachings of Marcion (c. AD 85-160), whose canon of Scripture included only eleven books (no Old Testament, and in the New Testament only a shortened Gospel of Luke and ten of Paul's thirteen epistles). . . . If other verses in other books of the Bible give us further teaching about the nature of saving faith [and biblical repentance], then we should use those verses as well to help us understand faith [and repentance]. These other verses are also part of "all Scripture," which is given to us by God to be "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). . . . We should use every relevant passage in the whole Bible to define the nature of saving faith [and repentance].”[9] 

Grudem is correct here in urging us to take into consideration both Old Testament and New Testament: "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27), to help us understand saving faith. Should we not also appeal to both the Old Testament and New Testament when seeking to understand biblical repentance? Grudem would do well to apply his reasoning equally to both faith and repentance! But unfortunately in the chapter of his book where he deals with the subject of repentance (Chapter 2: "No Call to Repent of Sins"), Grudem only quotes three Bibles verses from the Old Testament, all from the book of Isaiah (Isa. 6:5 [Grudem quotes Isaiah 6:5 but incorrectly gives the verse reference as "Isa. 6:15."], 55:6-7), and provides no exegesis to show if these verses even support his understanding of repentance. In fact, thinking of Grudem's bold claim that supposedly "ALL ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS SAY 'REPENT!' AND NOT 'CHANGE YOUR MIND!'"[10], the three Bible verses that Grudem quotes from the Old Testament don't even meet his qualification that "ALL ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS SAY 'REPENT!'" So how did Grudem pick these three Bible verses if they don't even use the word "repent"?

    

The fact that the Hebrew word nacham and the Greek word metanoeō (in the LXX) are both translated in the NASB and in other "widely known English Bible translations" in several places as “change His mind” (in reference to God) and not "repent" as in most English Bible translations, poses a real problem for Grudem because his entire premise is that repentance in the Bible does not simply mean “a change of mind” but in his view it must also include things like "a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ." Thus it’s no surprise (but it is sad) that Grudem in his book omits any and all discussion of this relevant biblical material from the Old Testament cited by Dr. Bing that I have discussed in this article. Just more evidence that Grudem misrepresents both Dr. Bing and the Bible.

ENDNOTES:

[1] Wayne Grudem, "Free Grace" Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel (Wheaton: Crossway, 2016), p. 56.

[2] Ibid., p. 64. It’s a bold claim to say that “ALL ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS [OF THE BIBLE] SAY ‘REPENT!’ AND NOT ‘CHANGE YOUR MIND!’” Let's examine the first half of Grudem's premise. Is it true that all English translations of the Bible say "repent" for metanoeō, or is Grudem once again misrepresenting the facts? Let's take a closer look. Grudem in his book goes on to explain: “This verb [metanoeō] is translated as ‘repent’ in the following Bible versions: KJV, NKJV, ESV, NASB, NIV, NET, HCSB, NLT, RSV, and NRSV.” (Ibid., p. 64.) Okay, but that’s not “ALL ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS” as Grudem initially claimed. The truth is (and this is most obvious), not all English translations of the Bible say “repent” when translating the Greek word metanoeō. Personally, I like how J. B. Phillips translates Matthew 3:2 (and similar verses with the word metanoeō). The Phillips translation says, “You must change your hearts—for the Kingdom of Heaven has arrived!” This translation of Matthew 3:2 supports Dr. Bing’s understanding of repentance, and disproves Grudem's sweeping claim that "ALL ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS SAY 'REPENT!'" In regards to the fact that the Phillips translation of Matthew 3:2 (and similar verses) supports Dr. Bing's understanding of repentance, even Grudem affirms this in a footnote in his book (p. 56, footnote 13) when he writes: “Bing says that ‘it is also accurate to translate the word repentance as a change of heart.’” Charles Bing, Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship: How to Understand Some Difficult Bible Passages (The Woodlands, TX: Grace Theology Press, 2015), 51.” So we see that contrary to what Grudem has claimed, not “ALL ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS SAY ‘REPENT!’”

[3] Ibid., p. 64.

[4] Charles C. Bing, Lordship Salvation: A Biblical Evaluation and Response, 2nd GraceLife Edition (Xulon Press, 2010), p. 69, footnote 40.

[5] Wayne Grudem, "Free Grace" Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel, p. 64. Grudem has good things to say about the New American Standard Bible (NASB), although he personally prefers the English Standard Version (ESV). In an article titled "The Advantages of the English Standard Version (ESV) Translation," Grudem categorizes the NASB as an "essentially literal" translation and gives this summary: "In 1971, the New American Standard Bible (NASB) was published by the Lockman Foundation. It was precise and accurate in its word-for-word literalness, and for that reason it became especially popular among pastors who did verse-by-verse and word-for-word expository preaching." Grudem goes on to say that "the NASB, [is] widely respected for its accuracy" (pp. 8-9).

[6] Lester J. Kuyper, “The Repentance of God”, Reformed Review (Vol. 18, No. 4, May 1965), see pp. 6-7, bold added. Dr. Scofield understands the Hebrew word nacham similarly; his note on the word “Repentance” in the Old Testament in The Scofield Reference Bible is instructive. Commenting on the word “repented” in Zechariah 8:14, Dr. Scofield  writes the following: “Repentance (O.T.), Summary: In the O.T., repentance is the English word used to translate the Heb. nacham, to be ‘eased’ or ‘comforted.’ It is used of both God and man. Notwithstanding the literal meaning of nacham, it is evident, from a study of all the passages, that the sacred writers use it in the sense of metanoia in the N.T.—a change of mind. See Mt. 3.2; Acts 17.30, note. As in the N.T., such change of mind is often accompanied by contrition and self-judgment. When applied to God the word is used phenomenally according to O.T. custom. God seems to change His mind. The phenomena are such, as, in the case of a man, would indicate a change of mind.” (C. I. Scofield, The Scofield Reference Bible, 1917 Edition, p. 972, footnote 2.)

[7] See Charles Bing, Lordship Salvation, p. 69, footnote 40.

[8] Wayne Grudem, "Free Grace" Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel, p. 66.

[9] Ibid., pp. 49-50, 54-55. Note: Grudem affirms that repentance is implied together with faith. He writes that “we should regard repentance and faith as two closely connected parts of one overall action, parts that cannot be separated.” (Ibid., p. 45.)

[10] Ibid., p. 64.