What is repentance? If repentance is defined to mean “turn from sins” (in other words, clean up your lifestyle), then yes, that would be another condition for salvation in addition to faith alone in Christ alone. But if repentance is simply defined to mean “a change of mind” – how is that a condition separate from faith alone? In other words, to say that a person can be saved without having a change of mind is preposterous! It’s like saying that unbelief is the same as belief, which of course is ridiculous. So no, when defined as “a change of mind”, repentance is not another condition for salvation in addition to faith alone.
Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder and first president of Dallas Theological Seminary, has well said: “It is true that repentance can very well be required as a condition of salvation, but then only because the change of mind which it is has been involved when turning from every other confidence to the one needful trust in Christ. Such turning about, of course, cannot be achieved without a change of mind. This vital newness of mind [repentance] is a part of believing, after all, and therefore it may be and is used as a synonym for believing at times”.[2]
ENDNOTES:
[1] Bob Wilkin, “Is Repentance the Flip Side of Faith?” (October 6, 2016), GES blog; Wilkin “Justification by Faith Alone and Yet by Repentance Too” (May 2, 2019), GES blog. Note: Bob Wilkin previously held to a different view of repentance, as set forth in his article titled: “Repentance as a Condition for Salvation in the New Testament” (Th. D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985). For more information see his multi-part series on the bible.org website: “Repentance and Salvation,” particularly Part 4: “New Testament Repentance: Repentance in the Gospels and Acts.” See under heading three: “III. Which Views of Salvific Repentance Are Compatible with Faith as the Sole Condition of Salvation?” Wilkin says: “B. CHANGING ONE’S MIND AS A CONDITION OF
ETERNAL SALVATION: A VIEW CONSISTENT WITH
FAITH AS THE SOLE CONDITION OF SALVATION.” Under this subheading Wilkin affirms: “The view of Chafer, Ryrie, and this writer is that the ‘repentance’ which is required for eternal salvation is a change of mind about Christ. The Jews of Jesus’ day knew and rejected Jesus’ claims. The Apostles called on them to change their minds about Jesus Christ in light of the new evidence of His resurrection. This call for a change of mind about Christ is synonymous with the call to trust in Him.
This view is consistent with the position that faith is the sole condition of salvation. It harmonizes John’s Gospel and the Synoptics by viewing saving repentance as equal to saving faith.” This was Wilkin's view of repentance in 1985; unfortunately he has since renounced this view of repentance.
[2] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology (Dallas: Dallas Seminary Press, 1948), vol. 7, p. 265, emphasis his. For more information see the article by Dr. Charlie Bing titled: “Is Repentance in John’s Gospel?” (GraceNotes, Number 83).
2 comments:
The New Testament Greek scholar Daniel B. Wallace, although he is in the Reformed/Lordship camp, yet he nonetheless affirms the significant point that in Luke's Gospel in particular (and by implication in the NT in general) that: “The evidence suggests that, in Luke’s usage, saving faith includes repentance. In those texts which speak simply of faith, a ‘theological shorthand’ seems to be employed: Luke envisions repentance as the inceptive act of which the entirety may be called pistis. Thus, for Luke, conversion is not a two-step process, but one step, faith — but the kind of faith that includes repentance.”
Thus, while Wallace might disagree with the Free Grace view of repentance as simply a change of mind, yet he nonetheless affirms that repentance is included in saving faith. This is what the Greek syntax suggests. In other words, Wallace affirms that repentance is NOT another condition for salvation in addition to faith alone in Christ alone. This supports the traditional Free Grace understanding of repentance and faith.
Source: Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), p. 289, italics his. Note: I transcribed the Greek word pistis into English.
I also want to point out that Zane Hodges once held to the view that repentance as a change of mind is included in saving faith. The following statement by Hodges on repentance is excerpted from his book Grace In Eclipse (Redencion Viva, 1985), page 113, endnote 5. This was Hodges’ view of repentance before he changed it in 1989 with the publication of his book Absolutely Free! Back in 1985, Hodges wrote the following about biblical repentance and I couldn’t agree with it more! Notice what he says:
“The primary New Testament words for repentance (verb, metanoeĊ; noun, metanoia) signify simply a change of mind. They do not have the sense of the English word for repentance which almost always suggests turning from sin, with overtones of sorrow and contrition. Every act of saving faith necessarily involves some change of mind since one cannot move from unbelief to faith without altering one’s perspective. In that sense ‘repentance’ is always involved in trusting Christ. But the notion that one must decide to abandon his sin in order to be saved is actually based on reading the English meaning of ‘repentance’ into some New Testament texts. For valuable discussions of this subject, see Richard A. Seymour, All About Repentance (Hollywood, FL: Harvest House Publishers, 1974); and Robert Nicholas Wilkin, Repentance as a Condition for Salvation in the New Testament (unpublished Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985).”
Source: Zane Hodges, Grace In Eclipse (Redencion Viva, 1985), page 113, endnote 5.
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