The following is excerpted from A. C. Partridge's book English Biblical Translation, specifically where he discusses the crucial importance and fundamental meaning of the English word "repent". Partridge writes:
"The Bible was the testing-ground of translators almost from its written beginnings; for Hebraic traditions and culture soon passed to the Greek, North African and Roman world. In the rights and wrongs of translation began the earliest dissensions of the Christian Church.
Not only the principles of religion, but the doctrinal differences of the creeds turn on the meaning of crucial words and phrases in the original texts; and the texts themselves have been difficult to establish. Thus in Matthew III, 2 the Greek New Testament has metanoeite, meaning 'change your mind' or 'repent'; this Jerome rendered penitentiam agite, 'do penance', in which he was followed by Wyclif. Erasmus saw the ambiguity and suggested for his Latin version ad mentem redite ['come to your senses' or 'return to your right mind'] or resipiscite, 'reconsider'. The significance of this change provided Luther with a reasonable ground for his reform movement."1
Like the Reformers, let's return to the Greek text of Scripture and reclaim the true biblical meaning of "Repent": change your mind!
Reference:
1 A. C. Partridge, English Biblical Translation (London: Andre Deutsch Limited, 1973), p. 3, brackets added.
What always blows my mind is that even as Paul is getting started, people begin to take their eyes off of Christ and either put them on themselves or put them on other men. I think of Hebrews, how there’s such a beautiful picture of Christ being literally superior in every single way, and it was written to individuals that were trying to go back to Judaism. And then I think of how there were many that were following Apollos saying they followed a man or instead of following Apollos, they follow Paul. To which Paul respond but I follow Christ. In that same vein, the way that repent was always presented to me was the biggest bit of navel gazing that I have ever experienced. During “communion“ we would have to “examine ourselves“ in case there was any sin we didn’t confess or “repent” of, because if we took communion with any sin in our lives, we were probably going to die. Instead, communion and the Lord’s supper was an offshoot of Passover and how the Passover lamb was the reason that the Israelites didn’t die, and Jesus is the reason that we don’t die. Once again, our focus is misplaced. I find it interesting that in most modern Christian churches, our experience has nothing to do with resting in Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, but instead, a never ending onslaught of introspective self-examination, which to me is nothing short of a works based salvation wrapped up in a deceptive package. I am going to continue to sin. I shouldn’t, nor is it something that Grace is designed to permit me to do, but the reality is still there. I am going to continue to sin, and so the free grace of God, his loving beautiful grace, life, and death and resurrection done for me as the perfect sacrifice in spite of the fact that I am a royal grade A failure at about just everything in life, well, it reminds me of the verse that says it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. There truly is no one like Jesus. He’s the only thing we should be focused on.
ReplyDeleteHi Todd, I appreciate those insights and your encouragement that we stay focused on Christ and on the free grace of God that is available to us through Him.
ReplyDeleteWhile Paul does say to the Corinthians, "let a man examine himself" (as you noted), your point about how that is often conflated with and/or used in an attempt to support an incorrect understanding of repentance is well taken.
Biblically, "repentance" (Greek metanoia) means "a change of mind," not a turning from sins. Furthermore, repentance is specifically said to be "toward God" (Acts 20:21). Thus not inherently introspective, as you so eloquently stated. Thanks!