A Sola Fide Question

[JESUS=G.O.A.T]

The topic du jour has been the need to repent and certain individuals are quite insistent that repentance always means forsaking sin. My point is that it certainly does not mean that and that one cannot find the term "repent from your sin" anywhere in the Bible.

Here is just a sampling of interesting Bible verses concerning God's repentance.

Genesis 6:6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

I Samuel 15:10 Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, 11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.

Exodus 32:12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

II Samuel 24:16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.

I Chronicles 21:15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Psalm 106:44 Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:
45 And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.

Jeremiah 18:8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

But if you have a change of mind naturally you’ll sin less I get what you mean though. Ultimately baptism washes away sins and the Holy Ghost enables one to resist them while with repentance it’s just a changed mindset.

 

[bbbbbbb]

But if you have a change of mind naturally you’ll sin less I get what you mean though. Ultimately baptism washes away sins and the Holy Ghost enables one to resist them while with repentance it’s just a changed mindset.

Not necessarily. God changed His mind, but did not sin less as a result, did He?

The gospel is about changing one's mind concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. To be sure, good works flow as a result of conversion, but good works are not a prerequisite to conversion.

 

[BNR32FAN]

Interestingly, I have not found any verse in the Bible that uses the term "repent of your sin". Perhaps you can help me find it.

Here’s just a few I found really quick

““Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

““The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

[BNR32FAN]

As a side note to this discussion, in the Old Testament there are multiple instances where God repented. Assuredly, He did not repent of His sin.

Repent can also mean regret

 

[JESUS=G.O.A.T]

The topic du jour has been the need to repent and certain individuals are quite insistent that repentance always means forsaking sin. My point is that it certainly does not mean that and that one cannot find the term "repent from your sin" anywhere in the Bible.

Here is just a sampling of interesting Bible verses concerning God's repentance.

Genesis 6:6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

I Samuel 15:10 Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, 11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.

Exodus 32:12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

II Samuel 24:16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.

I Chronicles 21:15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Psalm 106:44 Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:
45 And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.

Jeremiah 18:8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

Not necessarily. God changed His mind, but did not sin less as a result, did He?

The gospel is about changing one's mind concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. To be sure, good works flow as a result of conversion, but good works are not a prerequisite to conversion.

but God never sinned at all to begin with man did and God never changes but based off the definition of repentance one has to change. Clearly Gods repentance is different

 

[JESUS=G.O.A.T]

Not necessarily. God changed His mind, but did not sin less as a result, did He?

The gospel is about changing one's mind concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. To be sure, good works flow as a result of conversion, but good works are not a prerequisite to conversion.

If you read about people who repent they tend to sin less and behave differently I don’t see how one could dismiss that as a concidense. Also the Bible says one repents for the remission or forgiveness of sins also... if you seek forgiveness for something and you’re truly sorry about it you’ll change and display fruits as a result of that change I’ll evens give you a bible verse real quick

 

[JESUS=G.O.A.T]

Not necessarily. God changed His mind, but did not sin less as a result, did He?

The gospel is about changing one's mind concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. To be sure, good works flow as a result of conversion, but good works are not a prerequisite to conversion.

Repentance Greek Word= metanoia which means an inner change of attitude leading to an outward change of behavior. Hebrews Word (OT): shub= turning away from previous life and the too meaning is to destroy house. (Why would God turn away from his past life?) Matthew 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits(proof) meet for repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:9-11King James Version (KJV)

9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

10 For godly sorrow (sorry) worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow (sorry) of the world worketh death(we go back to old stuff)

11 (Benefits of repentance) For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Conclusion: in other words true repentance leads towards a change of behavior from iniquity (wicked behavior) which logically leads to less sin.
. Besides Bible aside logically Why would one have to change their behavior unless something is wrong with it?

 

[BNR32FAN]

If you read about people who repent they tend to sin less and behave differently I don’t see how one could dismiss that as a concidense. Also the Bible says one repents for the remission or forgiveness of sins also... if you seek forgiveness for something and you’re truly sorry about it you’ll change and display fruits as a result of that change I’ll evens give you a bible verse real quick

Yes when we see the word repent in the Bible it is translated from the word metanoia which means to change direction or turn away from something. Basically like making a 180 degree turn.

 

[bbbbbbb]

Here’s just a few I found really quick

““Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭3:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. ””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

““The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I find it interesting that you needed the paraphrase known as the New Living Translation to find this phrase used. Unfortunately, this is not what the texts say in Greek.

For example, here is Mark 1:15 in Greek -

καὶ λέγων ὅτι Πεπλήρωται ὁ καιρὸς καὶ ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία
τοῦ Θεοῦ· μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ.

To be certain, you will observe the word, repent (μετανοεῖτε), but you will not find the word, sin (αμαρτία) there at all.

I wish you better luck the next time. BTW, you may wish to consult more reliable and accurate translations.

 

[JESUS=G.O.A.T]

Well that settles it repentance doesn’t mean sins removed specifically but more so a change of behavior. This behavior change could sure lead to one commuting less fornication (not the only sin out there just an example I’m using) but that’s not guanreteed and that only goes so far with simply a changed mind or the first part of acts 2:38. That’s why after one repents it’s important they get they seek the Holy Spirit soon after. You’ll only last so long with just a changed mind and not the power to go along with it. That The Bible mentions baptism and Holy Ghost reception playing more of a part in regards to dealing with sin. Repentance is just a changed mindset. You don’t have the power (Holy Ghost) to resist (unless you sought and received him after repentance of course) and you haven’t had sins washed away until baptism acts 22:16. Sure with that changed mindset alone one could avoid this or that but without the power of the Holy Ghost it’s alot harder.

 

[BNR32FAN]

You won’t find

I find it interesting that you needed the paraphrase known as the New Living Translation to find this phrase used. Unfortunately, this is not what the texts say in Greek.

For example, here is Mark 1:15 in Greek -

καὶ λέγων ὅτι Πεπλήρωται ὁ καιρὸς καὶ ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία
τοῦ Θεοῦ· μετανοεῖτε καὶ πιστεύετε ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ.

To be certain, you will observe the word, repent (μετανοεῖτε), but you will not find the word, sin (αμαρτία) there at all.

I wish you better luck the next time. BTW, you may wish to consult more reliable and accurate translations.

““The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Mark 1:15 NLT; “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

the time has been fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near repent and believe in the good news
Mark 1:15 Greek translation

I really don’t see a problem with the addition of the word sin since this interpretation is actually more descriptive as to what your repenting of. Either way the Greek version is still referring to repentance of sin. I do agree however that the NLT can give bad examples at times but I don’t see a problem with this particular verse. I have come across an example where the NLT used the word confess translated from metanoia which is a very bad translation but in most cases it actually gives a pretty good translation. Im very careful about what I quote from the NLT I just prefer it in most cases because it’s easier for everyone to understand.

 

[bbbbbbb]

You won’t find

““The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Mark 1:15 NLT; “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

the time has been fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near repent and believe in the good news
Mark 1:15 Greek translation

I really don’t see a problem with the addition of the word sin since this interpretation is actually more descriptive as to what your repenting of. Either way the Greek version is still referring to repentance of sin. I do agree however that the NLT can give bad examples at times but I don’t see a problem with this particular verse. I have come across an example where the NLT used the word confess translated from metanoia which is a very bad translation but in most cases it actually gives a pretty good translation. Im very careful about what I quote from the NLT I just prefer it in most cases because it’s easier for everyone to understand.

If, indeed, sin was the object of repentance, don't you think that it would have been in the text? Do we need to add words to the Bible that suit our theology?

It reminds me of the simple English word "a". You will not find it in most English translations of John 1:1. However, our friends at the Kingdom Hall sincerely believe that the translators made a mistake and the verse really ought to read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god . . ."

 

[BNR32FAN]

If, indeed, sin was the object of repentance, don't you think that it would have been in the text? Do we need to add words to the Bible that suit our theology?

It reminds me of the simple English word "a". You will not find it in most English translations of John 1:1. However, our friends at the Kingdom Hall sincerely believe that the translators made a mistake and the verse really ought to read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god . . ."

What was Jesus referring to when He said repent? Repent from what?

 

[Gottservant]

A question recently came to my mind, and I thought I'd come here to ask it:
If Sola Fide (faith alone) is valid, i.e., all we need is belief in Christ and we'll be saved, then what's up with all the Bible verses about sins being forgiven? There's the story in Luke 7, numerous instances in Paul's letters, all sorts of things about "Your love covers up a multitude of sins", or the closing of James, "Anyone who converts a sinner from his ways covers over a multitude of sins."
If all we need is faith, than why are we worried about doing things to cover over sins? Why would God inspire people to write these things?

I struggled with this for about 29 years.

It comes down to John 14:20 "In that Day you will know I am in My Father and in you together with Me" (paraphrase)

People say "I make you my Lord and Saviour" actually it means nothing, until you have reached that Day - at which point Jesus Himself places us in Him.

So indeed we are saved Sola Fide (faith alone), but it is not actually our doing.

 

[fhansen]

A question recently came to my mind, and I thought I'd come here to ask it:
If Sola Fide (faith alone) is valid, i.e., all we need is belief in Christ and we'll be saved, then what's up with all the Bible verses about sins being forgiven? There's the story in Luke 7, numerous instances in Paul's letters, all sorts of things about "Your love covers up a multitude of sins", or the closing of James, "Anyone who converts a sinner from his ways covers over a multitude of sins."
If all we need is faith, than why are we worried about doing things to cover over sins? Why would God inspire people to write these things?

Man's justice doesn't consist of faith; it consists of love, which is why the Greatest Commandments are what they are. Love is what faith is meant to lead to, by establishing communion with God, 'apart from whom we can do nothing' John 15:5. Love is what motivates the works done "for the least of these" in Matt 25:31-46, works by which we'll be judged, the works prepared for us as per Eph 2:10. "Love fulfills the Law" Rom 13. And we'll be judged by the law even though the law can't justify us- Rom 2. Love justifies us.

And so Paul can say in 1 Cor 13, "...if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing." And Augustine, "Without love faith may indeed exist, but avails nothing." And John of the Cross, "At the evening of life we shall be judged on our love." Paul again, "The only thing that counts is faith working through love." Gal 5:6

 

[dqhall]

Man's justice doesn't consist of faith; it consists of love, which is why the Greatest Commandments are what they are. Love is what faith is meant to lead to, by establishing communion with God, 'apart from whom we can do nothing' John 15:5. Love is what motivates the works done "for the least of these" in Matt 25:31-46, works by which we'll be judged, the works prepared for us as per Eph 2:10. "Love fulfills the Law" Rom 13. And we'll be judged by the law even though the law can't justify us- Rom 2. Love justifies us.

And so Paul can say in 1 Cor 13, "...if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing." And Augustine, "Without love faith may indeed exist, but avails nothing." And John of the Cross, "At the evening of life we shall be judged on our love." Paul again, "The only thing that counts is faith working through love." Gal 5:6

Faith can move mountains (Matt. 17:20). A mountain cannot be moved without moving a grain of sand. Though one may be able to labor, without honesty one is a liar.

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders work in vain (Psalm 127:1).

At the working man's house hunger looks in, but dares not enter (Benjamin Franklin).

 

[NeedyFollower]

A question recently came to my mind, and I thought I'd come here to ask it:
If Sola Fide (faith alone) is valid, i.e., all we need is belief in Christ and we'll be saved, then what's up with all the Bible verses about sins being forgiven? There's the story in Luke 7, numerous instances in Paul's letters, all sorts of things about "Your love covers up a multitude of sins", or the closing of James, "Anyone who converts a sinner from his ways covers over a multitude of sins."
If all we need is faith, than why are we worried about doing things to cover over sins? Why would God inspire people to write these things?

I may be mistaken and maybe others may comment but I believe Martin Luther added the word "alone" in the german translation. We are saved by God's grace ( Jesus Christ ) through faith which works by love . Where does love come from ? God . It is noteworthy I believe that it was written to BELIEVERS to endeavor for the faith once delivered to the saints . All the admonitions and warnings in the bible were to BELIEVERS for unbelievers would have no interest in them . For the grace of God which brings salvation has appeared to all men TEACHING us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust , we should live soberly , righteously and godly in this present world . Luther thought James a " straw" epistle but I find it valuable . Abraham believed God and it was counted as righteousness ..it was not that Abraham believed IN God but rather that he believed God and his life demonstrated that belief. ....consequently Abraham was able to give life to others . In James ..faith without works is dead ....it can not bring life to others.

 

[bbbbbbb]

What was Jesus referring to when He said repent? Repent from what?

He was preaching to change your mind concerning God and His kingdom. The mindset was (and still is mostly) that God's kingdom is reserved for those who keep the Law; those who don't will never enter it. The fact that Jesus was preaching was that God's kingdom is for sinners (which everyone, including the Law-keepers, is) for He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. It is really offensive for Law-keepers to hear that the prostitutes and tax collectors will be entering heaven long before they will.

 

[bbbbbbb]

Faith can move mountains (Matt. 17:20). A mountain cannot be moved without moving a grain of sand. Though one may be able to labor, without honesty one is a liar.

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders work in vain (Psalm 127:1).

At the working man's house hunger looks in, but dares not enter (Benjamin Franklin).

Actually, mountains are in constant motion. The earth's crust is continually shifting with the result being earthquakes and volcanoes. Most mountains are rising. Mountain formation - Wikipedia

 

[dreadnought]

Why don't you answer my question? Did God repent of His sin or not?

I'm not aware of any sin he committed, but he did repent of travail he had contemplated dishing out to sinners on one or more occasions.