Theology Thursday: Faith and Repentance
A while back I started a series on the Ordo Salutis. So far I’ve looked at Common Grace, Election, and the Gospel Call. Today, faith and repentance.
Repentance and Faith are together because they must, by their nature, take place at the same time. You cannot put saving faith in Christ and not turn from your sin. Some people like to talk about when they accepted Jesus as their savior, and later as their Lord. The Bible knows nothing of this distinction. Jesus’ saving grace and leading grace are intermingled, inseparable, and essential.
Repentance. Repentance is putting our face toward God and our back towards sin, where once the opposite was true. But it’s not enough to just repent and stop sinning. We need a new trajectory.
Faith. Faith is not, contrary to Richard Dawkins, anything involving blindness or leaps off high chasms. Actually, faith is simply the outcome of trust…well-placed trust. Biblical faith must include the following…
- Knowledge – You’ve got to know the right info. You can’t believe Jesus died for your sins to bring you to God if you don’t actually know that Jesus died for your sins to bring you to God. This is why good theology is important, lest people believe the wrong things, and trust in a Jesus who isn’t really Jesus.
- Approval – You can’t just know the right stuff, you actually have to believe it’s true. Most of us westerners can do this, we just give mental ascent to the right fact…how very Greek of us. The fact is, though, that even Satan gets this far, so there better be more.
- Trust – This is the sticky point. Know the right Jesus and agree, but then you must trust him. You must let your knowledge drop from head to heart, and affect how you live.
How about it? Are you believing, or are you believing?
Good Mabry. Clear and concise. Love basic theology expressed… well… basically.
Did you steal the theology thursday title from me? Probably not since I never actually said it on my blog. Alas, you use it first, you keep it
Donny Fishers last blog post..If you have to buy your friends…
GASP! Did I steal that from you?!
Well…sorry
Adam Mabrys last blog post..Theology Thursday: Faith and Repentance
With your head-faith/heart-faith distinctions you sound an awfully lot like Kenneth Hagin and EW Kenyon! Gasp!
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mlms last blog post..Liberals Always More Generous With Other People’s Money
That’s all pretty much straight up Calvin and Luther.
Good to know that Hagin and that other guy have some good ideas, though
Adam Mabrys last blog post..Perspective…
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