Repentance (Christianity)

Close up of a 17th-century depiction of one of the 28 articles of the Augsburg Confession by Wenceslas Hollar, with repentance depicted as being a combination of contrition and faith

Repentance is a stage in Christian salvation where the believer turns away from sin. As a distinct stage in the ordo salutis its position is disputed, with some theological traditions arguing it occurs prior to faith and the Reformed theological tradition arguing it occurs after faith.[1] In Roman Catholic theology repentance is part of the larger theological concept of penance.[2] Generally in the Old Testament the term repentance comes from the Hebrew word group that means "turn away from".[3]:1007 Sometimes this word group is employed to request a turning from sinful activity (Jeremiah 8:6). In the New Testament the μετανοέω/metanoeo word group can mean remorse but is generally translated as a turning away from sin (Matthew 3:2).[3]:1007 Theologically 'repentance', the turning away from sin is linked to a corresponding turn to faith in God.[3]:1008

References

  1. ↑ Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation (Wheaton: Crossway, 1997): 38-39.
  2. ↑ Demarest, The Cross and Salvation, 37.
  3. 1 2 3 T.C. Mitchell, 'Repentance' New Bible Dictionary (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996): 1007–8.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.