Repentence

by Evangelist Frank Tyler

Introduction

In last year’s 2018 TTVF Journal, we learned that Jesus’ testimony to Nicodemus reveals God’s chesed or loyal covenantal love in giving His Son for the salvation of the world, both Jew and Gentile. [82] As a teacher of Israel and a Pharisee, Nicodemus might well have been taken aback with Jesus’ promise: Forin this manner, God loved( chesed) the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16; underlining added for emphasis). [83] Despite his high standing within Israel, we learned that as an individual, Nicodemus was a mere whoever in need of eternal life.

By Lindsey Adkins

Introduction to a Christian Tragedy

A quick search on the web shows Matthew 7:21-23 is regarded as one of the most terrifying passages in the Bible, shooting fear through the veins of Christians everywhere.[1]

7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’

7:23 And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23) [2]

It’s easy to see why the notion of people who thought they were on their way to heaven, but were really on their way to hell, terrifies so many. But like a Greek tragedy, could the commonly prescribed remedy for avoiding this tragic fate, actually be what brings it about? Are the things we do to stop this from happening, the very things that bring it to fruition?

(Preface and Chapter One)

by Robert N. Wilkin

Preface

I wrote my doctoral dissertation, “Repentance and Salvation in the New Testament,” at Dallas Theological Seminary from 1983 to 1985. I have since changed my view of repentance from the change-of-mind position to the turning-from-sins view.

There are very few books on repentance. Of the major books available in English, none of them give the New Testament the emphasis it deserves. (Zane Hodges’s book Harmony with Godonly covers the New Testament. Though it is short and does not deal with the Old Testament or church history or objections, it is, in my opinion, outstanding. Indeed, it was Hodges’s writings that led me to change my view on repentance.) For example, Mark Boda’s ‘Return to Me’: A Biblical Theology of Repentance, barely covers the New Testament teaching on repentance. Boda has ten chapters and 125 pages on repentance in the Old Testament. He only has two chapters and 28 pages on repentance in the New Testament.