Day Off Week 27 2026

Slighty odd day in some ways. I had hay fever all day, which can happen even though I take an antihistamine every day throughout the season. I spent the morning cataloguing books in LibraryThing (I took loadsto the Evangelical Library on Monday). Eleri was home until lunch time then going out so we had our main meal at lunch time (salmon). Because of the hay fever I didn't feel like walking the Thames and then two books I ordered weeks back arrived so I decided to go to Caffe Nero, West Hampstead, and sit in the air conditioning, reading them both which I did (only 60 pages each). Very helpful but I got quite depressed after and so after watching the news I headed for bed.

Semper Paenitere

I just put this on one of my blogs here.
Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, Sola Deo Gloria. These are the great Reformation watchwords. Scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, the glory of God alone. One can only have so many watchwords but if one wanted to add an extra one what more obvious than Semper Paenitere, always repenting?

When Luther nailed his famous 95 theses to the Wittenberg castle church door this issue was top of the agenda. The theses, originally in Latin but soon translated, began, Out of love and zeal for truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following theses will be publicly discussed at Wittenberg under the chairmanship of the reverend father Martin Luther, master of arts and sacred theology and regularly appointed lecturer on these subjects at that place. He requests that those who cannot be present to debate orally with us will do so by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. When our Lord & Master Jesus Christ said Repent [Matthew 4:17], he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.

2. This word cannot be understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, that is, confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.

3. Yet it does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortifications of the flesh.

We need to hear this message again today.

1. Paenitere

The Bible calls on us in many places to repent. Think of the preaching of John the Baptist, of Christ himself, of the apostles. But what does it mean to repent? Roman Catholicism taught that it meant Do penance. One of Luther’s greatest rediscoveries was that the Greek word translated in the Latin Vulgate Do penance actually means Be penitent or Repent. This is not the same as remorse or regret although it includes that. There is a different Greek word for that. No, Repent means Change your mind, turn away from sin.

The word occurs 57 times in the New Testament. It can refer more generally to conversion but usually refers to the other side of faith. Sometimes the apostles called for repentance, sometimes for faith. Both are God given (See Acts 5:31, 11:18). Both are necessary to salvation. There is no forgiveness except through faith and repentance. Faith and repentance are possible only because of Christ’s work on the cross. 

As Luther says, true repentance has inward and outward aspects. In 1826 John Colquhoun produced an excellent work on repentance. There he turns to 2 Corinthians 7 for an anatomy of what is involved. Paul talks there about godly sorrow in contrast to worldly sorrow. The roots of true repentance lie in this godly sorrow. Its fruit is salvation and no regret. This godly sorrow is characterised by,

Earnestness, not complacency about sin; Eagerness to clear one's name - not excuses but a desire for pardon; Indignation or hatred towards sin; He is angry and sins not when he is angry at nothing but sin and angry with himself only because he has sinned comments Colquhoun. There is also Alarm or Fear of sinning and provoking God’s wrath; there is Longing for a thorough reformation, to be right with God; there is Concern or Zeal to see sin dealt with, for God’s glory and in order to be holy; Readiness to see justice done, one pronounces the death sentence on self. Outwardly there must also be a change of behaviour. See Acts 26:20. Think of Zacchaeus or the occultists converted at Ephesus (Acts 20:18,19). Think of all that the book of Exodus has to say about restitution. Have you truly repented?

2. Semper paenitere

Like faith, repentance must be a life long thing. That is clear from the New Testament. See, for example, Romans 12:2 and Ephesians 4:23, which both speak of the Christian’s mind being changed or renewed. Even a man of God can wander. When he wanders he must be brought back. Think of David or Peter. Think of the Bible’s emphasis on restoration of the fallen. Restoration is always by way of repentance. Repentance then has to be a daily thing, an hourly thing. Is it with you?
Originally published in GraceMagazine
* The rediscovery came to Luther from Lorenzo Valla via Erasmus
** John Colquhoun 1748-1827magazine

Westminster Conference 2016 Day One

It was a good day today at the Sally Army place on Oxford Street. We were around 120 and we are expecting more tomorrow. We began with two papers on Luther from Ken Brownell and Peter Beale. Ken dealt with the 95 Theses with some background and a 9.5 thesed summary. Peter took us through four major works (On good works, To the Christian nobility, Babylonian captivity and On Christian liberty) all from 1520 (what a productive year), The second paper coming in the graveyard shift was harder to listen to but we had a better discussion - on preaching to the nation.

The third and final paper was from James Mildred on the Puritans on repentance after which we discussed preaching faith and repentance. We were given a host of good quotations. Examples

Thomas Watson A pardon will make the hardest heart relent, and cause the stony heart to bleed: and, is it thus with us? Have we been dissolved into tears for sin. God seals his pardon upon melting hearts.
(Body of divinity)
George Swinnock 

A stroke, from guilt, from wrath, broke Judas’ heart into despair; a look from love, from Christ, broke Peter’s into tears.

Richard Sibbes 

It is not enough to leave sin for some by ends, as fear of punishment, shame, and the like; but we must loathe it also.

(Bruised Reed)

John Owen But I say also, there is no inconsistency between spiritual joy in Christ and godly sorrow for sin; yea, no man in this life shall ever be able to maintain solid joy in his heart, without the continual working of godly sorrow also; yea, there is a secret joy and refreshment in godly sorrow, equal unto the chiefest of our joys, and a great spiritual satisfaction.

(Gospel Grounds and Evidences of the Faith of God's Elect)
A good day.

Lord's Day June 1 2014

I am happy to say that I am now officially off the sick list. I am not preaching yet, however, as I had already arranged to have a sabbatical from yesterday. Yesterday was the Lord's Day, of course, and our preacher was Dr Robert Oliver the retired pastor of Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire. We had an excellent say with him and I was only sorry there were not more of us to hear him with at least four families away and others absent. As it was Ascension Day recently he chose to preach on the ascension in the morning and on repentance (Acts 11:18) in the evening. I particularly appreciated Dr Oliver's prayers. We began the day with communion led by one of our deacons, as it is a new month. It is always a privilege to be with God's people.

Christian Acrostics 03 REPENT

https://clipart-library.com/clipart/repent-cliparts_7.htm

Renounce
Evil
Practices,
Excusing
None, and
Turn

Westminster Conference 2010 04

The opening paper on day 2 of this year's Westminster Conference was given by Sam Waldron on "The Uneasy Relationship of Repentance and Sola Fide in the Reformed Tradition"

He began provocatively by speaking of how he had noticed similarities between Calvin and Norman Shepherd, the successor to John Murray at Westminster Seminary, eventually dismissed from his post because of the division his views on salvation were causing. We were given an outline of the paper which I have reproduced here.

Introduction: Method of Treatment

I. Reactions to Legalism

A. Sofa Fide and Repentance in Calvin

See diagram above 

B. Faith and Then Repentance in the Marrow Men

1. The Marrow Controversy and the Marrow Men

2. The Distinctive View of Faith and Repentance of the Marrow Men

C. Faith and Then Repentance in the Sandemanians

II. Reactions to Easy-Believism

A. Repentance and Then Faith in R. L. Dabney, A. W. Pink, and D M Lloyd-Jones*

B. Repentance and Sola Fide in Norman Shepherd

III. Resolution: Repentant Faith and Believing Repentance

A. Historical Representation: Spurgeon, Ryle, Gerstner, and John Murray

B. Relational Considerations

1. Response to Calvin

2. Response to the Marrow Men

3. Response to the Sandemanians (and Easy-Believism)

4. Response to Dabney, Pink, and Lloyd-Jones

5. Response to Shepherd

*It was suggested in the discussion that Lloyd-Jones shifted on this one to putting faith first.

This was a very thorough, sometimes difficult, paper helping us to think this issue through. Perhaps John Murray spoke best when he said

 “Repentance is the twin sister of faith - we cannot think of the one without the other, and so repentance would be cojoined with faith.”

Dr Sam Waldron

Dr Sam Waldron is in town this week. He has been in pastoral ministry since 1977 and currently serves as one of the pastors at Heritage Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky, and is Academic Dean and Professor of Systematic Theology at Midwest Center for Theological Studies. His many publications include The Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession.

On Monday he speaks at London Theological Seminary on Creeds an Confessions. The Monday Seminar begins at 2:30 pm. Dr Waldron will be discussing the use of creeds and confessions in the local church. In his first session, he will address the legitimacy and necessity of confessions. Confessions and creeds are widely despised as infringements on soul liberty or sola scriptura. In fact, he will argue that they are both legitimate and necessary to the nature of the church.

His second session is described on the LTS website as follows. The extensive creeds of the Reformation are widely seen as hindering the ministry of the church by restricting membership in the church to mature believers and excluding even some of them. In fact, this is a misunderstanding and properly utilised extensive creeds like those of the Reformation are a great blessing and have wonderful utility in the local church. More here.

On Tuesday and Wednesday he will be at the Westminster Conference. He is the first speaker on the second day, on repentance and sola fide. More here. He is also preaching for us next Sunday morning.

John Colquhoun Link

I enjoyed reading this here on John Colquhoun (174-1827) author of a book on Repentance, soon to be reprinted according to Heresy Huntin' Martin Downes. Also see here at Monergism.

"Colquhoun was a Church of Scotland minister who also wrote Law and Gospel, the Covenant of Grace and The Covenant of Works. He was considered an able preacher of the "Marrow" theology, having been moulded in his Christian life and ministry by Thomas Boston's Fourfold State.

The "Marrow men" were defenders and preachers of the offer of God's free grace in Christ to all sinners.
The book (on Repentance) was first published in 1826, and published by the Banner of Truth in 1965. As I started reading through it I could not fathom why they let this little gem go out of print. Well the good news from Jonathan Watson at the Banner is that they will be republishing the book later this year.
Colquhoun wrote the following words about "evangelical" as opposed to natural or legal repentance:

It is a gracious principle and habit implanted in the soul by the Spirit of Christ, in the exercise of which a regenerate and believing sinner, deeply sensible of the exceeding sinfulness and just demerit of his innumerable sins is truly humbled and grieved before the Lord, on account of the sinfulness and hurtfulness of them.
He feels bitter remorse, unfeigned sorrow, and deep self-abhorrence for the aggravated transgressions of his life, and the deep depravity of his nature; chiefly, because by all his innumerable provocations he had dishonoured an infinitely holy and gracious God, transgressed a law which is "holy, just and good," and defiled, deformed and even destroyed his own precious soul.
This godly sorrow for sin and this holy abhorrence of it arise from a spiritual discovery of pardoning mercy with God in Christ, and from the exercise of trusting in his mercy.
And these feelings and exercises are always accompanied by an unfeigned love of universal holiness, and by fixed resolutions and endeavours to turn from all iniquity to God and to walk before him in newness of life.
Such, in general is the nature of that evangelical repentance, to the habit and exercise of which the Lord Jesus calls sinners who hear the Gospel.
Repentance, p. 10

Here is the inscription from Colquhoun's gravestone:

Having studied deeply the Doctrines of
Grace, and experienced their saving and

sanctifying power in his own soul.
He laboured earnestly and affectionately
to communicate the knowledge of them
to his Fellow Sinners.
As an Author his chief aim was to advance
the Glory of the Saviour.
In private he exhibited the effects of the
holy Doctrines he inculcated in public by
a close walk with God;
And by a kind affable and humble deportment
towards all men.
And in these several ways his labours
were acknowledged of God,
by whom they were blessed to many.
He was faithful unto death

and
has now received the Crown of Life.