#45. Romans 2:4 – A Brief Interlude – What is Repentance? (Judgment Series, Part VI)

 …are you despising the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, being ignorant that the kindness of God is leading you to repentance?

NOTE: Before we begin, it may be more beneficial for you if you have a basic grasp of the administrational boundaries. Don’t worry, this isn’t complicated; just take a look at my word study on “administrations” in the later study of the eons, by clicking here. If you would like a deeper syntopical breakdown, check out chapters 17-25 in God’s Timeline for a fuller meditation on the subject.

But wait! We have one more gripping question: what is repentance?

“Repentance” is metanoia (verb form metanoeō,) its element “AFTER-MIND.” This word has received an overwhelming amount of attention from our religious sects. There are so many interpretations, but I don’t care for the world’s feelings about the word. I would like to know what the word means.

First and foremost, its etymology indicates, literally, an afterthought, or reconsideration. Something to think differently on. The term itself appears 54 times in the New Testament, and Paul only uses the noun and its verb form only ten times.

We will briefly consider each prior use of the term by Paul, but before we do this, we must briefly consider a handful of verses in the circumcision evangel. As previously indicated, Paul’s evangel is separate from Peter’s (Gal. 2:7-9,) distinct from Jesus’ (Matt. 15:22-26,) and contrasted with James (Ja. 2:10-17.) With this juxtaposition in mind, let us briefly consider each use of the term by Paul, and see if Paul’s use lines up with the other evangel.

Notably, repentance in the four accounts most often precedes (and unites with) baptism (Matt. 3:6, 3:11, Mark 1:4-15, Luke 3:7-8, Acts 2:38, and man more.) Israel, both in the four accounts (the sixth administration) and Acts (the seventh administration) are entreated to repent, or reconsider their attitude toward Isreal’s Messiah – our Lord – in view of the imminent judgments which would come upon all mankind in the near future. This is most aptly seen in Paul’s first use of the term “repent,” speaking to Isreal, in Acts 17:30–

Condoning the times of ignorance, God is now charging mankind that all everywhere are to repent, forasmuch as He assigns a day in which He is about to be judging the inhabited earth in righteousness by the Man Whom He specifies, tendering faith to all, raising Him from among the dead…

Note that Paul does not refer to baptism at all, here, but judgment. Men everywhere are to repent in light of their upcoming judgment, which aligns perfectly with Romans 2:4. There is a necessary distinction, here, made by Paul in Acts 19:4–

Paul said, “John baptizes with the baptism of repentance, telling the people that in the One coming after him they should be believing, that is, in Jesus.”

The baptism in the circumcision evangel, then, is undeniably one of a mind change. This was the only possible route for a calloused Israelite under law.

This is the final time that Paul mentions “repentance” in relation to the kingdom in any capacity. He uses “repentance” thrice more in Acts (20:20-21, and 26:20,) and all three of them concern the individual and their action. Slowly, but surely, the proclamation of the kingdom recedes throughout the book of Acts, giving way to Paul’s evangel to nations apart from the law of said kingdom (Rom. 3:21.)

In the presentation of the evangel in the Romans epistle, found in Rom. 3:21-4:25, we find no use of the word “repentance.”

In the presentation of the conciliatory effect of the evangel in the Romans epistle, found in Rom. 5:1-8:30, we find no use of the word “repentance.”

With this evidence in mind, we cannot safely assert that “repentance” is a pre-requisite for the evangel, or that the evangel itself is pertaining to or including repentance. The only time we see repentance in Romans is here, in chapter 2, verse 4 – also in relation to judgment. In Romans 1 and 2, we have seen no express discussion of the “kingdom” of God, and cannot force this concept into the letter without perjuring our academic integrity. Repentance is, then, expressly taught in view of the coming indignation and judgment (2:5, 3:4-6.) In the present administration we are in, where God says that He has conciliated the world to Himself (2 Cor. 5:18-21,) such judgment and indignation are stepping stones toward apprehending this beautiful dispensation (Rom. 1:16-18,) not some scary conditionality that we must grapple with for our salvation.

In summary, repentance is the re-evaluation of the self which helps us realize that we are no better than any other – we are not just (Rom. 3:10,) and, of our own works, we never can be (3:20.) This realization prepares us for salvation, which will be through faith (1:17, 3:21-23.) It goes to show that repentance is a disciplinary process (2 Cor. 7,) and faith grows from this repentance (I stress – grows. Faith is not conceived in repentance, nor is it a tool used by us to build faith. Faith is God’s power, not ours.) This doesn’t make it a weekly necessity in a church, nor a way to cleanse yourself of sin, but a method of teaching from God. To teach that repentance is something God requires for entrance into faith, as opposed to uses, is unfounded in Scripture (Acts 17:25.)

Of course, there’s far more depth to the subject, of which we will consider, when we consider another verse which concerns us with repentance. Romans, as we see, uses repentance only here, and we have not yet reached the evangel to concern ourselves with the salvation which Paul speaks of.

- GerudoKing