Simon Magus told to Repent of His Attempt to Buy the Power of God: Acts 8:9-22
Simon Magus was told to repent of his attempt to buy the Holy Spirit. We should also repent of our modern forms of claiming we can possess God for our own use or profit.
Salvation
The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Repentance, Luke 5:32 vs. Matthew 9:13
Both Matthew 9:13 and Luke 5:32 properly read “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Repentance is a vital part of the meaning. The words “to repentance” are incorrectly omitted from the Greek texts in the Alexandrian textform of Matthew 9:13 and the English translations that follow it.
Postscript: “Sin” Words: Lexical Definitions
The New Testament uses a number of different words to describe sin, its causes and its effects, in the context of confession, repentance and forgiveness. These words are not synonyms, and distinguishing them is important to understanding many of the contexts in which they are used.
Judas Iscariot: Remorse Too Late in Matthew 27:3-5
Judas demonstrates the difference between worldly remorse and true repentance. Judas was truly remorseful after he saw Jesus would die because of his betrayal, and he tried to fix things himself. When that failed, he hanged himself. He was remorseful, but never repented of doing things his own way.
The Crediting of Righteousness to Abraham and the Question whether Jesus Died for Our Weaknesses or for for Our Discrete Sins Only–Romans 4:25
Correctly including character flaws in the word “paraptoma” yields a reading of Romans 4:25 which correctly includes our death to the power of sin in our members, which died with Jesus, in the justification for which he died..
Debts, debtors and paráptōmata in the Lord’s Prayer and Jesus’ associated saying on mercy towards others’ weaknesses–Matthew 6:12-15 and Mark 11:20-26
In the Lord’s Prayer and the parallel teaching about mercy, Jesus tells us that we are to ask God to release us from the consequences or resulting debts of our sins as we release others from the debts we imagine they owe us. While praying, we are to show mercy upon the flaws (paráptōmata) that led them to sin, because the Father will show us mercy in the same measure.
Repentance, Confession and the Textual Variant in James 5:16
James 5:16 occurs in a context dealing with sick Christians and healing. In that context, it teaches that we are to agree with each other about the character flaws in our lives that lead to discrete sins, and pray for each other that these flaws–and the whole person–will be healed. This sensible reading is supported by the Byzantine New Testament text tradition, which is to be preferred for this verse.
A God who Speaks, Confession and Repentance, Confession of Sin, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness, God Speaks to Us, God's purpose for us, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, Reconciliation, Repentance, Repentance in community, Restoration of God's Image, Restoration of our Relationships, Through others, Through the church, To live in unity
Introduction: The Question of Confession
Confession of sin is expression of our full agreement with God about the evil within us that produces acts of disobedience. It is NOT the recitation of a detailed list of wrong acts, which we admit we did but for which we deflect responsibility to God or others. True confession is the beginning of reconciliation and restoration.
Of Assyria, Egypt, and God’s Sovereignty in My Life
The continued existence of ethnic Coptic and Assyrian Christian minorities in Egypt and the Middle East demonstrates God’s faithfulness and the possibility of a literal fulfillment of Isaiah 19:23-25. If God can preserve these ethnic groups across two millennia of persecution in order to fulfill a prophecy, can he possibly need my “help” doing anything in my own life?
Repentance in Jesus’ Early Message, Matthew 4:17-22 and Mark 1:14-20
Jesus’ early preaching was that his hearers must repent. because the Kingdom had already arrived and was “at hand”–standing right in front of them, in his person. Therefore, they were to repent–change their behavior–and believe the good news (Gospel) he was preaching to them.