Semper Paenitere

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 Grace Magazine
* The rediscovery came to Luther from Lorenzo Valla via Erasmus
** John Colquhoun 1748-1827

Backsliding

Backsliding abounds. Its prevalence explains to a great degree the malaise upon so many churches today. It is always disastrous. In 1 Samuel 21 we find David at Nob, then Gath. He is on the slide. He seems to have forgotten that he is the Lord’s anointed. On the run from Saul, he feels hurt, bewildered, alone and endangered. A pale imitation of his former self, he is cowardly, thoughtless, fearful, selfish, thoughtless, faithless. What a warning of how easy it is to get into that frame of mind – especially when we have been doing well. There are lessons here.

1. Don’t bottle it up

As soon as Ahimelech the priest saw David he knew something was wrong. He knew about Saul’s hatred towards David and guesses David is running away. However, David not only fails to share his plight with this faithful man, whom he surely could have trusted, but chooses to deceive him. A problem shared is a problem halved. Bottling it up does no good. David reasoned that Ahimelech was bound to be on Saul’s side, convinced himself he would never understand – and could do nothing anyway. The Devil is eager to isolate us. Like a lion stalking a deer, he loves nothing better than to see his prey isolated from the herd.

2. Don’t deceive people

If you try to cover up your low state it is difficult to say nothing and so we are tempted to make things up, to lie, to deceive even those on our side. David says he is on an urgent mission for Saul. Ahimelech is deceived. Perhaps David comforted himself that he was being kind to Ahimelech – refusing to drag him into his troubles, but he was bearing false witness against his neighbour. The consequences, we learn in the next chapter, were great.

3. Don’t be selfish

At the root of David’s conduct is a wholly selfish approach. In fear of his life he, understandably, said and did things he would, in better moments, not have contemplated but what a contrast between the two. All David can think of is himself. In contrast Ahimelech is selfless. David is in need and so, recognising, as the Lord himself later emphasised, that God desires mercy, not sacrifice he agrees to let David and his men eat the sacred bread. Yes, he will have to explain to the others the shortage of bread. They may criticise him for giving consecrated bread to non-priests. But his only concern is to serve the Lord’s anointed. Ahimelech gives, receiving nothing in return. David takes, giving nothing in return. It is a mark of the backslider that he is all take and no give. Too often, under pressure, we get things the wrong way round. Christ is forgotten and all we can think about is self.

4. Don’t ignore what others think

Observing all this was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s head shepherd. David knew his face well. It is not until the next chapter that we see the full significance of this but it is Doeg who reports back to Saul, leading to the massacre at Nob. When David hears about it he says to Abiathar That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your father’s whole family. He realises how selfish and thoughtless he has been – but it is too late. It is easy when we are on a downward spiral to say ‘I don’t care what others think.’ But that is not the way the believer should speak. No, he sees that how he lives has an affect on others. Remember your testimony. Your backsliding may lead someone else to fall or an unbeliever to curse God. We cannot live to ourselves.

5. Don’t rely on earthly means

What happens next is full of irony. David has no weapon. He asks Ahimelech if there is one in the Tabernacle. The only thing there is The sword of Goliath whom David himself had killed. It is hard to believe David’s reply. There is none like it; give it to me! David! Don’t you hear yourself? Can this be the man who confronted the Philistine saying You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty? Is this the man who said it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s …. What a reversal. This is what happens when God’s people panic and backslide. Suddenly worldly advantage seems the thing – the world’s weapons, its riches, its attitudes. Though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. A sling and five stones can do more than any Philistine sword.

6. Don’t make friends with the world

You may think David has reached rock bottom but it gets worse. David has a dilemma. Having refused to confide in Ahimelech where can he turn? Where can he hide? He hits upon a ‘cunning plan’. Where is Saul least likely to look? Of course, among the Philistines! There is logic here but David is not thinking straight. Going to Gath – the very land that Goliath came from. This is madness. Yet how often it happens. A believer backslides. His thinking begins to go awry. He is panicking, despairing – like a wild animal confronted by a predator he does not know where to run. First, he fails to confide in Christian friends, then he goes for help to unbelievers! He starts going to the places they go. He starts watching the films they watch, reading the same books, laughing at the same jokes. He is compromised. He is torn.

 * 

David does not escape before he has suffered great fear – far worse than he had known before – and great indignity. To backslide is a fearful thing. It is frightening to think of Satan’s opposition and our weakness what poor Christians we are but to run into the arms of the world is to jump from the frying pan into the fire. It is no remedy for fear.

God always provides a way back for his children. David can honestly say of his escape, This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles (Psalm 34:6). However, he did not escape with dignity. Quite the opposite. He had been mad to go to the Philistines in the first place, and so, in the final irony of the chapter, he feigns insanity so that they will send him away. It is clear from Psalms 34 and 56 that he was full of thankfulness for his escape and full of repentance for his foolishness. He learned his lesson. Though the believer may backslide, yet if he is truly the Lord’s he will be restored but there is no dignified way out. You cannot expect to keep pride intact. Let us learn to avoid backsliding and where we fall into it let’s be eager to be free as soon as possible.

This article first appeared in Grace Magazine