Copyright © 1990 by Michigan
Theological Seminary, cited with permission;
digitally prepared for use at
REPENTANCE
IN ACTS IN LIGHT OF
DEUTERONOMY 30
Charles
P. Baylis
INTRODUCTION
In the debate about what is necessary for
salvation,
repentance and its meaning have always been a focal
point. At the
center of this controversy are verses in Actsl which link repentance
with salvation. Peter stated In Acts 2:38 to those
gathered at
Pentecost,
"Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your
sins." Why did Peter call on them to repent? In
Acts
continued his second sermon by requesting that
they "repent and
return." Return to what? Was it necessary that
men return to
something before they could be saved?
The etymologies and the usages of these words
have been
researched frequently,2 but few writers
have ever examined the Old
Testament context from which these Acts usages
are derived.
It is
the purpose of this article to demonstrate that the
word "repentance"
in Acts
Covenant
found in Deuteronomy 30:1-6.3 Any analysis
of the
meaning of repentance must take place in that
light. This study will
place this word in a proper historical theological
context.
THE OLD TESTAMENT CALL FOR REPENTANCE
The Prophecy Deuteronomy
Moses stood on the edge of the promised land and gave four
sermons to the Israelites as they were about to
enter the land.
Deuteronomy
is the record of these exhortations. Even though
1 Acts
repentance is mentioned elsewhere in Acts (
26:20).
Some explanation of these other verses will be given
at the end of this
article. However ,the
explanation of the three main verses in this article should
provide clarification of the other uses.
2 Bibliographic references for some
etymological studies of the particular words,
shuwb, metanoeo, and epistrepho are given throughout
the article.
3 The examination of Deuteronomy 30:1-6 will
also include its related
prophecies of the New Covenant in Ezekiel 36:22-38
and Jeremiah 31:31-34.
20
30:1;
31:16-21,29; 32:35). But Moses also prophesied that
the
nation
stated that when they returned God would circumcise
their heart
(give them the New Covenant).
To what were they to return? Obviously, they
were to return
to God, but more specifically they were to return
to covenant
relationship.4 How were they to
return? The Deuteronomy text
indicated this clearly. They were to believe from
their hearts. Early
in Deuteronomy (6:5), Moses had stated that
obedience and the
covenant relationship came from the heart, not
from external acts.
In
30:10 he explained how they were to turn to Him, ". . . if you turn
to
the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.”5
Unfortunately the Israelite had a heart no
different from the
one he had received from Adam. He would surely
disobey, because
he would fail to believe in his heart. God
indicated that without a
new heart ("the Lord has not given you a heart
to know, nor eyes to
see, nor ears to hear," 29:4)
relationship with Him.
In chapters 28 and 29, Moses had outlined the
blessings and
the cursings which would
fall on the nation for their obedience or
disobedience. Following the list of
curses which would surely
afflict the unbelieving Israelites, Moses began
the description of the
"return" (30:1).
4 The term for "return" is the
root shuwb.
For a discussion on the covenant
implications of the word see R.
Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce K.
Waltke, eds., Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament (
Press, 1980), S.v.
"shuwb." While the term is used
in the general sense of
"turn," "return," or "change
direction," when used by the prophets in a
covenantal context it indicates a "return” to
the covenant relationship. Also see
William
L. Holladay, The Root Subh In the
Old Testament (Lelden: E.J.Brill,
1958),116-157.
5 This was the problem with the Israelites
(and the New Testament Pharisees).
If
They concerned themselves with external acts and did
not obey God from a
changed heart. External acts should have come
from a love of God.
The
nature of the word "return" is a general word. The specifics of
"how" are
always to be gained from the context. The instructions
on "how" are never far
away. It is a general term similar to our word
"convert." One may convert in
many ways. He may convert to Judaism, Catholicism,
Mormonism or he may
simply convert a car from gasoline to natural gas. The
word itself does not
explain how. It must be gained from other
passages.
Baylis: Repentance in Acts 21
So it shall become when all of these things have
come upon you, the
blessing and the curse which I
have set before you, and you call them to
mind in all nations where
the LORD your God has banished you, and
you return to the LORD your
God.
Then
Moses continued with an explanation of means of the return.
and obey Him with all your
heart and soul according to all that I
command you today.
Then God would bring
promised land (30:3-5), and would restore their
fruitfulness. In
30:6
Moses spoke of a change that would insure their continued
obedience.
Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your
heart and the heart
of your seed, to love the
LORD your God with all your heart and with
all you r soul, in order that you may live . . . And
you shall again obey
the LORD, and observe all
His commandments which I command you
today.
The phrase "the LORD your God will
circumcise your heart"
introduced the New Covenant. The New Covenant was a
change
which God would enact within man, as opposed to a
change which
man would accomplish on his own.6
Ezekiel 36 and Jeremiah 31
expanded Deuteronomy 30:6 further.
Thus Moses' final sermon to the nation
prophesied a time
when
change their hearts. It was one of the earliest, most
specific
references to the New Covenant. It is this return
that is called
"repentance."7
6 The Old Covenant was a test of man's
ability to change his own heart. He was
exhorted to "circumcise his heart"
(Deut.
Old
Testament records that failure. It is only in the New Covenant that God
changes man's old heart (cf. Col. 2:11; Rom.
7 There is not space in
this article to delve into the use of the words for
"repentance" in the Old Testament. The major word for
repentance in the Old
Testament
was yashuwb.
Throughout the Old Testament the prophets would
refer to this passage and call
The
reader is referred to the article by Gerhard Kittel,
ed. Theological Dictionary
of the New Testament (Grand Rapids; Eerdmans,
1971), s.v "metanoeo." The
point is made that metanoeo became a synonym for the
Hebrew yashuwb
during
22
It is very important to take note of the people
to whom this
message was spoken.
or a return. This message did not address any
Gentile nations. In
the Deuteronomy passage, the new heart was promised
only to a
future returning nation; that nation was
The Call of the Prophets
From the day that Joshua crossed the
instructed to remember Moses' words in Deuteronomy
(Joshua
23:6).
In the Book of Judges, the nation went through cycles of
failure, repentance and restoration as Moses had
warned in
Deuteronomy.8
But, as the kings arose and led
a downward movement. Prophets arose to call the
people back to
the promise of Deuteronomy. God had promised if the
people
"turned to Him" that He would save them. Yet no one
called on
Him,
for the people felt they were "acting" according to covenant
relationship and did not need
repentance.9
Isaiah. Isaiah is typical of the pre-exilic prophets. The
people were not about to repent ("return")
for they were not aware
of their lack of relationship with God. They could
no longer
recognize the differences between good and evil
(Isaiah
Isaiah's
ministry was to harden them in their rebellion.10 In 6:10
the intertestamental
period (p. 991), and thus in the New Testament became
interchangeable.
One
must be careful, however, not to insist that every use of the word metanoeo
or yashuwb was a reference to covenant return. The word may be
used simply as
"to return" as Abraham's promise to "return"
to his servants after sacrificing
(Genesis
22:5). Other references indicate a "change of mind." However, the
emphasis of this article is to note that the
references in Acts (
are speaking about a historical instruction, that
of "returning" to covenant
relationship.
8 In contrast, it is with a great sense of
hope that one reads Ruth and finds a
faithful remnant in Boaz, who is an avid covenant
keeper.
9 Malachi 1, following the return from
exile, is an example of the people acting
out their covenant obligations, but not having
their heart in it. They would
bring unhealthy animals for sacrifice. God stated:
"Oh that there were one among
you who would shut the gates, that you might not
uselessly kindle fire on My
altar!" (Mal. 1:10a).
10 It is noteworthy that Isaiah has the
fewest calls for repentance among the pre-
exilic prophets. This is explained by
"return" in 6:9-10. The people were beyond
Baylis: Repentance in Acts 23
God
referred to the call of Deuteronomy 30.
Render the hearts of this people insensitive,
Their ears dull,
And their eyes dim,
Lest they see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts,
And repent
and be healed.
Jeremiah. Jeremiah also expounded the New Covenant of
Deuteronomy 30:6 during the rebellious events at
Jeremiah
spoke of the prophesied circumcision of heart in 31:33-34.
"But this is the covenant which I will make
with the house of
after those days,"
declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them,
and on their heart I will write it; and I will be
their God, and they
shall be My people. And they
shall not teach again, each man his
neighbor and each man his
brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they
shall all know Me, from the
least of them to the greatest of them,"
declares the LORD, "for I
will forgive their iniquity, and
their sin I
will remember no more."11
Thus
Jeremiah, in the midst of judgment, gave hope. He referred
back to Deuteronomy 30:6. The promise had not been
withdrawn.
Ezekiel. Ezekiel ministered to a nation already in exile.12
In
the midst of this ministry of misery and judgment,
God repeated His
promise of Deuteronomy 30:1-6 in Ezekiel
11:14-19. However, it
was in Ezekiel 36:22-31 that the circumcision of
heart was
developed in its fullest.
For I will take you from the nations, gather you
from all the lands, and
the time of repentance. Now
ministry of Isaiah.
11 Here is the "forgiveness of
sins." Forgiveness of sins was essential if man
was to have a relationship with God. In the Old
Testament, men came to God
through the blood of bulls and goats, which
could never take away sins (Hebrews
10:4).
In the New Covenant, men's sins are permanently forgiven through the
blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews
12 Another exilic prophet, Daniel, prayed
for the return of his people to the land
based on the prophecy of Deuteronomy (Daniel 9:3-19).
24
bring you into your own land.
. . then I will sprinkle clean water on you,
and you shall be clean; I
will cleanse you from all your filthiness and
all your idols. Moreover, I
will give you a new heart and put a new
spirit within you; and I will
remove the heart of stone from your flesh
and give you a heart of
flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and
cause you to walk in My
statutes, and you shall be careful to observe
my ordinances.13
In the midst of exile, the Israelite was
reminded of the
prophecy of Deuteronomy 30. The day was coming
when he would
return to God and would gain a new heart. Related to
that is the
cleansing (forgiveness of sins) and the indwelling
Holy Spirit.
Nehemiah. Nehemiah led the rebuilding of the city
following the exile. But Nehemiah's return to
rebuild the city was
necessarily preceded by repentance based on
Deuteronomy 30:1-6
(Nehemiah
1:6-9).
We have not kept the commandments.
. . which Thou didst command Thy
servant Moses. Remember the
word which Thou didst command Thy
servant Moses, saying, If you
are unfaithful I will scatter you among
the peoples; but if you
return to Me and keep My commandments and
do them. . . I will gather them from there and will bring
them to the place
where I have chosen to cause
My name to dwell.
Malachi. The call to return to the covenant relationship
continued during the post-exilic era as
facade of covenant obedience (cf. Malachi 1:6-14).
Malachi
predicted that the prophet Elijah would come and
call the people to
return to covenant relationship as he did in days of
old (Malachi
4:6).14
At the close of the Old Testament,
changed. They were a people with a disobedient,
rebellious heart.
On
their return from exile, they did not sustain a change of heart, but
continued to pursue their own self-centered
objectives.15
13 Ezekiel is similar to Jeremiah, especially
in that under the New Covenant,
the Spirit would dwell within man.
14 The smiting of the land with a curse
spoken of in Malachi 4:6 is based on
God's promise of Deuteronomy 28-29.
15 Nehemiah 13 and Ezra 10 record the
failure of the returning exiles to keep the
covenant any better than their fathers. If
change their ways, the Old Testament ended without any
hope.
Baylis: Repentance in Acts 25
Summary. The Old Testament prophet was guided by
Deuteronomy
28-30.
and cursing based on its desire for a covenant
relationship with
God. The prophets pleaded with
repent). Yet
did not callout.
This is the sense of the Old Testament
"repentance" (or
"return"), particularly where related to the covenant
and covenant
restoration. The major thrust of the Old Testament
is the story of
this call to "return" to covenant
relationship and
so.
From the prophecies of the New Covenant, the Old
Testament
reader should have expected certain items.
1.
would give the New Covenant.
There was no
indication in the Old Testament
that any Gentiles
would share
"equally" with
2. Repentance:
A national repentance would come
about when the nation desired
to return to covenant
relationship.
3. Cleansing
or forgiveness of sins: The expected
cleansing from sin would be permanent
and real,
instead of temporary and
symbolic.
4. The
Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit would indwell all
believers regardless of rank
instead of only coming
"on"
men who were performing a special purpose for
God.
5. Kingdom:
The kingdom would come to
God had changed their
hearts.
The Old Testament reader would have entered the
New
Testament era with this expectation. Both John the Baptist
and
Jesus
offered its fulfillment.
THE NEW TESTAMENT CALL FOR
REPENTANCE
The New Testament continued the Old Testament
call for a
return to covenant relationship. The first prophet
spoken of in the
New
Testament was really the last of the Old Testament prophets.16
His
message was the same. Only now the potential for the
16 Matthew 11:7-11.
26
present.
John the Baptist and
Jesus
Based on Deuteronomy 30:1-6, John the Baptist
called out,
"Repent"
(Matthew 3:2). However, there was something new. The
full potential of Deuteronomy 30 had come. Now if
return to covenant relationship they would, for the
first time,
actually be able to receive the changed heart and
the kingdom. The
call was extended to include the words "for the
is at hand." The words "
indicate that Jesus, the King, was present. They
indicated that the
New
Covenant and the changed heart were potentially available to
the nation
Kingdom
of heaven is at hand" (Matthew
same as John's.
The Reaction of the
Nation
The reaction of the nation to the call for a
return to the
covenant is evident in Matthew 11:20-21,
not call for a return to the covenant. Just as in
Isaiah's day, they
thought they were in covenant relationship, and
needed no
repentance.
This is quite clear from the repentance calls in
Luke. The
Pharisees
were those who felt they "needed no repentance."18 Thus
the nation in their blindness refused to recognize
their sinful state,
and did not cry out to God, that He might heal
them.19
17 John 3:3 speaks directly to this issue.
"Unless one is born again, he cannot
see the
Jeremiah 31. (Notice that the terms
"water and the Spirit" of John 3:5 are
references to Ezekiel 36:25-27, and the promise of
cleansing from sin and the
indwelling Spirit.) The kingdom would not come to
men who had the old heart.
It
was only in fulfillment of Deuteronomy 30:1-6 that it would come. God must
change their hearts, and Jesus was the Prophet of this
New Covenant.
18 Cf. Luke 15:7, 18:9-14. The fact that
the Pharisees felt they were "righteous"
indicated their blind understanding of their
covenant relationship.
19 In the current debate
concerning "repentance," it is commonly stated that John
ignored the term. However, it is present in John
strongest reference in Isaiah. In the John
passage, Jesus saw Himself with the
same ministry as Isaiah, that of hardening the
hearts of those who had rejected
Him.
Baylis: Repentance in Acts 27
The crucifixion of the Savior, however, was not
the last
rejection by the nation
that
recorded in the Book of Acts. But, unlike the
gospels, the offer of
the New Covenant was not "at hand," it
was immediately available.
Also,
unlike the offer in the gospels, the king was now absent.
While
there was a New Covenant, there would be no kingdom until
His return.
REPENTANCE IN THE BOOK
OF ACTS
John the Baptist and Jesus both had offered the
New
Covenant
to the nation
"repent." But they did not. In Acts the payment for the
New
Covenant
had been completed in Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection
(Luke
22:20).
The New Covenant Given
The apostles (Acts 1:4) were commanded to wait for
"the
promise of the Father." What was the
promise of the Father? It was
the Old Testament promises of the New Covenant in
Ezekiel 36 and
Jeremiah
31, based on Deuteronomy 30:6. For when Jesus stated,
"but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days
from
now," He was speaking of the indwelling
Spirit, who was
inseparably part of the New Covenant promise.21
20 This is clear in Matthew 12:39, 16:4,
Luke 11:29-32. The nation crucified
the Savior, but Jesus made it plain that the sign
of His resurrection would be the
final sign to the apostate nation,
This
resurrection is fully revealed to the nation in the Book of Acts. There the
nation is continually confronted with the resurrection
evidence and continually
rejects it. At the end of the Book of Acts (28:
17-28), following the rejection by
the Jews at
hardhearted and would not repent, just as
prophesied.
21 This is why the apostles responded
immediately with the question, "Lord, is
it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to
Testament
prophecies of the New Covenant were always followed by the
kingdom. The apostles simply knew their Old
Testament scriptures well.
Besides,
the king was still present. After the departure of the king in Acts 1:9,
the angels remind the disciples of Zechariah 14:3-4
when the Lord will return to
rule and establish the kingdom. Thus the angels gave
the apostles the answer to
their question of 1:6.
28
The Faithful Remnant of
Having told them of the soon-to-be-fulfilled
promise, Jesus
left them. The next event in the book of Acts is the
story of
choosing of the twelfth apostle to take the place
of Judas. There had
always been considerable question over this event, and
whether the
eleven apostles had acted correctly. Why was it important
that the
eleven be made twelve? Because from the time that the
original
twelve were chosen, these men were to be
representatives of the
nation
men were to be the remnant of
It
is these twelve men, the remnant of the nation
received the New Covenant on behalf of the
apostate nation.22 Thus
it became important that this group be returned to
twelve men so as
to precisely represent the nation, but as a
remnant.23
The full nation would not receive the kingdom at
the same
time the covenant was given. The covenant would be
given to a
remnant who "returned" (repented),
according to Deuteronomy 30.
But
the kingdom would wait until the king reappeared and the total
nation repented (Zechariah
The Call to Repentance in Acts 2:38
Peter gave his sermon. The recipients of this
speech were
only Israelites (2:5, 22). They were accused of
killing their
nation's Messiah (
the New Covenant and the Holy Spirit (
very One who was the King of the Kingdom and the
Prophet of the
New
Covenant, they reacted in panic, "Brethren, what shall we do?"
Peter
responded to them with the instructions given in Deuteronomy
22 Luke
with the eleven disciples.
23 It is important to note that this giving
of the New Covenant in no way
negates the future: of the nation
nation, only the remnant. And this was not the
kingdom. The ultimate
fulfillment of Deuteronomy 30:1-6 will come when the
full nation does repent
(Romans
11:25-27). It is in Acts 3:19 that this is made very clear to the national
listeners. "Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in
order that times of refreshing may come from the
presence of the Lord, and that
He
may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive
until the period of restoration of all things."
While the New Covenant had been
given to a remnant, the absent king and the
unrepentant nation stood between
them and the kingdom.
Baylis: Repentance in Acts 29
30:1-6,
"Repent" (return to covenant relationship).24
Repent. If individual Israelites
would "return" to God, call
out to Him, then God would heal them as He had
promised. But
this time He would add them to the remnant receiving
the New
Covenant.
So Peter was simply telling them to "return" to God to
restore their covenant relationship. They had
recognized their part
with the nation in the Messiah's crucifixion (
indicated that they were outside of covenant
relationship, particularly
the New Covenant of which Jesus was the Prophet.25
Let each
of you be baptized.
This was the outward sign of
the New Covenant. It began with the baptism of John
the Baptist.26
24 Notice that Peter's call was similar to
John the Baptist's. John called on
them to repent and then baptized them. So did Peter.
The difference was that
John
anticipated the New Covenant forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy
Spirit
(Luke
19:4).
25 It is in Acts 3:22-26 that Peter speaks
concerning the relationship of Jesus as
the Prophet of the New Covenant, while Moses was
the prophet of the Old
Covenant.
Jesus' words of the New Covenant were far superior to Moses' words
of the Old Covenant. For further details about the
treatment of the Deuteronomy
with in the Gospel of John, see the article by this
author, "The Woman Caught
in Adultery: A Test of Jesus as the Greater
Prophet," Bibliotheca Sacra, 146
(April
1989): 171-184.
26 While baptism has been related to many
things, it appears that the New
Covenant
is its prime relationship. The evidence of this is found in John 1:19-
28.
Ezekiel 36:25 had prophesied that God would "sprinkle clean water on
them." While this was speaking of spiritual
cleanliness, the New Testament
audience looked for a corresponding physical
sign, that of baptism or ritual
washing. Since this "washing" was a
future prophecy, the Pharisees felt (John
(Mal.
4:5), or the Prophet (Deut.18:15). Thus the Pharisees sent out priests and
Levites
(the experts in ritual washings) in John 1:19, 22. They asked him which
of the eschatological personalities he was (
water baptism was only a sign (
the Holy Spirit (
cleansing taking place under the New Covenant.
John's baptism was a baptism
of repentance. John was calling the nation to
return in accordance with
Deuteronomy
30 so it could receive the long awaited New Covenant. The
baptism in Acts is an identification of a real
spiritual cleansing which had taken
place.
30
Ezekiel
36 had promised a washing with clean water (spiritual
cleansing) and baptism was the symbol of that
inward washing.
Thus
Peter calls on the repentant audience to be baptized
symbolizing their personal link with the New
Covenant.
In the
name of Jesus Christ.
This was the focus of the
repentance and baptism. It was Jesus' person, death
a
resurrection that brought about the
New Covenant. It was by belief
in Him that it was accomplished. Baptism in His
name public
indicated a separation from the apostate nation
who had crucified
Him.
For the forgiveness of
sins.
Forgiveness of sins was an
integral part of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:34).
Thus reception
of the New Covenant by desiring to return
(Deuteronomy 30
illustrated by baptism (belief in the cleansing
ability of Jesus Christ
resulted in the reception of the New Covenant.27
This included the
27 Interpretations of this phrase have given
problems from the earliest Christian
readers. The link between baptism and the
forgiveness of sins seems to imply
baptismal regeneration. Thus a number of
interpretations have been fostered to
avoid that interpretation.
However,
when the reader understands that baptism is the sign of the New
Covenant,
it only fits in that having demonstrated one's acceptance of it,
should receive the things promised by the New
Covenant, namely, forgiveness
of sins (Jeremiah 31:34b) and the gift of the Holy
Spirit (Ezekiel 36:27).
The
proper translation of the word "for" in "for the forgiveness of
sins" would be
"with a view to" or "in connection with" (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament and Other
Early Christian Literature, 2nd ed., s. v. "epi”). In essence
the baptism was not the cause but was a related
outward demonstration of the
inward cleansing from sin.
Was
baptism necessary for reception of the New Covenant? The answer is, a
course, "no." It was no more necessary in
Peter's call to repentance than it was
in John the Baptist's. Note that Cornelius
receives the New Covenant before
baptism is offered to him (Acts
the Pentecost speech. The reason was that Peter was
calling on them to do more
than secretly believe. The nation
publicly. And they, as members of that nation,
were publicly part of a national
confession that Jesus was not the prophet of the
New Covenant. They were
already publicly included in that national crime.
Thus to escape that national
guilt required public repudiation of that nation and
its decision to crucify Jesus
Christ.
Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ made it clear that they were
identifying with Jesus against the nation
New Covenant reception? Technically, it was
not. But Peter was calling for
Baylis: Repentance in Acts 31
forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The gift
of the Holy Spirit.
The indwelling Holy Spirit was
another integral part of the New Covenant given
on that Pentecost
morning (Ezekiel 36:27).
Summary. Peter's sermon in Acts 2 had called individual
Israelites
out of the apostate nation to receive the gift of the New
Covenant.
They would become part of a faithful remnant of that
nation who had responded to the call of Deuteronomy 30
to "repent"
(return).
The Call to Repentance
in Acts 3:19
If there is a verse in Acts which comes the
closest to
referring precisely to Deuteronomy 30:1-6, it is
Acts 3:19. It is
there that the nation (not just individuals) was
addressed under that
ancient promise.
The situation. Peter and John had healed a crippled man.
The
purpose of this miracle was to demonstrate that Jesus was not a
dead man, but alive (3:6, 12, 16,
He
was the God-approved Messiah. The resurrection of Jesus
Christ,
the sign of Jonah, was presented to the nation of
The addressed. Here again, as in chapter 2, the addressed
group are only "Men of Israel" (
The message. Peter first pointed out that they and their
leaders had crucified their Messiah. He then
gave them instructions
concerning their only hope for the salvation of the
nation.
more than basic salvation. He was calling for identification
with Jesus, against
the nation. Notice Peter's following comment in
perverse generation" (the present apostate
nation of
28 It is interesting that it is at the
Portico of Solomon that the miracle takes
place. This literary color recalled the prayer of dedication
which Solomon made
at the temple in 2 Chronicles
Deuteronomy
30:1-6 to state that
He
would hear and restore them. How significant was that Old Testament speech
in that Peter was calling on
32
Repent therefore and return, 29
that your sins may be wiped away,
order that the times of
refreshing may come from the presence of the
Lord.
Peter had invited them to return according to
Deuteronomy
30:1-6.
If they did, they would receive the New Covenant (the
circumcision of heart). The
accompanying kingdom, however
would come only after a time of delay, when the King
would return
The reaction of the nation. Following the message to the
people of the nation, Peter and John were taken before
the rulers and
elders of the nation (4:1-22). He presented the
evidence of the
former crippled man. Then he told them that the
"repentance" of
Deuteronomy
30 was only accomplished by receiving Jesus Christ
as the messiah (Acts
Summary. Peter's sermon to individuals of the nation in
chapter 3, in the shadow of Solomon's speech so
long ago, echoed
the same sentiments. The nation needed to
"return" to God, and
Jesus
Christ was the way. Deuteronomy 30:1-6 was still the basis
of repentance. Repentance was to take place, not
through the
prophet of the Old Covenant, Moses, but through
the Greater
Prophet, Jesus (Deuteronomy
The Call to Repentance
for the Gentiles
The first several chapters of Acts explain the
reception of the
New Covenant by a remnant of the nation
explains the inclusion of Gentiles into that
promise. If "repentance"
was a return to covenant relationship, then how was
it that Gentiles
might return according to Deuteronomy 30:1-6, when
they never
29 The word for repent is metanoeo. The
word for return is epistrepho.
There
are differences between New Testament scholars on
the different emphasis of
these words, since they are to some degree
synonymous. According to The
Theological Dictionary
of the New Testament,
(s.v. "metanoeo"), metanoeo
became synonymous with yashuwb of the Old Testament
during the
intertestamental period. Epistrepho,
however, is the actual word used in the
Septuagint in Deuteronomy 30. It is this author's
opinion that Peter was
insuring that they knew he was referring to
Deuteronomy 30:1-6, by using
epistrepho of the LXX in addition
to the common metanoeo.
Refer to Acts
28:27
where Paul quotes Isaiah 6:10. There he uses the LXX epistrepho for the
Hebrew shuwb.
Baylis: Repentance in Acts 33
had a covenant relationship to which to return? It
is one of the major
purposes of Acts to explain the inclusion of
Gentiles in the New
Covenant.
Acts 10-11. Peter received the revelation that Gentiles
were
able to receive the New Covenant in the same manner
as the Jews.
This
was a great revelation, since there was nothing in the Old
Testament
that indicated that the New Covenant promise was
directly for Gentiles. It had been only for
Israelites who "returned"
to God.
The addressed. Peter had gone to the house of Cornelius to
preach to his family. Cornelius was a God-fearing
Gentile (10:1-2).
The message. This message was absent
of any accusations
of killing the Messiah, since it was the Jews that
had done this. It is
also absent of any mention of the word
"repentance" since
Deuteronomy
30 was addressed only to Israel, and would have
meant nothing to Cornelius as a Gentile. However,
other than the
substitution of the word
"believe" for "repent,"30 the elements are
the same. Belief brought forth forgiveness of sins
and the gift of the
Holy Spirit (
sign of the New Covenant, baptism, was then
administered to these
Gentiles
in 10:47.31
The response of the Jewish remnant. Until this point there
had been no one who was a full Gentile who had
received the New
Covenant.
Since the Old Testament had not mentioned Gentile
inclusion, the Jews who accompanied Peter were
amazed to see that
Gentiles
were accepted on the same basis as Jews (
Peter returned to
who refused to believe that Gentiles were welcome
on an equivalent
30 Note that the message to the Jews was to
repent for the forgiveness of sins,
but Cornelius is told that "everyone who
believes in Him has received
forgiveness of sins" (
31 The New Covenant was supposed to be only
for Jews. Thus baptism, or the
sign of the New Covenant, was not to be administered
to Gentiles. However,
after the Jews saw that Gentiles had received the New
Covenant (witnessed by
the speaking in tongues), Jews could not refuse
Gentiles the sign, for the
Gentiles
already had the substance.
34
basis (11:3). Peter testified that these men had
received the Holy
Spirit
(the New Covenant) just as the Jews had (
Gentiles
and the repentance
of Deuteronomy 30
Deuteronomy
30:6 had stated, ". . . the Lord your God will
circumcise your heart. . . in order that you may
live." Thus, the
repentance brought about the New Covenant which
brought new
life.
Acts
Peter's testimony about Cornelius. "Well then, God
has granted
the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to
life." While a Jewish
remnant were repenting (returning) to covenant
relationship
Gentiles
had been mysteriously included in that remnant's return.
SUMMARY
Deuteronomy 30:1-6 had prophesied that the Jews
would
repent some day and God would give. them
the New Covenant (new
heart, forgiveness of sins, Holy Spirit). While the
prophets called
the nation to repent, it did not. John the Baptist
and Jesus both
offered the New Covenant and the Kingdom, but
king. The kingdom was delayed but the New Covenant
was offered
to a remnant. Following the Deuteronomy 30:1-6
instructions, Peter
called on Israelites to repent and receive the New
Covenant
(forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit) in Acts
the nation
Deuteronomy
30, it would receive its kingdom upon the return of
the king. Finally, Acts 10-11 confirmed the
inclusion of Gentiles
demonstrating that the benefits of Jewish
repentance spoken of in
Deuteronomy
30 had been expanded to Include Gentiles.
Repentance in these three passages in Acts is
totally and
directly related to Deuteronomy 30:1-6.32
Jews were being called
on to return to covenant relationship by receiving
the New
Covenant.
Gentiles were mysteriously included in that promised
32 After understanding these particular
uses of "repent" (metanoeo) in Acts
(
Acts
nation and the forgiveness of sin of the New
Covenant). Acts
declare that John's baptism was indeed the call
of repentance to which
Deuteronomy
30 refers. Acts
both Jews and Gentiles have been included in the
repentance of Deuteronomy 30.
Baylis: Repentance in Acts 35
Repentance
cannot be interpreted apart from a knowledge of that
historical context. Repentance involved a return to
covenant
relationship through belief in Jesus
Christ as the Messiah, the
Prophet of the New Covenant.
This
material is cited with gracious permission from:
41550
http://www.mts.edu/
Please
report any errors to Ted Hildebrandt at:
thildebrandt@gordon.edu