131 – THE REPENTANCE OF GOD

SEMESTER 2

131 – THE REPENTANCE OF GOD

BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CORRESPONDENCE

COURSE: THEOLOGY II LESSON # 31
THE REPENTANCE OF GOD

Read Gen. 6:6-7, Ex. 32:14, Jud. 2:18, I Sam. 15:35, II Sam. 24:16, Num. 23:19, I Sam. 15:29.

INTRODUCTION:

1. I take up this subject, not as an attribute of God, but a word used of divine action.
2. My reason for this discussion is to answer those who use these and other such Scriptures to deny the absolute immutability of God.
3. That is, to answer those who say, “How can we say God never changes, when the Bible says He repents?”

I. NO BIBLE CONTRADICTION

1. To ask such a simplistic question, as the one above, is to suspect contradiction.
2. Whereas, the Bible clearly says, “God repented, and God does not repent,” it is necessary to examine the senses, lest we doubt its overall validity.

II. WHAT DOES THE WORD MEAN?

Whereas, the term is used of God’s action only in the Old Testament, we will examine only the Hebrew word so used.

1. It is the word “nacham” (naw-kham). It is a word that analyti­cally means to sigh, or breathe strongly.
2. It is used by implication in all the following senses: To be sorry, to pity, to console, to rue, to avenge one’s self, to comfort, or ease one’s self, to repent, or turn one’s self.

III. SENSES IN WHICH IT IS USED

1. To understand the intent of a writer, we must go beyond mere analysis of a word, and find the sense in which he used it. This is true of the Holy Spirit, as well as man.
2. The Greek word for repentance in the New Testament (metanoeo), simply means to think differently.
3. Does that mean that a mere change of opinion is repentance? No! The New Testament sense is a change of mind, or heart, toward God.
4. So then, we must find the sense, or senses, in which this word is used of God in the Bible.

IV. NOT A CHANGE OF HEART, BUT A CHANGE OF AC­TIONS

1. The Old Testament word is used in basically two senses:

i. To have a change of heart about some principle.
ii. To change one’s actions toward something.

2. This should help us to understand how the word is used of God.
3. It is obvious that God could not have had a change of heart, as having done wrong and feeling remorse because of sinful actions. (I Sam. 15:29, Num 23:19)
4. On the other hand, it is not only conceivable, but obvious that God did turn in His actions toward man.
5. There is, also, a change of revealed attitude toward man, as a result of man’s sin.

III: A parent may change the revelation of his attitude toward a child.

6. It is the change of man’s conduct that draws out a different revelation of feeling from an immutable God.
7. It is, in fact, immutability as to principle, which dictates His change of conduct toward people, as they turn in rebellion against that principle.

V. CONFINEMENT OF REVELATION

1. The revelation of God’s actions to men is never perfect, because of our finitude of understanding.

III: The crude illustrations and parables we use in communi­cating to children, that which is above their under­standing.

2. So, because we cannot conceive God with the natural mind, He often uses human terms.
3. They never perfectly describe God, but they are the only terms man can receive.

CONCLUSION: When you see terms like, “God repented,” know it is an expression of the “positive and negative” aspects of one’s attitude and action.