Bill wrote: > Please consider this with me: the Hebrew speaking > Jews present that day would have heard Peter saying > to them that "Elohim hath made that same Yeshua . . . > both Yahweh and Messiah." Does this mean that God > made Jesus divine? No, it means that Elohim -- a plural > noun; hence it being a triune decision -- made Yeshua the > one whom the Jews had been worshiping throughout their > history as a people. Peter is saying to them that the one > whom they had nailed to the cross was the very covenant- > keeping YHWH of their fathers. Hence they were cut to > the heart and feared greatly. What must they do? they asked. > They must change their minds about this Jesus and be baptized > (in his name no less!) into the forgiveness of sins, whereupon > they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The Hebraic-Roots Version translates Acts 2:36 as: "Truly therefore, let know all the house of Yisra'el that YHWH and the Messiah has made Eloah this Yeshua, whom you crucified." So I'm not sure about your emphasis on Elohim and the triune decision. Bill wrote: > To shift the emphasis from this to a general call to turn > from sin, which is what most preaching on repentance > entails, is to miss the thrust of Peter's sermon: that this > Jesus whom they had crucified was in fact their LORD > and Christ; it is therefore to miss the primary aspect of > repentance -- that they believe in this Yahweh who saves > -- and to make that which is now but a subsidiary, although > an important one, the main point, thus changing the thrust > of the Gospel. Surely you know better than to hang the entire gospel on one's interpretation of one sermon. We are not told the entire message of Peter, so we don't really know all the things Peter hammered upon concerning repentance. I'm not going to quibble with you about your putting an emphasis upon people changing their minds about who Jesus is. It is important! I would not quibble with you in saying that repentance from sin is subsidiary to repenting about one's attitude toward Jesus. On the other hand, if you are going to quibble about preachers who might sometimes put the emphasis on repenting from sin, repenting from their evil deeds, then you will hear some comment from me on that. Heb. 6:1 says that an elementary principle of the doctrine of Christ is repentance from dead works. This clearly links repentance and sin. Many other passages likewise do the same. For example: Revelation 16:11 (11) And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. Revelation 9:21 (21) Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. Revelation 2:21-23 (21) And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. (22) Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. (23) And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. 2 Corinthians 12:21 (21) And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed. Paul makes a connection between repentance and works in his appeal to Agrippa: Acts 26:19-20 (19) Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: (20) But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. We have to understand the difference between a sowing ministry and a reaping ministry. They are not the same. They have a different emphasis. John the Baptist represents the sowing ministry. It is the Elijah ministry. It is also a last days ministry. It prepares the way for the Lord. The focus of it is upon sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come. Consider what Jesus taught in the following passage: John 4:37-38 (37) And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. (38) I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. Clearly, such a passage reveals how God uses different men and different ministries to effect his work. Even Jesus reaped where he had not sown. John the Baptist prepared the way before him. Therefore, it is not good for any who might focus upon the reaping ministry to be schismatic toward the one in the sowing ministry. Someone has to plow up the soil, break it up, and plant the seed. Someone else comes along and reaps what was sown. Different tools and different methods are used in both works, but both works are of the Lord. I think we should agree that repentance is part of the gospel message, and both repentance of a bad attitude toward Jesus as well as repentance from other sins is what is in mind. David Miller. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
