Synods 2020/2021 and “in the way of repentance” (6)
This journal article by Brian Huizinga addresses a doctrinal controversy brought before the Protestant Reformed Church synods in 2020-2021 regarding the theological order between repentance and remission of sins. Huizinga defends the synods' affirmation that a God-worked activity of the believer (repentance) may temporally precede the experience of a blessing from God (remission) without compromising the sovereignty of grace or introducing conditional theology. The article clarifies the distinction between temporal order and spiritual conditionality, providing important theological precision on a debated point within Reformed doctrine.
Repentance and remission: The issue Having thoroughly explained repentance and God's sovereign grace in bringing us to repentance, we come to the heart of the issue in the disputed matter that came to the PRC synods. Is there a God-worked activity of the believer that precedes a certain, specific manifestation of God's mercy? In this case, the God-worked activity of the believer is repentance. The certain, specific manifestation of God's mercy is remission. Is it permissible to teach that...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org