Boston on how faith and repentance relate to one another

[JTB.SDG]

This is what I read recently in Thomas Boston's View of the Covenant of Grace: “Now, when one is justified by faith, and new-related to God, as his Friend, Father, and God, he is sanctified, and brought to true and evangelical repentance, according to this promise [Acts 11:18]. Being come to Christ by faith, he comes back unto God by him in repentance (Hebrews 7:25), which is the end whereunto faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ is the means (Acts 20:21).”

I'm not sure I've heard it put quite like this before. It seems he's saying faith is the means, repentance is the promised end. Which would imply that true repentance must always begin with evangelical faith. I've heard and preached myself often that faith and repentance are two sides of the same coin. Well, we know they are both needed, and they are intimately related. But do we error if we seek to begin with repentance? Must faith come first? I really like where he's going with this. Thoughts?

By the way, I can't get over how much I love Thomas Boston. His View of the Covenant of Grace has profound insights on almost every page. I think it's the best systematic on the covenants ever written. I believe he's become my favorite theologian.

 

[arapahoepark]

I too, am interested. I think a lot of what I have traditionally heard, like you, might have stemmed from the Lordship Salvation controversy in which both sides (MacArthur vs Hodges) were wrong. I read too much MacArthur early on and have been trying to undo a lot of his influence in my thinking. A lot of Reformed are enamored with him for some odd reason as well. I will have to look more up especially from Horton's two volume work on Justification.

 

[VictorBravo]

Take a look at Chapters 14 and 15 of the WCF. Boston is summarizing them in a sentence. But repentance is not merely an end--it is an evangelical grace and also an ongoing duty.

 

[KMK]

By the way, I can't get over how much I love Thomas Boston.

Agreed.