In one of his recent posts on E-church’s website Stephan Joubert wrote the following motley in honor of his ill-perceived interpretation of the Kingdom of God.
According to Jesus, access to the kingdom of God happens through metanoia, or the way we translate it: “repentance” (Mark 1:15). Today, repentance is often downscaled to moral behavior adjustments. However, to Jesus metanoia is not a moral course alteration that leads to two different worlds – one home to sinners, and another one way over there where the holy ones congregate. Metanoia means think and live radically different – every day, everywhere, and amongst everyone – in the light of God’s new reign that has already come.
As in most of his posts, he once again grossly contradicts the Word of God. In the book of Acts the word metanoia has an entirely different meaning than his and Martoia’ interpretation of it.
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:36-47).
Stephan, did you notice that only those who had been saved, were added to the church? The church was in fact home to sinners who had repented and were saved. They were separated from the unbelievers, and by whom . . .? By God Himself who added to the church daily those who were being saved. Stephan is trying his level best to incorporate (integrate) believers AND unbelievers in his Kingdom of God where no distinction is made between holy – unholy, believers – unbelievers, lost sinners – saved sinners, saved – unsaved, us – them, etc. They are now all part of the Kingdom of God. Has Stephan never read the portion in Scripture where Jesus described the Kingdom of God as follows:
But when the king came in to view the guests, he looked intently at a man there who had on no wedding garment. And he said, Friend, how did you come in here without putting on the [appropriate] wedding garment? And he was speechless (muzzled, gagged). Then the king said to the attendants, Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the darkness outside; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. (Matthew 22:11-13, Amplified Bible)
The King of the Kingdom of God Himself commanded the person without a wedding garment (Isaiah 61:10) to be cast out of the Kingdom of God into the darkness outside because he had not repented and received a wedding garment. I must say, Stephan Jobert’s metanoia is not radical at all when you take into account how superlatively radical Jesus Christ is/was in his separation of believers from unbelievers. Of course it does not mean that believers shouldn’t live radically different from unbelievers “every day, everywhere and amongst everyone.” But living radically amongst everyone without telling them that they need a wedding garment in order to meet the King’s demand to enter his Kingdom and not to be cast into the darkness outside, is radically contrary to the will of God.
The Amplified Bible explains the meaning of metanoia thus:
And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Even The Message, Eugene Peterson’s transcription of the Bible which the emergent fraternity love to quote, links the word “repentance” to “the forgiveness of sins” (a radical moral and behavioral adjustment).
Peter said, “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.”
The New International version renders verse 38 as follows:
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
The pronoun “your” used as an attributive adjective is omitted in the KJV. The Greek New Testament translation renders it “eis aphesin tōn hamartiōn hymōn.” Walfoord and Zuck explains:
Peter’s answer was forthright. First they were to repent. This verb (metanoēsate) means “change your outlook,” or “have a change of heart; reverse the direction of your life.” This obviously results in a change of conduct, but the emphasis is on the mind or outlook. The Jews had rejected Jesus; now they were to trust in Him. Repentance was repeatedly part of the apostles’ message in Acts (v. 38; 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; 13:24; 17:30; 19:4; 20:21; 26:20).
A problem revolves around the command “be baptized” and its connection with the remainder of 2:38. There are several views: (1) One is that both repentance and baptism result in remission of sins. In this view, baptism is essential for salvation. The problem with this interpretation is that elsewhere in Scripture forgiveness of sins is based on faith alone (John 3:16, 36; Rom. 4:1-17; 11:6; Gal. 3:8-9; Eph. 2:8-9; etc.). Furthermore Peter, the same speaker, later promised forgiveness of sins on the basis of faith alone (Acts 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18).
(2) A second interpretation translates 2:38, “Be baptized . . . on the basis of the remission of your sins.” The preposition used here is eis which, with the accusative case, may mean “on account of, on the basis of.” It is used in this way in Matthew 3:11; 12:41; and Mark 1:4. Though it is possible for this construction to mean “on the basis of,” this is not its normal meaning; eis with the accusative case usually describes purpose or direction.
(3) A third view takes the clause and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ as parenthetical. Several factors support this interpretation: (a) The verb makes a distinction between singular and plural verbs and nouns. The verb “repent” is plural and so is the pronoun “your” in the clause so that your sins may be forgiven (lit., “unto the remission of your sins,” eis aphesin tōn hamartiōn hymōn). Therefore the verb “repent” must go with the purpose of forgiveness of sins. On the other hand the imperative “be baptized” is singular, setting it off from the rest of the sentence. (b) This concept fits with Peter’s proclamation in Acts 10:43 in which the same expression “sins may be forgiven” (aphesin hamartiōn) occurs. There it is granted on the basis of faith alone. (c) In Luke 24:47 and Acts 5:31 the same writer, Luke, indicates that repentance results in remission of sins. (1) (Emphasis added)
Therefore, the biblical metanoia” does not specifically only deal with a change of mind to the extent that you must begin to think and live radically different. A true biblical “metanoia” (repentance) must inevitably translate into the forgiveness of your sins. It is impossible to think and live radically different without the remission of your sins which, in essence, is a moral shift from a life that is void of God and his will to one that is filled with God and his will.
Joubert’s interpretation of the word “metanoia,” i.e. “to think and live radically different” stripped of any moral behavioral adjustments, allows it to be entrenched in any cultural and spiritual context. For a Muslim, a Hindu and a Jew it would mean that their own perceptions of thinking and living radically different within the parameters of their respective religions constitute a “metanoia.” But it can hardly represent a true biblical “metanoia” because, as we’ve seen, a biblical “metanoia” inexorably goes hand in hand with the remission of your sins (a moral paradigm shift). Since it is God alone who is capable of forgiving sins unto righteousness it is most certainly wrong to believe that “metanoia” (repentance) is merely a way of thinking and living radically different. A drug addict or an alcoholic can begin to think and live radically different from their old lifestyles by attending a 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous course and still miss out on a true biblical “metanoia,” in other words, a “metanoia” that leads to the forgiveness of sins and an eternal home with God where the holy ones congregate.
Stephan Joubert’s anti biblical definition of “metanoia” holds true to the equally anti-biblical notion that everything is holy. The emergent fraternity have come up with a “brilliant” solution to the complex problems in this world; they claim that everything is holy. Rob Bell says: “We throw ourselves into our work because everything is sacred.” (2) Nonetheless, I must warn you not to speak judgmentally or disparagingly of Rob Bell and his Velvet Elvis, simply because Stephan Joubert believes that every word that comes from his mouth is pure Gospel. Hogwash! If everything was already sacred and holy the Holy Spirit would never have inspired Paul to write the following about the last days:
You must realize, however, that in the last days difficult times will come. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, (2Timothy 3:1-2)
I wonder why God said: “ . . . touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17). He must have been delirious when He said this. How can you touch an unholy or unclean thing when everything is holy?
One of the main reasons everything should be deemed holy is to accommodate the unholy pantheistic lie that Jesus is in everything and everything is in Jesus (Read here). If this is true, it would ratify the notion that He is already reigning on earth in his Kingdom which, according to Stephan Joubert, is already here. Is it really? Jesus doesn’t seem to t think so. He very emphatically said: “ . . . the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. “ (1 John 5:19), that Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), and that he is the prince of the powers of the air (Ephesians 2:2) as well as the possessor of the Kingdoms of the world. In Matthew 4 it is significant that Jesus did not challenge Satan’s claim to the Kingdoms of the earth and his right to surrender these Kingdoms to whomsoever he wished. In fact, He viewed them as Satan’s dominion and that he had the right to do with them what he willed. If all the Kingdoms of this earth under Satan’s control are holy, then Satan himself must be holy. Perish the thought!
In Acts 3 the apostle Peter said an amazing thing:
And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance [not aware of what you were doing], as did your rulers also. Thus has God fulfilled what He foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ (the Messiah) should undergo ill treatment and be afflicted and suffer. So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord; And that He may send [to you] the Christ (the Messiah), Who before was designated and appointed for you–even Jesus, Whom heaven must receive [and retain] until the time for the complete restoration of all that God spoke by the mouth of all His holy prophets for ages past [from the most ancient time in the memory of man]. (Acts 3:17-21)
Here God very clearly says that his Son MUST remain seated at his right hand in heaven UNITL the time for the complete restoration of all things. In other words, the Kingdom of God cannot visibly appear on earth while his Son still remains in heaven. It can and will only manifest on earth at his Second Advent. Paul also mentions it in Romans 8:
For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship]. For the creation (nature) was subjected to frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it–[yet] with the hope That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children. We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God’s sons). (Romans 8:19-23). (3)
Walfoord and Zuck explains the above as follows:
The Creation waits in eager anticipation (lit., “for the strained expectation [apokaradokia is used only one other time in the NT, in Phil. 1:20] of the Creation keeps on eagerly awaiting”) for the sons of God to be revealed. The verb for “eagerly waits apekdechomaiis used seven times in the New Testament, each time to refer to Christ’s return (Rom. 8:19, 23, 25; 1 Cor. 1:7; Gal. 5:5; Phil. 3:20 Heb. 9:28). Ther revealing of the sons of God will occur when Christ returns for his own. They will share His glory (Rom. 8:18; Col. 1:27; 3:4; Heb. 2:10; and will be transformed (Rom. 8:23). All of nature (inanimate and animate) is personified as waiting eagerly for that time.
If God’s reign has already come, as Stephan Joubert says, we should immediately stop praying “Let thy King come . . .”
(1) Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:359
(2) Rob Bell Velvet Elvis – Rethinking the Christian Faith, (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 2005) 77.
(3) Ibid, 472
