Podcast Summary: "What Are Repentance and Faith?"

Doctrine Matters with Kevin DeYoung
Date: September 2, 2025
Host: Kevin DeYoung (Crossway)

Overview

In this episode of Doctrine Matters, Kevin DeYoung explores the twin doctrines of repentance and faith within the context of salvation, focusing on their necessity, biblical basis, and traditional Reformed theological definitions. DeYoung continues his walk through the "ordo salutis" (the logical order of salvation), emphasizing the distinction between God's monergistic action in regeneration and the human response that follows: repentance and faith. The episode aims to clarify misconceptions, especially within modern preaching, and to articulate a robust, biblical understanding of both repentance and faith.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Ordo Salutis: Where Repentance and Faith Fit

• [01:00] DeYoung recaps previous episodes on effectual calling, regeneration, and irresistible grace:

  "We talked last week about effectual calling, regeneration, irresistible grace... how God works monergistically... to cause us to be born again. But now we come to, what do we do?"

• Emphasizes that repentance and faith are not about human cooperation in regeneration, but are the renewed acts of the now-regenerated will, received after God's unilateral work.

2. The Will and Divine Grace

• [02:10] Dispels the "puppet on a string" caricature of Calvinism by quoting the Synod of Dort:

  "The divine grace of regeneration does not act in people as if they were blocks and stones... but spiritually revives, heals, reforms, and in a manner at once pleasing and powerful, bends it back."
  — Synod of Dort, 1618–1619

• Affirms: Human will is not abolished but is renewed; believers act freely, not robotically, in repentance and faith.

3. Repentance: The Neglected Twin

• [04:10] Critiques modern gospel presentations that emphasize faith but underplay repentance:

  "What is so often missing is the other side, which cannot be separated from true biblical faith, and that is repentance. Conversion involves turning from sin and turning to God."

• Distinguishes between legal repentance (trying to earn God's favor) and evangelical repentance (a gospel-driven, heartfelt turning).
• [06:15] Clarifies the difference between initial repentance in conversion and the ongoing repentance in the Christian life.

4. Biblical Grounding for Repentance

• [07:00] Cites biblical evidence for repentance as essential:
  • John the Baptist, Jesus' ministry launch (Matt. 4:17), the Great Commission (Luke 24), and Acts 3:19.
  • Summarizes Jesus’ message:

    "Repent and believe in the Gospel." (Mark 1)

• Stresses that any gospel presentation missing repentance is incomplete:

  "Any gospel that refuses to speak of repentance is not an authentic gospel." (08:15)

5. Repentance and Faith: Two Sides of the Same Coin

• [09:00] Explains their inseparability:

  "You're turning from sin, you're turning to Christ. By definition, to repent is to turn away from sin to Christ. And by definition, true biblical faith in Christ... is turning to Christ—away from something else."

6. Defining Faith: Varieties and Essence

• [11:00] Outlines types of "faith" found in the Bible:
  • Historical faith: Mental assent to facts (e.g., King Agrippa)
  • Faith of miracles: Belief in signs, not necessarily in Jesus as Lord (John 2:23–25)
  • Temporary faith: Short-lived, illustrated by rocky soil in parables
  • Justifying faith: True, saving faith wrought by the Spirit, centered on Christ
• Explains: The faith in view for salvation is specifically justifying faith.

7. What Does Justifying Faith Do? "Acts" vs "Experience"

• [13:30] Dissects theological efforts to sharply define faith:

  "Reformed theologians were very careful to talk about the acts of faith... What does faith do? What is its act when it is justifying faith?"

• Contrasts acts (volitional/intellectual engagement with an object) with experience (personal feeling or assurance). Faith terminates on Christ, not on the believer's feeling about Christ.

8. Classical Reformed Definitions of Faith

• [16:00] Summarizes the classic threefold definition:

  • Notitia (knowledge): Awareness of the truth
  • Assensus (assent): Agreement with the truth
  • Fiducia (trust): Personal trust in Christ

  "It's not enough to just understand... or to affirm... You have to actually sit down in the chair. That's the fiducia, that's the trust." (17:00)

• Discusses further historical expansions (e.g., Turretin lists six acts, Ursinus talks about apprehending Christ's righteousness, Owen focuses on assent and approbation).

9. Faith's Affection, Not Its Essence

• [19:00] Emphasizes that while faith often involves affection (love, joy, treasuring), these are not essential for justification:

  "They were loath to smuggle back in—having rescued the gospel from works—they did not want to smuggle now a work back into faith."

• Cites Westminster Confession:

  "The principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving and resting in Christ alone." (20:20)

• The essence: Faith "looks away from itself" and clings wholly to Christ.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Calvinism and Free Will

  "A puppet does not have his own will. Their movements are manipulated by an outside force. And that is not what Calvinists believe, or at least not what we should believe." (02:10)

• On Evangelical vs. Legal Repentance

  "A legal repentance is, I'm earning something... an evangelical—that is, a gospel—repentance." (05:30)

• On the Unity of Repentance and Faith

  "Faith and repentance are considered two sides of the same coin. You're turning from sin, you're turning to Christ." (09:00)

• On Temporary and Miracle Faith

  "It is possible to believe in Jesus, but only for the signs and not for Jesus himself." (12:30)

• On the 'Acts' of Faith

  "Faith is terminating on some object—a thing, a statement, a person in whom we trust." (14:45)

• On Fiducia (Trust)

  "You have to actually sit down in the chair. That's the fiducia, that's the trust." (17:10)

• On Keeping Works Out of Faith

  "They were very, very careful... having rescued the gospel from works, they did not want to smuggle now a work back into faith." (19:20)

• On the Nature of Saving Faith

  "Faith does not rest in what it does or what it experiences. It rests in Christ." (20:35)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:05–01:50 — Intro & recap of the order of salvation
• 02:00–03:30 — Synod of Dort and the renewal of will
• 04:10–06:25 — Repentance: Often missing in contemporary preaching
• 07:00–09:00 — Repentance in the ministry of Jesus and the Apostles
• 09:00–11:30 — Repentance and faith as inseparable responses
• 11:00–13:15 — Kinds of faith: Historical, miraculous, temporary, justifying
• 13:30–16:00 — What are the 'acts' of saving faith?
• 16:00–18:20 — Classical definitions: Knowledge, assent, trust
• 18:20–20:40 — Affections, assurance, and justification
• 20:40–22:00 — Saving faith as resting in Christ; conclusion and resources

Tone and Style

DeYoung’s tone is earnest, systematic, and pastoral, aiming for clarity while engaging both theological tradition and contemporary issues. He uses analogies, church history, and careful exegesis to make complex doctrines accessible.

Conclusion

This episode offers a deep, historical, and practical account of repentance and faith in salvation, warning against gospel presentations lacking repentance and against any definition of faith that imports works or emotional experiences as necessary aspects. DeYoung repeatedly stresses that saving faith is defined by its object, not its power, feeling, or works—it is simply receiving and resting in Christ alone.

For more resources, listeners are encouraged to consult DeYoung's "Daily Doctrine" or trustworthy pastoral guidance.