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New Studies in Biblical Theology #49
The Feasts of Repentance: From Luke-Acts to Systematic and Pastoral Theology
In gospel proclamation today, the critical New Testament element of repentance can be far too often ignored, minimalized, or dismissed. Yet John the Baptist, Jesus himself, and those he commissioned to spread his gospel all spoke of the urgent need to repent.
Michael Ovey was convinced that a gospel without repentance quickly distorts our view of God, ourselves, and each other by undermining grace and ultimately leading to idolatry. Only when we grasp the need for true repentance as consisting of a real change―a transforming work of the Spirit of God―can we fully understand the gospel Jesus preached.
In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, Ovey focuses first on the relevant biblical material in Luke–Acts, examining who repents and who does not, and the characters of both groups. He surveys the "feasts of repentance" of Jesus with Levi, the Pharisees, Zaccheus, and in the parable of the Lost Son. He then moves to more systematic-theological aspects of repentance, in relation to idolatry and to salvation, and finally he offers a pastoral theology for the corporate life of the people of God today, with regard to self-righteousness, hypocrisy, humility, forgiveness, and justice.
Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
Michael Ovey was convinced that a gospel without repentance quickly distorts our view of God, ourselves, and each other by undermining grace and ultimately leading to idolatry. Only when we grasp the need for true repentance as consisting of a real change―a transforming work of the Spirit of God―can we fully understand the gospel Jesus preached.
In this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume, Ovey focuses first on the relevant biblical material in Luke–Acts, examining who repents and who does not, and the characters of both groups. He surveys the "feasts of repentance" of Jesus with Levi, the Pharisees, Zaccheus, and in the parable of the Lost Son. He then moves to more systematic-theological aspects of repentance, in relation to idolatry and to salvation, and finally he offers a pastoral theology for the corporate life of the people of God today, with regard to self-righteousness, hypocrisy, humility, forgiveness, and justice.
Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 13, 2019
24 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Michael J. Ovey
8 books2 followersMichael Ovey (1958-2017) was the Principal of Oak Hill Theological College in London and taught on Doctrine, Apologetics and Liturgy. He was married to Heather, with whom he had three children.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 4, 2020
This was a meaty meal, to badly riff off the title. It’s a thorough but accessible look at the theme of repentance from the meals in Luke & the sermons of Acts. Really eye-opening stuff, especially to do with repentance being about turning from idolatry & ignorance, not moralism. Pastorally warm too. Vintage Mike Ovey.
October 28, 2019
When was the last time you heard a sermon or Sunday School lesson on repentance? Have you ever warned someone to repent of their sins? When was the last time you remember repenting?
A Theologian with Pastoral Concern
The Feasts of Repentance: From Luke-Acts to Systematic and Pastoral Theology by Michael J. Ovey is published by IVP Academic and is the 49th title under the New Studies in Biblical Theology series edited by D. A. Carson.
Ovey passed away in 2017, and it was said that as he served on the faculty of Oak Hill Theological College for nearly twenty years, the last ten as its principal, he was a foremost biblical and systematic theologian with deep pastoral concern. This book is one fruit of his labor.
The Idea and Act of Repentance
Ovey believed that repentance, both the idea and act, was missing from evangelicalism. In Chapter One, he examines repentance as a formality, necessity, or optional extra. The attention is on Luke-Acts due to the language of repentance that dominates these narratives. He defines repentance as including instances of “turning” and “change of mind.”
In Chapter Two, Ovey looks at the categories of repentants, unrepentants, and feasts. I found this chapter to be the most moving. I had never examined Jesus’ meals in this manner and I am convinced that Ovey is correct in his views. Notably, he introduces the reader to the concepts of the triangle of hospitality and the triangle of conflict. He examines Jesus’ feast meals under this lens.
Critical Questions
Repentance for Jew and Gentile is taken into account in Chapter Three. Peter’s sermons and Paul’s talks are examined. Chapter Four looks at repentance from the angle of identity and idolatry. Specifically, the idea of idolatry as parody and idolatry as identity are mentioned.
Chapter Five looks at repentance regarding faith and salvation and their relation to each other. He gets technical regarding the ordo salutis but comes to a satisfactory conclusion. Interestingly, he asks the question of whether or not someone can have faith without repentance. While he concedes that one may have an attenuated spiritual life, it will be lacking clarity in regards to our identity, our identity towards others, and our identity towards God.
Remembering Repentance
He concludes in Chapter Six by relating repentance to forgiveness and the people of God. He brings back the triangles of hospitality and conflict and rearranges them to fit a picture of repentance. He ends by reflecting on the topic of sins of omission as well as some personal lessons.
I am left with a new commitment to remember repentance. Our church often stresses confession but we rarely mention repentance. Not only will I preach and teach it, but I will strive for it in my personal life and encourage it in others. I am convinced that it has been lacking in my own vocabulary and worldview. It is time for a change.
I was provided a complimentary copy of The Feasts of Repentance in exchange for an honest review.
A Theologian with Pastoral Concern
The Feasts of Repentance: From Luke-Acts to Systematic and Pastoral Theology by Michael J. Ovey is published by IVP Academic and is the 49th title under the New Studies in Biblical Theology series edited by D. A. Carson.
Ovey passed away in 2017, and it was said that as he served on the faculty of Oak Hill Theological College for nearly twenty years, the last ten as its principal, he was a foremost biblical and systematic theologian with deep pastoral concern. This book is one fruit of his labor.
The Idea and Act of Repentance
Ovey believed that repentance, both the idea and act, was missing from evangelicalism. In Chapter One, he examines repentance as a formality, necessity, or optional extra. The attention is on Luke-Acts due to the language of repentance that dominates these narratives. He defines repentance as including instances of “turning” and “change of mind.”
In Chapter Two, Ovey looks at the categories of repentants, unrepentants, and feasts. I found this chapter to be the most moving. I had never examined Jesus’ meals in this manner and I am convinced that Ovey is correct in his views. Notably, he introduces the reader to the concepts of the triangle of hospitality and the triangle of conflict. He examines Jesus’ feast meals under this lens.
Critical Questions
Repentance for Jew and Gentile is taken into account in Chapter Three. Peter’s sermons and Paul’s talks are examined. Chapter Four looks at repentance from the angle of identity and idolatry. Specifically, the idea of idolatry as parody and idolatry as identity are mentioned.
Chapter Five looks at repentance regarding faith and salvation and their relation to each other. He gets technical regarding the ordo salutis but comes to a satisfactory conclusion. Interestingly, he asks the question of whether or not someone can have faith without repentance. While he concedes that one may have an attenuated spiritual life, it will be lacking clarity in regards to our identity, our identity towards others, and our identity towards God.
Remembering Repentance
He concludes in Chapter Six by relating repentance to forgiveness and the people of God. He brings back the triangles of hospitality and conflict and rearranges them to fit a picture of repentance. He ends by reflecting on the topic of sins of omission as well as some personal lessons.
I am left with a new commitment to remember repentance. Our church often stresses confession but we rarely mention repentance. Not only will I preach and teach it, but I will strive for it in my personal life and encourage it in others. I am convinced that it has been lacking in my own vocabulary and worldview. It is time for a change.
I was provided a complimentary copy of The Feasts of Repentance in exchange for an honest review.
October 8, 2019
This latest release in the New Studies in Biblical Theology (NSBT) series, edited by D. A. Carson, is an interesting read. Sometimes trying to tackle all that the author, Michael J. Ovey, did in this volume can be a disaster. He’s ultimately trying to talk about the doctrine of repentance, he’s wanting to limit his evidence to Luke-Acts, focus on the feasts found in those two books, and tie the whole thing to systematic and pastoral theology. Though I don’t imagine that many writers would formulate that design, he did seem to pull it off.
In case you’re wondering, of all those things he wove together, repentance was his main subject. There’s another volume on repentance in this series, but they truly do not cover the same ground. His first chapter digs into what I find to be the most common question about repentance: is it necessary to salvation? He makes a good case for it being present in all actual conversions, and he is pretty good at marshaling Scriptures to prove his point. The second chapter got more into the Luke-Acts specialty as he looked at the feasts in these books and how repentance was handled in them. There was some interesting information there that I could say frankly that I’d never thought of. In later chapters, he looks at repentance in terms of Jews and Gentiles, how identity and idolatry are key to understanding repentance (one of the better chapters), and entering repentance into the discussion of faith and salvation. For the record, he does hold to a reformed view in this chapter. His final chapter looked at repentance in terms of forgiveness and the church. Along the way, there were some telling comments about our day.
Unfortunately, Mr. Ovey passed away before this book was released. It’s clear he had put a lot of work into it. By this point, you should probably have a great idea of how a NSBT volume works. This is another good representation of the unique contribution this special series makes.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
In case you’re wondering, of all those things he wove together, repentance was his main subject. There’s another volume on repentance in this series, but they truly do not cover the same ground. His first chapter digs into what I find to be the most common question about repentance: is it necessary to salvation? He makes a good case for it being present in all actual conversions, and he is pretty good at marshaling Scriptures to prove his point. The second chapter got more into the Luke-Acts specialty as he looked at the feasts in these books and how repentance was handled in them. There was some interesting information there that I could say frankly that I’d never thought of. In later chapters, he looks at repentance in terms of Jews and Gentiles, how identity and idolatry are key to understanding repentance (one of the better chapters), and entering repentance into the discussion of faith and salvation. For the record, he does hold to a reformed view in this chapter. His final chapter looked at repentance in terms of forgiveness and the church. Along the way, there were some telling comments about our day.
Unfortunately, Mr. Ovey passed away before this book was released. It’s clear he had put a lot of work into it. By this point, you should probably have a great idea of how a NSBT volume works. This is another good representation of the unique contribution this special series makes.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
August 13, 2024
In our therapeutic age, all of us are sick but few of us are sinners. Michael Ovey seeks to correct this imbalance by springboarding off the themes of faith, repentance, and forgiveness as found in Luke-Acts. To do so Ovey focuses on the extra-large emphasis found in Luke’s two volumes on meals, banquets, and feasts.
This volume is a departure from the other books in the series which are devoted almost entirely to biblical theology. Rather Ovey divides his attention almost even among biblical theology, theology, and pastoral theology.
The author leans on Calvin regarding repentance and Volf regarding exclusion and embrace. Repentance, writes Ovey, is needed in two ways—in our view of God and in our view of ourselves. Ovey thus sees idolatry as the sin from which we ultimately repent. We recognize ourselves as creatures and not as sovereign selves. We also recognize God as creator and Lord.
In addition, Ovey critiques Christian efforts to lay aside repentance while accentuating the positive aspects of our relationship with Christ. As he says, “We need . . . to remember that Luke does provide us with examples of people who are genuinely religious yet have no place for real repentance, and that is the character group of the Pharisees” (p. 128).
This volume is a departure from the other books in the series which are devoted almost entirely to biblical theology. Rather Ovey divides his attention almost even among biblical theology, theology, and pastoral theology.
The author leans on Calvin regarding repentance and Volf regarding exclusion and embrace. Repentance, writes Ovey, is needed in two ways—in our view of God and in our view of ourselves. Ovey thus sees idolatry as the sin from which we ultimately repent. We recognize ourselves as creatures and not as sovereign selves. We also recognize God as creator and Lord.
In addition, Ovey critiques Christian efforts to lay aside repentance while accentuating the positive aspects of our relationship with Christ. As he says, “We need . . . to remember that Luke does provide us with examples of people who are genuinely religious yet have no place for real repentance, and that is the character group of the Pharisees” (p. 128).
October 7, 2020
Outstanding. I pray it sparks follow up study and publications.
August 15, 2021
If you want to learn about repentance, this is the perfect book. Ovey traces repentance exegetically in Luke-Acts, and develops a biblical theology. If that was it, that would be good enough! But then, he treats the implications of that on systematic theology, engaging both the emerging church and Barth. Then, he covers the implications of that in practical theology! Wow. A lot to take in.
April 10, 2021
Excellent specific study on a needed topic. Ovey's final book, and another excellent addition to the NSBT collection.
Particularly enjoyed going through the chapter on repentance in the Acts speeches as I was reading Acts for daily devotions. Great ideas for preaching.
Particularly enjoyed going through the chapter on repentance in the Acts speeches as I was reading Acts for daily devotions. Great ideas for preaching.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews