Returning to God: A Theology of Repentance
Course Syllabus & Weekly Readings
Schubach Library & Study Center
About the Course
What does it mean to repent? Why does God call people to repentance, what does repentance involve, and what kind of life does it invite us to live?
In this four-week course, we will investigate the theology of repentance through Jewish Scripture and the diverse writings of ancient Judaism, including the New Testament. We will explore the circumstances that give rise to the call to repentance, what it means to turn toward God, how repentance takes shape in the concrete circumstances of human life, and the relationship between repentance, divine mercy, forgiveness, and restoration.
Our approach combines careful reading of ancient texts, historical and theological investigation, and sustained conversation. We will examine the New Testament within its ancient Jewish world while also attending to its authority as Christian Scripture. Throughout the course, participants will be invited to reflect on how the call to repentance addresses their own lives, relationships, and communities.
What You Will Learn
By the end of the course, you should be better equipped to:
Understand how Jewish Scripture and ancient Jewish writings, including the New Testament, describe repentance.
Read biblical passages within their literary and historical contexts, recognizing both shared convictions and differences among the texts.
Develop a biblical theology of repentance in relation to human wrongdoing, divine mercy, forgiveness, and restoration.
Recognize the implications of repentance for human conduct, relationships, economic life, justice, and communal responsibility.
Reflect thoughtfully on the call to repentance in personal and corporate life.
How the Course Works
Each 90-minute session combines focused teaching, close reading of selected passages, and substantial group discussion. You will read a broader collection of texts before class, while our conversations will concentrate on two passages that deserve sustained attention.
No prior training in biblical studies, Hebrew, Greek, or ancient Jewish history is required. Come prepared to read carefully, ask questions, consider different interpretations, and learn through conversation.
Weekly Readings
Each week includes three kinds of readings:
Readings for Everyone: The common texts that provide the foundation for our discussion. These include substantial literary units so that we can understand individual passages in context.
Classroom Focus Texts: Two selections from the common readings that we will examine closely together. Give these particular attention as you prepare.
For Further Study: Optional readings for those who want to explore additional texts and theological questions. These are invitations to further investigation, not required assignments.
Your Course Journal
We encourage you to keep a journal throughout the four weeks. As you read, record observations, questions, connections between passages, and reflections on your own life and community.
Each week includes journal prompts to guide your investigation. Bring your journal to class, where we will draw on these observations and questions during our conversations. You may also find yourself revisiting earlier reflections as your understanding develops.
Your journal is for your own learning. You will never be required to share personal reflections, and journals will not be collected or graded.
Week 1 — The Call to Repent
Guiding Question: Why does God call people to repentance?
The biblical call to repentance arises in particular circumstances: covenant unfaithfulness, injustice, wrongdoing, impending judgment, and the possibility of renewed life. This week, we will investigate why God summons individuals and communities to repent, paying attention to the relationship between divine judgment, mercy, and human responsibility. We will also consider how Jesus' call to repentance participates in these ancient Jewish theological conversations.
Readings for Everyone
Deuteronomy 29–30 • Isaiah 1 • Ezekiel 18 • Sirach 17–18 • Luke 12:35–13:9
Classroom Focus Texts
Ezekiel 18 — Human responsibility, the possibility of turning from wickedness, and God's desire that people live.
Luke 13:1–9 — Jesus' call to repentance in the face of tragedy, judgment, and divine patience.
For Further Study
These optional readings explore communal repentance, the repentance of nations, and the relationship between divine patience and judgment.
1 Kings 8:22–53: Israel's wrongdoing, confession, exile, and return to God.
Jeremiah 3–4: God's appeal to an unfaithful people to return.
Hosea 5–6: Israel's response to distress and God's criticism of superficial covenant loyalty.
Jonah 3–4: Nineveh's repentance and Jonah's struggle with divine mercy.
Wisdom of Solomon 11:21–12:22: Divine patience, judgment, and the opportunity for repentance.
Romans 2:1–11: God's kindness, patience, judgment, and the call to repentance.
Journal Prompts
What circumstances occasion the call to repentance in these texts? What reasons do they give for turning toward God?
What do these passages reveal about God's character, especially the relationship between judgment, patience, and mercy?
What makes it difficult for individuals or communities to recognize their need for repentance? Where do these texts challenge your assumptions?
Week 2 — The Meaning of Repentance
Guiding Question: What does repentance involve?
Biblical texts describe repentance through a variety of words, images, and actions: returning, turning away, confession, sorrow, seeking God, and renewed faithfulness. This week, we will investigate what these descriptions reveal about repentance and how they relate to one another. We will also consider the difference between genuine repentance and expressions of regret that leave a person's orientation and conduct unchanged.
Readings for Everyone
Hosea 11–14 • Joel 2 • Psalm 51 • Sirach 18 • Mark 1 • Luke 15 • 2 Corinthians 7
Classroom Focus Texts
Hosea 14 — Israel's invitation to return, the words of repentance, and God's promise of healing and renewed life.
Luke 15:11–32 — The younger son's return, the father's response, and the older son's resistance to restoration.
For Further Study
These optional readings invite closer investigation of confession, contrition, the meaning of turning, and the relationship between repentance and divine forgiveness.
Psalm 32: Confession, forgiveness, and acknowledged wrongdoing.
Isaiah 55:1–13: Seeking the Lord, forsaking wicked ways, and trusting divine mercy.
Jeremiah 31:15–22: Ephraim's lament and God's compassionate response.
Nehemiah 9: Corporate confession and the remembrance of God's faithfulness.
Tobit 13: Turning toward God amid exile and the hope of restoration.
Matthew 3:1–12: John the Baptist's call to repentance and its visible fruit.
Journal Prompts
What words, images, and actions do the readings associate with repentance? How do they help us understand what it means to turn toward God?
What distinguishes genuine repentance from regret, fear of consequences, or expressions of sorrow? Do the texts answer this question in the same way?
What do you find most challenging about these descriptions of repentance? How might they change your understanding of what repentance requires?
Week 3 — The Life of Repentance
Guiding Question: What does repentance look like in embodied human life?
Repentance takes shape in the ordinary circumstances of human existence. The biblical writers address the treatment of neighbors, economic conduct, justice, generosity, restitution, and responsibilities within communities. This week, we will investigate how repentance becomes visible in human actions and relationships, asking what these texts reveal about the kind of life God calls people to inhabit.
Readings for Everyone
Isaiah 58 • Ezekiel 18 • Amos 5 • Sirach 34:18–35:24 • Luke 3 • Luke 19 • James 2
Classroom Focus Texts
Isaiah 58 — God's criticism of fasting accompanied by oppression and injustice, and the vision of life that accompanies genuine devotion.
Luke 3:1–20 — John the Baptist's summons to repentance and his concrete instructions concerning possessions, economic conduct, and the exercise of power.
For Further Study
These optional readings extend our investigation into restitution, reconciliation, worship, justice, and the responsibilities of individuals and communities.
Leviticus 5:20–26 (6:1–7 in many English Bibles): Restitution and the repair of harm done to others.
Micah 6:1–8: God's demand for justice, mercy, and faithful living.
Zechariah 7–8: Fasting, justice, truthfulness, and communal restoration.
Sirach 4:1–10: Responsibility toward the poor and vulnerable.
Matthew 5:21–26: Reconciliation and damaged human relationships.
James 5:1–6: A prophetic indictment of economic exploitation.
Journal Prompts
What concrete actions do these texts associate with turning toward God? What aspects of human life receive particular attention?
How do the readings connect worship, devotion, economic conduct, justice, and relationships? What do these connections reveal about the nature of repentance?
What might repentance require of individuals, households, churches, and other communities today? Where do you see the greatest challenges?
Week 4 — Repentance and Restoration
Guiding Question: What kind of life does repentance make possible?
The biblical call to repentance is closely connected with divine mercy, forgiveness, and the possibility of renewed life. Yet the texts also recognize that wrongdoing has consequences and that restoration can involve more than the removal of guilt. In our final session, we will investigate what God does in response to repentance, how renewed relationships and communities become possible, and what it means to live in the hope of restoration.
We will also return to the questions that have guided our study and consider what kind of biblical theology of repentance emerges from our investigation.
Readings for Everyone
Deuteronomy 30 • Ezekiel 36–37 • Psalm 130 • Jeremiah 31:15–34 • Luke 15 • Acts 3 • Revelation 2–3
Classroom Focus Texts
Ezekiel 36:16–37:14 — God's promise to cleanse, renew, and restore Israel, including the gift of a new heart and spirit and the vision of restored life.
Acts 3:11–26 — Peter's call to repentance in relation to forgiveness, restoration, and the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel.
For Further Study
These optional readings explore the relationship between forgiveness and restoration, the consequences of wrongdoing, and the renewal of individuals and communities.
Exodus 32–34: Israel's sin, Moses' intercession, divine mercy, and covenant renewal.
Psalm 85: Forgiveness, restoration, righteousness, and peace.
Isaiah 40:1–11: Comfort, forgiveness, and God's return to his people.
Hosea 14: Healing unfaithfulness and restoring Israel.
Jonah 3–4: Divine mercy and the tension between judgment and forgiveness.
Luke 19:1–10: Salvation, restoration, and the repair of damaged relationships.
2 Corinthians 5:14–21: Reconciliation, new creation, and the vocation of those reconciled to God.
Journal Prompts
How do these passages describe God's response to repentance? What roles do forgiveness, cleansing, renewal, and restoration play?
Do the texts suggest that repentance removes the consequences of wrongdoing? How might forgiveness and restoration be related without being identical?
Looking back over the four weeks, how has your understanding of repentance changed? What questions remain, and what implications do you see for your own life and community?