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Are we confident that our light is bright
Vol. 47 May 17, 2022 Number 20
DID JESUS EXCLUDE REPENTANCE
FROM FORGIVENESS?
Wayne Jackson
Question: Would you explain what appears to be a conflict in the way we
interpret the Scriptures? Jesus frequently encountered sinful people whom he
“forgave,” with no mention of repentance. For example, he said to a crippled man,
“Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). There is no mention
of repentance.
First, it must be recognized that virtually no single passage contains the complete
complement of information that may be associated with a theme referenced in a
particular text. A failure to recognize this reality is a common fallacy committed
both by secular and sectarian writers involving a variety of issues.
For example, skeptics will select a text which mentions a judgment from God
inflicted upon a disobedient rebel (e.g., Numbers 15:32), and then generalize that
the Lord must be a harsh, hateful Being. In this procedure they neglect the scores of
passages that reveal the love and mercy of the Creator, and his acts of benevolence,
along with reasons for those divine judgments of which the skeptic is critical.
Similarly, the “faith-only” advocate will single out texts which mention only
one component of the plan of salvation, e.g., faith (John 3:16; Romans 5:1), and
conclude that salvation is by “faith alone,” wholly ignoring supplementary
passages, e.g., Acts 2:38. Such is an egregious flaw.
Second, there is a principle of Bible interpretation known as the “Analogy of
Faith.” This procedure acknowledges the “general harmony of fundamental
doctrine which pervades the entire Scriptures. It assumes that the Bible is a self-
interpreting book, and what is obscure in one passage may be illuminated by
another. No single statement or obscure passage of one book can be allowed to set
aside a doctrine which is clearly established by many passages. The obscure texts
must be interpreted in the light of those which are plain and positive” (Terry, 449;
see also Fairbairn, 122ff). This is an undisputed principle of interpretation in
scholarly works, though frequently ignored by novices and/or those pursuing a
prized agenda.
In the matter of forgiveness, there are various texts in the Gospel narratives which
mention Jesus extending forgiveness without any attending explicit mention of
repentance. For example, the case of the incident regarding one of the thieves crucified
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ELDERS
Mike Childers ............. 397-6453
Dennis Hallmark......... 255-5557
Mark Hitt .................... 322-0917
Bobby Lindley ............ 260-9193
DEACONS
Wade Bryan ................ 419-5552
William Harris ............ 416-8149
Ricky Lindsey............. 255-8136
Jeff Mansel.................. 871-0357
Jimmy Spearman ........ 840-8957
Michael Wilson........... 891-0891
MINISTERS
Barry Kennedy....(931)787-7108
Alex Blackwelder (731)879-9196
SECRETARY
Renee Childers
Office.......................... 842-6116
Fax .............................. 842-7091
E-MAIL
eastmaincoc38804@gmail.com
WEB PAGE
eastmaincoc.com
SUNDAY SERVICES
Worship........................9:00 a.m.
Bible class..................10:15 a.m.
Worship......................11:15 a.m.
Singing or Devotional
Last Sunday of the Month
MID-WEEK
SERVICES
Wednesday Classes......7:00 p.m.
1606 East Main Street
P. O. Box 1761
Tupelo, Mississippi 38802
“Thou shalt observe to do all that they inform thee”
(Deut. 17:10)

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next to Christ contains the necessary implication of
forgiveness (Luke 23:43), yet there was no extraction
from the robber of a confession that his thievery was
sinful. One must conclude, however, that the Lord
recognized his penitence, else there would have been
no promise of Paradise later that day. It must not be
assumed that the absence of any mention of
repentance sanctioned the man’s thievery or nullified
the necessity of a penitent disposition.
It cannot be argued, therefore, that because
“repentance” was not explicitly mentioned in
connection with some cases where Christ pronounced
pardon, that repentance, therefore, is not required for
the reception of forgiveness.
What shall we say of passages that mention
“baptism,” but do not reference faith, e.g., Acts 22:16;
1 Peter 3:21? Does this nullify faith as a condition of
salvation?What abouta text that mentions “repentance”
but does not mention either faith or baptism (Acts
11:18; Romans 2:4)? Are the latter two automatically
eliminated from the plan of redemption? Of course
not. One must take the “sum” of truth on a particular
item (Psalm 119:160)—not “some” of the truth.
In conclusion, this principle commonly is acknow-
ledged among competent Bible scholars (even if they
sometimes fail to make the application in areas that
conflict with some cherished theological position). In
texts that address the same general theme, one passage
may supplement another, but a more abbreviated text
may not nullify information in the passage with more
information. Remember this: Scripture may
supplement itself; it never contradicts itself.
Sources/Footnotes
Fairbairn, Patrick. Hermeneutical Manual. Philadelphia:
Smith, English & Co. 1859.
Terry, Milton. Biblical Hermeneutics. New York: Eaton &
Mains.1890.
~~~~~~~~~
Baby “Boy” Shower
There will be a baby “boy”
shower in honor of Beth
Lindsey Sunday, June 5
“come and go” from 2-3:30 pm
in the multipurpose room. All
the ladies are invited! Beth is
registered at Babylist.com (Bethany and Ian Reed)
and Little Magnolia Tupelo.
Tuesday Mornings with
the Master
Don’t forget Tuesday Mornings with the Master
every Tuesday in the multipurpose room from 10-
11 am. Anyone who can come is welcomed.
Thank You Notes
Dear East Main church family,
Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers,
calls, texts, and more importantly, prayers during
this difficult time. We appreciate you all more than
you know and are thankful to have such a loving
church family. Love,
Kyle, Summer, Scarlett, & Kannon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for the fresh flower spray in memory of
Ann Stanford. Gerald Stanford & family
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
East Main Church of Christ,
We are truly grateful for all your kind words, gift
cards, and especially, each prayer on behalf of Eric
Baker during his surgery, recovery, and healing. Our
God is good all the time. In Christian love,
Alisa & John Webb (Eric’s parents)
Vacation Bible School
Our Vacation Bible School is scheduled for June
12-15 from 6:30-8:00 pm each evening on the
theme “Journey Through James.” Make plans to
attend and bring your friends! There will be classes
for ALL ages, including adults. A different speaker
will speak each night in the adult class: Sunday-
Wayne Cox, Monday-Mark Blackwelder, Tuesday-
Adam Evans, Wednesday-Brian Galloway.
New Movers’ Baskets
The new movers’ baskets
are in the foyer. Please take
one to deliver if you can. This
is a great way to introduce
those who have recently
moved into the community to
the East Main family.

Daily Bible Reading
May 18...............................................................Job 1-3
May 19...............................................................Job 4-7
May 20.............................................................Job 8-10
May 21...........................................................Job 11-14
May 22...........................................................Job 15-17
May 23...........................................................Job 18-19
May 24.......................................................... Job 20-21
May 25...........................................................Job 22-24
May 26...........................................................Job 25-28
May 27...........................................................Job 29-31
May 28...........................................................Job 32-34
May 29...........................................................Job 35-37
May 30...........................................................Job 38-39
May 31...........................................................Job 40-42
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Birthdays: Sarai Lindley (May 18), Mike Childers
(May 19), Lauren Lindley (May 19), Ricky
Lindsey (May 19), Annie Martin (May 20), Avery
Gilliland (May 22), Brooke Roby (May 22), Hattie
Sheffield (May 24), Gail Geno (May 26), Katie Bates
(May 28). Anniversaries: Melvin & Debbie Duke (May
18), Eddie & Jeannie Simmons (May 19), Mark &
Carrie Hitt (May 20), William & Marla Harris (May 21),
Andy & Stephanie Baldwyn (May 29), Marlon & Gail
Geno (May 31).
Our Sick
Sarah Smith’s sister, Nancy McGee, is home doing
well after a stroke. Eric Baker, a relative of Katherine
Mansel & friend of Andy Baldwyn, will begin chemo &
radiation soon. Marla Laney’s mother, Mayola Wilson,
is in room 565 at NMMC following a light stroke.
On-Going Illnesses
Mary Lou Walden, Evelyn Thompson, Annie Martin,
Bettye Davis, Steve Kelly, Barbara Bishop, Bob Smith,
Doug Wallace, Frankie Estes, Shirley Lyons, Stella
Pittman, Caroline Willis, Carol Hood, Bill Goff, Adam
McCurley, Sheba Tuggers, Brian Carver, Lacy Plaxico,
Michelle Maclean, Freida Gardner, Linda Butler, Pam
Gassaway, Donny Dulaney, Ricky Britt, Larry Kennedy,
Nathan Hale
Nursing Homes
Randy Attaway, Shirley McCarthy, Bob McClure
EMYG News
Hello!
Our summer intern is scheduled to be here
with us beginning Sunday, May 29. Alex
Tucker is a junior at Freed-Hardeman
University where he is a member of the cross
country and track teams and plans to finish a
B.A in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in
Youth and Family Ministry. Alex lives in
Henderson, TN. He worships with the Estes
Church of Christ in Henderson. He loves
playing basketball, doing most anything
outdoors, and helping to serve God as best as
he can. We have lots of activities planned for
the summer and hope all the youth will be able
to be present!
If you would be willing to house Alex Tucker for
the summer, please let me know ASAP. He will
be very busy this summer and really only need a
place to lay his head at night!

Men to Serve Sunday, May 22, 2022 a.m.
Announcements................................Michael Wilson
Bible Reading......................................Jake Kennedy
Opening Prayer .......................................Jeff Mansel
Lord’s Supper
Wade Bryan
Lead Singing....................................Eddie Simmons
Closing Prayer.............................. Rommie Dilworth
Ushers ..................Andy Baldwyn & Terry Kingsley
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday 11:15 a.m. service
Opening Prayer .............................. Dennis Hallmark
Closing Prayer....................................Hugh Scribner
Lead Singing.........................................Wesley Bass
Men to Serve Sunday, May 29, 2022 a.m.
Announcements..............................Dennis Hallmark
Bible Reading........................................ Aaryn Vines
Opening Prayer ..........................................Mark Hitt
Lord’s Supper
Michael Wilson
Lead Singing.....................................Barry Kennedy
Closing Prayer................................... William Harris
Ushers ..................... Dale Dulaney & Mike Childers
Please meet in the library by 8:45 a.m.
Sunday 11:15 a.m. service
Opening Prayer .............................. Dennis Hallmark
Closing Prayer....................................Hugh Scribner
Lead Singing........................................ Kent Nichols
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Opening Prayer .................................... Paul Blansett
Lead Singing......................................Hugh Scribner
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Contact Michael Wilson (891-0891) if unable to serve.
THERE WILL NOT BE A BULLETIN
NEXT WEEK!
TWO WEEKS ASSIGNMENTS HAVE
BEEN INCLUDED THIS WEEK.
Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Opening Prayer ......................................Mike Ratliff
Lead Singing........................................ Greg Hughes
The elders kindly request that men leading in public
worship wear the best dress clothes they have.
Contact Michael Wilson (891-0891) if unable to serve.
Attendance & Contribution
Mid-Week, 5-11-22 .................................................... 160
Sunday 1st
Worship, 5-15-22 ...................................... 183
Sunday Bible Class..................................................... 170
Sunday 2nd
Worship................................................... N/A
Contribution (budget $7,900) ................................ $8,902
*This does not include the livestreamed views.
Pantry item........................................... Peanut butter