 A good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one. Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) said that. He is 100% right! This is an obscure passage, because we do not know if it means repentance and faith are two separate actions, or just one. Some preachers say that a person must repent AND believe to be saved. Ray Comfort, John MacArthur, Paul Washer, Jon Piper and countless other Calvinists (i.e., followers of the heretical teachings of a man named John Calvin, 1509-1564) teach this junk theology! How do we know if we must Repent AND Believe, or Repent TO Believe to be saved? Does a person have to forsake sinful behavior, or be willing to forsake sinful behavior, to be saved? The answer is absolutely NOT! The way we know is from reading several dozen other CLEARER Scriptures passages, which plainly teach that we are saved by FAITH ALONE. I love Galatians 3:1-3, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” We are saved BY THE HEARING OF FAITH!!! When we hear the Gospel preached and believe it, we are saved. Again, a good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one. In the Gospel of John we read the word “BELIEVE” 85 times, without finding any mention of “repentance.” This plainly teaches us that the man who BELIEVES has REPENTED! Repentance and faith are not the same thing theologically; but they are NOT two separate steps to salvation, they are one and the same event. An illustration is flying on a plane. We don't leave the place of origin first, and then travel toward our destination; but rather, we are doing both at the same time! Therefore, the person who repents toward God has placed their faith in Jesus Christ, and the person who places their faith in Jesus Christ has repented toward God. Notice carefully in Acts 20:21 that
repentance is TOWARD GOD, not FROM ANYTHING! The phrases “turn from
sin” and “repent from sin” are no where found in Scripture! Here are
some helpful quotes on repentance... Pastor's Jack Hyles, Bob Gray Sr. and Harry Ironside Are 100% Correct On Repentance Dr. Jack Hyles (1926-2001) accurately states...
Listen to what Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) correctly states about repentance in chapter 16 of his book, EXCEPT YE REPENT . . .
I agree 100%! The entire concept of Lordship Salvation is based in human effort. Most of our evangelical churches today have bought into the lie that it's not enough to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be saved. The Gospel is that Jesus Christ DIED, was BURIED and RESURRECTED from the dead three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). If you receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins, then you are saved. But don't I have to repent? Yes, of course! Biblical repentance is “a change of mind” that causes a person to believe the Gospel. Repentance is NOT a desire to stop sinning. Repentance is realizing that you are a SINNER and need the Savior, and so you believe the Gospel and are saved. Repentance is changing your mind about whatever was previously hindering you from completely resting in Christ for salvation. Pastor Bob Gray Sr. at the Longview Baptist Temple church in Texas correctly preached . . .
The Great Meaning Of The Word “METANOIA”! The inspired Word of God teach that a person
must repent TO believe. Repentance is unto the Gospel
itself. Our text verse from
Acts 20:21 is frequently misinterpreted by sincere but naive
students of the holy Bible. To the naive, this Scripture seems
to teach that repentance and faith are two separate steps to
salvation. This heresy is commonly called “Lordship
Salvation,” teaching that a person's faith is not valid unless
they are first willing to depart from a life of sinful bad
habits.
Chip Ingram and
Ray Comfort are two of the biggest offenders, teaching a
perverted view of the gospel. Evangelist David W. Cloud Gets the Gospel Wrong! Evangelist David W. Cloud errantly states on his website:
Clearly, as you can see in the preceding quote, David Cloud errantly recognizes repentance and faith as two separate actions to be saved. No doubt David Cloud is sincere, as were the “workers of iniquity” in Matthew 7:21-23, who were “going about to establish their own righteousness” (Romans 10:3-4), saying “Lord, Lord” and trusting in their own “many wonderful works,” plus partial faith in Christ. No one is born-again who thinks that a person must turn away from sinful behavior, as a requirement to receive the free gift of God. Lest this seem like a trifle matter to you, please consider that Mormons, Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-day Adventists (all unsaved religious cults), teach that repentance means turning away from sins to be saved. Repeatedly throughout the New Testament we are simply taught to “BELIEVE” to be saved, without any mention of turning away from sinful behavior or changing one's ways. 1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” It is a false Gospel to add changing one's ways to the imputed righteousness of God (Philippians 3:9). We are all ungodly sinners. God only saves helpless sinners, not the self-righteous. To truly be a “gift,” forgiveness of sins and eternal life cannot include a mandatory intent to reform. God saves a man, and then the Holy Spirit changes him. That is how salvation works.
If we need to be right about anything in the
Bible, it is SALVATION. If we are wrong here we will be wrong
everywhere else, not to mention our destination if we believe
a false gospel. The bottom
line to Mr. Cloud's teaching on repentance is that you cannot come
to Christ for salvation unless you first intend not to walk in
sin after you receive Him. This is "qualification by works" as
a prerequisite for receiving Christ as Savior. This is utter
heresy. As I have shown you thus far, we repent TO believe,
not repent AND believe. The object of repentance is
THE GOSPEL itself, not changing one's life, or turning over
a new leaf. The latter would be human REFORMATION, not
Biblical REGENERATION (i.e., the NEW BIRTH).
In his excellent book, I NEVER KNEW YOU, Michael Patrick Bowen states:
SOURCE: I NEVER KNEW YOU (.pdf), by Michael P. Bowen; by Barbour Books, © 2009; page 77 Beware of the false teaching in most churches today, even many Baptist churches, which says that you have to forsake sinful living to get saved, commit your life to Christ and surrender fully to Christ's Lordship. Satan loves to corrupt the gospel by either requiring good works to be saved, or by subtracting bad works to be saved. Whether good or bad, both are DEAD WORKS! (Hebrews 6:1). Michael Patrick Bowen correctly explains Biblical repentance...God's law is a measuring stick, which shows us that WE CANNOT SAVE OURSELVES because of our ungodly condition, and then the law BRINGS US to Christ. Galatians 3:24-26, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” The whole notion that a person has to experience a profound regret for sin, and a consuming desire to depart from sin, and intent to reform, have NOTHING to do with Biblical repentance unto salvation. Repentance is turning to Jesus by faith because you realize that you are a guilty sinner incapable of saving yourself and you rest totally in the death of Christ upon the cross, His burial and His resurrection from the dead three days later. That's the Gospel! The sorrow, regret and painful emotion caused by sin are not required for salvation; but rather, are fruits of salvation. The moment that you get saved, you have become a NEW CREATURE in Christ Jesus (2nd Corinthians 5:17), and only then can godly sorrow begin to form in our new life in the Spirit. An unsaved person does not have the Holy Spirit and cannot discern spiritual things, including godly sorrow. To be saved, you simply need to acknowledge your SINNERSHIP and COMPLETELY REST in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Listen to what Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) correctly states about repentance in chapter 16 of his book, EXCEPT YE REPENT . . .I agree 100%! The entire concept of Lordship Salvation is based in human effort. Most of our evangelical churches today have bought into the lie that it's not enough to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be saved. The Gospel is that Jesus Christ DIED, was BURIED and RESURRECTED from the dead three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). If you receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins, then you are saved. But don't I have to repent? Yes, of course! Biblical repentance is “a change of mind” that causes a person to believe the Gospel. Repentance is NOT a desire to stop sinning. Repentance is realizing that you are a SINNER and need the Savior, and so you believe the Gospel and are saved. Repentance is changing your mind about whatever was previously hindering you from completely resting in Christ for salvation. Repentance and faith can be properly
demonstrated by looking up to God the Father, admitting that one is
a guilty sinner, and then turning around and placing one's faith in
Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, Who died on the cross for our
sins, was buried, and resurrected from the dead three days later.
This is the Gospel; namely, Christ's death on the cross for our
sins, His burial, and His resurrection from the dead after three
days (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Repentance and faith all happen as
ONE BIG DEAL, one package. They all happen at the same time. The
acknowledgment of our sins before God the Father and placing our
heart's trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ are not two steps, or a
process, to salvation; but rather, repentance and faith are two
parts of ONE STEP. This is what Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980)
believed and taught, and I agree with him 100%, because that's
exactly what the Bible teaches as well. The ONLY thing that you need to repent of to be saved is whatever it is that's been keeping you from coming to Christ to be saved. So when you speak of repentance, always include faith and you won't be led astray concerning what repentance means Biblically. Anyone who teaches that you must first repent, and then place your faith in Christ, is confused and doesn't understand how the new birth works. Repentance is NOT a separate act unto itself; but rather, it is a change of mind that accompanies our turning to Christ by faith to be forgiven of our sins and saved. If we didn't repent, then we wouldn't come to Christ to be saved, as John 3:20 plainly teaches, because repentance and faith happen together at the same time.A man cannot truly have saving faith without repentance, nor can any person truly have saving repentance without faith. They are inseparable. Again, this marvellous truth is evidenced by the fact that the Gospel of John mentions the words “believe” and “believed” 85 times, but the word “repent” is never mentioned even once. Clearly, the person who believes has repented, and the one who repents has believed. Concerning salvation, Biblical repentance is simply changing your mind from what you want to do to get to Heaven, to what God says you must do to get to Heaven, which is to by faith receive Christ's payment on the cross as full payment for your sins, believing that He was buried and resurrected from the dead three days later. This is the gospel according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. Believe and the work is done. John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Please read my article titled, 'REPENT!
REPENT! REPENT!'
John 3:20 is an excellent Scripture to help us understand what it means to “repent” concerning salvation. Jesus teaches in John 3:20 that unsaved people who love their sins WON'T come to the light to be saved. John 5:40, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Notice that jesus didn't say “ye cannot come”; but rather, “ye will not come.” The Lord teaches that people who love their sinful lifestyle WON'T come to the light to be saved, to avoid being reproved for their sins. That is, they don't want to face the realization that the life they are living is wickedness. The heathen world doesn't want to feel guilty for their sins. The light is the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ Who died, was buried and resurrected. 2nd Corinthians 4:4, “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Since the unsaved man refuses to come to the light of the gospel to be saved because he loves his sins, then it becomes clear that the man who repents has changed his mind and is now coming to Christ to be saved. The very act of coming to Jesus Christ to be forgiven of one's sins is plain evidence that repentance has taken place. All that God requires to be saved (concerning sin) is that a person admit they have a sin problem. Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The Greek word for “repent” in this Scripture is the verb metanoeo and means “to think differently.” The noun form of the word is metanoia, meaning a change of mind and not a change of lifestyle. Although the Bible does not specify what the change of mind is, John 3:20 provides the answer for us. John 3:20, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” The word “reproved” in John 3:20 is the Greek word elegchō and means “to confute, admonish: - convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove.” The word “confute” means “to prove false or wrong.” The ungodly world does not want to be told that their sexual immorality, drunkenness and abortions are sinful and wrong. Thus, they rename the sin of sexual immorality to “sexual freedom.” The sin of drunkenness is now called “a disease.” The sin of abortion has been renamed to “freedom of choice.” And the vile sin of homosexuality is now considered an “alternative lifestyle.” The Bible calls these acts “sin.” Again, the word “confute” means “to prove false or wrong.” Unsaved heathens don't want to be proven wrong concerning their sins. That's why they won't come to the light (truth) of the Gospel to be saved. No one likes to be told that they are doing wrong and are sinning against God. Homosexuals don't want to be proven wrong concerning their same-sex perversion. Abortionists don't want to be proven wrong regarding their mass-murdering of human life. Unrepentant sinners don't want to be proven false or wrong! The Bible says in the Old Testament, in Judges 21:25, that “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Notice that the Bible says they wanted to do RIGHT, but they wanted to decide for themselves what was good or evil “in their own eyes,” instead of God. So whatever “repentance” is, it is the opposite of John 3:20, which compels a man to come to Jesus Christ to be saved. Romans 3:19-20, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The primary purpose of the Mosaic LAW, and ONLY purpose concerning salvation, is to give mankind the KNOWLEDGE OF SIN (Romans 3:20b). Through the law humans are made aware of our SINNERSHIP in the sight of a holy God (Romans 3:19b). Galatians 3:24-26, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Therefore, we can conclude, effectively, that repentance is a man judging himself as a needy sinner in the sight of a holy God, thus seeing his need for the dear Savior! So we see then that repentance is not TURNING FROM SINS plus faith in the Gospel (aka, Calvinism, or Lordship Salvation); but rather, it is simply turning by faith to the Gospel (the Good News of Christ crucified, buried and risen) FROM OUR SINS. The former is heresy, requiring TWO ACTIONS; whereas the latter is the free grace Gospel, which requires ONE ACTION, which is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31). Repentance and faith are not two separate actions, but just one. The person who believes has also repented. This is why in the Gospel of John (which is God's Gospel tract according to John 20:31), the words “believe” and “believeth” are mentioned 85 times, but the word “repent” is never mentioned even once. So we aren't saved by turning from our sins AND believing the Gospel; but rather, we are saved by thinking differently about whatever has been hindering us from believing the Gospel, so that now we are trusting Jesus Christ alone as our personal Savior! John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” It is not necessary to even mention the word “repent” when witnessing to someone. The Gospel is horribly being obscured and hidden nowadays by the falsehood of Calvinism (aka, Lordship Salvation). Ironically, others who refute Calvinism (Lordship Salvation) are guilty of teaching a wrong form of repentance that requires “turning from sins” to be saved, which is effectively the same thing. The Biblical Gospel (Jesus' death on the cross, burial and bodily resurrection) proclaims that we are saved solely by what Christ has done to pay for our sins, and there are no obligations, nor follow up probationary period, nor proofs, required to verify that one is saved. Contrary to what Evangelist Paul Washer teaches, you CAN write down your name, date, time and place that you were saved. The new birth is immediate, and does not require persevering in a holy life to prove anything. We are saved by God's grace. |
You can live
for Christ, you can love Christ, you can serve Him with all your
might, time, talent and wealth. You can pray to Him, read your
Bible, get water-baptized, join a church, witness to people, and
do every wonderful work contained within the realm of
Christianity, but if you fail to trust Jesus Christ alone for
your salvation, He will “dump” you.