Over the past few months, I have seen comments flying around online from Facebook to blogs suggesting that telling a sinner to repent and trust in Christ is a heretical teaching as it puts forth a works-based gospel. Is this true? Is it unbiblical to call a sinner to repentance? Or, is it what some have called the “Biblical Gospel”? This in no way will be anything like a full thesis on the subject, but rather an attempt to look at Scripture to see if a case can be made either way.
It is suggested that telling a sinner to repent (turn from their sins) is adding a work to salvation because it carries the idea that faith in Jesus Christ is not enough for salvation. In other words, it is Jesus PLUS repentance that saves a person. The implication of such a teaching is that a person is not saved if they only trust in Jesus without repentance.
Let’s begin with clarifying our terms. Let’s begin with the word “repent” itself. The English word “repent” means, “to feel regret for what one has done or failed to do; to feel contrition for one’s sins and to abjure (recant, disavow) sinful ways.” In Hebrew, the primary word for “repent” is nacham, which means, “to be
sorry; to regret.” The Greek word is metanoeo, meaning, “to change one’s mind.” In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (Septuigant), metanoeo is used in place of nacham. So, with that in place, let us consider now the context in which the words are used. Much of the debate over the need for repentance comes down to fighting over definitions, but words are largely defined in context. For example, two people could debate all day long about the word “trunk,” but the debate will be endless until the context is considered. Is it a part of an elephant? A box for storing items? A section of a car? Something a man wears to go swimming?
For the sake of time, let us look at some examples of the word repent from the Old Testament and some examples from the New Testament.
Genesis 6:6 – “And the LORD was sorry (lit. “repent”) that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart.”
Here we actually have a case in which God is said to repent! This verse is one that is used to say that repentance does not involve a turning from sin because God does not have any sin to turn away from. We will address this later, but what we see happening in this passage is that God is grieved at the increase of corruption upon the earth. This leads to God sending the Flood to destroy everyone and everything, except for what is preserved in Noah’s Ark.
Jeremiah 8:6 – “I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents (lit. “repents”) of his evil, saying, ‘What have I done?’”
This is what God is calling Jeremiah to declare to the people of Judah. The people have turned away from God and they refuse to turn back (see v.5).
Ezekiel 14:6 – “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the LORD God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.”
The people of Israel, some of the elders here specifically, took idols into their hearts and “set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces” (see v.3).
Before we consider these further, let us look at some New Testament examples, as any case made from Old Testament passages could be dismissed as “old covenant” practices.
Matthew 4:17 – “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
So, whatever repentance is should be considered important as Jesus made this a highlight of His preaching. However, at this point some may still dismiss this because the “new covenant” is not initiated until the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Acts 2:38 – “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
This is Peter’s Pentecost sermon, given to “unsaved” Jewish people, primarily.
Acts 3:19 – “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out”
Peter again preaching to “unsaved” Jewish people.
Acts 17:30 – “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent”
This is Paul preaching in Athens to “unsaved” Gentiles.
2 Corinthians 12:21 – “I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.”
Paul expressing concern over people within the Corinthian church who are living in blatant sin.
Revelation 2:22 – “Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works.”
Jesus giving a warning to individuals within the church in Thyatira.
Before we pull together all of these verses, let me expand our consideration a little further. In the arguments I have seen, it is not merely the word “repent” that is the source of controversy, but the very idea that a sinner must turn away from sin in order to be saved. With that in mind, let us add a few verses that address the idea of turning away from sin.
Isaiah 55:7 – “let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD”
Ezekiel 33:11 – “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from evil ways”
Acts 26:18 – “to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”
So, let me try and pull all of this together now. First of all, as I said earlier, words are defined largely by their context. With that, let me deal with two different sets of verses. First of all, we have verses like Genesis 6:6 where we are told of God “repenting.” Clearly, God is not repenting of sin. Neither is He simply “changing His mind.” Other Scriptures tell us that God does not “change His mind.” In Genesis 6:6, God is experiencing grief over the sinful ways of humanity. This grief produces a corresponding course of action – the sending of the great Flood. I will come back to this later.
The remaining verses deal basically with the same thing – a call for people living in sin to “repent.” Now, I will note that some of the people being called to repentance are inside the church and some are clearly outside the church. I note this because some say that turning away from sin is only commanded of believers. However, even with Corinth and Thyatira, the people may be “in” the church, but we do not have any proof either way concerning their salvation. Regardless, in the few verses listed above, we clearly have unsaved people who are also being called to “repent.”
In addition, we see in Acts 2:38 and Acts 3:19, we see repentance as clearly made a stipulation for salvation. Likewise, in Acts 26:18, “turning” from darkness is required for salvation. In the verses where salvation is not specifically addressed, the call to repentance is made to those who are actively violating God’s Law in any number of ways from idolatry to sexual immorality, etc. Is this suggesting that our salvation depends on our works?
Let me approach this from a different angle. Let us consider what a person must do to be saved. Opponents of the idea that one must forsake sin to be saved would suggest that it is faith in Jesus ALONE that saves. Let us consider that.
Imagine that you walk up to someone on the street and say, “Believe in Jesus and you will go to heaven.” That person responds, “I do believe in Jesus.” Do you now greet that person as a brother or sister in Christ? Oops, I forgot to mention that this person is a Muslim. Are they saved because they believe in Jesus? Obviously not. So, what else are you requiring of this person? You say, “They need to trust Jesus ALONE to save them.” Save them from what? You say, “To save them – or forgive them of their sins.” Wait. Are you suggesting that a person must admit that they are a sinner in order to be saved? Haven’t you now added a “work” to their salvation in that their salvation hinges upon their faith in Jesus AND an admission of guilt? More than that, would you expect this person to confess their sins in order to be forgiven? So, that makes salvation dependant on faith in Jesus AND admission of guilt AND confession of those sins to God?
To be clear, I firmly believe that we are saved by faith in Christ ALONE. But what all is involved in that experience of conversion? Scripture declares that we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, if the Bible commands sinners to repent in a sense of turning away from sin, then such repentance is not a work, but something else. So, let us iron that out before we go any further.
If we only take the Scriptures listed above, can we define repentance as only a change in one’s mind? If so, a change about what? Some say a change in thinking they can be saved by another god. The context of these verses never addresses that. The act of idolatry is seldom talked about in terms of someone hoping to be saved, but rather the worship of a god who condoned a particular sinful way of living.
If we consider the examples of repentance, including references to God “repenting,” I believe that we will see them linked a change of activity. Up until Genesis 6, God demonstrated mercy towards sinful humanity until His repentance brought a change in activity – from showing mercy to giving the wrath those sins deserved.
Even as we look at the sexual sins found in Corinth and Thyatira, what was intended with a call for their repentance? What would it mean for them to “change their minds” about the sexual sins? Can they truly change their minds about their sinful activity without some degree of turning away from it?
If repentance is a turning away from sin, what does that look like? Is it a vow to never sin again? Is it a ceasing from sin? How much repentance is enough? Must one completely stop sinning to be saved?
For the sake of illustration (which are all flawed to a degree), let us consider a marriage. Bill and Sally have been married for ten years. They both work for a living. Bill is unable to go with her to her work Christmas party because he is sick. The party is a lot of fun and everyone is having a great time. Sally has too much to drink. Things get flirtatious with Tom, a handsome co-worker. Without going into details, things end up going too far between Tom and Sally. Sally gets home at 2 AM and Bill has long since been to bed. In the morning, Sally is still sleeping, but Bill is feeling better. He goes on Facebook and sees pictures of some of what happened between Sally and Tom. Now Bill and Sally need to talk.
Upon realizing what she had done the night before, Sally is completely crushed with grief that she had done such a thing. She is not just broken because she was caught, but devastated that she had endangered her marriage and hurt her husband. Bill decides that he does not want to lose his marriage. He does not threaten to leave her or divorce her. However, what was involved in their conversation?
First of all, their marriage is saved only by the merciful and gracious choice that Bill made. However, what happened on Sally’s end? When confronted with the pictures, what if Sally said, “I may nor may not see Tom again. Don’t know. Haven’t thought about it yet.” Is the marriage in jeopardy at this point? YES! Why? Because her heart is not turned to her husband. The only way for the marriage to be saved is if Bill decides to extend mercy and grace to his unfaithful wife. However, he must first see that her heart is turned to him – that she wants him. Sally can do nothing to save the marriage – she is the guilty party. However, Bill will extend mercy and grace on the condition of her heart – is it turned to him or to Tom?
Repentance (turning from sin) and turning to God are one in the same. If I am turned in one direction, I must cease from turning in that direction if I am to turn in another direction. As one’s heart turns to God, it turns away from sin.
Does this mean that a person must stop sinning in order to be saved? That is a fruit of repentance. In repentance, which is a gift from God, a person’s heart is changed concerning sin. The sin they once loved they now see as vile because of how the Holy Spirit is working in their heart. They see that they have sinned and need God’s forgiveness. That turning of the heart will result in an increasing victory over sin as one walks with Christ.
Back to Bill and Sally. Fast forward to June. Sally still has to work with Tom. She hasn’t given him a second thought since the day after the Christmas party. One day Tom walks by her desk in a polo shirt that outlines his muscular build. A part of her is attracted. Maybe she gives a flirtatious smile, but then is filled with remorse the moment after she does it. Later in August, the same thing happens, but she doesn’t give the smile. By October, she doesn’t even notice when he walks by. When the Christmas party rolls around, she goes out of her way to stay away from Tom, not because she feels attracted to him, but because the mere sight of him reminds her of the horrible thing she had done the year before. This is a all the fruit of what happened in her heart the day after the Christmas party when she turned away from what she did with Tom for love of her husband.
So, what am I suggesting a sinful person do when I tell them to repent? I am calling them to see the exceeding sinfulness of their sins and to turn away from a life of rebellion against God and to turn to God, who alone can save them. Their repentance only happens because of what the Holy Spirit is doing in them. And their repentance will not save them. Only Jesus can save them. But Scripture calls sinful men to turn to God, which by its very nature is a turning away from sin. This is not a vow to never sin again. This is not a ceasing to sin. It is a turning of the heart. And the fruit of that repentance will be a ceasing from sin as the person walks in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Even those who oppose what I am saying esteem the works of Charles Spurgeon. However, even Spurgeon said:
"There must be sorrow for sin and hatred of it in true repentance, or else I have read my Bible to little purpose."
I am aware that some see this as heresy because it adds a work to salvation. However, as I see it, the Bible commands repentance of those who would be saved, yet the Bible also clearly says that works do not save us. Therefore, Scripture does not see repentance as a work. It is a change of heart. Scripture affirms this. Theologians have asserted this throughout church history. Great preachers like Spurgeon have proclaimed this. Despite accusations to the contrary, Greek scholars affirm this to be the sense of metanoeo. So, here I will take my stand here having been convinced by Scripture and a great witness of the saints. If someone is indifferent to what Christ endured for their sins, they are indifferent to Christ.
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