Is repentance necessary for salvation?

[justinisthecrazy]

Is repentance necessary for salvation?

[WOOKIEE]

I believe that it is.

[texasvagabond]

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
- Revelation 2:4-5

The thing that some people forget is that this was written to a church. Not a completely corrupt church, but a church that had a lampstand... (a symbolism of their place in Heaven)

I was raised up in the United Pentecostal Church that preached Acts 2:38 as salvation... So I grew up thinking that to be saved, one would have to repent and be baptized by water and the Spirit. And while I still believe in water baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost (with evidence of speaking in tongues)... I have come to believe that true repentance is all that is required to be saved. Because true repentance is denying one's self and deciding to follow Jesus at all costs, so with that comes the guidance of the Spirit, which will yearn for the baptisms and gifts from God, our Father.


Joshua

[justinisthecrazy]

that doesn't help much

[justinisthecrazy]

that helps me out significantly jango

[wlurwick]

Paul writes in Romans 2:4, "Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?"

The preaching of John was geared to repentance. The preaching of Jesus was geared to repentance. The preaching of the disciples was geared to repentance. The preaching of the early church was geared to repentance. And even the work of God is geared to produce repentance. Why? Because it says in 2 Peter, again chapter 3 verse 9, "The Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to...what?...repentance."

Dear friend, may I say to you this? That in that verse repentance is a synonym for what? Salvation. There can be no believing without repentance. There can be no salvation without repentance. Repentance is a synonym. It is an element within the saving work of God that is so essential that the saving work of God can actually be called repentance, turning.

There are other invitations in the New Testament that call for this without using the word. For example, look at Mark 8:34 and here the Lord Jesus is giving an invitation. "He summoned the multitude to gather together with the already present disciples and He said to that great congregation, that multitude of people, If anyone wishes to come after Me," you want to be My disciples, you want to follow Me, "let him deny himself and take up his cross," that is willingness to die, giving his life, "and follow Me." Now that is a call for turning, turning away from self, turning away from sin, turning to Christ.

Look at Luke chapter 9 and again just two verses there, 23, same thought, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me, for whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it." That's an invitation. That's an invitation to a sinner to turn from controlling his own life to follow Christ.

You say, "Are you sure that's spoken to sinners? You sure He's not telling an already saved person to deny himself, take up his cross and be a more devout follower? You sure He's not saying you might die in chastening if you don't give up your life? Are you sure He's talking to unbelievers?"

Well, from verse 25 we know because He says immediately, "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" Or in the Authorized, "Loses his own...what?...soul." He's talking about whether you're going to lose your soul or not, not whether you're going to lose your reward or your blessing. So this is a call to turn from a self- directed life, a self-indulgent life, a sinful life to follow Christ.

Chapter 14 of Luke verse 26, "If anyone comes to Me and doesn't hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes and even his own life, he can't be My disciples." What a statement. And then He follows up, "Whoever doesn't carry his own cross and come after Me can't be My disciple."

There's a price. It's a turning. It's a turning from your own will, your own way, the things that hold you, the relationships that confine you to follow Christ at all costs. And we better count the cost, verse 28, "Which one of you when he wants to build a tower doesn't first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise when he's laid a foundation not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him saying, The man began to build and wasn't able to finish. Or what king when he sets out to meet another king in battle will not first sit down, take counsel whether he's strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks terms of peace."

So follow this, "Therefore no one of you can be My disciple who doesn't give up...what?...all his possessions." It's a turning, it's a turning from your own life, your own will, your own way, your own sin to follow at all cost. It is a change of mind. It is a change of heart. It is a new life of denying self and sin and seeing the Savior as Lord and King in self's place.

How important is it to repent? Jesus said it, we just read it, Luke 13:3 and 5, "Unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

[kl1995]

[tru2u4eternity]

Repentance is key to salvation. Christ gave his life for us but he also said follow me,become like me,give away your sin.

I person cannot live their live however they please and then turn around and expect salvation. If they really believed in christ and if their hearts truly were turned to him they would want to repent and they would feel remorse every time they fall just as a true follower of christ should. I know for me because I know and love my savior I want to live my life for him and when I do make a mistake just as everyone does all I want is his forgiveness and I'm so greatful that because of the blood he shed for me I can have forgiveness and eventually salvation as well.

[crazyforchrist]

Luke 13:3- "I tell you. No:but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish."

Acts 3:19- "Repent you therefore, and be converted (saved), that your sins may be blotted out. When the times of refreshing shall come from the prescence of the Lord."

Matthew 9:13b- "for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Mark 2:17- "When Jesus heard it, he said to them 'They that are whole don't need a doctor; but those that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.' "

Luke 5:31-32 - "(31)And Jesus answering said to them, 'They that are whole don't need a doctor; but those that are sick. (32)I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.' "

2 Peter 3:9 - "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Luke 15:10 - "Likewise I say to you, there is joy in the prescence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents."



When we decide to become a new creature in Christ, we are then called "not unto a life of uncleanliness, but a life of holiness". We can do what God tells us to believe for our salvation "That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9), but going back to what I first said, Jesus want our lives clean. Although we are human and will make mistakes, He has and will forgive us. To achieve that life of holiness, though , we must ask to be cleansed of "all uncleanliness" so we can live in that "life of holiness". It's sort of like asking pardon from your parents because you broke their multi-million dollar vase. What you did irks you, and irks you, and you either live with it, or you ask their forgiveness, and when you do ask forgiveness it's like a weight coming off of you. But when you live with what you did, that weight of what you did is still there. You want to get it off your shoulders. That's exactly like sin, it gnaws away at our already empty soul that doesn't have Jesus "filling the doughnut's hole" and we want to get rid of that sin. When we truly believe what He tells us to believe, and we ask to be cleansed from all unrighteousness, we have that pure heart that God wants us to have, and we are living in that “life of holiness” He has called us into.



I know that I'm not as eloquent as mercury, and I, like all Christians, am growing daily, in the knowledge of our faith. I'm praying for you Justin that you would find what you're looking for one day.

[jmorg1980]

I just find this interesting, There is a forum on is Baptism necessary for salvation on here as well. You look at this and it is unanimous yes you have to be repentive. But with Baptism 87% say not important.

It is used in the same verse with repentance for the remission of sins. Not arguing just wondering what the thinking is on that.

Let me start by saying Christ is the way of Salvation, not denying that. Without his sacrifice repentance and baptism would mean nothing. But repentance is an act of obedience just as baptism is. But no one believes you need to be baptized for remission of sins even though the bible states it clear as day.

[smittyfan]

[winterband]

[nrg4ever]

I think that it is. You should come how you are, give it all to God and just lay it down and ask him to forgive you. I mean he forgives you anyway bcuz God is loving but you still should bcuz it helps God know you really do care, I always ask for forgiveness when I sin, thazz all there is too it, yes we should but if we forget on one sin or something I don't think God will hold that against us.

[smittyfan]

[GloryToGod24]

Of course repentance is necessary for salvation! It shows your obedience to God in that you are turning from your sin!

Acts 3:19 -- Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,