Is repentance necessary for salvation? Yes and No.

-- David Ortiz (cyberpunk1986@hotmail.com), August 05, 2003

Answers

Yes.

-- Kevin Walker (kevinlwalker572@cs.com), August 05, 2003.

Yes; but it will be a product of the kind of faith that saves.

-- Ryan K May (wifeluvr@hotmail.com), December 11, 2003.

Repentance IS necessary for God said in Acts 17:30, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now COMMANDS all men EVERYWHERE to repent,"

-- Kevin Walker (kevinlwalker572@cs.com), December 11, 2003.

Only if by repentance we mean achenge of mind towards Christ. We do not have to "turn from our sins" to be saved. That is works.

-- Christopher Garner (chris-helen@msn.com), October 09, 2004.

Welcome Chris.

But in some cases is an act of God Yahweh since we may die in our sleep. My father died that way. It is one of the most common ways to die in my family.

The person doesn't have the time to say goodbye.

The Christian Yahwist

-- Elpidio Gonzalez (egonval@yahoo.com), October 09, 2004.

Repentance is not necessary for salvation if we always do the will of God perfectly, and never turn away from Him. But I never met anyone like that. All men sin, and sin means turning away from God, even if only momentarily. Repentance means turning back to Him and receiving forgiveness after we have turned away. Repentance is a necessary element of any healthy relationship, including our relationship with God; and there is no limit to the number of times we must repent, or the number of times we can be forgiven.

"... and if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. (Luke 17:4)

If He demands this of us, can we expect less of Him? And if we are called to forgive one who repents seven times a day, then obviously we likewise are called to repent as many times a day as necessary, to maintain our relationship with our Savior. It would be presumptious indeed to think we could turn away from Him and never turn back, yet expect Him to welcome us into His kingdom anyway.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), October 09, 2004.

If there was a person who always did the will of God perfectly, never turning away from Him, such a man would have no need for salvation.

Repentance can only occur after conviction. Well, we can modify our behavior for various reasons other than guilt. But yes, turning away from sin and back towards God can only be done if you realize that you were away from God in the first place.

And while repentance IS a sign that a person has been convicted of the Gospel Truth, and that this person has acknowledged inside the heart the saving grace of God and has, get this, BELIEVED the gospel, while this is all true, repentance is not something that occurs AFTER one is saved. Like Paul said, repentance is turning back to HIM. Dare we say that we turn back to God only AFTER being saved? that's fool's gold.

Ultimately, the authority lies inside the Word. Jesus said in Luke 13 "But unless you repent, you too will all perish." 2 Peter 3 also contrasts perishing against repentance.

-- Luke Juarez (hubertdorm@yahoo.com), October 09, 2004.

No, once a person is saved repentance is no longer necessary because that person is safely in heaven. But as long as we are on this earth, working out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil 2:12), trying to remain on the narrow road to salvation (Matt 7:14), and seeking to remain faithful to the end where salvation awaits us (Matt 24:13), repentance is part of everyday living. We will never stop sinning until we are finally saved, so if we stop repenting before then we are in serious trouble.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), October 09, 2004.

You confuse salvation with the blessing of eternal life. We are saved in this life...and this makes it possible to follow Christ. Apart from this salvation--we are unable to do so.

This gift of salvation did not come to us because we worked hard for it. It is a gift--something we cannot earn and do not deserve. It comes by faith in Christ and what He accomplished at Calvary. When you trust in Him--you belong to Him and you are born again. This is the only reason one is even able to follow Him.

-- ("faith01@myway.com"), October 10, 2004.

Paul, that was what I was trying to say.

Faith, I do not understand your beliefs. Jesus said that if we do not repent, we will perish. Now, if repentance can only come after we are washed clean (as you believe), then you refute your own position on the other two threads by making it clear that there are things we must do after coming into Jesus that have bearing on our salvation.

When Jesus said, "Come follow me," was he talking to the saved or unsaved? The unsaved. Did he ever once say, "Come to me and then follow me"? No he didn't. Why? Because following Jesus is being saved. And to follow him, we must abandon the life we have been living. This is what repentance is, leaving the life before Christ in order to have one with him.

Christ said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Did Christ say here that if we are following him we must take up our crosses? No, the conditional statement, "if," tells us that there is something we must do before we can follow him, and that is repent. Perhaps this is where we gain understanding of the verse "draw near to God and he will draw near to you."

-- Luke Juarez (hubertdorm@yahoo.com), October 10, 2004.

"You confuse salvation with the blessing of eternal life. We are saved in this life...and this makes it possible to follow Christ."

No way, Faith. Your belief of salvation attained in this life is in conflict with Sacred Scripture:

Matthew 24:13

But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.

So are all Protestants in conflict with the Scriptures who believe themselves to "be saved". No one is saved until the are safe in Heaven, as Paul says above.

Jesus often spoke of those who start well but finish poorly.

-- Emerald (em@cox.nett), October 10, 2004.

"We do not have to "turn from our sins" to be saved. That is works."

This is really bizarre... there's such a fear of works that, in order to justify this repulsion of something called works, one is actually willing to state that a person need not turn away from sin in order to be saved. As if the entire Scripture from cover to cover ever supported such an idea, when from cover to cover it in fact demands the opposite position that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, OT through NT, that we must turn away from sin. Pure and simple.

-- Emerald (em@cox.nett), October 10, 2004.

For Luke..,

Faith, I do not understand your beliefs. Jesus said that if we do not repent, we will perish. Now, if repentance can only come after we are washed clean (as you believe), then you refute your own position on the other two threads by making it clear that there are things we must do after coming into Jesus that have bearing on our salvation.

No Luke--I never said that repentance comes after salvation. Repentance brings salvation and rebirth. Then--and only then--can someone even hope to have the strength to follow Christ.

Once you have been delivered (saved) from the power of sin and the penalty therein as well.., then you are able to pick up the cross and follow Christ.

When Jesus said, "Come follow me," was he talking to the saved or unsaved? The unsaved. Did he ever once say, "Come to me and then follow me"? No he didn't. Why? Because following Jesus is being saved. And to follow him, we must abandon the life we have been living. This is what repentance is, leaving the life before Christ in order to have one with him.

Exactly. When someone repents that they are a sinner and that Christ is not--and they believe that He died for them., and that only in Him can they be saved..,and they ask Him into their hearts., then they are born-again.., saved. This is when they pick up the cross and follow Christ.

Christ said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Did Christ say here that if we are following him we must take up our crosses? No, the conditional statement, "if," tells us that there is something we must do before we can follow him, and that is repent. Perhaps this is where we gain understanding of the verse "draw near to God and he will draw near to you."

Like I said--I never said that we are saved and then we repent. Not at all.

We are saved when we repent, confess and believe in Jesus Christ. This is all a spontaneous moment of rebirth.

-- ("faith01@myway.com"), October 11, 2004.

Faith, if you really believe that repentance comes before salvation, then your original post had no point. We are talking about repentance here, and here you come with your whole "not by works" post. If you truly believe that a person has to repent first, then you are in agreement with Paul and I, and your post about "not because we worked hard for it" is on the wrong thread.

-- Luke Juarez (hubertdorm@yahoo.com), October 11, 2004.

Actually, Emerald, you sort of inadvertently hit the nail on the head when you said this: "This is really bizarre... there's such a fear of works that, in order to justify this repulsion of something called works, one is actually willing to state that a person need not turn away from sin in order to be saved."

THAT IS PRECISELY what happened at the Reformation. They got themselves boxed into a nonsensical formula for salvation. It was Luther who said "we are nothing but snow covered dung and we will always be nothing but snow covered dung." And again he says, "We are sinners, and sin we must." From the "faith and works" taught for 1500 years by the Church, Luther erred into faith WITHOUT works, and from Luther's faith without works, Calvin erred into predestination. Heresy begets heresy.

*****

You see, Faith, in Catholocism, if one REPENTS in response to the grace of God, that is a work; if one OBEYS in response to the grace of God, that is a work. When we say works, we are not using the term to define a crass act done mechanically to EARN salvation, but works of love and gratitude done in reponse to the love of God shed so abundantly upon us at the Cross.

If we are true believers, we will do the works that Jesus teaches us to do. If we do not do the works of Christ, we show that the love of God is not in us!

Gail

-- Gail (Rothfarms@socket.net), October 11, 2004.

Faith, you said: "We are saved when we repent, confess and believe in Jesus Christ." Which one of these things do you not consider to be a work?

Gail

-- Gail (Rothfarms@socket.net), October 11, 2004.

Recognizing our sinful state and recognizing that Jesus is sinless and confessing this and coming to Him and receiving Him as our Savior by faith--is a moment called being born-again because we *believe* the gospel.

This is the only so--called *work* that is required of us..and the work is to *believe*.

John 6:25-40

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

-- ("faith01@myway.com"), October 12, 2004.