Repentance Is A Matter Of Acknowledging The Truth, Not Turning Away From Your Sinning

John 3:20-21, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” 2nd Timothy 2:25, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

The Bible topic of repentance is one of the most misunderstood issues in the churches today. Tragically, it does affect the Gospel, resulting in false conversions. No one has ever been saved by adding keeping the law (aka, repenting of your sinful lifestyle) to get to Heaven.

The Bible is no uncertain terms teaches that salvation is a gift from God. It is free because someone else paid for it. Jesus paid for your sins dear reader, and mine, and for the sins of the world. Jesus is the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Jesus didn't come to offer us a trade, an exchange, to give up our will and sinful bad habits, in exchange for all He is and eternal life. This is the nonsense that Pastor John MacArthur teaches; MacArthur even uses the word "exchange"!

Our text passages of Scripture plainly teach that getting saved (born again) is strictly a matter of accepting THE TRUTH that you are a guilty sinner in the sight of a righteous God. There is a penalty for sin, just as there are penalties for all crimes. The punishment for sin is to be punished in Hell fire forever. Many humans have a hard time understanding such a seemingly harsh penalty, but if we consider that God is totally holy and without sin, and that His holiness demands justice, then it starts to make some sense. Consequently, you and I need a Savior!

Thankfully, God the Father in His amazing love, sent His only begotten (begotten) virgin-born Son into the world to die on a cross to pay our debt of sin. JESUS PAID IT ALL!!! God is freely offering you His gift of eternal life, which Christ has already paid for with His precious blood. All God asks of you dear friend is that you admit that you are a guilty sinner, and that you receive Jesus' sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, believing that He resurrected from the dead three days later. This is the Gospel (Good News) according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-6 in the Holy Bible. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures! Praise God, He was buried but then raised up miraculously 72 hours later, and is alive forevermore!!!

You don't have to repent “OF YOUR SINS” to receive God's free gift. To do so would be for God to require payment for your sins, which would mean God owes you salvation. What saith the Scripture? Romans 4:3-5, “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” No one has ever, not at any time in human civilization, been saved by keeping God's law. If it were so, that someone could keep the law to be saved, then God would owe them eternal life. The Bible plainly teaches (as I have just shown you), that this is not the case at all. Salvation is the free gift of God.

We are saved by God's grace alone, through childlike faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26). When asked what he must do to be saved, the Apostle Paul answered the Roman soldier's sincere question by saying in Acts 16:31a, “BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and though shalt be saved... ” Paul didn't tell him to “repent of your sin” did he? Nor did the Roman soldier even mention his sin! Clearly, turning away from sinful behavior is NOT required nor even allowed to be saved. God saves a person, seals them with the indwelling Holy Spirit, and only then once in Christ does God's Spirit begin to change a person. But this process of changing a man is strictly a matter of sanctification and not justification. Pilgrim's Progress author, John Bunyan, said it very well:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)

Amen and amen! We see this injustice happening all across the world today! Once doctrinally sound schools such as Bob Jones University (BJU) and Pensacola Christian College (PCC) are not corrupt institutions, teaching that your behavior must change as proof of your faith. This is the Devil's subtle way of adding keeping the law to faith. If we are saved by faith, but then are REQUIRED to live an upright life apart from willful sinning to prove that our faith is genuine, then how is that not keeping the law for salvation? It sure is my friend, and God curses anyone who preaches that garbage (Galatians 1:6-9; 3:1-3; 5:4; 6:7).

Sadly, the former heresy is exactly what Bob Jones University and Pensacola Christian College teach today, to their shame and eternal doom. Our Bible colleges woefully influence thousands of churches! Our churches are in trouble folks. One corrupt Bible college can corrupt a thousand local churches, and help damn nations to Hell. Oh the great responsibility that Bible colleges get repentance, faith and the Gospel right! RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!!

I am so sick and tired of hearing (and so is God) the accursed Bob Jones crowd errantly preach the Devil's lie—that faith by itself is not enough to be saved. In addition, they have adopted a Seventh-Day Adventist understanding of faith, which includes an obligation to live the Christian life to prove that your faith is genuine. This is NOT faith, it is works! Please don't let Satan deceive you with his lying false prophets (e.g., Marty Herron, Chuck Phelps, Steve Pettit, John MacArthur, Sam Horn, Gary Walton, Jeff Redlin, Sean Quinlan, Timothy Zacharias, R.C. Sproul, Adrian Rodgers, Ray Comfort, Paul Washer, Billy Graham, Franklin Graham and countless more infidels). Anyone who adds behavior modification to faith, whether before or after salvation, is preaching another Gospel.

Pastor Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951) correctly taught a free grace view of the Gospel. Consider the following awesome quote by Dr. Ironside:

“The Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past …Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.”

SOURCE: Harry A. Ironside, from the sermon: What Is The Gospel?

I think Michael P. Bowen, in his excellent defense of the Christian faith titled, I NEVER KNEW YOU, says it best:

I am at eternal odds with the false, counterfeit messages of salvation-by-works that are taught from virtually every pulpit today, on every television channel, and on every Christian radio station; however, I am not at eternal odds with the individuals who preach these counterfeit messages. My heart literally goes out to all of them because they simply do not understand Christ’s plan of salvation. 

They have been lied to by a crafty enemy named Satan, whose sole aim is to take as many people with him to the lake of fire as he can possibly manage to steal away from God using a counterfeit plan of salvation that appears so real, so genuine, and so holy that few ever realize they have been deceived by it. 

Oh reader, so many of today’s professing Christians who think they are going to heaven when they die are not going to make it to heaven as they had assumed because they’ve been lied to by today’s error-filled gospel messages.

SOURCE: Michael Patrick Bowen, I NEVER KNEW YOU, pg. 17; © 2009, Xulonpress.com. Hard Copies Available.

Repentance is simply acknowledging THE TRUTH that you are a needy sinner, so that you will see your need for redemption through faith in Jesus Christ. Repentance has absolutely NOTHING to do with your life changing, behavior modification or your desire and commitment to do better. You have been lied to by today's unsaved preachers (2nd Corinthians 11:13-15).