Proverbs 30:5-6, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”
I get asked this question quite often by concerned churchgoers. They contact me to let me know they heard their pastor say to, “repent of your sins” to be saved. They ask me if they should leave and find a better church. The answer is simple dear friend, it all depends on what your pastor means by his usage of the phrase “repent of your sins.”
First, let me say that you cannot show me anywhere in an inspired King James Bible where it says to “repent of your sins” to be saved. Men added those words. They are not biblical. You need to repent of your UNBELIEF to be saved, not your sins. Pastor Jack Hyles explains this truth well in his helpful article titled, 'Misunderstood Repentance: An Enemy Of Soul Winning.'
As I showed you in one of our text Scripture passages, the Bible does tell us in Hebrews 6:1 to repent “from dead works.” In 2nd Timothy 2:25 the Bible says to repent to acknowledge “the truth.” The Bible says in Acts 20:21 to repent “toward God.” But you cannot show me anywhere in the Holy Bible where it says to repent “of your sins.” Therefore, I humbly believe that no preacher should ever use such unbiblical terms. Matthew 12:36 warns that we must all give account in eternity to God for our every word spoken.
Having said that, not every pastor who uses the phrase “repent of your sin” or “turn from your sin” to be saved is an unsaved infidel or false prophet. Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) makes this important doctrinal distinction in the following sermon excerpt...
Curtis Hutson On The Repent Of Sins HERESY
Here is some transcript from the preceding excerpt...
“So, I'm going to say repentance occasionally, but when I say it, I can't say it until you know what it means. Because if I say it and you think it means reformation, than I'm misleading you. I've got to teach you what it means. Follow me? So, when John said 'believe,' repentance was included in the believing. If by repentance you mean 'turning from sin,' I don't preach it. If by repentance you mean 'reformation,' I don't preach it. If by repentance you mean 'a change of mind or reconsideration,' I preach it!”
SOURCE: Dr. Curtis Hutson, “Curtis Hutson On The Repent Of Sins HERESY”
Amen, that is 100% correct! Bravo Dr. Hutson!
So, although I don't like when preachers use the unbiblical words “repent of your sins,” that doesn't mean he is unsaved, or preaching another Gospel, just so long as he makes it clear to the audience that he means you must come before a holy God as a guilty sinner to be saved. Anything more is a works-based-salvation!!! When I was 13 years old, I knew that I was a guilty sinner, and I trusted Jesus as my personal Savior, and He saved me that day in 1980.
So, to answer the question of whether or not your pastor is a false prophet, you need to ask him exactly what he means by “repent of your sins.” If he says that you must forsake your sinful bad habits, he is a hellbound infidel and false teacher. If he says with the rotten cult at Pensacola Christian College (PCC) that you must, “follow and obey God's will instead of your self-serving sins” to be saved, then you need to RUN for your life from that hellhole. But if he says that you must realize how sinful you are in the sight of a holy God, and that you deserve to be punished in the fires of Hell for your sins, and that by faith you must receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins to get to Heaven, then he is okay and you are in a good church.
Dr. John R. Rice (1895-980) unfortunately used the unbiblical phrase “turn from your sins,” but he plainly explained what he meant by it...
There are those hyper-dispensationalists who think that John the Baptist preached a different Gospel from Christ when he commanded repentance (Matt. 3:2). But it is the same repentance Jesus commanded in Matthew 4:17, in Luke 13:3 and 5, and the same repentance that Paul preached in Athens that God “now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30 31). Repentance is not a different plan of salvation from having faith: it is part of the same plan of salvation. Or rather repentance is simply another way of describing or looking at the plan of salvation. One who turns from sin to God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ. A change of mind toward sin is necessarily involved in saving faith. [emphasis added]
SOURCE: Evangelist John R. Rice, “Acts: Filled With The Spirit,” pp. 251-252; Sword Of The Lord, Murfreesboro, Tennessee; ©1963
The only change of mind toward sin you must have to be saved is to admit you are guilty. You need to know why you need to be saved, which is because you are a guilty sinner (Romans 3:10-23). You need to know what you're being saved from, which is to spend eternity burning in Hell as punishment for all your sins (Revelation 21:8). No one has ever been saved by repenting, you get saved by believing; but no one has ever believed to be saved who didn't repent.
First, we need to find what makes one lost. Please notice John 3:18, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." It is very plain in this verse what makes a person lost. Notice the words, "he that believeth not is condemned already." A person who does not believe is condemned, so not believing is what makes a person lost.
Bear in mind, the word "believing" is the Greek word which means "to rely upon." When one believes on Christ, he simply relies on Him to save him and take him to Heaven when he dies. It is very plain here that what condemns a person is believing not. Then notice it says, "because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Once again, we are told what makes a person lost - because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. It is as simple as that.
Now look at John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." Again, we are trying to decide and determine what makes one lost. It is very plain here. Notice the word believeth, "and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." What keeps a person from seeing life? Believing not! What makes the wrath of God abide on a person? Believing not! So, from what must a person repent in order to be saved? He must repent of that which makes him lost. Since "believing not" makes him lost, "believing" makes him saved. In repentance there is a turning from the thing that keeps him from being saved to the thing that saves him. So, yes, there is a repentance from unbelief in order to believe. It is simply a change of direction. It means a turning around. You are going away from believing, and you decide to turn around and believe. You change your direction; you change your mind. With your will you believe and rely upon Christ to save you. In order to believe, you have to repent of unbelief. That which makes a man lost must be corrected.
Now turn to John 5:40, "And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." Oh, how simple this is, and yet how plain! Why does a person not have life, according to this verse? Because he will not come to Christ. So, if a person is going away from Christ, he must turn around and come to Christ, which is a change of direction or a change of mind. This is repentance - repenting of the thing that keeps one from being saved, repenting from "going away" to "coming to."
Notice Isaiah 53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Especially notice the words, "we have turned every one to his own way." That's what not being saved is - turning to our own way. Now if we turn to God's way, which is putting our faith and trust in Jesus, we turn around from going our own way to going His way, from unbelief to belief. This is Bible repentance. Bear in mind, it is the faith that saves. The turning around is necessary in order to put our faith in Christ. One must repent from that thing that keeps him from being saved in order to be saved.
If a person were saved by good works, then he would have to repent of bad works, or of not doing good works, in order to be saved. If a person were saved by quitting his sinning, then he would have to repent of his sinning in order to be saved. A person is saved by believing, so he repents of his unbelief or turns from his unbelief in order to be saved.
Let us look at the verses that teach us we are saved by belief.
John 3:15, "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."There are those who say we have to repent of our sins in order to be saved. No, we have to repent only of the thing that makes us unsaved, and that is unbelief. If a person needs to turn from his sins in order to be saved, what sins does he turn from? Does he turn from pride? Does he turn from selfishness? Does he turn from covetousness? The truth is, nobody can turn from all of his sins until he is raptured and he receives a body like the body of the Saviour. 1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." According to Psalm 19:12, we do not even know all of our sins. David said, "Cleanse thou me from secret faults." What he is talking about here is being cleansed from faults he doesn't even know he has. A person, when he is first saved, does not know all the things that he is doing that are wrong, and if a person has to repent of all of his sins, where is growth in grace? Where is being a babe in Christ? Where does the carnal Christian fit in here?
John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3.18, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
Acts 16:31, "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
Now don't misunderstand me. I am certainly for separation and for living a godly life, but the cleansing of our lives is not done by us any more than salvation is done by us. Salvation is simply repenting of unbelief, and believing, and letting Christ save us. We yield to Him to save us; He does! Immediately the Holy Spirit comes in to live. The Holy Spirit begins His work of cleansing in our lives. He is the one Who cleanses, just as he is the one Who saves. He is the one Who points our sins out to us after we are saved just as He is the one Who saves us when we are saved.
What Repentance Is Not
Repentance is NOT a change of lifestyle. I think Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) of the Moody Memorial Church said it very well...
“Repentance is the very opposite of meritorious experience. It is the confession that one is utterly without merit, and if he is ever saved at all it can only be through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, 'who gave himself a ransom for all.' Here is firm footing for the soul who realizes that all self-effort is but sinking sand. Christ alone is the Rock of our salvation.”Clearly, Ironside taught a Free Grace view of the Gospel. Consider further the following awesome quote by Dr. Ironside...
SOURCE: Harry A. Ironside; 'Except Ye Repent,' p. 36
“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 …Sadly, Moody Ministries in Chicago today (71 years after Dr. Ironside's pastorate ended in 1948) has become doctrinally corrupted by false prophets such as John MacArthur (they publish all of MacArthur's heretical books, and have shamefully honored him at their Founder's Week for many years). MacArthur plainly teaches a false plan of salvation in his book titled: 'HARD TO BELIEVE'...
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?
Don’t believe anyone who says it’s easy to become a Christian. Salvation for sinners cost God His own Son; it cost God’s Son His life, and it’ll cost you the same thing. Salvation isn’t gained by reciting mere words. Saving faith transforms the heart, and that in turn transforms behavior. Faith’s fruit is seen in actions, not intentions. There’s no room for passive spectators: words without actions are empty and futile. Remember that what John saw in his vision of judgment was a Book of Life, not a book of Words or Book of Intellectual Musings. The life we live, not the words we speak, reveals whether our faith is authentic. [emphasis added]
SOURCE: Dr. John MacArthur, Grace To You, an updated quote from his book 'Hard To Believe', p. 93
First, it is not “hard” to believe. The reason why most people aren't saved is NOT because it is hard; but rather, because they love their sins and won't come to Jesus to be saved (John 3:20-21; 5:40). That is what repentance is all about—changing your mind from rebellion and unbelief (acknowledging the truth that you are a guilty, rotten, sinner), so that you will believe the Gospel and be saved. Repentance is NOT a separate act from faith, they are one and the same act. The man who believes has repented, and the man who repents has believed.
Second, the upright life that we try to live as believers is the FRUIT of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and not a part of the ROOT of saving faith. We live right because WE ARE saved, not TO BE saved. The Holy Bible teaches that Jesus Christ lives the Christian life through us. Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” The life we live cannot get us to Heaven, because God does NOT accept works of self-righteousness. Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Your best is filth to God (Matthew 7:21-23). God's will is for you as a rotten sinner to BELIEVE ON JESUS to be saved (John 6:40).
We are saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS (that is, Christ's robe of righteousness), and not our own (Matthew 6:33; Romans 10:3-4; Philippians 3:9). I try to live upright because I love my Lord and don't want to grieve Him (John 14:15). I fail horribly sometimes, and it makes me upset at myself, and I get up and ask God to help me to do much better in the future (2nd Corinthians 10:5-6). That's how the Christian life is lived, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Even the best Christians are still rotten sinners who battle daily with the flesh (Romans 7:14-25).
(a doctrinally-sound book by Dr. Jack Hyles)
The Greek verb “repent” (metanoeo, such as in Mark 1:15, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel”), simply means “to think differently.” Evangelist David Cloud errantly defines the meaning as “a change of mind that results in a change of life.” This is also the Satanic definition ascribed to the word “repent” by PCC. That's not what the Bible teaches! Biblically, a changed life is the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which is not required for salvation.
Getting saved does NOT change anyone's behavior. The only thing you get at the time of salvation is God's gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (1st John 3:24). And then the Holy Spirit will begin to change you, but only IF you submit to the Spirit's leading in obedience to the Word of God (1st Peter 2:2). If we refuse to obey, then God will scourge and chastise us as His child (Hebrews 12:6-8).
(Pastor Jack Hyles, 1926-2001)
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.A tree without fruit is still a tree with roots. This is evidenced by the parable of the sower and the seed in Luke 8:12-15. Of the four groups, only the first are unsaved, because the Devil removed the seed from their heart before it could sprout into new life. The second and third group represent believers who never mature to bear fruit (leading others to Christ). They never mature into fruit-bearing Christians because of shallow roots, or because they are choked by the cares, riches and pleasures of this life. Ah, but the fourth group mature, having an honest heart, keeping the Lord's Word, bearing much fruit unto Christ (John 15:1-7). Just because the second and third groups don't bear fruit doesn't mean that they are not saved, as Ray Comfort and David Cloud errantly teach.
SOURCE: Michael Patrick Bowen, I NEVER KNEW YOU, p. 17; © 2009, Xulonpress.com. Hard Copies Available
(by Dr. Hank Lindstrom)
Repentance “Of Sins” For Salvation is Not Biblical
There are only a few references in the Bible where the word “repentance” is used with sin. The Bible usually speaks of “the remission of sins,” but never commands anyone to repent from sins to be saved. Search the Bible and you will find that “repentance” is almost always mentioned with salvation, but it never tells us that forsaking sinful bad habits is the way to be saved. Ceasing from sin is self-righteousness. The truth is that God's indwelling Holy Spirit begins to change us when we get saved, that is, if we yield to Him. This means a lifetime of being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Getting saved happens in a moment of time by trusting Jesus Christ, but becoming Christlike takes a lifetime. That's how it's supposed to work. The world is filled of immature, carnal and backslidden saints. They are so worldly that you'd never know they are saved, just as with Lot in the city of Sodom. Nobody knew he was saved.
False prophets mandate change as a requirement to either be saved, or as evidence to prove that you are saved. That is the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation, not the free grace of God. Proponents of Lordship Salvation “frontload the Gospel,” that is, they require a commitment to perform the traits of a mature Christian upfront, as a condition to be saved. They're trying to do God's job instead of letting the Holy Spirit do His silent work. God changes lives, not we ourselves. Man trying to change himself is reformation, not regeneration.
Our part in the new birth is simply to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30-31). To demand that a person change (i.e., forsake the world and sinful living) to be saved is a false Gospel of self-righteousness. Nor is it proper to demand that a person prove they are saved by living a sanctified life. If someone testifies from their mouth that they have faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, we should accept them as saved. Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23), paid for by Jesus' precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). Please listen to the awesome MP3 sermon by Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, “Caught Between Grace And Works.”
When I was in kindergarten, my Christian school teacher led the class to pray a 1-2-3, follow me type of salvation prayer. I was then told that I was saved and water baptized weeks later. But I was still as lost as a moose in a caboose! Some preachers would say that I didn't repent of my sins, and that is why I didn't get saved, but they would be wrong! The reason why I didn't get saved is simply because God wasn't dealing with my heart, the teacher was. It just wasn't my time to get saved yet. There was no Holy Spirit conviction about my sins.
But then at age 13, while attending a new Baptist church, for the first time in my life I felt convicted about my sins. It was a Sunday morning in the summer. I think it was about 1980, but I don't remember the year that I was saved. I didn't think to write it down, I wish I had. Saints would are soulwinners, should always encourage new converts to write down the date, time and place where and when there received Christ as Savior. I remember that my pastor that Sunday said that if you can sin, but have no Holy Spirit conviction whatsoever, you are not saved. I knew that I was not saved. I felt convicted for the first time in my life, and I got saved right there in my church pew. I cried out from my soul for Jesus to save me, and He did just as He promised in John 3:16, Romans 1:16, 10:13 and 1st Corinthians 1:21.
Listen to what Pastor Harry Ironside correctly states about repentance in chapter 16 of his book, EXCEPT YE REPENT . . .
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 guilty SINNER, 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 Reuben A. Torrey (1856-1928) makes the following half-truth statement:
Listen to what Pastor Harry Ironside correctly states about repentance in chapter 16 of his book, EXCEPT YE REPENT . . .
“In all that I have written I have failed completely to express what was surging up in my soul if I have given anyone the impression that I think of repentance as something meritorious which must be produced in man by self-effort ere he is fit to come to God for salvation.”I agree 100%! The entire concept of Lordship Salvation is based in human effort. Most of our evangelical churches today have bought into the Devil's lie that it's not enough to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be saved. The “Gospel” is that Jesus Christ DIED on the cross for our sins, He was BURIED, and He bodily 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.
SOURCE: Dr. Harry Ironside, a quote from chapter 16, 'THE PREACHING THAT PRODUCES REPENTANCE,' from his timeless classic book, 'EXCEPT YE REPENT'
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 guilty SINNER, 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 Reuben A. Torrey (1856-1928) makes the following half-truth statement:
“In our day there is a danger of underestimating the importance of sorrow for sin. Sorrow for sin is not repentance, but it is an element in repentance. What the repentance or change of mind is about must always be determined by the context. Repentance of sin is such a sorrow for sin or abhorrence of sin, such a change of mind about it, as leads the sinner to turn away from it with all his heart.”Now I agree with Dr. Torrey that sorrow for sin is not repentance, but he totally contradicts himself when he says that “repentance of sin is such a sorrow for sin.” He just got done saying that “sorrow for sin is not repentance”! The Bible teaches that “sorrow worketh repentance.” 2nd Corinthians 7:10a, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance.”
SOURCE: R. A. Torrey; “What The Bible Teaches,” p. 355; © 1898; Fleming H. Revell Company
We find an example of sorrow working repentance in the life of King David, after he commit adultery with Bath-Sheba and then murdered her husband Uriah to hide her unintended pregnancy. Psalms 119:67 and 71, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. ... It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” It wasn't until David's sins caught up with him that he was sorrowful and repented. Regardless of the level of emotions (which may or may not present before, during or after salvation) repentance will never mean anything more than simply, “a change of mind.” And the way of salvation will always be easy and simple, just receive Jesus' sacrifice on the cross as full-payment for your sins.
(wrong repentance, no imputation, no Lucifer)
I also agree with Pastor Torrey from the preceding quote, who says, “What the repentance or change of mind is about must always be determined by the context.” For example: For a devoutly religious man, whose religion has hindered him from seeing the truth of the Gospel—he must repent (change his mind) from trusting in DEAD WORKS (Hebrews 6:1) to BELIEVING THE GOSPEL (Mark 1:15). For a man living in gross immorality, he must repent (change his mind) from the denial of his sins (1st John 1:8-10), to the acknowledgment of the truth, BELIEVING THE GOSPEL. 2nd Timothy 2:25, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.”
Repentance is not a separate event from faith, although they are not the same thing. Here is the best quote that I've found on repentance, by Dr. Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951):
“Which comes first, repentance or faith? In Scripture we read, 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel.' Yet we find true believers exhorted to 'repent, and do the first works.' So intimately are the two related that you cannot have one without the other. The man who believes God repents; the repentant soul puts his trust in the Lord when the Gospel is revealed to him. Theologians may wrangle over this, but the fact is, no man repents until the Holy Spirit produces repentance in his soul through the truth. No man believes the Gospel and rests in it for his own salvation until he has judged himself as a needy sinner before God. And this is repentance.” (Except Ye Repent, p. 16)The only thing that we need to repent from to be saved is UNBELIEF. Do we have to realize our sinful condition to be saved? Of course, yes! But there is not one verse in the entire Bible which requires a person to forsake sin to be saved. Nor does the Bible give anyone God's permission to commit sin just because they are saved (Romans 3:31). Every time Jesus forgave someone and healed them, it was only AFTERWARDS that He said... “Go and sin no more.” John 5:14, "Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." Repentance simply means “a change of mind.” Believers change our minds every day about all kinds of things, including the sins in our life. Repenting of sins throughout one's Christian life is solely a matter of DISCIPLESHIP, not SALVATION. It is a matter of growing in the Lord's grace (1st Peter 2:2), as we yield to the Holy Spirit's leading in obedience to the Holy Scriptures (2nd Corinthians 10:5).
Thus, we don't give up our sins to become a Christian (Romans 3:20); rather, we forsake our sins because we are a Christian (Romans 12:1-2). There are no prerequisites or conditions for salvation (Galatians 3:2). God will save any guilty sinner who trusts upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ for salvation (Romans 10:13). John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
Repentance unto salvation is a ONE-TIME repentance, but the repentance from sins has no limit. Christians are people, and people are sinners. Just as a man cannot be UNBORN physically, neither can he be UNBORN spiritually. If saved, always saved! For anyone to teach otherwise is to add works-to-faith alone and corrupt “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4).
(new Bibles, new repentance, new Gospel)
Once a person is saved, they begin to grow in grace by nurturing on the milk of God's Word (1st Peter 2:2). As a believer grows in the Lord, he or she realizes that there are changes in life that need to be made. God's Holy Spirit works in that person's heart. Thus, we begin to see the “FRUIT” of genuine repentance. A changed life is the FRUIT of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and NOT a prerequisite to salvation or a part of saving-faith. Proponents of Lordship Salvation place the cart before the horse and have it all backwards. They frontload the Gospel, requiring all the mature aspects of a believer's life upfront. This is not the Gospel, it is bad religion.
In Mark 1:4, John the Baptist speaks of “...repentance for the remission of sins”; NOT “repentance of sins.” Acts 20:21 reads, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." Notice that Biblical repentance is “TOWARD GOD.” In Acts 11:21 we read, “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.” So you see, in the Bible “repentance” was always “TOWARD GOD,” never from sin. A man may have to repent from the denial of his sins, so that he will BELIEVE THE GOSPEL, but there is no Biblical requirement to “turn from sins” to be saved.
Consider the following quote by the mighty man of God, Dr. Harry Ironside (1876-1951)...
"Repentance is the recognition of my sinnership — the owning before God that I am as vile as He has declared me to be in His holy Word."This is vastly different than actually ceasing from one's sin to be saved, which is a false gospel. Pastor Ironside is correct—repentance is simply realizing that one is a guilty, dirty, rotten, hopeless sinner in God's eyes. This is why we need a Savior. Thankfully, Jesus paid the price with His own literal precious blood (1st Peter 1:18,19; Hebrews 9:12).
SOURCE: 'Except Ye Repent,' by Dr. Harry Ironside, chapter 3
Repentance is the admission that I am as guilty a sinner as a holy God hath declared me to be in His Holy Word (Romans 3:19). This is Biblical repentance... turning to the Lord. To turn towards Jesus Christ in faith for salvation is to turn one's back against sin, even though the person may not be willing to forsake sin at the time of salvation. It is ludicrous for anyone to teach that a lost sinner must give up their sins to be saved. As we saw with Lot and Samson in the Old Testament, and Demas and Peter in the New Testament, not all believers always live for God. Jesus even called the apostle Peter, “Satan” (Matthew 16:23).
Christian author Michael Patrick Bowen states in his excellent book titled, “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” on page 114...
“Repent, as Christ meant it to be in terms of salvation, means to change your mind from trusting in what you can do for God to trusting only in what He can do for you.”The beloved Pastor Bob Gray Sr. of the Longview Baptist Temple church in Texas correctly preaches...
SOURCE: Michael Patrick Bowen, a quote from the awesome book, “I NEVER NEW YOU” (Page 114)
“Repentance means to change your mind—change your mind—change your mind about how you want to get to Heaven to what God says you've got to do to get to Heaven. If you've got to repent of all your sins, you're still headed for Hell tonight.”Dr. Mark G. Cambron Has Repentance 100% Correct
SOURCE: Pastor Bob Gray Sr., 'Why You Should Be A Part Of A Growing Church'
Here is an excellent and needful writing by Dr. Mark G. Cambron (1911-2000) on the subject of REPENTANCE. Please read the following quote carefully, because Dr. Cambron is one of few theologian who gets it, that is, he understands the simplicity of the Gospel and that repentance does not mean turning from sin as proponents of Lordship Salvation foolishly teach...
Repentance is necessary for salvation.
The Greek word for repent is metanoeo, which, translated into English is: to change ones mind. It does not mean to turn from sin. That would add works to salvation.
Repentance for salvation means a change of mind from men's ideas of salvation and religion, to an acceptance of Gods only way of salvation.
This results in a completely new creation, not a reformation of the old. The old nature remains as evil as ever after salvation and has not been reformed . . . The old nature can now be controlled by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
God guarantees salvation. This is His gift to us.
God guarantees reward and fruit to the obedient son.
God guarantees chastening and loss of rewards to the disobedient son.
God does not cast out disobedient children, but in some cases, does take them home. He does not permit His children to live as they please without His discipline and guidance.
Many teach repentance for salvation incorrectly, by including some form of human effort or righteousness, such as willingness to turn from sin, or turning from sin. This is heresy and has confused many people. It adds works to salvation and causes many to not understand Gods great gift. It is probation, not salvation. It is completely unscriptural. It is Galatianism and a counterfeit of the gospel.
It is a tragedy that many Christians live shallow Christian lives. The Cambron Institute is dedicated to the task of training Christian men and women in the importance of total dedication and making Jesus the Lord of their lives not to be saved but because they are saved.
Shallow Christianity cannot be cured by adding works to salvation.
Salvation is not the result of what we do, but is by receiving what God has done for us. Acts 13:38, 39; Acts 20:20: Gal. 1:8,9; Gal. 2:4; Gal. 2:21; Gal. 3:1.3; Gal. 5:1-4; Eph. 2:8-10; II Cor. 5:21;John 3:16-18; Phil. 3:9; Titus 3:5-8:11 Cor. 11:13-1 5.
SOURCE: The Cambron Institute
Boy that's good stuff! I love preachers, God knows my heart. And every preacher is different. There are no perfect pastors or clergy. The best saints are still rotten sinners! The Bible teaches that the tongue is full of the poison of snakes, set on fire of Hell (James 3:5-8). We could park here for awhile, couldn't we? I don't care how long you may have been a born-again believer, you are still a wicked sinner, and so am I. It is only by God's merciful grace, through faith in His only begotten Son, that any of us have escaped the judgment of God to come.
God is a merciful God, He doesn't judge sin yet in this world, but the time will come when all wickedness will be dealt with by a holy God. 1st Peter 4:17, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” Carefully notice that judgment is not coming for those who haven't repented of their sins, but to those who have not obeyed the Gospel. You obey it by making it your only hope for Heaven. Simply believe that Jesus has already done it all for you.
Don't Blindly Trust Your Pastor, Search The Scriptures
Thank you for bearing long with me. This has been a fairly lengthy blog. My heart yearns for all of my blog readers to have the 100% blessed peace of KNOWING that you are saved. I never have a doubt about God's promise of eternal life to them that believe. I have peace like a river in my soul that my name is written in Heaven. I want you to have that assurance too, without which you will never feel as close to God as you'd like dear friend.
I have perfect peace, because I fully understand God's simple plan of salvation. But I didn't always have that peace. I have been saved now for 43 years! Amen. For the first several years I worried continually, scared that I missed something, and didn't understand how God's plan of salvation worked. I thank God, I thank God, I thank God, that I didn't have some unlearned pastor confusing me, by telling me to turn from my sinning to be saved.
Unfortunately, other pastors confused me by telling me to pray to be saved. For years I kept wondering if I'd left something out of my prayer to be saved. I knew that saying a prayer didn't save me, faith did. But I thought praying was the vehicle by which we put our trust in Jesus, and that confused me a lot. It wasn't until 25 years later that I learned from Pastor Max D. Younce (1935-2023), in his helpful book titled, “Salvation And The Public Invitation,” that I could have just believed without praying at all, and God would have saved me just the same. Dr. Younce's book solidified my salvation beliefs once and for all, praise God.
I had already settled my fears and concerns about salvation many years before, but God used Pastor Younce's writings to give me the final piece in the puzzle, so that I could have perfect peace. I am eternally thankful for Dr. Max Younce. Also, I learned through Pastor Younce's ministry about Pastors' Ray Stanford (1916-2012), Hank Lindstrom (1940-2008), Michael Bowen and Ralph Yankee Arnold. I love these free grace preachers!!!
These unlearned preachers today like at Pensacola Christian College (PCC/0 and Bob Jones University (BJU), who go around telling lost sinners to “repent of your sins” to be saved are confusing people. I have shared with you some helpful quotes on repentance from Harry Ironside, Bob Gray Sr., Michael Bowen, Mark G. Cambron and others. I hope that you will ponder their quotes, because they are correct doctrinally on repentance. Most pastor today are corrupt on repentance!
One of the biggest inherent problems with telling people to “repent of your sins” is that they simply don't know what you mean. Think about it. What does it mean to “repent of your sins”? Dr. Curtis Hutson mentioned this same problem earlier, in the quote I shared with you. I do the same thing as Dr. Hutson does, I never use the word “repent” without explaining to someone what it means. Because if you don't explain it to them, they are almost assuredly going to assume that you are telling them to stop living in sin to be saved, which is demonic false teaching. Foolish is the pastor who tell people to “repent of your sins” without clarifying what he means, because forsaking a sinful lifestyle is works (Jonah 3:10).
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