Repentance, Necessary for Salvation!

(A study on what was and what is “The Gospel”? by Colin Ireton)

Is there more to the Gospel than asking Jesus into your heart and saying a sinner’s prayer, confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart?

I believe that the problem with Romans 10:9 is the problem with what a lot of modern Christianity has done with a lot of scriptures. They take an isolated scripture and make it a formula rather than digging through all the word to find out why the writer wrote it, what it meant and how it fits with the entire gospel message. Paul was not laying out a quick formula of “how to be saved”. Rather he was calling people to obedience to God as you will see evidenced by the Gospel scriptures below.

The question is: What brings a person to the point of making that confession, belief in heart, and salvation? Is it a prayer someone told him to say, an alter call for a promise of heaven, a better life, more success, love, joy, and peace. Or, does God have a condition and a formula of His own?

The whole of the New Testament seems very clear in over 50 verses that the only way to receive salvation and forgiveness is through repentance and faith. In fact I found a verse the other night that I’ve never seen before in Luke: 17:2 “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. (Sounds conditional)

I’ve listed several scriptures that reveal that the heart of the gospel is not at all “ask Jesus into your heart, say this prayer, and you’ll be saved.” I’m not saying that people who have done it this way couldn’t be saved, God knows who are His, but it is definitely a formula that is not in the new testament message by word or practice.

I cut and pasted the texts so some of the chapter and verse numbers are missing, but I promise I didn’t add to the Book. Here we go.

^{MT 3:1} In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.

^{MT 4:17} From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

^{MK 1:4} And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

^{MK 6:12} They went out and preached that people should repent.

3

But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

(Notice, this is the great commission, the gospel explained clearly to the disciples, and most of the church is neglecting the first half of the commission, offering forgiveness without repentance. Charles Spurgeon prophesied that this would happen over 100 years ago)

Now this is what the Apostles preached after Jesus instructed them.

^{AC 2:38} Peter replied, “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.

¹⁸ But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. ¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out

³¹ God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. ³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

^{AC 11:18} When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

³⁰ In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. (This is God’s condition and formula)

²¹ I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Paul’s great commission

I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. ²⁰ First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. (that’s not works, its evidence that they’ve truly repented and truly have faith)

¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation (another Formula)

²⁵ Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

(Repentance is the key to escaping doing Satan’s will and being condemned, and turning to God to do His will, and be saved.)

⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (God’s condition again)

It’s inescapable that the message of salvation and forgiveness throughout the new testament is repentance. And these are just some of the scriptures. The problem with a lost and dying world is not just that they haven’t received Jesus. It’s that they are in rebellion to God and doing the devil’s will. That’s why you can never turn to God for salvation without repentance or, “giving up the rebellion”.

It really is all about obeying God. And you can’t obey Him if you don’t believe in Him. That’s where the faith comes in. Faith in Jesus is believing that He is Lord (God), the ultimate authority, a belief which if it’s genuine (believe in your heart) leads to and requires obeying his commandments.

⁵ Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to obedience that comes from faith. (God calls us to obedience, not to saying a prayer)

¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted (Notice it says that obedience leads to righteousness, not saying a prayer or accepting Jesus.)

¹⁷ Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

¹² This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.

The two are synonymous. Obeying God’s commandments is holding to or remaining faithful to Jesus.

“By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. ⁹ “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. ¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. ¹² “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. ¹³ “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ “You are My friends, if you do what I command you.

If you’ve never thought or studied along these lines you will need to read and re-read this article to renew your mind and to eradicate the modern false gospel which permeates the American Church. It’s not only essential to your soul but to those who might be saved through you. I admonish you as Paul said to Timothy: 1 Ti 4:15Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. ¹⁶ Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

God Bless all who made it this far!!!