Page 535 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

REPENTANCE

being deeply convicted of our guilt, danger and (Luke 13:1-5); Paul said it is necessary (Acts 17:30,
helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we etc.); Peter said it is necessary (2 Pe. 3:9). If preaching
turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession and repentance is not necessary and we only need to preach
supplication for mercy at the same time heartily faith, why did Christ Himself preach repentance?
receiving the Lord Jesus Christ and openly confessing
Him as our only and all-sufficient Saviour” (Baptist I would say to the issue of why verses such as John
Bible Fellowship, Articles of Faith, 1950). 3:16 and Acts 16:31 don’t mention repentance is that
“Repentance is a godly sorrow for sin. Repentance is a proper saving faith includes repentance and proper
forsaking of sin. Real repentance is putting your trust repentance includes faith. I say this because repentance
in Jesus Christ so you will not live like that anymore. and faith are sometimes spoken of in Scripture as both
Repentance is permanent. It is a lifelong and an being necessary for salvation (i.e., Acts 20:21; He. 6:1),
eternity-long experience. You will never love the devil while at other times only one or the other is said to be
again once you repent. You will never flirt with the necessary.
devil as the habit of your life again once you get saved. Salvation is referred to as coming to repentance with
You will never be happy living in sin; it will never no mention of faith in Matthew 9:13; 11:20-21; 21:32;
satisfy; and the husks of the world will never fill your
longing and hungering in your soul. Repentance is Mark 1:4; 2:17; 6:12; Luke 15:7; 24:47; Acts 2:38;
something a lot bigger than a lot of people think. It is 3:19; 5:31; 11:18; 26:20; 2 Corinthians 7:10; 1
absolutely essential if you go to heaven” (Lester Roloff, Thessalonians 1:9; 2 Timothy 2:25; and 2 Peter 3:9.
Repent or Perish, 1950s). Then in other passages, such as John 3:16 and Acts
“Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of 16:31, salvation is referred to as believing and
grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin repentance is not mentioned.
toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and By comparing Scripture with Scripture (rather than
commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord isolating Scripture, which is the method used by false
and Saviour” (Baptist Faith and Message, Southern
Baptist Convention, 1963). teachers), I conclude that saving faith includes
“What do I mean by repent? I mean to turn your heart repentance.
from your sin. Turn from sin in your heart and start out Preaching repentance depends on the soul winning
to live for God. … A penitent heart that turns from context.
your sin and turns to Jesus” (John R. Rice, “Repent or The Philippian jailer was obviously under deep
Perish,” Sword of the Lord, March 3, 1971). conviction when he cried out, “What must I do to be
“The Greek words [for repentance] mean ‘a change of saved.” Doubtless Paul and Barnabas had been
mind which results in a change of action.’ When that witnessing to him. Now he was fully ready to do
refers to man, there is a sorrow for sin involved. This whatever God told him to do. There was no need to go
definition is substantiated both by the scholarship of into repentance. He was already repenting! I, too, have
Trench and Thayer, as well as by the New Testament
usage” (Bruce Lackey, Repentance Is More Than a met men in jails that were ready to be saved. They had
Change of Mind, 1989). heard the gospel and God was working in their hearts;
“Scriptural repentance is a change of mind which leads they knew that they were sinners and were deeply sorry
to a change of heart, a change of attitude and a change for their past lives and were ready to bow before God.
of conduct; a change of attitude toward self, toward All that was needed was to explain to them how to put
sin, and toward the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an about- their faith in Christ in a saving manner (e.g., Romans
face of a soul that has been going away from 10:8-13).
God” (Roger Voegtlin, “God’s Command to Repent,” On the other hand, when Paul preached to the
Fairhaven Baptist Church, Chesterton, Indiana, 1998). idolaters at Athens who were looking on the matter of
“Repentance expresses the conscious turning from sin, Christ and the resurrection as merely another
a change of mind and of the whole inner attitude to philosophical debate, he told them that God “now
life, without which true conversion is not commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts
possible” (Chris McNeilly, The Great Omission:
Whatever Happened to Repentance, 1999). 17:30).
Repentance and Faith Pastor Dave Sorenson says:
Some men point to John 3:16 and Acts 16:31, “Saving faith includes repentance. Repentance is not
claiming that it is not necessary to preach repentance doing anything. It is not a deed, act, work, or rite.
since we don’t see it in these passages. Rather, it is a change of the direction of one’s heart. It
basically means an attitude of the heart in turning
It seems to me, though, that this is a strange way to from sin and self and turning to God. That’s what Paul
use the Bible, since it is so obvious from other passages was referring to in Acts 20:21 when he referred to
that repentance is necessary. Jesus said it is necessary ‘repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ.’ Saving faith is the human heart turning to God

Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity 535