Repenting of sin is a false doctrine

[Sean]

Hi all sorry but I agree with nelsen on this matter you cannot repent of sin. it is enough to know that you are a sinner and that Jesus died for your sins. when you recieve the gift of the Holy Spirit he convicts you of sin but man is spiritually dead until God calls! Quite a few times Jesus mentions this " Thy faith hath made thee whole" ! Not thy repenting of sin then thy faith hath made thee whole no where in the bible does it say this (repent of sin)!! Acts 2:38 says it clearly Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ (for the remission of sins) remission = Forgiveness look at what this repent of sin does to those who use it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euSML6x3n...annel_page it is faith that saves I could go into telling my story of salvation which coincides with why I believe this way and if I have to I will! lemme just say this: God does make it clear the day you are saved for the sole purpose of thwarting the devils telling you your not! hence " sealed with the Holy Spirit "

[Upholder]

Sean, saving faith in Christ and repentance of sin go hand-in-hand. When a person has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that person has repented of sin. A person who has faith in Christ is saved (Eph 2:8), and a saved person repents of sin.

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:5)

A person who has faith in Christ is saved.
Saved people will not perish. (John 10:28)
A person who has not repented will perish. (Luke 13:5)
Therefore, a saved person has repented of sin!

So obviously, repenting of sin is part of saving faith in Christ. In this case, faith and repentance are so closely linked that they are inseparable. You cannot have a "faith-less" repentance, just as you cannot have a "repentance-less" faith.

It is true to say that an unregenerate person does not have the ability to repent of sin. The Scriptures make that quite clear.
But when that unregenerate person comes to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that person has repented of sin.

Repenting of sin is not a false doctrine.
If it were a false doctrine, then the Lord Jesus and John the Baptist would be guilty of preaching false doctrine, because they both began to preach in the Gospel of Matthew with the same word: "Repent"!

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:1,2)

From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)

God forbid that we should preach a "gospel" that does not call sinners to repentance!

Sean, I hope this has been helpful to you.

By the way, do feel free to introduce yourself in the section called "New Members".
You mention in your post that you have a "story of salvation", and I would certainly be very interested to hear it.

[George]

Amen Brother Upholder, well said, The repentance of sin is in fact scriptural as you have pointed out. Repentance has nothing to do with the actual act of salvation yet they do go hand-in-hand. If a person is truly saved they will want to change. That is the impetus of the Holy Spirit. That change is the act of repentance. As you said if it were not so then why would God have allowed that both Jesus and John the Baptist used this word as the very first word in sentences? God does not make mistakes.

In Christ,
George

[deputydog530]

Great Post Upholder. When I got saved, the Pastor did not use the word repent. I knew I was a sinner, and after he explained to me that salvation was a gift to be recieved by turning from my old ways and turning to God, I called upon the name of the Lord, asked him to save me, and he did. Repentance was part of the process though I did not know what it meant.

I think folks have a fear of the word repentance because of sin battles. The repentant sinner who calls upon the Lord for salvation by grace though faith Eph 2:8-9 Rom 10:9-10, 13 is sealed by the Holy Spirit Eph 1:13, and is eternaly secure John 10:28-29.

I repented, was saved, yet sin still is a raging battle in the daily walk of the Christian. I think it is easier to avoid repentance out of fear and misunderstanding of what the Lord says it is.

[RobertM]

There was a theology teacher out of texas that taught that repentence is not necessary for salvation. This doctrine is the foundation of easy believism. Without repentence there is no remission of sin. Most people do not understand repentence, it is a change of attitude that leads to a change of action. Repentence is essential for any kind of belief for salvation. To teach salvation with out repentence is heresy.

[Jim]

Quote:it is enough to know that you are a sinner and that Jesus died for your sins

Let me ask you a question. If you were in a car going 100 mph and headed for a brick wall, and I told you if you impacted that wall you would die, would you stop your car, or turn it so you wouldn't hit it, or would you just "believe that if you hit it, that would be enough" to keep you alive?

Just wondering...

Love in Christ,

Jim

[Upholder]

Jim Wrote:

Quote:it is enough to know that you are a sinner and that Jesus died for your sins

Let me ask you a question. If you were in a car going 100 mph and headed for a brick wall, and I told you if you impacted that wall you would die, would you stop your car, or turn it so you wouldn't hit it, or would you just "believe that if you hit it, that would be enough" to keep you alive?

Just wondering...

Love in Christ,

Jim

That's a very good way of illustrating it, Brother Jim!

Just having a "head knowledge" of Jesus is not enough. A "heart knowledge" (which includes repentence) is what a true believer has.

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. (James 2:19)

In John chapter 3, Nicodemus was a man who believed in the existence of God, and he even believed that Jesus was a teacher that had come from God.
But Jesus told him "Ye must be born again" (verse 7).

The title of this thread should really be: "Not repenting of sin is a false doctrine!"

[Jim]

Amen Upholder.

To think there is no action on the part of the sinner to 1) recognize his vile guiltiness of sin before our Sovereign God, and 2) repent, or look at his own sin the way the Lord sees his sin, then for what yet does he have to repent?

If he sees nothing wrong with what he is doing, then why would he need to repent?

Love in Christ,

Jim

[candlelight]

RobertM Wrote:There was a theology teacher out of texas that taught that repentence is not necessary for salvation. This doctrine is the foundation of easy believism. Without repentence there is no remission of sin. Most people do not understand repentence, it is a change of attitude that leads to a change of action. Repentence is essential for any kind of belief for salvation. To teach salvation with out repentence is heresy.

Absolutely, RobertM!

In Christ Jesus ~

Molly

[Mongol Servant]

Sean Wrote:Hi all sorry but I agree with nelsen on this matter you cannot repent of sin. it is enough to know that you are a sinner and that Jesus died for your sins. when you recieve the gift of the Holy Spirit he convicts you of sin but man is spiritually dead until God calls! Quite a few times Jesus mentions this " Thy faith hath made thee whole" ! Not thy repenting of sin then thy faith hath made thee whole no where in the bible does it say this (repent of sin)!! Acts 2:38 says it clearly Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ (for the remission of sins) remission = Forgiveness look at what this repent of sin does to those who use it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euSML6x3n...annel_page it is faith that saves I could go into telling my story of salvation which coincides with why I believe this way and if I have to I will! lemme just say this: God does make it clear the day you are saved for the sole purpose of thwarting the devils telling you your not! hence " sealed with the Holy Spirit "

Sean, open your Bible and read Luke 24:47 - ".....and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name AMONG ALL NATIONS...." I learned from an old, country preacher, many years ago that "God will not change your HEART until you change your MIND about sin."

[ChuckieTrout]

Mongol Servant Wrote:Sean, open your Bible and read Luke 24:47 - ".....and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name AMONG ALL NATIONS...." I learned from an old, country preacher, many years ago that "God will not change your HEART until you change your MIND about sin."

ChuckieTrout reply;

AMEN Mongol Servant, And thus we truly receive GODS Grace when our guilt convicts us of our condition!

[deputydog530]

Preach it brothers Upholder, Jim, Mongol, Chuckie... etc. Amen

[Jim]

Or can we simply believe Jesus' own words out of His mouth?

Mark 1:14
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
1:15
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

[Upholder]

A few more thoughts about this subject.

A person can have a "belief" in Jesus, and yet be unsaved. Consider these verses:

Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; (John 8:31)

Here, certain people "believed on" Jesus. But in verse 44 of the same chapter, Jesus says to the same group of people "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do."

Not all "belief" constitutes salvation, and these "believing" Jews were not saved!

Another thought: Cain was not an athiest. He believed in the existence of the living and true God, the maker of heaven and earth. But he was a wicked man, and he slew his brother. His "belief" was all head-knowledge, and he had no regenerate heart.

[Jim]

That's right upholder, and:

James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble