It has been heralded as of relatively lately that repentance has no place in the Christian’s Gospel. This claim must be denied and labeled as false wherever it is stated. It is possible that this teaching has caused more damage in the church than many others of its kind. To say that one need not repent is like saying that one need not turn to Christ. After all, repenting is turning to the Lord.
Repentance and faith can be thought of as two sides of the same coin. On one side, there is faith, and on the other side, there is repentance. One cannot be had without the other, and the two come together to constitute conversion. When someone is converted to God, He has turned to God in faith and repentance and thus has been forgiven of his sin.
When someone repents, he turns to Christ, and when someone believes, he believes in Christ. Rightfully so, because for someone’s faith to be directed toward God properly, he would have also needed to turn to Christ.
The problem with the no-repentance gospel is that it is no gospel at all. It allows someone to “believe” in Christ as Savior without embracing Christ as Lord. This does not make sense. While this attempted division of Christ as Savior but not Lord must be seen clearly, it is also important to note that Christ being a Savior does not simply mean that Christ saves the believer from the wrath of God or the penalty of sin. In reality, Christ came to save His people from sin and its consequences. This means that Christ came to save people from the power of sin and its dominion.
Christ is Lord, and Christ is King. What is a Lord but a Master? What is a King but a Ruler? Can someone only turn to a part of Christ but not the whole? Absolutely not! Repentance and faith must take place or someone is not truly converted to God.
Look at the following Scriptures and see for yourself:
• “For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him” (Matt. 21:32).
In this portion of Scripture, Jesus is highlighting the ministry of John the Baptist. John’s ministry was full of the message of repentance. He called people to repent of their sin with a boldness that is commendable. Jesus speaks of the message that John proclaimed and which was ultimately from God Himself.
In Matthew 21:32, it should be noted that both faith and repentance can be seen – not at odds with each other, but united. He speaks to the chief priests and the scribes in the temple and condemns them for their lack of faith and repentance. Notice, yet again, that Jesus does not simply condemn their unbelief but also their unrepentance.
The two are so closely connected that the Bible says, “…ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” It is stated in such a way that one cannot occur without the other.
• “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15).
At the beginning of the book of Mark, it does not take long before the reader is introduced to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Very quickly in the account, John baptizes Jesus, John is then said to be in prison, and Jesus assumes His ministerial role. In doing so, Mark gets to the point and does not use words idly.
As a result of Mark’s typical practice of being relatively short on words and to the point, it should be noted that Mark stresses the fact that Jesus’ public ministry consisted of Jesus’ preaching both repentance and faith to the people.
• “Testifying both to Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).
In Acts 20:21, Paul is speaking to the elders in Ephesus. In doing so, his primary purpose is not to teach them about faith and repentance, but rather to merely state a fact or occurrence that is of importance for us to highlight.
In the first two verses that were covered in this article, the speaker was Jesus Christ. The time period was His earthly ministry. Some may say, “This period would have belonged to a different dispensation, and therefore when Jesus preached repentance, it would have been for that time period only. Now, on the other side of the cross, faith is all that is needed.”
However, when one looks at Acts 20:21, he should be able to see that Paul was adamant about preaching both repentance and faith. The Gospel of Paul, which was the Gospel of Jesus, consisted of telling people to turn from their sins and turn to Christ as Savior and Lord.
Numerous examples exist of two components needing to come together to make a whole. We have already spoken of a coin. Now, take a battery for instance. A battery operates with both a positive and a negative component. Both of these sides of the battery make the battery work. If the battery only had a positive element, it would not work properly, as is the case if it only had a negative element.
The same is true for conversion. Conversion cannot take place unless someone repents from his sin and turns to God in faith. Turn to God this day, be delivered from the wrath to come, and enjoy the fellowship of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Application
God is the Creator of mankind. Man cannot escape this reality. It is what it is. God is also a Righteous Judge, Who sees all things and knows all things. He is Holy and worthy of worship. It is this God, Whom every man has sinfully disobeyed.
God gave man His law, but man chose to rebel against his Creator. God’s wrath is being stored up for mankind on the day of wrath as a result of disobedience. Hell is real, the fire and brimstone are real, and people will actually spend an eternity there.
But God, being rich in mercy, desired to make a way of escape for mankind. The Bible makes it clear that God does not delight in the death of the wicked. He is not happy when people are cast into hell. When Jesus came to earth, it is also said very clearly that He came not to condemn the world but rather to save the world.
People must hear about the wrath of God that is to come. They also must hear about the love of God that can be seen in Christ. Christ died for the sins of man. He took upon Himself the sin, the guilt, the shame, and the punishment that man deserved. The Father crushed the Son on Calvary’s Hill, and the whole earth turned black as the Father judged the Son.
Christ was buried in a tomb, and on the third day, Christ rose from the dead, defeating death. Now Christ is seated at the right hand of God, commanding all people everywhere to repent of their sin and to turn to Him in faith. If you would do that today, you can know that you have entered into the sweet fellowship of the Savior and that you will be delivered from the wrath to come.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for the ways that You have revealed Your Son to me. I pray that You would lead me into a deeper repentance this day. I pray that You would lead me into a deeper faith this day. Teach me Your ways and Your Word that I might walk in obedience to You. You are worthy of praise. You are worthy of worship. You are worthy to be glorified and adored in my life. You and You alone are God, and there is no other beside You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.