Repentance and Salvation Evidenced by Drastic Action Change
Repentance, a fundamental aspect of salvation, involves a change of mind that leads to a turning away from sin and toward God [8, 9]. This change is not merely intellectual but encompasses a deep sense of one's contrariety to God's righteous law [9]. The Bible consistently links repentance with conversion and the blotting out of sins, leading to "times of refreshing" from the Lord [4].
The concept of repentance is often presented as a prerequisite for salvation. For instance, the prophet John the Baptist called people to "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" [8]. Similarly, the Apostle Peter urged his listeners to "Repent therefore and be converted, for the blotting out of your sins" [4]. This emphasis suggests that a genuine turning from sin is a necessary response to God's call. God's long-suffering nature is intended to lead individuals to repentance [3].
While repentance is a human act, it is also understood as a divine gift. John Calvin describes repentance as a "special gift of God," noting that the early Church recognized God's granting of "repentance unto life" even to Gentiles [6]. This perspective highlights that the ability to truly repent originates with God, who can give some a "heart of flesh" while leaving others with a "heart of stone" [7].
The evidence of true repentance is often seen in drastic changes in action. This aligns with the idea of "doing the first works" mentioned in Revelation 2:5, where a church is admonished to remember from where they have fallen and repent, or face consequences [5]. Such actions demonstrate a renewed commitment to God's righteousness, reflecting a transformation "into the righteousness of God from which we had fallen" [10]. This transformation is part of a broader process of being "renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" [10].
Repentance, therefore, is not an end in itself but a crucial step in the process of salvation, which is ultimately achieved through God's grace and the redemption found in Jesus Christ [1, 2]. It prepares the soul for pardoning mercy, but it is faith in Jesus Christ that completes the process of justification [11].
Sources
- Romans “Romans 3:24 (Webster) — Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ:”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Redemption — The purchase back of something that had been lost, by the payment of a ransom. The Greek word so rendered is apolutrosis, a word occurring nine times in Scripture, and always with the idea of a ransom or price paid, i.e., redemption by a lutron (see Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45). There are instances in the LXX. Version of the Old Testament of the use of lutron in man's relation to man (Lev. 19:20; 25:51; Ex. 21:30; Num. 35:31, 32; Isa. 45:13; Prov. 6:35), and in the same sense of man's relation to God (Num. 3:49; 18:15). There are many passages in the New Tes”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Long-Suffering of God, The — Is part of his character -- Ex 34:6; Nu 14:18; Ps 86:15. Salvation, the object of -- 2Pe 3:15. Through Christ's intercession -- Lu 13:8. Should lead to repentance -- Ro 2:4; 2Pe 3:9. An encouragement to repent -- Joe 2:13. Exhibited in forgiving sins -- Ro 3:25. Exercised toward His people. -- Isa 30:18; Eze 20:17. The wicked. -- Ro 9:22; 1Pe 3:20. Plead in prayer -- Jer 15:15. Limits set to -- Ge 6:3; Jer 44:22. The wicked Abuse. -- Ec 8:11; Mt 24:48,49. Despise. -- Ro 2:4. Punished for despising. -- Ne 9:30; Mt 24:48-51; Ro 2:5. Illustr”
- Acts “Acts 3:19 (Darby) — Repent therefore and be converted, for the blotting out of your sins, so that times of refreshing may come from [the] presence of the Lord,”
- Revelation “Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I am coming to you swiftly, and will move your lamp stand out of its place, unless you repent. -- Revelation 2:5”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 58: being previously enamored of righteousness. This view, as it is the simplest of all, seemed to me also to accord best with Scripture truth. 21. Moreover, that repentance is a special gift of God, I trust is too well understood from the above doctrine to require any lengthened discourse. Hence the Church 321 321 French, “L’Eglise primitive du temps des Apostres;”—the primitive Church of the Apostles’ time. extols the goodness of God, and looks on in wonder, saying, “Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life,” ( ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 79: the solution of the difficulty is to be found in the second branch of the sentence, for his will that they should come to repentance cannot be used in any other sense than that which is uniformly employed. Conversion is undoubtedly in the hand of God, whether he designs to convert all can be learned from himself, when he promises that he will give some a heart of flesh, and leave to others a heart of stone ( Ezek. 36:26 ). It is true, that if he were not disposed to receive those who implore his mercy, it could not have been said, ”
- Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 3:2: And saying, Repent ye--Though the word strictly denotes a change of mind, it has respect here (and wherever it is used in connection with salvation) primarily to that sense of sin which leads the sinner to flee from the wrath to come, to look for relief only from above, and eagerly to fall in with the provided remedy. for the kingdom of heaven is at hand--This sublime phrase, used in none of the other Gospels, occurs in this peculiarly Jewish Gospel nearly thirty times; and being suggested by Daniel's grand vision of the Son of man coming in the clou”
- Acts (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Acts 20:21: Testifying both to Jews and . . . Greeks--laboring under a common malady, and recoverable only by a common treatment. repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ--(See on Act 5:31). REPENTANCE, as distinguished from faith, is that state of the "honest and good heart" which arises from a discovery of one's contrariety to the righteous demands of the divine law. This is said to be "toward God," because seeing Him to be the party dishonored by sin, it feels all its acknowledgments and compunctions to be properly due to Him, as the great”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 58: the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Again, “Be renewed in the spirit of your minds” and “put ye on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Again, “Put ye on 516 the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” 310 310 2 Cor. 3:18 ; Eph. 4:23, 24 ; Col. 3:10 ; 2 Cor. 4:16 . Accordingly through the blessing of Christ we are renewed by that regeneration into the righteousness of God from which we had falle”
- Acts (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Acts 20:21: Testify both to - Jews and - Greeks - He always began with the Jews; and, in this case, he had preached to them alone for three months, Act 19:8-10, and only left their synagogues when he found, through their obstinacy, he could do them no good. Repentance toward God, etc. - As all had sinned against God, so all should humble themselves before him against whom they have sinned; but humiliation is no atonement for sin; therefore repentance is insufficient, unless faith in our Lord Jesus Christ accompany it. Repentance disposes and prepares the soul for pardoning mercy”