In previous articles, we have pointed out that God has promised some things unconditionally and some things with conditions that had to be met. We also noted that salvation is definitely one of those that is conditional. In the past couple of articles we have noted that both hearing the gospel of Christ and believing the gospel of Christ are conditions that must be met in order to be saved. In this article we wish to show that repentance is also a condition to salvation.
For repentance to be a condition it would mean that God required one to repent in order to be saved from their sins. So, does the Bible teach that? On the day of Pentecost, after Peter had preached and a number had been pricked in their hearts by the truths they had learned, these individuals requested to know what they needed to do (Acts 2:37). “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). The very first thing they were told to do in order to have remission of sins was to repent. In his next recorded sermon, Peter said, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Again, first repent and then their sins would be blotted out. There are many other passages pointing toward the necessity of repentance in order to have salvation, but these should suffice to convince any honest query on the matter.
Now that we have concluded the necessity of repentance in order to obtain salvation, it would seem like a good idea to get a good understanding of just what repentance is. It has been said that repentance is really the hardest part of the conversion process because it concerns a change in one’s thinking. Some have the idea that repentance is sorrow; sorrow for one’s past actions. Sorrow may well be a part of repentance in many cases, but not always and then it is only a contributing factor, not the repentance itself. The apostle Paul spoke of the Corinthian brethren being sorry for their past actions that he had reproved them for. He then said, “Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (II Cor. 7:9-10). Their sorrow brought about their repentance, thus sorrow and repentance are not the same thing. The original Greek word that is translated “repent” is one that means to undergo a change of mind that is strong enough to change practice of life. With this definition in mind, it is easy to see that remorse is not a necessary factor in repentance, for one can change their mind and then there actions based on changes in the situation at hand. While Moses was on the mount receiving the law, the children of Israel made a golden calf and began worshipping it. Needless to say, God’s wrath was kindled and He said that He was going to consume them (Exo. 32:1-10). Moses interceded for the people and the text states, “And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people” (Exo. 32:14). God had done no wrong to repent of, it was a determination to change the planned action. Jesus’ parable of the two sons serve as a great illustration of what repentance is. He stated, “…A certain man had two sons; and he come to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went” (Matt. 21:28-29). In essence, repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action.
It is understood that often man has all intentions of making changes and then falls short of his goals. However, true repentance requires efforts being made to make those changes. Jesus stated, “…If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him” (Luke 17:3). It is noteworthy that forgiveness is dependent upon repentance, which is why we must repent if we expect to be forgiven of our past sins. It is also noteworthy that the one mentioned in this passage was apparently weak and continued to fall short of expectation, for Jesus went on to say, “And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him” (Luke 17:4). Rest assured that even after we meet the conditions of salvation commanded by God, we will often fall short. Repentance will again be a factor is receiving the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 8:22). Yet, keep in mind that one has not truly repented if he or she had no intention of changing the way they were going. Repentance is a turning around in mind that results in a turning around in body. If there is no turning around, there was no repentance. If one is not right in the sight of God, turning is obviously something that must be done, a change has to be made, repentance is a necessity.