Featured The Bible Way of Salvation

This is how I see that Bible’s way for a sinner to get saved.

1. No human being can, in and of themselves, call upon the Lord for their salvation. The Bible is very clear, as Romans 3:11 says: “There is no one who seeks after God”. The natural person would not desire to give their lives to the Lord. Salvation is a free Gift from God to the human race: “for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

2. There is no “good work” that a sinner can ever do, that can “merit” their salvation. “Works salvation” is a man-made heresy. This is very clear in Romans 11:6, “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work”.

3. Saving Faith, which leads a sinner to repentance and faith in the Lord, comes from the hearing in the inner person, of the Gospel Message preached, as Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. As this faith cannot be self-manufactured, it must be a gift from God, through the Message received by the sinner.

4. The sinner hears the Gospel Message, and is convicted by the Holy Spirit, as Jesus tells is in John 16:8-9, “When he has come, he will convict the world about sin…about sin, because they don’t believe in me". Which is what happened to those who heard Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)

5. The sinner must, before they are saved, repent of their sins, and believe in their hearts the Gospel about the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith alone cannot save any sinner, apart from repenting of their sins. Mark 1:15, is very clear on this, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.” Jesus does not say, “repent”, or “believe”, but the two must be taken together. Luke 24:47 also says, “and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem”. After Peter finished preaching on the Day of Pentecost, those who had been “convicted” by the Holy Spirit, asked “what shall we DO”. To which Peter responds, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). So all of those who were under the conviction by the Holy Spirit, were told, not “do nothing”, but only “have faith”, as some falsely teach, but rather, “REPENT for forgiveness of sins”, and then they would “receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit”.

6. These on the Day of Pentecost, as is with all sinners, BELIEVED in the Gospel Message as preached by Peter. They were then called on to REPENT of their sins for their salvation. Ephesians 1:13 tells us, “in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation--in whom, having also believed, you were Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise”. The Gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts (Acts 2:38), is the same as the “Sealing with the Holy Spirit”. The sinner is then a “born-again” believer, who is guaranteed to be with the Lord forever in Heaven!

7. From the time that the sinner is “born-again”, their eternal life begins, which is for all eternity, and cannot be lost at any time. Jesus Himself promises us, “Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24). “has passed” in the Greek is the perfect active, showing that they had already crossed over from death to eternal life! In chapter 10, Jesus promises, “I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (28-29). The Greek is much stronger, “and in no way will they perish for ever”. Very emphatic. Once a sinner is “born-again”, they cannot ever be lost!

 

man, WHAT is wrong with you??? WHY are you so against that Bible's clear teaching in both Testaments, that a sinner MUST REPENT of their sins? I do NOT say this as my personal choice, but have shown from the Word of God, and yet you REBEL against these teachings. You seriously need ungent help!

 

NO sinner can ever be saved without first repenting of their sins. Jesus Christ says this, and He CANNOT lie!

 

your argumnent is directly with Jesus Christ and the Bible, NOT me!

 

are these wrong, and you right?

John Calvin

Even though we have taught in part how to possess Christ, and how through it we enjoy his benefits, this would still remain obscure if we did not add an explanation of the effects we feel. With good reason, the sum of the gospel is held to consist in repentance and the forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47; Acts 5:31). Any discussion of faith, therefore, that omitted these two topics would be barren and mutilated and well–nigh useless…Surely no one can embrace the grace of the gospel without betaking himself from the errors of his past life into the right way, and applying his whole effort to the practice of repentance. Can true repentance stand apart from faith? Not at all. But even though they cannot be separated, they ought to be distinguished (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion. Found in The Library of Christian Classics (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), Volume XIX, Book III, Chapters 1, 5, pp. 592-593, 597).

Thomas Watson

Repentance is of such importance that there is no being saved without it…It is a great duty incumbent upon Christians solemnly to repent and turn unto God…That religion which is not built upon this foundation must needs fall to the ground. Repentance is a grace required under the gospel. Some think it legal; but the first sermon that Christ preached, indeed, the first word of his sermon, was ‘Repent’ (Matt. 4.17). And his farewell that he left when he was going to ascend was that ‘repentance should be preached in his name’ (Luke 22.47)…Repentance is not arbitrary. It is not left to our choice whether or not we will repent, but it is an indispensable command. God has enacted a law in the High Court of heaven that no sinner shall be saved except the repenting sinner, and he will not break his own law. Some bless themselves that they have a stock of knowledge, but what is knowledge good for without repentance? It is better to mortify one sin than to understand all mysteries. Impure speculatists do but resemble Satan transformed into an angel of light. Learning and a bad heart is like a fair face with a cancer in the breast. Knowledge without repentance will be but a torch to light men to hell (Thomas Watson, The Doctrine of Repentance (Edinburgh: Banner, 1987), pp. 12–13, 59, 77).

Louis Berkhof

There is no doubt that, logically, repentance and the knowledge of sin precedes the faith that yields to Christ in trusting love (Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1939), p. 492).

John Murray


The question has been discussed: which is prior, faith or repentance? It is an unnecessary question and the insistence that one is prior to the other is futile. There is no priority. The faith that is unto salvation is a penitent faith and the repentance that is unto life is a believing repentance…It is impossible to disentangle faith and repentance. Saving faith is permeated with repentance and repentance is permeated with faith (John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955), p. 113).

The Westminster Confession of Faith

Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace, the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every minister of the gospel, as well as that of faith in Christ. By it a sinner, out of sight and sense, not only of danger, but also of filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary to the holy nature and righteous law of God, and upon the apprehension of his mercy in Christ to such as are penitent, so grieves for and hates his sins, as to turn from them all unto God, purposing and endeavoring to walk with him in all the ways of his commandments (The Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XV, Sections I and II. Cited in A.A. Hodge, The Confession of Faith (Edinburgh: Banner, 1958), p. 210).

Robert Dabney

The manner in which faith and repentance are coupled together in Scripture plainly shows that, as faith is implicitly present in repentance, so repentance is implicitly in faith. But if so, this gives to faith the active character. Mark i:15; Matt. xxi.32; 2 Tim. ii:25 c (R.L. Dabney, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980), pp. 606-607).

John DeWitt

Repentance is the first conscious step in a person’s experience of the divine grace, the entrance for all believers into life, hope, and salvation…Repentance—the repentance of which the Scriptures speak as a godly sorrow, the repentance which is unto life—is not only a persuasion of sinfulness, but it is also, and very distinctly, a turning from sin…Everywhere the Word of God reminds us that repentance is not simply honesty with oneself, or even the open confession of one’s sins; it must also lead to a forsaking of them. If it does not do that, if it is only the fear of punishment and of hell, only a trembling before the just judgment of God, without at the same time the purposing to turn away from sin and to undertake a new obedience to God, then it is not repentance at all (John Richard deWitt, Amazing Love (Edinburgh: Banner, 1981), pp. 66, 74-76).

Charles Hodge

Hence it is that repentance is the burden of evangelical preaching…Repentance…is the great, immediate, and pressing duty of all who hear the gospel. They are called upon to forsake their sins, and return unto God through Jesus Christ. The neglect of this duty is the rejection of salvation. For, as we have seen, unless we repent we must perish…Though repentance is a duty, it is no less the gift of God (Charles Hodge, The Way of Life (Edinburgh: Banner, 1959), pp. 153, 166-169.

Arthur Pink

In repentance sin is the thing to be repented of and sin is a transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). And the first and chief thing required by the law is supreme love to God. Therefore, the lack of supreme love to God, the heart’s disaffection for His character and rebellion against Him (Rom. 8:7) is our great wickedness, of which we have to repent.
What is sin? Sin is saying…I disallow His (God’s) right to govern me…I am going to be lord of myself. Sin is rebellion against the Majesty of heaven…The language of every sinner’s heart is, I care not what God requires, I am going to have my own way. I care not what be God’s claims upon me, I refuse to submit to His authority…The Lord Jesus taught and constantly pressed the same truth. His call was ‘Repent ye and believe the gospel’ (Mark 1:15). The gospel cannot be savingly believed until there is genuine repentance.
When the gospel first comes to the sinner it finds him in a state of apostasy from God, both as sovereign Ruler and as our supreme good, neither obeying and glorifying Him, nor enjoying and finding satisfaction in Him. Hence the demand for ‘repentance toward God’ before ‘faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Acts 20:21). True repentance toward God removes this dissatisfaction of our minds and hearts toward Him, under both these characters. In saving repentance the whole soul turns to Him and says: I have been a disloyal and rebellious creature. I have scorned Thy high authority and most rightful law. I will live no longer thus. I desire and determine with all my might to serve and obey Thee as my only Lord. I subject myself unto Thee, to submit to Thy will…Repentance…is the perception that God has the right to rule and govern me, and of my refusal to submit unto Him…As the Holy Spirit sets before me the loveliness of the divine character, as I am enabled to discern the exalted excellency of God, then I begin to perceive that to which He is justly entitled, namely, the homage of my heart, the unrestricted love of my soul, the complete surrender of my whole being unto Him.
Many are the scriptures which set forth this truth, that there must be a forsaking of sin before God will pardon offenders…He must be crowned Lord of all or He will not be Lord at all. There must be the complete heart renunciation of all that stands in competition with Him. He will brook no rival…Thus repentance is the negative side of conversion. Conversion is a whole–hearted turning unto God, but there cannot be a turning unto, without a turning from. Sin must be forsaken ere we draw nigh unto the Holy One. As it is written, ‘Ye turned to God from idols to serve (live for) the living and true God’ (1 Thes. 1:9) (A.W. Pink, The Doctrine of Salvation (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1975), pp.45, 49-53, 56, 58, 60, 79).

 

But this doesn't say that the Holy Spirit does not first convict the sinner.

How can any person have an interest in the Lord in their lost state?

Read Romans chapter 3

 

sounds like Jesus is wrong in Mark 1:15, and Luke 24:47; and Peter in Acts 2:38, for saying that it is a requirement for the sinner to repent of their sins, before they can get saved!

 

are you suggesting that a sinner can call upon the Lord for salvation, without the convicting of their sins by the Holy Spirit, in the first place?

 

are you saying that even the greater number of reformed theologians, as I have shown in #9, have got this wrong?

 

read what he said: "You create salvation by virtue of a law: The sinner must, before they are saved, repent of their sins"