Must we repent in order to be forgiven?

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Blik

Senior Member
Dec 6, 2016
7,312
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#21
Repentance doesn't earn salvation, repentance is the means by which we accept salvation - through exercise of free will choice, plain and simple.

When Christians realize that choice is not "work" but is merely "thought", then they will cease from this confusion of a false dichotomy between faith and works. Thus, works have nothing to do with obtaining salvation, they are the evidence that salvation has been obtain - through repentance- and that is why the absence of works is evidence to the contrary.

1 John 2:3-4 KJV says it all. The problem is our love of sin refuses to allow us to accept what is written here, but if we look to the Cross and see what sin has done to Jesus, God will grant us a hatred of it...which is all He ever wanted for us to have.
Isn't the book of 1 John a blessing. I hear new Christians told to start learning of God with the gospels, but the book of 1 John would give a complete picture of the Lord.
 
Aug 3, 2019
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#22
Isn't the book of 1 John a blessing. I hear new Christians told to start learning of God with the gospels, but the book of 1 John would give a complete picture of the Lord.
Amen, friend. I'm so happy I don't have to doubt just what the New Covenant is, of which my part is continual surrender of my will to God, and many promises of blessing on His part. Some regard this as "works based salvation" because they think "choice" is works and not what it is: thought. When they realize that choice is not works, then maybe they'll be willing to choose to put down the pornography and idolatrous entertainment and choose eternal life and to do "all to the glory of God" in all that they say, do, and think.
 

throughfaith

Well-known member
Aug 4, 2020
10,467
1,593
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#23
No need to write a book; the answer is here:

"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." John 16:12 KJV

By virtue of the above verse, we cannot but conclude born-again saints walk the Path of the Just alongside God where He reveals to us little by little, one at a time, our sins...sins from which He expects us to repent by His grace. If at any time we say, "Sorry, Lord, I've given up all that other stuff but I'm NOT giving up this" -- and persist in rebellion to the point we lose the ability to repent altogether through a hardened heart and a seared conscience -- we'll end up in the Lake of Fire.

Those who disagree are simply deluding themselves into believing they can obtain by dead faith that which can only be obtained by living faith: eternal life.
So this is salvation by your efforts?
 

throughfaith

Well-known member
Aug 4, 2020
10,467
1,593
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#24
Amen, friend. I'm so happy I don't have to doubt just what the New Covenant is, of which my part is continual surrender of my will to God, and many promises of blessing on His part. Some regard this as "works based salvation" because they think "choice" is works and not what it is: thought. When they realize that choice is not works, then maybe they'll be willing to choose to put down the pornography and idolatrous entertainment and choose eternal life and to do "all to the glory of God" in all that they say, do, and think.
Yes its works salvation but more important its a false Gospel message leading countless people to hell because they believe its their works that count . Many in church assume they are Christians because they look and sound Christian. That they are praying, fasting and doing all the stuff they think makes them a person in christ . Jehovah witnesses and Mormons make some Christians look like a lazy atheist compared to how ' christian ' they appear. They quote " you.ll know them by their fruits " .
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
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#25
Easy...Paul says "it is the goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance."

See? If you agree that repentance is the line of demarcation between "natural man" and "spiritual man", then you have to agree - as Paul's words declare -that God uses the Holy Spirit to lead the natural man to that line, right or wrong?

Yes, it is foolishness to the natural man when he hears YOU and ME preach the Gospel...but when the Holy Spirit drives that dagger in his heart and he is brought under conviction, well that's a whole other kettle of fish.
The Holy Spirit is a "quickening Spirit" which indwells a person as a part of the born again process as described in Eph 2, The natural man at the time of his quickening is still spiritually dead in sins, and has the heart of stone that cannot be pricked to feel guilt of breaking a spiritual law that he thinks to be foolishness. Part of the process of the new birth is that God changes the heart of Stone to a heart of flesh whos conscience can be pricked to feel spiritual guilt. Ezk 11:19.

It would be interesting to hear what your "whole other kettle of fish" is.
 

PennEd

Senior Member
Apr 22, 2013
13,572
9,091
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#26
What did the adulterous woman repent of BEFORE Jesus forgave and absolved her?

John 8 New King James Version (NKJV)
Jesus the Light of the World
8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#27
We are told many things about this, but what is the bottom line?

We cannot be saved through obedience to the law.

In Gelasian’s 2: 19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God.

Romans 6: 2 “How shall we, that dead to sin, live any more therein”.

In Matthew 3;2 we are told that the ministry of Christ centered on repentance. As Matthew spoke of Christ beginning His ministry he said consisted of: Matt:2 “Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is in hand”. If we live in a state of repentance, we live by the perfection of Christ, wanting to be sinless like Christ.

Christ told us to be perfect as the Lord is perfect. We know that is impossible except through Christ. Can we accept the sin in our life as OK and still have Christ within?

We are told that if we claim perfection, we lie. Yet all our sins are forgiven through Christ and we can live as if are perfect.

We know that there is no sin except blasphemy that we can’t be forgiven for. We also know we can depend completely on the promises of the Lord, and we are promised forgiveness if we repent and ask.

What is the bottom line from all these?
This is works salvation, it is saying you must repent after every sin. That’s not what the word says

it says repent and you will recieve the gift of the spirit,

sadly. Much of the church has changed the meaning of repentance and made it a religious condition of which man must continue in to earn salvation
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
113
#28
No need to write a book; the answer is here:

"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." John 16:12 KJV

By virtue of the above verse, we cannot but conclude born-again saints walk the Path of the Just alongside God where He reveals to us little by little, one at a time, our sins...sins from which He expects us to repent by His grace. If at any time we say, "Sorry, Lord, I've given up all that other stuff but I'm NOT giving up this" -- and persist in rebellion to the point we lose the ability to repent altogether through a hardened heart and a seared conscience -- we'll end up in the Lake of Fire.

Those who disagree are simply deluding themselves into believing they can obtain by dead faith that which can only be obtained by living faith: eternal life.
John 15:16 tells us who John is addressing in John 16:12, and it is to his apostles who he chose and ordained them to go and bring forth fruit. The apostles already have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that God gave them in the new birth, and Christ is telling them that when he goes away that he will send them the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost John 14:26 (a function of the Holy Spirit) and he will guide you into all truth.

The unregenerate, natural man will not repent of breaking a spiritual law that he cannot discern, and thinks to be foolishness. Only the regenerated child of God will repent, because he has been given the new heart of flesh that can be pricked to feel guilt.

When the regenerated child of God commits a sin, he temporary separates himself from his fellowship with God, which is referred to as a death=separation (according to Greek) because God will not fellowship sin. When he repents, God then has fellowship with him. He does not lose his eternal inheritance, because of his sin (that was forgiven on the cross). He only loses his fellowship with God, temporary, until he repents.
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
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#29
True...when the sinner is convicted by the Holy Spirit of his need for the Savior, he is at a crossroads where he will either surrender to Him and receive pardon and power to obey, or he will go his way, forgetting what manner of man he was shown to be, as James illustrates with his allegorical "mirror".
Can you give me the scripture that says the Holy Spirit convicts the unregenerate natural man?
 
Aug 3, 2019
3,744
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#30
So this is salvation by your efforts?
According to Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV, salvation is provided by God's sacrificial grace and accepted by us through the exercise of our faith -- a purely cognitive transaction -- after which the result is the turning from sin to a life of obedience.

Works do not obtain salvation, they are the evidence salvation has been obtained -- conversely, 1 John 2:3-4 KJV says a lack of works proves you're still lost, but you guys don't wanna hear that because you want to hold on to Jesus with one hand and your porno collection with the other. Not happening.
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
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#31
Without repentance, how can we come into agreement that we need His Salvation?
If we have been born again and have been given a new heart of flesh that can be pricked to feel guilt to repent, then we already have eternal salvation.

The natural , unregenerate, man/woman, still has a heart of stone that cannot be pricked to feel quilt of breaking a spiritual law that he cannot discern, and thinks it to be foolishness.
 
Aug 3, 2019
3,744
507
113
#32
Yes its works salvation but more important its a false Gospel message leading countless people to hell because they believe its their works that count . Many in church assume they are Christians because they look and sound Christian. That they are praying, fasting and doing all the stuff they think makes them a person in christ . Jehovah witnesses and Mormons make some Christians look like a lazy atheist compared to how ' christian ' they appear. They quote " you.ll know them by their fruits " .
I don't preach works salvation, nor do I preach your false Gospel that we can hold onto sin and Jesus at the same time.
 
Aug 3, 2019
3,744
507
113
#33
The Holy Spirit is a "quickening Spirit" which indwells a person as a part of the born again process as described in Eph 2, The natural man at the time of his quickening is still spiritually dead in sins, and has the heart of stone that cannot be pricked to feel guilt of breaking a spiritual law that he thinks to be foolishness. Part of the process of the new birth is that God changes the heart of Stone to a heart of flesh whos conscience can be pricked to feel spiritual guilt. Ezk 11:19.

It would be interesting to hear what your "whole other kettle of fish" is.
Sorry, but there's no Spiritual Switzerland. You're either dead in the Spirit or alive in the Spirit. I realize there are Calvinists here who teach similar ideas - that the natural man is totally depraved, incapable of being reasoned with by God, etc., but I don't find it in Scripture. When it comes to "total depravity", Satan wins gold, silver, and bronze, but even he understood and obeyed Jesus when Jesus pulled rank on him.
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
113
#34
This is works salvation, it is saying you must repent after every sin. That’s not what the word says

it says repent and you will recieve the gift of the spirit,

sadly. Much of the church has changed the meaning of repentance and made it a religious condition of which man must continue in to earn salvation
Salvation according to Greek interpretation means "deliverance".

There is an eternal deliverance given by the sovereign grace of God, without mans works, and there are many deliverances that the regenerated child of God receives here on earth by his works of repentance.
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
113
#36
Sorry, but there's no Spiritual Switzerland. You're either dead in the Spirit or alive in the Spirit. I realize there are Calvinists here who teach similar ideas - that the natural man is totally depraved, incapable of being reasoned with by God, etc., but I don't find it in Scripture. When it comes to "total depravity", Satan wins gold, silver, and bronze, but even he understood and obeyed Jesus when Jesus pulled rank on him.
If this is your whole kettle of fish, it does not explain anything according to the scriptures.
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
113
#37
Amen, friend. I'm so happy I don't have to doubt just what the New Covenant is, of which my part is continual surrender of my will to God, and many promises of blessing on His part. Some regard this as "works based salvation" because they think "choice" is works and not what it is: thought. When they realize that choice is not works, then maybe they'll be willing to choose to put down the pornography and idolatrous entertainment and choose eternal life and to do "all to the glory of God" in all that they say, do, and think.
If you want to give glory to God; Give him honor and praise for saving you by his sovereign grace, without your help. With your theory, mankind gets credit for accepting God, instead of God accepting him.

Dan 4:33 says that God has all power over the inhabitants of the earth to accomplish his will, and that none can stay his hand. Your theory is that God wants to save all mankind to live with him in heaven, but he cannot have his will because mankind will not accept him. and he will not usurp his authority over man's will. This portrays a weak, and powerless God that you serve.
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
113
#38
According to Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV, salvation is provided by God's sacrificial grace and accepted by us through the exercise of our faith -- a purely cognitive transaction -- after which the result is the turning from sin to a life of obedience.

Works do not obtain salvation, they are the evidence salvation has been obtained -- conversely, 1 John 2:3-4 KJV says a lack of works proves you're still lost, but you guys don't wanna hear that because you want to hold on to Jesus with one hand and your porno collection with the other. Not happening.
The "faith" in Eph 2:8 is not your faith, but is Jesus's faith Gal 2:16. The only spiritual faith that the regenerated child of God has is the imputed faith of Christ which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Gal 5:22.
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
113
#39
I don't preach works salvation, nor do I preach your false Gospel that we can hold onto sin and Jesus at the same time.
You may not call it works salvation, but that is what it is.

Your confusion is in your misinterpretation of the salvation scriptures in accrediting them all as an eternal deliverance, which will teach you salvation by works.

Save, Saved, Salvation according to
greek interpretation means deliver, delivered, and deliverance.

There is an eternal deliverance, and there are many deliverances that the regenerated child of God receives as he sojourns here on earth.
 

throughfaith

Well-known member
Aug 4, 2020
10,467
1,593
113
#40
I don't preach works salvation, nor do I preach your false Gospel that we can hold onto sin and Jesus at the same time.
" hold on to sin " this implies you believe that its required to stop sinning in order to be saved . This is classic works salvation. A false Gospel and disobedience against God .