Repent! Repent! Repent!

By David J. Stewart | January 2011 | Updated June 2017

Matthew 21:32, “For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans
and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”

       The best way to interpret the Bible is to allow the Scripture to speak for itself. Concerning our text verse, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Jesus to question His authority. Jesus rebuked them for their unbelief. They had heard the preaching of John the Baptist. They had seen the publicans and harlots believe on Jesus. Yet, the Bible says they repented not themselves.

Had they repented they would have believed. That is what Jesus said. Jesus didn't say they would have forsaken their sins or surrendered their lives to God if they repented. No, rather, Jesus said they would have BELIEVED on Him had they repented. Biblical repentance is turning to Jesus to be forgiven of one's sins. It's that simple.

The Gospel of John mentions the word “believe” or “believed” 85-times, without ever mentioning the word “repent” even once. This is clear evidence that faith and repentance are inseparable; and that by believing on Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, one has also repented.

It is wrong to teach that a person must repent first, and then believe second; that is a false doctrine. The Bible teaches that the man who believes on Jesus has also repented. They happen simultaneously. One who has turned to Jesus for salvation has also turned his back against sin. This is Biblical salvation, evidenced by the plain words of John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” You don't turn from your sins to trust Jesus; you turn to Jesus to be forgiven of your sins. Amen!

Jesus DIED on the cross for our sins, He was BURIED, and He RESURRECTED three days later. This is “the Gospel” (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Jesus' grave is empty. We have a hope (John 16:33). Christ died, that's history; Christ died for me, that's salvation. If you repent toward God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, to be forgiven of your sins, then you will be saved (Romans10:13).

And remember, you don't have to “ask” Jesus to forgive your sins or save you. That's right! Jesus has already paid for everyone's sins with His precious blood. That's why eternal life is a “free gift” (Romans 5:15, 6:23). You simply BELIEVE the Gospel to receive eternal life and obtain the gift of forgiveness of sins!!! Jesus has already paid your sin debt my friend. Eternal life is a gift that you can simply receive by faith to have forever. The choice is yours alone to make. No one can do it for you. No priest or minister can save you. You must submit to God's righteousness, which is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:3-4; Philippians 3:9).
 

Misrepresented Preachers

Now let me say, many mighty preachers of the past have been horribly misrepresented, because Lordship Salvationists today are desperate in an attempt to prove their false doctrines. Since they cannot use the Word of God to prove their lies, they have no choice but to use secondary authorities. But they're a bunch of lying, good-for-nothing, scoundrels, as I will show you.

Here's a quote that is often used to claim that Charles H. Spurgeon taught Lordship Salvation...

"There must be a true and actual abandonment of sin and a turning unto righteousness in real act and deed in every day life. Repentance, to be sure, must be entire. How many will say, Sir, I will renounce this sin and the other...but there are certain darling lusts which I must keep and hold? Oh, sirs, in God's name let me tell you, it is not the giving up of one sin, nor 50 sins which is true repentance. It is the solemn renunciation of every sin.

(Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “Turn or Burn,” Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens, December 7, 1856).  

Now it sure seems like Spurgeon believed in Lordship Salvation, right? Well, nothing could be further from the truth, as this quote by Spurgeon himself plainly proves...

“You must not expect that you will be perfect in 'repentance' before you are saved. No Christian can be perfect. 'Repentance' is a grace. Some people preach it as a condition of salvation. Condition of nonsense! There are no conditions of salvation. God gives the salvation himself...” —Pastor Charles Spurgeon

SOURCE: Charles Spurgeon, from a sermon titled, 'REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE,' preached at the New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, on September 23, 1855)

I admit that Spurgeon DID teach heresy at times, and I won't defend him for that. But as you just read, Mr. Spurgeon didn't believe anything more was required to be saved than childlike faith. And let me remind you dear reader, that Charles Spurgeon is not our authority, the inspired Word of God is! Charles Spurgeon taught a free grace Gospel. In the earlier quote, Spurgeon says that a sinner must renunciate every sin, i.e., acknowledge one's self as being a guilty sinner before God. But do you see how a dishonest modern minister can misrepresent a preacher from the past, who is dead and cannot defend himself? Spurgeon's thousands of sermons contain enough information, that his words can be taken to teach almost anything!

What Did Charles Spurgeon Believe About Repentance?

You're going to find a lot of quotes by mighty men of God from decades and centuries past, taken out of context on the internet. By themselves, most of the quotes would seem to evidence that a preacher was supportive of Lordship Salvation; but as I just proved to you, a man can quite easily by misrepresented.

I am very careful when I expose someone as a false prophet. Ray Comfort clearly teaches that a person absolutely must stop committing sins or they can't be saved. He teaches in The Evidence Bible that the unsaved religious people sent to Hell in Matthew 7:22-23 weren't saved because they hadn't given up all their sins. But he foolishly leaves out verse 21 that tells us why those religious people went to Hell... because they failed to do the will of the Father, which according to John 6:40 is believing on Jesus Christ. Christ-rejecters go to Hell; not people who have faith in Christ, but don't stop living in sin. Ray Comfort's Gospel is all wrong!
 

Search the Scriptures

Jesus said to beware of the leavenings of the Pharisees. What did He mean? Matthew 16:12 tells us, “he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” Jesus was warning His disciples concerning the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Just as a loaf of yeast dough will expand as it rises, overtaking anything in it's path, so will false doctrine grow and overtake one's life if you're not careful.

False doctrine will corrupt you. This is why I will not attend certain churches. Now I love Baptist churches, and I'm an Independent Baptist myself; but some of them are corrupt. I recently visited a Baptist church where the pastor quoted Pat Robertson and praised Rick Warren. I couldn't get out of there fast enough! I want a pastor who walks with God for six days out of the week, and then teaches me on the 7th what he learned during the week. I don't want some rascal who read a book by Rick Warren, watched a show by Pat Robertson, and then wants to corrupt my mind with heresy on Sunday. No thanks! Jesus said SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES in John 5:39. Most pastors are searching everywhere else!
 

Dr. John R. Rice On Repentance

Dr. Rice was the founder of the Sword of the Lord (1895-1980), and Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) was his predecessor. Some Bible students claim that Dr. John R. Rice taught Lordship Salvation...

To repent literally means to have a change of mind or spirit towards God and toward sin. It means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in Jesus Christ to save you.

SOURCE: What Must I DO To Be Saved, by Dr. John R. Rice

Considering this quote by itself, one could be misled to believe that Brother Rice was teaching Lordship Salvation; BUT, he certainly is not. Dr. Rice goes on to state...

The change in your heart, sinner, is God's part and you may be sure He will attend to that. Your part is to simply believe in Him. Whatever else is necessary in your eternal salvation, the Lord attends to when you trust in Him, or believe in Him.

SOURCE: What Must I DO To Be Saved, by Dr. John R. Rice

Did you read what Dr. Rice said?, “The change is in your heart...” This is exactly what Bro. Hutson and Pastor Hyles taught. Salvation is of the heart; not of works. Salvation is of God, not man. Our part is simply to believe, but it is God who changes our heart as we grow in grace (1st Peter 2:2). Lordship Salvationists demand instant growth like a Chia Pet (just add water). 

Dr. Rice further states...

“One who believes in Christ has repented.”

SOURCE: What Must I DO To Be Saved, by Dr. John R. Rice.

This statement alone by Dr. John R. Rice clearly shows that he didn't believe in Lordship Salvation! Here is a quote from Dr. Curtis Hutson, with a quote which he provides from Dr. John R. Rice...

In an article in THE SWORD OF THE LORD, Dr. John R. Rice said:

"Sometimes the preacher does not himself fully understand the plan of salvation. He thinks of salvation as a process. First, there is a period of conviction, then a period of repentance, then an act of faith."

He [Dr. John R. Rice] went on to explain that when one trusts Christ as Saviour he also repents.

Dr. Rice is absolutely right. Faith and repentance are the same; they are not two separate decisions. One cannot trust Christ as Saviour without repenting or changing his mind. The very fact that he trusts Christ for salvation shows that he has changed his mind regarding sin, salvation, and God.

If one book of the Bible had to be considered "the salvation book," it would have to be the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is printed and distributed more than any other book of the Bible. The purpose of this book is given in John 20:31, "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

According to this verse, the whole purpose of the Gospel of John is that men might believe that Jesus is the Christ and believing they might have life through His name. In other words, it is written that men might be saved. Yet "repent" or "repentance" is not used one single time in the Gospel of John. On the other hand, "believe" is used more than ninety times in the twenty-one chapters.

SOURCE: Repentance: What Does the Bible Teach?

Curtis Hutson and John R. Rice are 100% in AGREEMENT on repentance! Dr. Rice further states...

“Repentance is inseparable from faith. The Greek word for repentance in the Bible simply means a change of mind; that is, a wholesome change of attitude toward sin and toward God. One who turns his heart to trust in Christ has, naturally, turned his heart away from the love of sin.”

SOURCE: Dr. Rice, Here is My Question...; pg. 248, by Dr. John R. Rice, Sword Of The Lord Publishers; ISBN: 0-87398-158-8

I don't like the choice of wording used by Dr. Rice in the preceding statement. “Repent” in the Holy Bible is “a change of mind,” but it is a change of mind from wrong thoughts to believing the Gospel. We are saved by BELIEVING the Gospel, not by repenting. But if we didn't repent (change our mind), then we wouldn't believe the Gospel. Repentance is admitting that I am a guilty sinner in the sight of a holy God. No one was ever saved who didn't admit that he is a sinner. Repentance is NOT, never, “turning away from sin,” away from from sinful behavior as a requirement to be saved. That would be works for salvation (Jonah 3:10).

People have the horrible tendency when they hear the word “repent,” to mentally add the words “from your sins,” but that phrase is not found in the Scriptures!!! It is heresy and a false Gospel to tell someone to “turn from sins” to be saved. Repeatedly in the Holy Bible we are told simply to BELIEVE the Gospel to be saved. John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

Let us ponder the words of Jesus, who said in John 6:37, “...him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Any sinner who sincerely wants to be saved, may be saved, if he'll simply come by way of the precious blood of Jesus.

I also want to quote Dr. John R. Rice from his excellent book, “Dr. Rice, Here Is My Question...”, page 248:

Question 200. Is repentance still necessary to salvation?

"Repentance is inseparable from faith.  The Greek word for repentance in the Bible simply means a change of mind; that is, a wholesale change of attitude toward sin and toward God.  One who turns his heart to trust in Christ has, naturally, turned his heart away from the love of sin ... It is a mistake to make a process out of salvation with repentance and faith as separate steps.  They are really different parts of the same step or different ways of speaking of the same attitude of heart. One who repents, that is, has turned from rebellion and unbelief to trust Christ, has believed, of course.  One who trusts in Christ has necessarily turned his heart from rebellion and rejection of Christ and so has repented." 

SOURCE: "Dr. Rice, Here Is My Question..."; ISBN: 0-87398-158-8; copyright, 1962, by Viola M. Walden

I agree with Dr. Rice 100%. Don't miss what he said... “The Greek word for repentance in the Bible simply means a change of mind; that is, a wholesale change of attitude toward sin and toward God.” Brother Rice doesn't define “repentance” as turning from the act of committing sin, nor even as a willingness to turn from the act of sin; but rather, as simply a change of attitude towards one's sin and the Savior. This is Biblical repentance. If you know you are a GUILTY sinner, condemned under God's holy Law, deserving of hellfire; and you believe on the Jesus Christ, you will be eternally saved. Romans 3:19 tells us that the Law was given that all the world might become “GUILTY BEFORE GOD.”
 

Conclusion of the Matter

There are many critics these days who attack soulwinners who are getting the job done. They accuse us of teaching “easy-believism.” Bless God it's easy to be saved... you come as a SINNER and you trust the SAVIOR! It's that simple. The Gospel is not difficult as some try to make it. It's easy to be saved.

Again, Jesus rebuked the Chief priests in Matthew 21:32 for their unbelief. They had heard the preaching of John the Baptist. They had seen the publicans and harlots believe on Jesus. Yet, the Bible says they repented not themselves.

Had they repented they would have believed. That is what Jesus said. Jesus didn't say they would have forsaken their sins or surrendered their lives to God if they repented. No, rather, Jesus said they would have BELIEVED on Him had they repented. Biblical repentance is turning to Jesus to be forgiven of one's sins. It's that simple.

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