Faith alone is not enough!

Many years ago, I explained the gospel to a young man in West Flanders. He said: “Now that’s how to be a real Christian! But it’s not for me. I would have to give up things I like to do!”

Millions of people believe in God, millions believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but they refuse to repent. Without repentance they are lost, according to Scripture, even though they believe.

We must of course believe. But repentance is also required. Faith alone is not enough.

The popular doctrine of salvation by faith only is contrary to Scripture. James says, “Even the demons believe - and tremble!” (James 2:19) and “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (James 2:24).

Not everyone who believes is willing to repent: “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42, 43).

Also in the church, repentance is needed! In Revelation, repentance is mentioned in five of the letters to the seven churches¹.

God commands everyone to repent.

Because we all sin², we all need to repent. But self-righteous people think they are good enough without repentance. And many - like that young man in West Flanders - want to continue in sin.

Jesus warns that everyone must repent: “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:2, 3, 5).

Paul told the Athenians: “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).

Although Job was “blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1), he understood that he needed to repent: “I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6).

Everyone needs to repent. I must repent! You must repent! Or we will perish.

What is repentance?

Repentance is a sincere turning away from sin and turning to God. It is a change of mind and heart, leading to a transformation in behavior and attitude. It flows from godly sorrow for wrongdoing³, but it also includes a firm commitment to change our way of life and do the will of God.

External rituals, although essential when commanded by God, are worthless without repentance. John the Baptist told the hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees who came for his baptism: “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:7, 8 // Luke 3:8).

Because repentance is a change of mind, it can occur in an instant. But repentance, if it is real, bears fruit. The result is dedication to God.

God is willing to forgives those who repent.

Thankfully, God is willing to forgive us when we turn away from sin. He told His people: “‘Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Therefore turn and live!’” (Ezekiel 18:30-32).

Peter writes: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Most people refuse to repent.

In spite of the horrible consequences of sin, and God’s willingness to forgive, most people do not repent.

“But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts” (Revelation 9:20, 21).

“And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory” (Revelation 16:9).

“They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds” (Revelation 16:11).

The Bible gives many examples of repentance.

Time and time again, God showed His willingness to forgive those who turned away from sin.

When Solomon dedicated the temple, he prayed: “When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to the land of the enemy, far or near; yet when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong, we have committed wickedness’; and when they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name: then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You” (1 Kings 8:46-50).

Jesus referred to Nineveh as an example of repentance. “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:41 // Luke 11:32).

Nineveh’s reaction to Jonah’s preaching illustrates repentance: “So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (Jonah 3:5-10).

One must repent to become a Christian.

The message of both John the Baptist and Jesus during His earthly ministry was a call to repentance⁴.

After His resurrection Jesus told His followers: “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46, 47).

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter told believers to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit was poured out on the household of Cornelius to show that God had “also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life” (Acts 11:18).

A call to repentance is central to New Testament preaching:

Peter preached: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21). “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31).

Paul preached “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). He proclaimed that people “should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:20). Felix was afraid when Paul reasoned with him “about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come” (Acts 24:25).

We also must preach repentance.

An atheist must repent before he can believe. Jesus preached “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Some people must repent before then can believe. The evidence for the existence of God is so powerful that it is because of their sins that atheists do not believe. I have known several young Christians who declared themselves to be atheists when they started committing fornication. Denying the existence of God is a way to pretend that you will not be judged by Him. We must call atheists to repentance.

Evil political leaders must be called to repentance. Because Herod had married his brother’s wife, John the Baptist told him, “It is not lawful for you to have her” (Matthew 14:4).

People in non-Christian religions must be called to repentance. To be saved, they must become followers of Jesus. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

People in churches of human origin must be called to repentance. Jesus warned: “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted” (Matthew 15:13).

Lazy Christians must be told to repent. Jesus warned the church at Laodicea: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:15-17).

When Simon the Sorcerer wanted to buy the apostles’ ability to give the Spirit by the laying on of hands, he was told: “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:22).

What have we learned?

Let us give repentance its proper place in our lives and in our preaching.
Amen.
Roy Davison