SALVATION - Part 2

Salvation

“Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him . . .  Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali . . .  From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near," (Matt. 4: 11, 13, 17). “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ . . .” (Acts 2: 21, 37, 38). “The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household,” (Acts 16:30, 31). “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17: 30).

 

So what then must one do to be saved? Jesus began His ministry by preaching the Good News, the Gospel, saying “Repent and believe…”  When Peter spoke to the multitude on the day of Pentecost and was asked by the people what to do, he replied saying “… Repent…”  When Paul and Silas were by the jailer what he must do to be saved, Paul replied “Believe…”; and when speaking to the men at the Areopagus in Athens telling them that the divine Being is not like gold, or silver, or stone made by man’s design and skill, but God overlooked such ignorance and now commands all to repent.

I.                    REPENT AND BELIEVE

              Because of its use in Scripture it is essential to consider the Biblical meaning of repentance. We may trace this consideration as follows: 1) The meaning of the word; 2) The relation of repentance to believing.

 

1): The meaning of the word.

                The word translated to the English as repentance is from the Greek word, μετανοια, (metanoia) ‘a change of mind’. The common practice has been in reading into the word the thought of sorrow and anguish of the heart which has been the cause of a lot of confusion in the area of salvation.  Now sorrow can accompany and may possibly lead someone to repentance, but whatever it may be, sorrow in and of itself is not repentance.  “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation . . . , but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Cor. 7:10).  A precise meaning of the word can be found in Matt. 21: 28,29 when Jesus cites the reply of the son,  “A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ' Son, go work today in the vineyard.' 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went” (NIV); “but afterward he repented, and went” (KJV).

The call to repentance in the New Testament is not an ‘urge’ to self-condemnation, but a will to ‘a change of mind’ that promotes a change in the course being pursued.  As used in the New Testament the definition of this word is fundamental; little to no progress will be made in the Word of God concerning salvation unless an accurate, true meaning of the word is found.

 

2): Relation of Repentance to Believing.

 

                When an assertion is made that repentance is not ‘added’ to belief as a separate requirement for salvation it then is assumed that repentance isn’t necessary then for salvation.  Because of this assertion it must be stated dogmatically as far as language can declare, that repentance is essential for salvation and no one can be saved apart from repentance, yet it is included in believing and cannot be separated from it. 

Let’s restrict this issue to the unregenerate person, the unsaved and the problem that develops. The greatest hindrance to the salvation of the lost is the practice of demanding of the lost individual an anguish of soul before the exercise of faith (belief) in Jesus Christ, this need of having one to look inward at themselves instead of away from themselves towards Christ Jesus. Emotions cannot be produced at will – all this does is make salvation conditioned on feelings and not faith. This remorse, anguish, sorrow of the heart becomes a very subtle form of meritorious work and thereby a contradiction of grace.  Beneath the idea that there must be anguish and tears in order for there to be salvation sets up the notion that God then is not propitious, that He has to be moved or softened to pity by the persons grief.  The bible clearly states that God is propitious because of Jesus’ death on the cross so there is no occasion to melt or temper the heart of God.  God’s attitude towards sin and the sinner is a matter of revelation. To imply or to state that God has to be mollified by human agony is a desperate form of unbelief. The unsaved have the Good News, the Gospel, to just believe. The Good News is not that God has to be coaxed into a saving attitude; it is that Jesus the Christ has died and grace is extended from God who is propitious to the point of infinity.

                Humans are prone to imagine that there is some form of atonement for sin by being sorry for it. A Christian may have a place of sorrow for a transgression committed bringing the Christian to restoration – but for the unsaved it can’t be said without putting enough emphasis that there is no occasion to propitiate God or to provide any satisfaction by misery or distress of soul. Teachers and preachers who teach that the unsaved must experience some sort of mental anguish or suffering before they can be saved fail themselves in informing their listeners about exactly how much torture and agony they must actually secure.

                Repentance – a change of mind – is included in believing.  A person cannot turn to Jesus Christ from some other source or confidence without a change of mind - This is all a spiritually dead person con ever effect, all that person can do, and that ‘change of mind’ is the work of the Holy Spirit, “For by grace are you saved, through faith, and not of yourselves, it is a gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).

                Also it has to be considered that essential preparation of the heart is accomplished by the Holy Spirit in the unsaved individual for them to be able to make an intelligent and voluntary acceptance of Jesus the Christ as their Lord and Savior.  The unsaved will, by the Holy Spirit, be brought to the knowledge of just one sin – that is “They believed not in Me” (John 10:25). 

                To believe in Jesus Christ is one act – it is not turning from something to something, but a turning to something from something – almost a play on words but there is a clear distinction here and it is vital.  To turn form evil is one act and the action can terminate there. But to turn to Jesus Christ is one act joined together with believing; one cannot turn to, (change of mind – repent), without believing and one cannot believe (faith) without first receiving faith – the ability to believe, from the Holy Spirit by grace. In order for one to have a change of mind that person must believe, but to believe the person must have a change of mind and turn to Jesus Christ – but neither will happen without the Holy Spirit.  One (repentance) does not go without the other (belief), and then it is a gift, one cannot work for it, cannot go after it and obtain it – it is all the work of God.

                Human responsibility is limited concerning salvation to believing or faith. One cannot add anything to this if the glory of grace is to be preserved.