Repentance for salvation does not mean “turning from sin.” It does mean:
It means to turn from faith in dead works Heb. 6:1
It means turn from disbelief in Jesus. (“John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” Acts 19:4)
It means to turn from ignorantly believing that God is an image made by the hands of man. Acts 17:30.
It means to turn from rejecting Jesus as the Christ. Acts 2:38.
It means to turn from disbelief in the gospel. Mark 1:15.
Jerry said
So the things you mention are not considered sin??? Adam and Eves desire to be like God according to the lie Satan offered to them lead them to disobey God and their disobedience was not sin? I am a sinner hence I do sin, so what do I do with it, just blow it off?
jearwood said
I didn’t say the things I mentioned aren’t sin. I said we aren’t required to “give up” our sin in order to be saved. Salvation is for all who believe on Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:21-25 says:
Believing that Jesus is the Christ means we acknowledge that we are lost because of our sin, and without a savior, we’ll pay the penalty for our sins in hell for eternity. But Jesus’ blood is sufficient payment for our sins, and because of his shed blood, God is “just” in forgiving our sins. He is “just” because the penalty for our sin was paid…by the blood of Jesus Christ.
We should work towards lives of holy living and God will chastise his children in this life. God calls us to live holy lives repeatedly in the bible. But salvation is not dependent in any part on our own good life, or obedience to the law, or good deeds, or church attendance, or sorrow over our sin. We are saved now and forever if we have called upon the name of the Lord and believed in the Son of God. John 5:24: Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
Those who falsely teach that we must “turn from our sins” to be saved are teaching salvation by works. They are teaching that man cannot be saved unless MAN does something. Salvation is a “gift” (Romans 3:24) and the water of life is “freely given” to those who desire it. (Rev. 22:17). But if we can’t receive eternal life without doing something…without giving up something…it’s not a gift, it’s a reward for something we’ve done. This teaching makes a mockery of the work of Jesus on the cross, and feeds man’s prideful desire to earn his own salvation.
I hope that you’re trusting in Christ alone for salvation, and not on your own efforts to live a good life or avoid sin. If you’re saved, I also hope that you’re trying to live a holy life. It’s just important to know that one is not the other.
jerry` said
Thanks, and yes I am trusting Jesus Christ alone for my salvation, I realized 37 years ago I could do nothing to save myself in any way. If he had not sought me out, and gave me eternal life I would not have been able to attain it otherwise. I do all I know to do to resist sin and seek to live a holy life but that too is out of my reach without the grace of God working in my life. Thanks again for your kind response.