You Don't Have To Be Religious To Get To Heaven

Matthew 15:7-8, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.”

The world is full of religious people, but they have never been born again. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born again. John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Please don't take this matter lightly dear reader. You absolutely cannot go to Heaven without being born again by faith alone in Jesus Christ.

The great news is that you don't have to attend a church one day in your life to go to Heaven. You don't need to be water baptized. You don't need to speak in Charismatic tongues (a pagan practice that has it's origin in witchcraft). You don't have to partake of church sacraments (which aren't even taught in the inspired Holy Scriptures). To get to Heaven you don't have to join a church or live a good life, you just need to cease from trying to save yourself and REST completely in the dear Savior, Jesus, who died on the cross for you.

From the earliest age, many people have been indoctrinated to think that you need to become religious if you want to go to Heaven, but the wonderful truth is that you don't have to be religious at all to go to Heaven, Eternal life is the free gift of God, paid for in full by the precious blood of Jesus Christ that He shed on Calvary's cross for all humanity 2,000 years ago. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt of sin we could not pay. 2nd Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Salvation is not found in any religion, but in a person—the Lord Jesus Christ. Religion tries to fit us with glasses, but the Lord wants to open our eyes with the truth. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Billions of humans pursue religious paths throughout their life, but they never come to the knowledge of the Gospel which saves them who believe it.

What exactly is “the Gospel”?

1st Corinthians 15:1-6, “1Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”

There you have it, the Gospel is three things:

1. Jesus DIED on a cross to pay for our sins.
2. He was BURIED.
3. Three days later Jesus bodily RESURRECTED from the dead.

That is why we read the beautiful words in 1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” The only prerequisite to believing the Gospel is you must realize that you are a needy sinner in the sight of a holy God. That is, you must see your need for salvation. You must know why you need to be saved, and that is because you are a woeful guilty sinner, the penalty of which is to spend eternity burning in Hell (Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8). This is why God gave mankind the Old Testament law. Romans 3:19-20, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

The wicked Pharisees, and most Jews today, and all of the world thousands of false religions, foolishly think that the way you get to Heaven is by keeping the law. However, as we just read in Romans 3:20, God never intended for the law to save anyone; but rather, to show humanity our SINNERSHIP and bring us to CHRIST to be saved through faith alone in Him. Galatians 3:24-26, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

God has already made TWO great divisions to His inspired Word of OLD and NEW TESTAMENTS; or respectively, LAW and CHRIST. The Law shows us that we are needy sinners, and then brings us to Christ to be saved by faith in Him. Simply believe that Jesus did it all for you. Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty. Salvation is not achieved, it is received. Eternal life is the free gift of God. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The Gospel of John is God's Gospel tract according to 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.” The purpose for which John penned the Book of John is to convince you (the reader) that Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten Son of God, so that by trusting upon Jesus' name you will be saved. That is so beautiful!

In the Gospel of John we find the word “believe” mentioned 85 times, but you won't find any requirement to repent, confess, turn, surrender, forsake, pray or get water baptized to get to Heaven. Jesus said in John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” The inspired Holy Bible is very clear about God's simple plan of salvation, as I have just shared with you. Yet, a counterfeit plan of salvation is being preached from nearly every church pulpit, every religious film, every so-called “Christian” book, every television station, every radio program and every Bible seminary today.

Repetition is the key to learning, which is why I often write blogs about salvation. There is nothing more important in this universe and beyond than the GOOD NEWS (i.e., the Gospel) of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen the third day, because the Good News of salvation through faith in Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven. John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

If you trust in the Sacramental Salvation of the Roman Catholic church, you will NOT go to Heaven. If you trust in the Sacramental Salvation of Martin Luther (1483-1546), who in his written catechisms (1529 AD) required water baptism and communion to be saved, then you WON'T go to Heaven. You either exclusively trust (rely) upon Christ's sacrifice on Calvary's cross as full-payment for your sins or you cannot be saved. There is no other name given among men whereby we can be saved (Acts 4:10-12).

Dear friend, you don't have to be religious to know that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Luke 10:20). Religion is manmade, but salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9).

Martin Luther: Master Of Deceit

Titus 1:10-14, “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.”

There is not a more damnable false prophet than Martin Luther (1883-1546). Mr. Luther allegedly got saved by faith alone in 1517, but in his catechism written 12 years later in 1529 Luther plainly taught that no one can go to Heaven unless they are water baptized and partake of communion.

Pastor Max D. Younce (1935-2023) has authored a helpful book titled, “MARTIN LUTHER: MASTER OF DECEIT” (backup). Dr. Younce has graciously made his books freely available in .pdf format, or you can purchase hard copies from Heritage Baptist Bible Church.

Martin Luther was so perverted in his theology, that he even taught that you can be saved WITHOUT FAITH, just so long as you get water baptized. Here is a direct quote...

"𝗙𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗢𝗧; 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱..."

𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗺 (𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗺) - 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿

Unless he secretly repented of his false plan of salvation, Martin Luther split Hell wide open when he died in 1546.

Tragically, the biggest false religion in the world, Catholicism, actually quotes Martin Luther in an attempt to justify their heresy of Baptismal Regeneration. The following is quoted from Catholic.com...

"The Christian belief that baptism is necessary for salvation is so unshakable that even the Protestant Martin Luther affirmed the necessity of baptism. He wrote: 'Baptism is no human plaything but is instituted by God himself. Moreover, it is solemnly and strictly commanded that we must be baptized or we shall not be saved. We are not to regard it as an indifferent matter, then, like putting on a new red coat. It is of the greatest importance that we regard baptism as excellent, glorious, and exalted' "(Large Catechism 4:6). [emphasis added]

SOURCE: http://www.catholic.com/library/necessity_of_baptism.asp

What sad irony? Here's a heathen Catholic ministry quoting Martin Luther's own words to support their damnable heresy. I ask you: Why do most Christians today continue to honor Mr. Luther as a great man of faith, who clearly wasn't even saved? Luther taught that Water Baptism could save a person, even if no faith was present. This goes against even the plainest of Scripture...

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9)

“To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43)

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5)

Did Martin Luther never read Mark 16:16? ...

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT SHALL BE DAMNED.”

To be water baptized but not have faith in Jesus Christ is a sure road to Hell, fire and damnation! Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.

Martin Luther Preaches Baptismal Regeneration Heresy

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a religious fraud, a heretic. Tragically, this man who has been dead for 477 years is still brainwashing people with his damnable heresies, leading them into Hellfire.

Here are the words of one such deceived soul...

"...the central truths of Christianity, the most important of which, for Luther, was the doctrine of justification — God's act of declaring a sinner righteous — by faith alone through God's grace. He began to teach that salvation or redemption is a gift of God's grace, attainable only through faith in Jesus as the messiah."

SOURCE: Wriedt, Markus. "Luther's Theology," in The Cambridge Companion to Luther. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003, 88–94

But did Luther really believe that salvation was "only through faith in Jesus?" No, he did not, as I will prove to you. In Luther's Large Catechism he foolishly states:

"Moreover, that it is most solemnly and strictly commanded that we must be baptized or we cannot be saved..." [emphasis added]

SOURCE: The Large Catechism (XIII) - Martin Luther

Mr. Luther penned these words in 1529, twelve years after his alleged conversion to Jesus Christ in 1517. How much more evidence do you need to know that Martin Luther was an imposter, a Modernist, and an unsaved man?

Beware Of Wolves In Sheep's Clothing

Martin Luther is a liar of liars, who is still deceiving people nearly 500 years later with his false teachings. This is because of the power of propaganda. This is why Adolf Hitler (1938), Joseph Stalin (1942), and President George W. Bush (2000/2004) have all been shamefully honored by TIME magazine (a known Communist organization).

Likewise, Martin Luther is responsible for leading untold millions of people into the eternal Lake of Fire. Woefully ignorant and foolish people continue to praise Luther today. There is much information available exposing Martin Luther. People by nature go by what they hear, not having sense enough to think objectively for themselves. It is the Bible preacher's duty to exhort people to “SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES” for the truth (John 5:39). What saith the Scripture? God's opinion is the only opinion that truly matters. Romans 4:3, “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”

Mr. Luther was unquestionably a great religious leader of his time. Luther did much work to translate the Word of God. There is no question that Luther was a pioneer of the Reformation. Yet, tragically, Martin Luther taught ANOTHER GOSPEL (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4), which is a false plan of salvation that cannot produce the new birth by the Holy Spirit of God. There is a curse upon anyone, even an angel (demon), who preaches another gospel (Galatians 1:6-8). 

Mr. Luther sadly had churchianity, but he did not have Christianity. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born again. Religion cannot get a person into Heaven. I am not asking you to take my word for it dear reader; but rather, consider what the Scriptures teach, and then look at what Mr. Luther taught. They are diametrically opposed to each other. Those who promote Martin Luther are pulling on the same rope as the Devil.

RUN from the Lutheran religion! Please don't be sucked into this deadly cult. No one in the Old Testament was water baptized, but those who went to Heaven had faith in Christ (Acts 10:43). The repentant thief on the cross did not have time to get water baptized, his hands were nailed to a cross. All he did was (as a needy sinner) BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST to be saved. Martin Luther came out of the toxic Roman Catholic church, but the corrupt Catholic church did not come out of him.

Whereas Catholics require keeping SEVEN sacraments to be saved, Luther required keeping TWO sacraments to be saved. Either way they both taught the damnable heresy of Sacramental Salvation. Romans 3:20b plainly declares “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty!

The Gospel Does NOT Change Someone

2nd Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

There is a popular heresy taught in many churches today, which says that THE GOSPEL will change your life. Dear reader, THE GOSPEL doesn't change anyone, the indwelling Holy Spirit working in coordination with the inspired Word of God changes a new convert over time, as we are renewed in the spirit of our mind. This is what our text passage of Scripture teaches.

The indwelling Holy Spirit teaches us the truth and guides us. John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” It's very important that we don't ever try to foolishly convince someone that THE GOSPEL is supposed to miraculously change them, because it does not and cannot change anyone.

That is why The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 includes “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you,” because if we don't mentor new converts they won't grow in the Lord's grace as they should. If the Gospel could change people, then we wouldn't need to TEACH THEM.

Pacific Garden Mission's 'UNSHACKLED' radio program in Chicago is guilty of this woeful heresy, demanding that Skid Row men instantly change their behavior as a prerequisite to come to Christ to be saved. Their go to Scripture is 2nd Corinthians 5:17, which they horribly take out of context. The only thing that a person receives at the moment of the new birth is God's gift of His blessed Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9; 1st John 3:24). To grow as saints, we must nurture on the milk (and eventually meat) of God's inspired Word. 1st Peter 2:2-3, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” Ephesians 4:23-24, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Here is a helpful sermon by Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) titled, "Your Salvation Did Not Change You A Bit." I encourage you to listen to this sermon, it is one of my favorites. In his sermon, Brother Hyles explains the importance of local churches mentoring new converts to renovate their lives for Christ. Like a real estate transaction, getting saved is a transfer of ownership (from Satan to God), but buying a house, commercial building or some land does not change it. The new owner must invest the time and resources to renovate the newly acquired property to make it fit for use. The same is true when somebody comes to Jesus and gets born again. A very helpful book written by Dr. Jack Hyles on the subject is titled, "Salvation Is More Than Being Saved," which I highly recommend reading.

THE GOSPEL is “the power of God” that saves us (i.e., them that believe it) according to Romans 1:16. NOTHING in the Gospel itself can change our behavior. Psalms 119:9-11, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Turning Away from Sins is Effectively Keeping the Law

Romans 3:31, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

The Old Testament law was given by God for the purpose of showing all mankind their sinnership. Romans 3:19, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” And again we read in Galatians 3:24-26, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

Since NO ONE can perfectly keep God's law, there is a “CURSE” upon everyone under the law. Galatians 3:10, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Romans 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” So we learn that eternal life cannot be obtained by keeping the law! And those who do try to be saved by keeping the law are under the curse of the law!

Here's the good news! Romans 3:21-24, “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” I love this passage of Scripture! As you read in Romans 3:21, there is a righteousness that is “WITHOUT THE LAW”! This is the imputed righteousness of God. Literally, this means that by faith you can be saved, even though you do no works (i.e., you don't keep the law). What is the law? It is the Ten Commandments as specified in Exodus 20. The law teaches mankind not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to take the name of the Lord in vain, not to covet thy neighbour's wife and property, not to bear false witness, not to bow down nor worship images, et cetera. The Jews failed to keep God's law. In fact, they had broken every command before Moses had even returned from receiving them from God. Moses and Aaron found the people dancing naked around a golden calf, to the sound of rock and roll music in the camp, committing sexual immorality. These were God's people!

We Are Saved By God's Righteousness Through Faith in Jesus Christ

Please notice again Romans 3:22a, “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.” There we see the simplicity that is in Jesus Christ. There is no mention of “turning away from sins,” nor of “inviting Jesus into our life,” nor of “saying 'Jesus is Lord,'” nor of “asking Christ to take control of our life to be saved.” I am perplexed that multitudes of Baptist preachers today have embraced Satan's lie of Lordship Salvation.

Many sincere preachers, like Evangelist David W. Cloud, deny teaching Lordship Salvation, but they are nonetheless teaching a variation of the heresy. The Holy Bible is very clear in Romans 3:22 that we are saved by “the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all THEM THAT BELIEVE” [emphasis mine]. There is no mention of sacrament keeping. There is no mention of turning away from sins. There is no mention of confessing Christ before men. There is no mention of following Christ. We are taught simply to BELIEVE!

The Apostle Paul teaches that through faith the curse of the law is made void (i.e., lacking legal force). Romans 3:31, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” The very moment that a person trusts Christ, he or she is no longer under the legal indictment of the law of God. They are now under grace, because Christ vicariously (our substitute) died in our place on the cross, suffering the punishment for our sins. Romans 6:15, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” What a beautiful and comforting truth! My friend, if you are a born-again believer, you are no longer under the legal curse of the law, YOU ARE UNDER GOD'S GRACE!!!

Jesus Paid A Debt He Did Not Owe, Because We Owed A Debt We Could Not Pay

There is something in the legal world called “Vicarious Liability.” The general rule in criminal law is that there is no vicarious liability. Thus, the practice of holding one person liable for the actions of another is the exception and not the rule in criminal law. Albeit, Jesus Christ volunteered to suffer, bleed and die on the cross for the sins of mankind. Romans 5:7-8, “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Hardly anyone would sacrifice their life for a man of God. Perhaps even someone would die for a good man. But who would sacrifice their life for a criminal? That's right, no one! Yet, God has shown His love for all mankind by dying for you and me, who are guilty sinners, all criminals in God's holy eyes!!!

To help you understand the beauty and power of what being under grace means, let me give you a brief illustration. Let's say (if it were possible) a man has committed hundreds of felony crimes. He has a rap sheet a mile long! If convicted (and he will be) he'll be sentenced to dozens of lifetimes behind bars in prison. But during the court hearing, a mysterious stranger enters the court room to speak with the judge, who offers to take the place of the indicted man, paying for his offenses with his own life! And so the guilty man is set free, because the innocent man has offered to take his place. Of course, this scenario would never happen in man's court system, to protect the public interest.

However, God's court system is very different. Jesus Christ has already paid the full-price for the sins of mankind. That's right, everyone's sins and crimes have already been paid for, as far as eternal life is concerned. But there's a catch, you must receive that pardon for your crimes (sins), by placing your faith in Christ's death on the cross, and His burial, and bodily resurrection three days later. This is “the Gospel” (1st Corinthians 15:1-4).

Hence, Jesus does NOT forgive sins! That is correct! Jesus has already paid for our sins with His precious blood! Our sins are paid for, which means that forgiveness is a free “gift” to whosoever wants it. We receive this gift of eternal life and forgiveness through faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. 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.” Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

I love the following verses. 1st John 2:1-2, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” The word “advocate” is the Greek word Parakletos, which means, “an intercessor, a consoler.” Isn't that beautiful? When we sin as a believer, Jesus Himself is our attorney, Who intercessors on our behalf in the courtroom of the Father (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 4:15-16). That helps me sleep at night!!! But wait, there's more! Jesus is also our consoler, who gives us moral and emotional strength. In other words, when a believer sins, we have a friend who is our lawyer, and He assures us that everything is going to be alright. That's peace of soul that all the money in the world cannot purchase! Thank you Lord Jesus! Praise the Lord!

The word “propitiation” is the Greek word hilasmos, which means, “to appease one's wrath, an expiator (to make amends).” Nearly every preacher quotes Romans 5:8, but not verse 9. Romans 5:8-9, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” God's wrath is reserved for all unrepentant humans who perish in their sins without Christ! It is Jesus' precious blood that appeases the great wrath of God the Father. Hebrews 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Only Christian believers will escape the wrath of God, which is reserved for the lost in the Lake of Fire. 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9, “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.”

Everyone is Either Under Law or Under Grace

My friend, you are either under the law of God or under God's grace, and there is nothing between. Romans 11 is speaking about the Jews. Most Jews were unsaved, still under the curse of the law; but a remnant of Jews were saved, under grace. The Bible makes clear that there is nothing in between. Romans 11:6, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” Here's a great MP3 sermon by Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold titled, “Caught Between Grace And Works.”

The Scriptures are abundantly clear that salvation comes without works, without keeping the law, without self improvement, without following Christ as “Lord,” without turning away from sins. Eternal life is a free gift, paid for by Jesus' precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). There is no requirement in the Scriptures to “turn away from sins” to be saved. That is not what “repentance” means. To “repent” means “to think differently.” Repentance is unto the Gospel itself! There is not even one Bible verse that teaches “to turn away from sins” as a prerequisite to receiving the gift of eternal life.

Bible Repentance Versus Reformation (Turning From Sins)

You DO NOT need to reform nor promise God to reform to be saved. You don't need to change yourself as a condition of receiving God's FREE GIFT of eternal life. That would be works, not grace. That's not how Christianity works! You first come to God as a needy sinner, RESTING wholly in His only begotten Son, Jesus; and then after you are in Christ (saved), the gift of God's indwelling Holy Spirit begins to work to change you (2nd Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:22-25; Romans 8:9; 1st John 3:24; John 16:13).

You do need to know what you are being saved from (Hell - Revelation 20:15), and why (because the wages of your sin is death - Romans 6:23). To get to Heaven, you must change your mind (repent) about TWO things:

1. WHO YOU ARE (you are a guilty hell-deserving sinner)
2. WHO JESUS IS (He is the Christ, the only begotten Son of God)

If you agree with these two facts—and you receive Christ's sacrificial death on the cross as full-payment for your sins, believing that He was buried but raised up from the dead three days later—and that is your only hope for eternal life—then you are now and forever saved dear reader. You have God's promise of it! 1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”

Again, Bible repentance has absolutely nothing to do with forsaking a sinful lifestyle or promising God to do better in the future. These virtues are reformation, not repentance. Scriptural support for what I am teaching is found in Matthew 27:3, where it tells us that Judas Iscariot repented, but he did not get saved. Matthew 27:3-4, “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.” Judas did not acknowledge that he was a guilty sinner in God's sight, nor did he change his mind to believe on Jesus as the Christ. Judas merely felt sorry that he had betrayed an innocent man, Jesus. That is NOT true repentance.

A totally different Greek word (metamellomaiin, meaning, “to regret”) is used in Matthew 27:3, than is used in other passages metanoia (“a change of mind”) regarding getting saved. To clarify, repentance is automatically included in believing. As long as you realize that you are a guilty sinner in the sight of a holy God, and you place your trust (faith, reliance) in Jesus alone as the Christ, the only begotten (biological) Son of God (which makes Him God), you are saved friend. What saith the Scripture? John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Again, there is no mention of forsaking sinful bad habits, nor of inviting Christ into one's life, nor of making Jesus one's “Lord” to be saved. Romans 3:20b makes very clear that “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.” I hear many corrupt, but sincere, pastors preaching a distorted plan of salvation. They tell the Gospel while simultaneously telling people to “ask Jesus to take control of their life” to be saved, which is not the Gospel. Effectively, they are building a bridge between the Gospel and works salvation.

Pacific Garden Mission's “UNSHACKLED” is a major offender in this area, telling people to turn away from sinful ways and surrender control of their life to Christ to be saved. Sadly, UNSHACKLED could be renamed to SHACKLED. Granted, it does sound really good to tell sinners they must depart from sinful behavior, and believe the Gospel to be saved. It appeals to our carnal human nature that a man ought to have to forsake his sinful ways if he expects God to save Him! However, this is what religion teaches, not the Holy Bible. To include forsaking one's sins as part of salvation, is no different than trying to keep the works of the law to be saved. To say that God will not save a man who is unwilling to forsake his sinful ways, is to say that “works” are required to receive the “gift” of eternal life. How absurd! A gift is a gift is a gift!

The very doctrine of God's imputed righteousness to the believer obliviates all such teachings of declaring Jesus as one's Lord to be saved. The truth is that JESUS IS LORD, you don't make Him Lord. To be saved, you simply receive Jesus as your Savior. John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” 1st Timothy 4:10, “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.” Jesus is the Savior of all men, but you must receive Him personally to be saved. The way to be saved is to BELIEVE THE GOSPEL!!! The apostle Paul declared in 1st Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.” Notice that the Gospel is rendered ineffective by men's “words of wisdom.” Intellectualism is an enemy of soul-winning!

I know you've heard them. I have heard them—preachers who ramble on for hours, lacking any real substance. By the end of their sermon you're utterly frustrated, because there was nothing to grab onto in their message, nothing to sink your teeth into! I love porcupine preachers—because YOU GET THE POINT!!! The apostle Paul warned of balloon-preachers, who are filled with hot air, diluting the truth in never-ending displays of worldly wisdom. One such preacher is Dr. Ravi Zacharias. Religious radio is filled with dry preachers, deadbeats, balloon preachers who avoid offending their listeners for the sake of donations. They are a sure cure for insomnia (unable to sleep)! The great need of the hour is PREACHING PREACHERS! Today's religious ministers are teachers who appeal to the MIND, not Bible-preachers who appeal to the HEART!

Oh, how we need men of God today, who walk with God, and who preach the truths that God's Word burns into their heart. God's Word burned in Jeremiah's heart!!! Jeremiah 20:9, “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” Preaching is truth set on fire!!! The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah (known as “The weeping preacher”) had quit preaching in frustration. Jeremiah's message was one of doom for Israel. It was too late for them (Jeremiah 25:11)—no matter what they did, the Jews were going to be humiliated by the Chaldeans (Babylon). Yet, even in his frustration, Jeremiah couldn't withstand the burning conviction of God's Words in his heart, and he returned to preaching the inspired Words of God to the people. Amen!

Believe On The Lord Jesus Christ And Thou Shalt Be Saved

I've laid the preceding Biblical groundwork to teach the main truth of this article, which is, turning away from sins is effectively keeping the law. This is a false plan of salvation. TO BE SAVED, the satanic heresy of Lordship Salvation requires sinners not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to take the name of the Lord in vain, not to covet thy neighbour's wife and property, not to bear false witness, not to bow down nor worship images, et cetera. These are the works of the law! This is “another Gospel” (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4).

From viewing the truths that I've shared with you, it should be abundantly clear that every believer is UNDER GRACE. Hallelujah! The believer is no longer UNDER LAW. We have a Savior, and an attorney, and an intercessor, and a consoler, and a friend! Please notice our text verse from Romans 3:31, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” Just because a believer is no longer under the law, that is, the law no longer has any legal power against us, doesn't give us God's permission to disregard the law. We are commanded to establish (or uphold) the law.

I'd guesstimate that at least half of all Baptist preachers today teach some variation of the Lordship Salvation heresy. Beware Of “Operation Somebody Cares” And Chick Tracts. Beware of Evangelist Billy Graham. Beware of Pastor Chip Ingram. False prophetess Ellen G. White of the Seventh-day Adventists also taught Lordship Salvation. Mormons and Dr. John MacArthur share the same errant view of repentance. I'm not trying to be unkind, just honest. The religious cults all view “repentance” as a change of life, or turning away from sins; whereas, in sharp contrast the Word of God teaches that repentance (metanoeo) means “to think differently.” Thus, we think differently toward God (“repentance toward God” - Acts 20:21b), believing the Gospel to be saved (Mark 1:15). Repentance is unto the Gospel itself! We don't repent AND believe; but rather, we repent TO believe!!!

We are saved simply by BELIEVING THE GOSPEL! 1st Corinthians 1:21, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” The plan of salvation is simple, summed up in one word—Gospel! Getting saved is so easy and simple that the Bible calls the Gospel, “THE SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CHRIST” (2nd Corinthians 11:3). Beware of false prophets, nearly all of whom I believe are sincere, who wrestle (twist) the Scriptures “unto their own destruction” (2nd Peter 3:16), and are “being led away with the error of the wicked” (2nd Peter 3:17).

“The religions of the world say, 'do and live.' The religion of the Bible says, 'live and do'.” —Dr. Bob Jones Sr. (1883-1968)

“Like the thief on the cross who never had an opportunity to 'turn from his sin,' we, like him, can only 'acknowledge our sinfulness' in order to be saved (Lk 23:40-41). ...True repentance has nothing to do with 'turning from sin' and everything to do with 'acknowledging one's sinfulness' (Jonah 3:5). Like the thief on the cross who simply acknowledged his sinfulness (Lk 23:39-43), the only part a person has in salvation is the beggar's part.” —Pastor Brad Strand, "The Strand Study Bible"; 2nd Corinthians 7:8-9, p. 1939

Believing Is All That's Required To Get To Heaven

Galatians 3:22-24, “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

I marvel how so many preachers pervert God's simple plan of salvation. The inspired King James Bible plainly teaches that salvation comes by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Eternal life is a solemn PROMISED from God “to save them that believe” (1st Corinthians 1:21b).

BELIEVE! BELIEVE! BELIEVE!

Acts 13:39, “And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” What part of “BELIEVE” don't today's corrupt preachers understand? I am so sick and tired of hearing ungodly preachers embellish and change God's simple plan of salvation. In most Baptist churches today, sadly, you will hear some of the following corrupt embellishments added to the Gospel:

1. turn from your sins
2. forsake a lifestyle of sinning
3. leave the world
4. forsake your past sinful ways
5. live a lifestyle of repentance
6. become a Christ follower
7. surrender your life to Christ
8. receive Jesus as your Lord
9. get water baptized
10. partake of sacraments
11. pray a sinner's prayer
12. exchange all that you are for all that Christ is
13. commit your life to Christ
14. faithfully run the race
15. prove the genuineness of your faith by doing works

NONE of these things are found in the inspired King James Bible, yet you will hear any number of these perversions of the Scripture in most churches today. It is tragic!

When asked in Acts 16:30, “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?,” the simple answer Paul and Silas gave in verse 31b was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...” None of the aforementioned 15 embellishments are found in Acts 16:31. But we do find the all important word “BELIEVE.”

I hope you now realize dear reader that you have been lied to by most preachers today. For example: Here is the perverted plan of salvation according to the late Billy Graham.

Beware Of False Prophet, Billy Graham

One such minister of unrighteousness is Billy Graham (1918-2018). I cannot warn people enough about the lying counterfeit plan of salvation of Billy Graham, and his son Franklin Graham. Here is a quote from the official website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA)...

“Many people come to Christ without first counting the cost. The cost includes repentance, the forsaking of sin, and a continual, daily, open acknowledgment of Christ in your life.” [emphasis added] 

SOURCE: How to Be Sure You’re Saved | Decision Magazine | BGEA

Liar, liar, pants on fire in Hell!!! Nowhere does the inspired King James Bible teach those lies!!! Bible repentance is “a change of mind” (Greek: metanoia), not a change of behavior. Changing one's behavior is reformation, not repentance. A changed life for a believer is produced by the “fruit” of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25), and by not one's decision to straighten up as a requirement to be saved. Billy Graham is a liar!!!

Openly acknowledging Christ in one's life is strictly a matter of discipleship, not sonship. Pastor M.R. DeHaan (1891-1965) said it very well...

"There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel, to be a disciple one obeys the challenge to a life of dedicated service and separation. Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ; discipleship comes only by sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk. Salvation can't be lost because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but discipleship can be lost because it depends upon our faithfulness." —Pastor M.R. DeHaan, “Hebrews”; Zondervan Publishing House; 1959 (p. 117)

Billy Graham has woefully confused service with salvation (confused discipleship with sonship), mixing the two, which is another gospel that cannot produce the new birth by the Holy Spirit of God. One of my very favorite quotes, comes from one of my favorite Gospel preachers, John Bunyan:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)

That is brilliant! Every pastor and every layman should memorize that precious quote, as I have also. John Bunyan fully understood the free grace Gospel. Bunyan understood that the fruit produced by the indwelling Holy Spirit (aka, the Spirit of Christ) was a matter of sanctification, and not of justification. The heresy of Lordship Salvation confuses people by combining sanctification with justification. Woe unto false prophet pastors! Jeremiah 12:10, “Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.”

Beware Of The “Have A Relationship With Jesus” Heresy

John 3:1-3, “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

From nearly every church pulpit today, and on nearly every radio station, and in nearly every religious book written and throughout social media—you will hear the unbiblical rubbish taught, that to get to Heaven you must “have a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus.” It reminds me of a broken record that just keeps repeating over and over again. The big problem is that nowhere does the inspired Holy Bible require us to start a relationship with Christ to be saved.

In fact, Judas Iscariot did have a personal “relationship” with Jesus, but he still went to Hell in his sins to burn forever. How tragic and sad! The simple truth is that you don't get to Heaven by starting or maintaining a personal “relationship” with Christ. What the Bible DOES teach is that: YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!

John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

You can have a personal relationship with Jesus and still go straight to Hell when you die. What you had better do is GET BORN AGAIN! What saith the Scripture? John 1:12-13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” You receive the supernatural miracle of the new birth by placing your childlike faith (trust, reliance) in Jesus Christ alone.

Any needy sinner who by faith (taking God at His Word as recorded in the Scripture) receives Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for their sins, believing that Jesus was buried, but then physically resurrected from the dead three days later is instantly, irrevocably and eternally saved (1st Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 1:16). 1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”

It is very wrong, unbiblical and misleading to merely tell a lost sinner that they need to have a “relationship” with Jesus to have their sins forgiven. The Bible says that you must TRUST upon the name of Jesus to be saved! Since we have never actually met the person named Jesus, all we can do is to trust (rely) upon His precious name. God understands this, which is why John 1:12b says, “to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name...” It is perfectly okay to place your faith in Jesus' name, believing that He died in your place on the cross to pay your massive debt of sin. Thank God for the cross of Calvary that Jesus died upon for my sins!!!

Please don't ever mislead anybody by telling them to begin a “relationship” with the Savior. Although it is true that every Christian believer has a relationship with Jesus as God's adopted child (Romans 8:15), you don't acquire that relationship by starting the relationship. You acquire it by being BORN AGAIN, which is through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

When the unsaved Philippian jailor asked Paul and Silas how to be saved in Acts 16:30, they did not tell the man to have a “relationship” with Jesus. No, they said in Acts 16:31b, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” The word relationship doesn't even appear once in the entire inspired Holy Bible! Satan has effectively obscured God's simple plan of salvation, by filling the churches with all sorts of unbiblical embellishments, religious jargon and the commandments of men (Mark 7:9).

In so do, well-meaning but wicked religious people have perverted the Gospel of free grace, blinding the lost to the light of the truth. 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” It is a very dangerous thing and a serious offense against God, to tamper with the plain Gospel as proclaimed clearly in the Word of God...

1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;: And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

There you have it, 'THE GOSPEL':

1. Jesus DIED on a cross for our sins
2. He was BURIED.
3. Three days later Jesus RESURRECTED from the dead.

So where in the world do today's corrupt pastors get the WRONG ideas that to get to Heaven you must: turn from your sins, forsake the world, live a lifestyle of repentance, live a changed life to prove that your faith is genuine, surrender all to Christ as “Lord,” become a Christ follower, get water baptized, keep sacraments, observe the Sabbath Day, do good works, et cetera? They are all dirty infidel liars!

The Man Who Believes Has Also Repented

2nd Timothy 2:25-26, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

I love this passage of Scripture, because it helps us to understand what repentance means. We know that the Greek noun for “repentance” in Verse 25 means “a change of mind.” Since this is all that the word means, “a change of mind,” we need supplemental information to know what to change our mind about. The Bible speaks of changing our mind to ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRUTH.

One of my favorite former Bible professors at Hyles-Anderson College in the late 1980's, Pastor Brad Strand in Texas today, offers this Bible commentary on what repentance means...

Like the thief on the cross who never had an opportunity to “turn from his sin,” we, like him, can only “acknowledge our sinfulness” in order to be saved (Lk 23:40-41). ...

True repentance has nothing to do with “turning from sin” and everything to do with “acknowledging one's sinfulness” (Jonah 3:5). Like the thief on the cross who simply acknowledged his sinfulness (Lk 23:39-43), the only part a person has in salvation is the beggar's part.
 
SOURCE: Pastor Brad Strand, “The Strand Study Bible”; 2nd Corinthians 7:8-9, pp. 1938, 1939

Amen and amen! Repentance is to change your mind to believe the truth.

“Faith and repentance are the same; they are not two separate decisions. One cannot trust Christ as Savior 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.” —Pastor Curtis Hutson (2000); “Salvation Crystal Clear,” p. 331; Sword Of The Lord Publishers

Hebrews 6:1 speaks of repentance from "DEAD WORKS" which cannot save a person. Faith without works is DEAD FAITH; and works without faith is DEAD WORKS. The Epistle of James speaks of a "DEAD FAITH," but dead faith is still faith. That is, your faith may be dead without works as a born-again believer, but you are still 100% saved. And the unsaved person who does "many wonderful works" (Matthew 7:21-23), must repent of their useless DEAD WORKS and believe on Jesus Christ to be saved.

“The fella who knows what repentance is knows it's included in believing.” —Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995)

“You'll even change your mind about repentance if you get saved. You are going to have to repent about your idea of repentance to be saved. Because if you have felt repentance is reformation, or turning from sin, and you're going to turn from sin to get saved, then you're not going to get saved until you change your mind about that idea, and decide that you're saved by the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Then you've repented over your repentance!” —Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995)

Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) wrote these helpful words regarding repentance...

“Repentance is not a different plan of salvation from having faith: it is part of the same plan of salvation. Or rather repentance is simply another way of describing or looking at the plan of salvation. One who turns from sin to God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ. A change of mind toward sin is necessarily involved in saving faith.”

SOURCE: Evangelist John R. Rice, “Acts: Filled With The Spirit,” pp. 250-252; Sword Of The Lord, Murfreesboro, Tennessee; ©1963

Repentance is not a separate event from faith, although they are not the same thing. Here is the best quote that I've found on repentance, by Dr. Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951):

“Which comes first, repentance or faith? In Scripture we read, 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel.' Yet we find true believers exhorted to 'repent, and do the first works.' So intimately are the two related that you cannot have one without the other. The man who believes God repents; the repentant soul puts his trust in the Lord when the Gospel is revealed to him. Theologians may wrangle over this, but the fact is, no man repents until the Holy Spirit produces repentance in his soul through the truth. No man believes the Gospel and rests in it for his own salvation until he has judged himself as a needy sinner before God. And this is repentance.” ('Except Ye Repent,' p. 16)

The only thing that we need to repent from to be saved is UNBELIEF. Do we have to realize our sinful condition to be saved? Of course, yes! But there is not one verse in the entire Bible which requires a person to forsake sin to be saved. Nor does the Bible give anyone God's permission to commit sin just because they are saved (Romans 3:31). Every time Jesus forgave someone and healed them, it was only AFTERWARDS that He said... “Go and sin no more.” John 5:14, "Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." 

Repentance simply means “a change of mind.” Believers change our minds every day about all kinds of things, including the sins in our life. Repenting of sins throughout one's Christian life is solely a matter of DISCIPLESHIP, not SALVATION. It is a matter of growing in the Lord's grace (1st Peter 2:2), as we yield to the Holy Spirit's leading in obedience to the Holy Scriptures (2nd Corinthians 10:5).

Thus, we don't give up our sins to become a Christian (Romans 3:20); rather, we forsake our sins because we are a Christian (Romans 12:1-2). There are no prerequisites or conditions for salvation (Galatians 3:2). God will save any guilty sinner who trusts upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ for salvation (Romans 10:13). John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

May we never forget that eternal life is a “FREE GIFT” from God (Romans 5:15-18). A gift is simply taken. The man who BELIEVES ON JESUS has also repented.