What Repentance Is Not

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.”

The Bible says Judas “repented” of his sins, but he went to Hell anyway. Judas even returned the 30 pieces of silver, he was a changed man! Yet he perished in his sins and went to Hell forever. Dear friend, you don't get saved by turning from your sins, which is a very popular heresy today in many churches. This is largely because of today's theologically corrupted Bible colleges, like Bob Jones University, which influenced thousands of churches through their graduates.

Bob Jones University is pulling on the same rope as the Devil! Here is a deceptive quote from their college's website:

With regard to the doctrine of Soteriology: 

We believe Scripture teaches that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Eph. 2:4–10; Rom. 3:21–26; Titus 3:5) and apart from any human work of righteousness (Phil. 3:9). God offers this salvation freely to all men who are willing to repent and turn from their sins (Acts 3:19, 17:30) and place their full faith and trust in the atonement Christ made by His finished work on the Cross (Luke 24:46–48, Heb. 9:11–15, 10:10–14). [emphasis added] 

SOURCE: BJU Statements of Faith

Where does the Bible predicate getting saved on being willing to turn from sins? John 3:20-21, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” The Bible doesn't say HE THAT IS WILLING TO FORSAKE SINS comes to the light; it says HE THAT DOETH TRUTH cometh to the light. Getting saved is a matter of acknowledging THE TRUTH of the Gospel, and not of turning away from sins. 2nd Timothy 2:25, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;”

You cannot show me one verse from the inspired King James Bible that teaches for a person to “turn from sins” or “repent of sins” to be saved. I triple-dog dare you to find it if you disagree! You won't find it! Acts 20:21 teaches repentance “toward God.” Acts 20:21, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Carefully notice that repentance is not FROM SINS, but TOWARD GOD! You don't get saved by repenting, you get saved by believing; but repentance facilitates believing. Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) helps explains what repentance is in the Bible:

“Repentance is the very opposite of meritorious experience. It is the confession that one is utterly without merit, and if he is ever saved at all it can only be through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, 'who gave himself a ransom for all.' Here is firm footing for the soul who realizes that all self-effort is but sinking sand. Christ alone is the Rock of our salvation.” —Harry A. Ironside; 'Except Ye Repent,' pg. 36

I love Brother Ironside! Consider further the following awesome quote by Harry Ironside (which John MacArthur would NEVER share with you)...

“The Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past … 

Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.” [emphasis added]—Pastor Harry A. Ironside, from the awesome tract: 'What Is The Gospel?'

Hooray, Dr. Ironside gets it 100% correct!!! Read how Pastor John MacArthur tries to put Dr. Ironside in his “turn from your sins” false repentance camp, but Mr. MacArthur is a theological liar!

Read what Dr. Ironside said in his Gospel tract, ANOTHER GOSPEL? ...

“When anyone comes promising salvation to those ‘who make full surrender' of all that they have to God, and who 'pay the price of full salvation' he is preaching another gospel, for the price was paid on Calvary's cross and the work that saves is finished. It was Christ Jesus who made the full surrender when He yielded His life on Calvary that saves us, not our surrender in any way to Him.” —Pastor Harry A. Ironside, from the Gospel tract: 'Another Gospel'

Repentance is NOT a change of lifestyle. I think Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) of the Moody Memorial Church said it very well...

“Repentance is the very opposite of meritorious experience. It is the confession that one is utterly without merit, and if he is ever saved at all it can only be through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, 'who gave himself a ransom for all.' Here is firm footing for the soul who realizes that all self-effort is but sinking sand. Christ alone is the Rock of our salvation.” 

SOURCE: Harry A. Ironside; 'Except Ye Repent,' pg. 36

Clearly, Ironside taught Free Grace Theology. Sadly, Moody Bible Institute today (72 years later after Dr. Ironside's pastorate) has become doctrinally corrupted by false prophets such as Dr. John MacArthur (they publish all of MacArthur's new books and have honored him at their Founder's Week for decades). MacArthur plainly teaches a false plan of salvation.

We are saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS (that is, Christ's robe of righteousness), and not our own. I try to live upright because I love my Lord and don't want to grieve Him. I fail horribly sometimes, and it makes me mad at myself, and I get up and ask God to help me to do much better. That's how the Christian life is lived, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Even the best Christians are still sinners who battle daily with the flesh.

The word “repent” (metanoeo, such as in Mark 1:15, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel”), simply means “a change of mind.” I think Michael P. Bowen, in his excellent defense of the Christian faith titled, I NEVER KNEW YOU, says it best:

I am at eternal odds with the false, counterfeit messages of salvation-by-works that are taught from virtually every pulpit today, on every television channel, and on every Christian radio station; however, I am not at eternal odds with the individuals who preach these counterfeit messages. My heart literally goes out to all of them because they simply do not understand Christ’s plan of salvation. They have been lied to by a crafty enemy named Satan, whose sole aim is to take as many people with him to the lake of fire as he can possibly manage to steal away from God using a counterfeit plan of salvation that appears so real, so genuine, and so holy that few ever realize they have been deceived by it. Oh reader, so many of today’s professing Christians who think they are going to heaven when they die are not going to make it to heaven as they had assumed because they’ve been lied to by today’s error-filled gospel messages.

SOURCE: Michael Patrick Bowen, 'I NEVER KNEW YOU,' pg. 17; © 2009.

A tree without fruit is still a tree with roots. This is evidenced by the parable of the sower and the seed in Luke 8:12-15. Of the four groups, only the first are unsaved, because the Devil removed the seed from their heart before it could sprout into new life. The second and third group represent believers who never mature to bear fruit (leading others to Christ). They never mature into fruit-bearing Christians because of shallow roots, or because they are choked by the cares, riches and pleasures of this life. Ah, but the fourth group mature, having an honest heart, keeping the Lord's Word, bearing much fruit unto Christ (John 15:1-7). Just because the second and third groups don't bear fruit doesn't mean that they are not saved, as Ray Comfort and David Cloud errantly teach.

Repentance is not turning from sins. Let's examine these terms, shall we:

• penitence = sorrow for sins
• penance = trying to make a mend for sins
• reformation = turning from sins
• repentance = a change of mind
• regeneration = the new birth

Penitence, penance and reformation are NOT repentance! To “repent” simply means that you have changed your mind from WRONG THINKING to believing the Gospel. A person is saved by BELIEVING, not by repenting; but no one has ever believed who didn't repent (i.e., think differently). Repentance is looking up to God and admitting that you are a needy sinner, and then faith is placing your confidence in Jesus Christ as your Savior. Repentance and faith are inseparable. Salvation is like electricity, which requires both voltage and current to exist. Current is the measure of the flow of electricity in a conductive material. 

Put another way, picture a garden hose. The water pressure (usually about 30 psi in a home) is like the voltage. The flowing water is like the current. You couldn't water your garden without both water and water pressure. Likewise, salvation requires both repentance and faith; but repentance is not turning from your sins, nor being sorry for them, nor trying to live a better life to make up for them, it is admitting that you are a needy sinner, and what you need is Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Faith is believing on Him! No one ever got saved who didn't admit he is a dirty sinner.

You've got to know what you're being saved from. That is why God made two great divisions to His blessed Word: LAW and CHRIST! (or respectively, LAW and GRACE). The LAW shows a person their sinnership and guilty condition (Romans 3:19-20; 7:13), and then brings that person to Jesus Christ to be saved by grace through faith (Galatians 3:24-26). Brother Lester Roloff called them: Dr. Law and Dr. Grace. Dr. Law diagnoses you with the cancer of sin, which is terminal (Romans 6:23a, “For the wages of sin is death”). Then he sends you to go see Dr. Grace (Who is Jesus) and he is a miracle worker, let me tell you! This guy is such an amazing Doctor, that He can just speak the word and you are healed! Romans 6:23b, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

“Yes, Jesus is Lord. He is Lord of the universe, and, of course, we believe that He is Lord. However, to believe that in order to be saved one must make Him the Lord of his life is just another form of salvation by works.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Lordship Salvation - An Enemy of Soulwinning”