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.