10/24/26
Titus 2:1,
- But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine
Today's study is an examination of verses that put repentance before faith.
There are denominations that hold to this doctrine that is, repentance precedes faith in Gods plan of saving man.
Let us examine these passages to understand what is being taught.
Failure to understand Gods order of steps that man goes through during the conversion process results in error of how God has established His scheme of redemption.
There are only a few passages that put repentance before faith.
What saith the Scriptures?
Mark 1:15, Acts 3:19, Hebrews 6:1
Mark 1:15,
- now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying,
- The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, Repent and believe in the gospel
Jesus' earthly ministry has begun.
Jesus is speaking to His brethren the jews.
Jesus is not preaching to gentiles here.
Jews already believe in God.
Jesus is speaking to believers in God.
Therefore, these Jews must change their minds.
The way things have been for them is about to radically change. Their Messiah, Savior and King is now here.
Simply put. Jesus is commanding them to change their way of thinking by believing on their Messiah.
- the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent(change your way of thinking) and believe in the gospel(the gospel is the good news of the Messiah/Savior)
Notice: There is no passage that requires one to repent toward God before one believes in God.
Nor to repent toward Christ before one believes in Christ.
These Jews believed in God but they did not believe in Jesus.
They were told to repent toward God by getting right with God, thus John's baptism, Mark 1:1-5. And then to believe in Christ.
Before one can repent toward God one must believe in God.
Before one can repent toward Christ one must believe in Christ.
This is the reason in some passages repentance is mentioned before faith.
There is no question in the mind of an honest person that these Jews in Mark 1 already believed in God yet had not believed in Jesus.
Friends, it makes no logical sense to take an atheist and tell them to repent before they believe.
Acts 3:19,
- repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall, come from the presence of the Lord
Peter commands the Jews to repent to be converted.
Again we see no commandment to believe first only repent.
Same audience as Mark 1:1-15.
This group were already believers in God. That is why Peter doesn't tell them to believe only repent.
Again their repentance was for sin.
This is the second gospel sermon preached by Peter to Jews only.
In this case, the hearers of Peter's sermon in Acts 3 already believed in Jesus.
Peter knows this. This is why he only commands them to repent.
Notice: Before verse 19. Peter convinced the Jews Jesus was their king by performing a miracle on the lame man who begged at the gate called beautiful.
Acts 3:1-11
Dont believe me? Read Acts 3:1-19 for yourself.
So the steps of salvation in Acts chapter 3 is not repent then believe.
In reality it is believe then repent.
False teachers get the order of faith and repentance reversed and contend that one must repent before he believes.
Although the bible in these passages do not specifically state that these people believed to whom Peter said - repent and be converted... yet this is strongly implied.
It makes no logical sense to command an unbeliever in God to repent before he believes.
Denominations that teach repentance precedes faith:
Wesleyan /Methodist
Reformed/ Presbyterian
Baptist
Hebrews 6:1,
- therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God
Here is similar to Mark 1:15.
Jews need repent( turn) from the old testament way( Levitical laws, but also repentance here includes sin, i.e. dead works).
The author is telling them not to stay immature as babes in Christ. - leaving the principles of the doctrines of Christ
Going on to perfection by not relying on keeping the law of Moses but putting faith in God meaning Jesus.
Going on to perfection means to go on to maturity.
Here we see these born again jewish christians in Hebrews not being told how to be saved as they are already saved.
The author of Hebrews is teaching them to not go back into thinking their salvation is in the old law, the old covenant but to continue to look forward to Christ, faith in Him where their salvation really is.
They had already repented.
They were being warned not to stay immature, going back into the old law of dead works that they had already repented of.
- let us go on to perfection(maturity) not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works...
I hope you can see they had already repented from dead works.
So this passage is not showing a chronological order of repentance then faith.
Why then all this effort to change the order in the steps of salvation by certain churches?
Simply because of the false gospel of faith alone salvation.
Some denominations understood a good while back that faith alone is not alone if repentance is also required.
So they try to move repentance out of the way. In an effort to claim the moment one is saved is at the moment of coming to faith.
If repentance is required after faith then no one is really saved the moment they believe.
It's a vain attempt to correct the man made errors in faith alone theology.
These same denominations are the same folk that demand repentance is not turning from sin.
Many but not all claim repentance ONLY means to change the mind from unbelief to belief. Saying repentance and faith are so closely joined together that they cannot be seperated.
The Bible does not teach this. There are those in the bible that believe but would not repent.
John 12:42,
- nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him
but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him lest they should be put out of the synagogue for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God
They would not confess their faith before the jews.
Matthew 10:32-33,
- therefore whoever confesses Me before men him will I also confess before My Father in heaven
But whoever denies Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father in heaven
Titus 2:1,
- But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine
Today's study is an examination of verses that put repentance before faith.
There are denominations that hold to this doctrine that is, repentance precedes faith in Gods plan of saving man.
Let us examine these passages to understand what is being taught.
Failure to understand Gods order of steps that man goes through during the conversion process results in error of how God has established His scheme of redemption.
There are only a few passages that put repentance before faith.
What saith the Scriptures?
Mark 1:15, Acts 3:19, Hebrews 6:1
Mark 1:15,
- now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying,
- The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, Repent and believe in the gospel
Jesus' earthly ministry has begun.
Jesus is speaking to His brethren the jews.
Jesus is not preaching to gentiles here.
Jews already believe in God.
Jesus is speaking to believers in God.
Therefore, these Jews must change their minds.
The way things have been for them is about to radically change. Their Messiah, Savior and King is now here.
Simply put. Jesus is commanding them to change their way of thinking by believing on their Messiah.
- the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent(change your way of thinking) and believe in the gospel(the gospel is the good news of the Messiah/Savior)
Notice: There is no passage that requires one to repent toward God before one believes in God.
Nor to repent toward Christ before one believes in Christ.
These Jews believed in God but they did not believe in Jesus.
They were told to repent toward God by getting right with God, thus John's baptism, Mark 1:1-5. And then to believe in Christ.
Before one can repent toward God one must believe in God.
Before one can repent toward Christ one must believe in Christ.
This is the reason in some passages repentance is mentioned before faith.
There is no question in the mind of an honest person that these Jews in Mark 1 already believed in God yet had not believed in Jesus.
Friends, it makes no logical sense to take an atheist and tell them to repent before they believe.
Acts 3:19,
- repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall, come from the presence of the Lord
Peter commands the Jews to repent to be converted.
Again we see no commandment to believe first only repent.
Same audience as Mark 1:1-15.
This group were already believers in God. That is why Peter doesn't tell them to believe only repent.
Again their repentance was for sin.
This is the second gospel sermon preached by Peter to Jews only.
In this case, the hearers of Peter's sermon in Acts 3 already believed in Jesus.
Peter knows this. This is why he only commands them to repent.
Notice: Before verse 19. Peter convinced the Jews Jesus was their king by performing a miracle on the lame man who begged at the gate called beautiful.
Acts 3:1-11
Dont believe me? Read Acts 3:1-19 for yourself.
So the steps of salvation in Acts chapter 3 is not repent then believe.
In reality it is believe then repent.
False teachers get the order of faith and repentance reversed and contend that one must repent before he believes.
Although the bible in these passages do not specifically state that these people believed to whom Peter said - repent and be converted... yet this is strongly implied.
It makes no logical sense to command an unbeliever in God to repent before he believes.
Denominations that teach repentance precedes faith:
Wesleyan /Methodist
Reformed/ Presbyterian
Baptist
Hebrews 6:1,
- therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God
Here is similar to Mark 1:15.
Jews need repent( turn) from the old testament way( Levitical laws, but also repentance here includes sin, i.e. dead works).
The author is telling them not to stay immature as babes in Christ. - leaving the principles of the doctrines of Christ
Going on to perfection by not relying on keeping the law of Moses but putting faith in God meaning Jesus.
Going on to perfection means to go on to maturity.
Here we see these born again jewish christians in Hebrews not being told how to be saved as they are already saved.
The author of Hebrews is teaching them to not go back into thinking their salvation is in the old law, the old covenant but to continue to look forward to Christ, faith in Him where their salvation really is.
They had already repented.
They were being warned not to stay immature, going back into the old law of dead works that they had already repented of.
- let us go on to perfection(maturity) not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works...
I hope you can see they had already repented from dead works.
So this passage is not showing a chronological order of repentance then faith.
Why then all this effort to change the order in the steps of salvation by certain churches?
Simply because of the false gospel of faith alone salvation.
Some denominations understood a good while back that faith alone is not alone if repentance is also required.
So they try to move repentance out of the way. In an effort to claim the moment one is saved is at the moment of coming to faith.
If repentance is required after faith then no one is really saved the moment they believe.
It's a vain attempt to correct the man made errors in faith alone theology.
These same denominations are the same folk that demand repentance is not turning from sin.
Many but not all claim repentance ONLY means to change the mind from unbelief to belief. Saying repentance and faith are so closely joined together that they cannot be seperated.
The Bible does not teach this. There are those in the bible that believe but would not repent.
John 12:42,
- nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him
but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him lest they should be put out of the synagogue for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God
They would not confess their faith before the jews.
Matthew 10:32-33,
- therefore whoever confesses Me before men him will I also confess before My Father in heaven
But whoever denies Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father in heaven
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