This is an article for the magazine in India that is run by a friend of mine, Melchishua Paul.
As I have been frequenting internet message boards, the subject has come up of whether repentance is a prerequisite for salvation.
Some on the boards have taken the ungodly and unbiblical position that salvation can be obtained apart from turning away from sin; and have gone so far as to say that those who preach otherwise are preaching a false and perverted gospel.
We will make our case on the basic premise that all scripture is inspired of the Lord and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. Our basic text will be Ezekiel 33:11-20.
Eze 33:11, Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Eze 33:12, Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth.
Eze 33:13, When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
Eze 33:14, Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
Eze 33:15, If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
Eze 33:16, None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
Eze 33:17, Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as for them, their way is not equal.
Eze 33:18, When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby.
Eze 33:19, But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
Eze 33:20, Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.
In v.11, we find that God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked that he should die. He teaches us here that the way that the wicked man can avoid death is that the wicked turn from his evil way and he will live.
In v.12, If once you have been made righteous, you turn back to walking in the direction of sin, your previous righteousness will not deliver you in the day that you turn towards sin. God repeats this twice in the same verse so this is something that He really means. Also, if a wicked man turns from his iniquity, he shall not fall for that iniquity in the day that he turns from his iniquity.
This would seem to indicate that one can enter into a situation where they are walking back and forth, once heading towards righteousness, then heading towards sin, then heading towards righteousness again; so that he keeps changing his direction back and forth. Such a situation will never help you to reach your destination. It is important that you turn towards righteousness and continue to walk in that direction. If you turn back towards sin, you may not be able to turn towards righteousness again; for once you commit sin you become a slave of sin (John 8:34); and therefore it may not be so easy to turn again towards righteousness. It is therefore important that, once you have made a clean break as concerning sin, that you continue to walk in the direction of righteousness.
In v.13, God may say to the person who has turned towards righteousness that he shall surely live; but if he trusts in his righteousness, and commits iniquity, he shall die for his sin. His righteosuness will not be remembered.
There are those who trust that they have the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to them and they trust in that righteousness. However, if they do not live out that righteousness, but decide that they can commit iniquity and they will still be righteous, they will find that the above reality is true in their lives. They shall die for their iniquity and their righteousness will not be remembered.
In v.14-16, If God says to a wicked person that he shall surely die, he will most assuredly live if he turns from his iniquity and begins to do what is lawful and right. This would consist of such things as restoring the pledge, giving back what he has robbed, and walking in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity.
In v.17, God gives the response of the people to this doctrine that the Lord has set forth. God knows that the people of Israel (and sometimes people in the church also) are a hard-hearted and stiff-necked people; and that their response to the Lord's doctrine is to say that the way of the Lord is not equal. But it is their way that is not equal.
In v.18, When the righteous person turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, he will even die thereby; that is, he will perish because of his iniquity.
In v.19, When the wicked turns from his wickedness, and does what is lawful and right, he shall even live thereby; that is, he will be saved because he has repented from walking in the direction of sin.
And in v.20, we find the reality that the people say to all of this that the way of the Lord is not equal. Yet the Lord says to them that He will judge them for all of their ways.
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It should be clear that we have a definite formula on how to be saved in Romans 10:8-13. It would seem that if anyone calls on the name of the Lord (Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Acts 4:10-12), they shall be saved (Romans 10:13).
But to be more precise, we must confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God hath raised Him from the dead. This would mean that Jesus IS the Lord of our life. Because we can just mouth the words, "Jesus is the Lord" but if He is not, it really is not a confession; because a confession is to agree with God. And if Jesus is not your Lord, to say that He is, is not to agree with God; because God is not saying it because it is not the truth (and we know that God is a God of truth...that should go without saying...but some might even contend otherwise, the way I see things going in the church today).
It should be clear that Jesus came into the world to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21) and that He died on the Cross to redeem us from all iniquity (Titus 2:14-15).
There is a "greasy grace" message out there that people fall for hook, line, and sinker.
It is what the apostle Jude wrote about in his letter.
Jde 1:3, Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jde 1:4, For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the NIV it says that these false teachers "turn the grace of God into a license for immorality."
They teach that grace means that you can do whatever you want; even if what you want to do is to indulge the flesh.
However, it should be clear that those who are born again do not walk after the flesh but after the Spirit. It is written,
Rom 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2, For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3, For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4, That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:5, For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6, For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7, Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8, So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
