Enemies of the Cross
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about.com
I once visited about.com's Christianity website. It wasn't long before I came to a page where they improperly defined "repentance." I created an account and posted a new topic in their forum in order to point out their blatant error. Here is my original post:
Hello all,
This is my first post here, and the reason I joined was in order to call out the false interpretation of the word "repentance" on this site. Here is what is written:
"Repentance means a sincere turning away, in both the mind and heart, from self to God.
Repentance is an essential part of salvation, requiring a turning away from the sin-ruled life to a life characterized by obedience to God. The Holy Spirit leads a person to repent, but repentance itself cannot be seen as a "good work" that adds to our salvation.
The Bible states that people are saved by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, there can be no faith in Christ without repentance and no repentance without faith. The two are inseparable"
Now if repentance means turning from sin, then why did God repent 36 times in the Bible? Was God a sinner? (If you are using the corrupted NIV, you will not see this. Every time God repented was taken out in order to mask the meaning of the word.) Look at John 3:16, John 6:47, Acts 16:31, just to name a few. Where is repentance mentioned? It's not. That is because repentance and faith are the SAME THING. Repentance comes from the Greek word "metanoia," which meant to have a changed mind. Repentance is when you change your mind about getting to Heaven by believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to get there. Why does this article say repentance and faith are inseparable, as if they are two separate things? They are the same thing.
The book of John is the most used book of the Bible to lead people to Christ. You will not find the word repent ONE SINGE TIME in the entire book. You will, however, find the concepts of belief and faith mentioned. That is because they are the same thing. The moron that wrote the article defining repentance on this site has completely changed the word to mean something else. Why is this dangerous? Because if you teach this new interpretation, that is unbiblical, then you are teaching works salvation. No one was commanded to turn from sin to be saved. Salvation is a gift of God. To say that salvation is a gift, but that it requires turning from sin, is a baffling conundrum that makes salvation something that is earned, not given. And what does the Bible say about this gift? Romans 11:29: "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." Now does repentance mean turning from sin in that verse? No. Salvation is a gift, and God will never change His mind and take it away from one who has believed on Him for salvation.
If you agree with what I've written, then I am glad to see others that understand the depth of God's love, and the fact that He loves us so much that He only asks for belief in His Son to be saved. If anyone disagrees with what I have written here, I would simply ask you to show me one single verse from the Bible where we are told we must turn from sin to be saved or to stay saved.
Thank you for reading.
That same day, I received an email which informed me that my post had been deleted. The moderator did not offer a reason. She simply deleted the post so that no one should happen to question the website's unbiblical stance on salvation, and their faulty, deceitful definition of repentance. This is just another case of a "Christian" who chooses to remain ignorant of the truth which is made clearly evident in the Bible. Rather than using the Bible to defend her position, this woman felt it proper to just delete my post. The prideful self-righteous do not like to hear the truth, that is, that their righteousness will never be enough. The Bible never commands a person to turn from sin to be saved. Simple belief on Jesus Christ works every time! Why complicate God's simple plan?
If you would like to view about.com's heresy, you can find it at the following link:
Hello all,
This is my first post here, and the reason I joined was in order to call out the false interpretation of the word "repentance" on this site. Here is what is written:
"Repentance means a sincere turning away, in both the mind and heart, from self to God.
Repentance is an essential part of salvation, requiring a turning away from the sin-ruled life to a life characterized by obedience to God. The Holy Spirit leads a person to repent, but repentance itself cannot be seen as a "good work" that adds to our salvation.
The Bible states that people are saved by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, there can be no faith in Christ without repentance and no repentance without faith. The two are inseparable"
Now if repentance means turning from sin, then why did God repent 36 times in the Bible? Was God a sinner? (If you are using the corrupted NIV, you will not see this. Every time God repented was taken out in order to mask the meaning of the word.) Look at John 3:16, John 6:47, Acts 16:31, just to name a few. Where is repentance mentioned? It's not. That is because repentance and faith are the SAME THING. Repentance comes from the Greek word "metanoia," which meant to have a changed mind. Repentance is when you change your mind about getting to Heaven by believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to get there. Why does this article say repentance and faith are inseparable, as if they are two separate things? They are the same thing.
The book of John is the most used book of the Bible to lead people to Christ. You will not find the word repent ONE SINGE TIME in the entire book. You will, however, find the concepts of belief and faith mentioned. That is because they are the same thing. The moron that wrote the article defining repentance on this site has completely changed the word to mean something else. Why is this dangerous? Because if you teach this new interpretation, that is unbiblical, then you are teaching works salvation. No one was commanded to turn from sin to be saved. Salvation is a gift of God. To say that salvation is a gift, but that it requires turning from sin, is a baffling conundrum that makes salvation something that is earned, not given. And what does the Bible say about this gift? Romans 11:29: "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." Now does repentance mean turning from sin in that verse? No. Salvation is a gift, and God will never change His mind and take it away from one who has believed on Him for salvation.
If you agree with what I've written, then I am glad to see others that understand the depth of God's love, and the fact that He loves us so much that He only asks for belief in His Son to be saved. If anyone disagrees with what I have written here, I would simply ask you to show me one single verse from the Bible where we are told we must turn from sin to be saved or to stay saved.
Thank you for reading.
That same day, I received an email which informed me that my post had been deleted. The moderator did not offer a reason. She simply deleted the post so that no one should happen to question the website's unbiblical stance on salvation, and their faulty, deceitful definition of repentance. This is just another case of a "Christian" who chooses to remain ignorant of the truth which is made clearly evident in the Bible. Rather than using the Bible to defend her position, this woman felt it proper to just delete my post. The prideful self-righteous do not like to hear the truth, that is, that their righteousness will never be enough. The Bible never commands a person to turn from sin to be saved. Simple belief on Jesus Christ works every time! Why complicate God's simple plan?
If you would like to view about.com's heresy, you can find it at the following link:
If you have not done so yet, please read my article entitled "Repentance 101". You will find that repentance is simply a change of mind, not a turning away from a life of sin. Don't be fooled by deceivers who will try to make you trust in your own goodness rather that the goodness of Jesus Christ.
creationliberty.com
The following was taken from creationliberty.com, and you can view the page at this link:
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"Because I teach that one must have a repentant heart to gain Salvation from Jesus Christ, a man named Bill (the Torontonian, he calls himself), claiming to be a Christian, wrote me the following:
"I believe that you preach another Gospel and that you have another Jesus. I believe that you are a false preacher and prophet that teaches that a works salvation."
Surprisingly, there are a growing number of Christians who follow after the false doctrines of men like Rick Warren, Billy Graham, Robert Scheullar, and many others, who teach that repentance is unnecessary for Salvation. Further still, there are others, like the man I quoted above, who do not ascribe to false teachings of the new-age preachers I just mentioned, go to baptist churches, read out of a King James Bible, but still ascribe to that same concept of Salvation without repentance, and condemn all other Christians to hell if they teach otherwise. (Isn't that where false prophets and false gospels end up?)
To begin, let's take a look at an argument for the "no repentance" side of this conflict from a baptist pastor named Steven L. Anderson. Anderson makes the claim that because the word "repent" or "repentance" is not found in the book of John (which is true), therefore we do not need to repent in order to be Saved.
Anderson quotes the following: 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:
-John 1:12
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
-John 3:15-16
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
-John 3:18
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
-John 3:36
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
-John 5:24
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
-John 6:40
All of these verses are truth in our Lord Jesus Christ, and I have no argument with them, but if you stopped reading right now, I'd bet you would believe that all you need to do is believe and Salvation comes without any other significant step. The Catholic church has done this for centuries; taking one section of Scripture as their doctrine, and ignoring other parts of Scripture which correlate to it, allowing them to believe the parts they choose to believe, rather than believing ALL of the Word of God. Men like Steve Anderson and Bill, as well as the rest of mankind, need to take ALL of the Word of God into consideration, and not just the parts we personally prefer.
Read the following Scriptures, and tell me if repentance is not part of Salvation: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
-Matthew 4:17
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
-2 Corinthians 7:9-10
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
-Mark 1:14-15
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
-Acts 2:38
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
-Mark 6:11-12
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;
-Acts 3:19
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
-Luke 13:3
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
-Acts 17:30
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
-2 Peter 3:9
(See also Mat 9:13, Mark 1:4 Luke 3:3, Luke 24:47, Acts 19:4, 2Tim 2:25, Rev 2:5, Rev 2:21)
If you still believe that repentance is not part of Salvation, it sounds like you probably have a heart issue in rejecting the Gospel, and it could be that perhaps you have never repented. However, since repentance is given to us outside of experience by the grace of God, some Christians have repented without even knowing what it's called and what they have done.
Men like Steve and Bill argue against repentance, believing that repentance is part of works, and therefore if you do works for Salvation, it is no longer grace, and if it is not grace, it is not true Salvation. I agree that works is not grace, but often, these men are taking it on THEMSELVES to define what is works, instead of letting God define what is works.
Consider the following verses:
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
-Matthew 3:8
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,
-Luke 3:8
But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and [then] to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
-Acts 26:20
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
-Revelation 2:5
The key thing to note in these verses is how works and fruits are described as a RESULT of repentance. (e.g. works WORTHY OF repentance) Revelation also separates repenting from works as two distinct entities. As far as I have ever read in the Bible, no Scripture ever describes repentance as part of works, but some men continue to come in the name of Jesus Christ and teach that if you repent, it is equivalent to sinning aginst God, just as I quoted from Bill at the beginning.
There is a website called "Repentance Blacklist" [repentanceblacklist.com -- no contact info, sounds like an anonymous coward] that condemns many Christian men, including myself, who teach that repentance is a requirement before saving grace. This website primarily focuses on the teaching of three men, (Jack Hyles, Curtis Hutson, and Steve Anderson) saying they are right and everyone else is wrong. On their website, they quote from Jonah as their Scriptural evidence that repentance is part of works: And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
-Jonah 3:10
Does this verse say that God saw their works, that they repented? No, it says God saw their works, that they turned from their evil ways. Turning from evil is the same as seeing someone else's money, and choosing not to steal it. Even stealing itself is works, but repentance is an attitude of the heart where knowledge that we have sinned against God is acknowledged. (2 Tim 2:25)
The reason men like Steven and Bill are returning to the Old Testament dispensation for an explanation of repentance is because they are misunderstanding what it is to repent and what Jesus Christ was instructing men to do. In the old dispensation, before Christ went to the cross, works was the way to righteousness, but now, in the new dispensation, grace is the way to righteousness. Jesus Christ, over and over, scolded men who were doing many good works of the law because their hearts were not in the right place. If men's hearts are not in the right place via repentance, we end up with false converts that put Jesus Christ on a probationary period, subject to man's personal analysis.
Steve and Bill's misunderstanding of this concept comes from an example they give in Acts 16, where Paul and Silas were freed from prison by an earthquake while they sang praises unto God. In verses 27-28, the jail keeper seeks to take his own life, because if any one of the men would escape, his life would be forfeit anyway. Paul stops the jail keeper from doing so, reassuring him that everyone was still present in the jail, just released from their cells. The jail keeper calls a light to see what is going on, and the following takes place: Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
-Acts 16:29-31
Here, Steve Anderson preaches that all he had to do at that point was believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he was Saved, and I agree -- AT THAT POINT, all he needed to do was believe. Anderson jumps ahead to the end of the process of Salvation, instead of looking to the beginning of the process.
Have you ever tried to witness to someone, and they don't take you seriously? You can see them stick their nose in the air with pride, and they could care less about what you are saying? Now imagine if later, that person walks up to you, bows themselves down before you in tears at your feet, and begs you to tell them what they need to do to be saved. You don't tell them that they need to repent first, because they are already repenting before God! The difference between the person that has their nose in the air, and the one that has their nose in the dirt, is a repentant heart.
The jail keeper was already in a repentant state, and all He needed at that point was to be shown the way to everlasting life. Paul and Silas did not need to tell this man that he needed to repent, because he was already in repentance! 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. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
-Galatians 3:22-25
Paul is telling us directly how to bring someone to the Lord Jesus Christ and Salvation. The scripture concludes all under sin, and so the law condemns every man, which means we are all guilty of breaking God's Law, and will have to suffer punishment for the crimes committed. This is the way to bring a man to repentance, and those who just walk around saying "believe on Jesus," and "Jesus Saves," are not going to accomplish much of anything because there is no repentance of having done anything wrong. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 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.
-2 Timothy 2:24-26
One cannot get out of the snare of the devil without repentance, and that is according to Scripture, not this author's personal opinion. Once God gives that man or woman repentance to acknowledge the truth, they are ready to hear the truth, which is that they must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be Saved. After repentance, believing is the next step in the process, but believing that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, and rose again three days later, is not going to be possible for someone who does not repent of their wrong doing.
Think about this for a moment, let's say repentance was not part of Salvation, as some men believe. That means you don't need to turn from your sin and turn to God, as Bible tells us to do (Acts 26:20), but rather just believe on Jesus Christ. That means, to God, living in sin is completely acceptable, so long as you believe on Jesus Christ. This kind of false doctrine is what has led the new-age church into trying out Jesus Christ in an experimental fashion with a "Jesus is better than beer" mentality. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
-1 John 5:18
Without any other reading of different passages, we would end up concluding that if a Christian sins, he is no longer born of God, but we know it is the rightousness of Christ that justifies us by faith (Rom 5:1). But without repentance, what need is there to be justified? What need is there for a Judgment Seat in front of God? Why not just have a line up and all those who believe go up, and all those who don't go down? I am not saying a Christian will not sin, as even Paul admitted to sin in Romans 7, and anyone who says they are without sin is a liar (1Jo 1:8), but our delusion of inner goodness is destroyed with repentance, and that repentance is what brings men and women humbling themselves in submission to the foot of the cross, seeking the path to God and righteousness, just as the jail keeper did with Paul and Silas.
Even the men who are teaching false doctrine of "no repentance necessary" understand that repentance is needed. Bill, who I mentioned at the beginning of this article, slipped up in his final message to me. After quoting my website about repentance, Bill said the following (edited for spelling):
"Christopher what you promote with your unbiblical teaching of repentance is works salvation... Based on the above, I have decided to separate myself from you... If you repent of your false gospel and beliefs, let me know. If not, I don't want to hear back from you."
In the Bible, those preaching a false gospel will end up in hell (Mat 23:13), and that's where Bill believes I am going. So, according to Bill, in order to get on the righteous path to God, he says I am required to "repent of your false gospel and beliefs." So I need to repent of a belief that men should repent? The problem with this new-age "no repentance required" teaching is that some men like to hold on to the idea that they will not be held accountable for their wicked actions. All men will be held accountable, and all men will receive rewards for their good works, but repentance is not a good work by Biblical definitions, it is a state of godly sorrow (vertical repentance, not horizontal) that is acquired by the hearing of the Law of God, which brings us to faith in Jesus Christ. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
-2 Corinthians 7:9-10
To Steve, Bill, and everyone else who reads this: If you want to believe that repentance has nothing to do with Salavation, just make sure to tear 2 Corinthians 7 out of your Bible so you don't have to look at it."
"I believe that you preach another Gospel and that you have another Jesus. I believe that you are a false preacher and prophet that teaches that a works salvation."
Surprisingly, there are a growing number of Christians who follow after the false doctrines of men like Rick Warren, Billy Graham, Robert Scheullar, and many others, who teach that repentance is unnecessary for Salvation. Further still, there are others, like the man I quoted above, who do not ascribe to false teachings of the new-age preachers I just mentioned, go to baptist churches, read out of a King James Bible, but still ascribe to that same concept of Salvation without repentance, and condemn all other Christians to hell if they teach otherwise. (Isn't that where false prophets and false gospels end up?)
To begin, let's take a look at an argument for the "no repentance" side of this conflict from a baptist pastor named Steven L. Anderson. Anderson makes the claim that because the word "repent" or "repentance" is not found in the book of John (which is true), therefore we do not need to repent in order to be Saved.
Anderson quotes the following: 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:
-John 1:12
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
-John 3:15-16
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
-John 3:18
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
-John 3:36
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
-John 5:24
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
-John 6:40
All of these verses are truth in our Lord Jesus Christ, and I have no argument with them, but if you stopped reading right now, I'd bet you would believe that all you need to do is believe and Salvation comes without any other significant step. The Catholic church has done this for centuries; taking one section of Scripture as their doctrine, and ignoring other parts of Scripture which correlate to it, allowing them to believe the parts they choose to believe, rather than believing ALL of the Word of God. Men like Steve Anderson and Bill, as well as the rest of mankind, need to take ALL of the Word of God into consideration, and not just the parts we personally prefer.
Read the following Scriptures, and tell me if repentance is not part of Salvation: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
-Matthew 4:17
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
-2 Corinthians 7:9-10
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
-Mark 1:14-15
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
-Acts 2:38
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
-Mark 6:11-12
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;
-Acts 3:19
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
-Luke 13:3
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
-Acts 17:30
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
-2 Peter 3:9
(See also Mat 9:13, Mark 1:4 Luke 3:3, Luke 24:47, Acts 19:4, 2Tim 2:25, Rev 2:5, Rev 2:21)
If you still believe that repentance is not part of Salvation, it sounds like you probably have a heart issue in rejecting the Gospel, and it could be that perhaps you have never repented. However, since repentance is given to us outside of experience by the grace of God, some Christians have repented without even knowing what it's called and what they have done.
Men like Steve and Bill argue against repentance, believing that repentance is part of works, and therefore if you do works for Salvation, it is no longer grace, and if it is not grace, it is not true Salvation. I agree that works is not grace, but often, these men are taking it on THEMSELVES to define what is works, instead of letting God define what is works.
Consider the following verses:
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
-Matthew 3:8
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,
-Luke 3:8
But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and [then] to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
-Acts 26:20
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
-Revelation 2:5
The key thing to note in these verses is how works and fruits are described as a RESULT of repentance. (e.g. works WORTHY OF repentance) Revelation also separates repenting from works as two distinct entities. As far as I have ever read in the Bible, no Scripture ever describes repentance as part of works, but some men continue to come in the name of Jesus Christ and teach that if you repent, it is equivalent to sinning aginst God, just as I quoted from Bill at the beginning.
There is a website called "Repentance Blacklist" [repentanceblacklist.com -- no contact info, sounds like an anonymous coward] that condemns many Christian men, including myself, who teach that repentance is a requirement before saving grace. This website primarily focuses on the teaching of three men, (Jack Hyles, Curtis Hutson, and Steve Anderson) saying they are right and everyone else is wrong. On their website, they quote from Jonah as their Scriptural evidence that repentance is part of works: And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
-Jonah 3:10
Does this verse say that God saw their works, that they repented? No, it says God saw their works, that they turned from their evil ways. Turning from evil is the same as seeing someone else's money, and choosing not to steal it. Even stealing itself is works, but repentance is an attitude of the heart where knowledge that we have sinned against God is acknowledged. (2 Tim 2:25)
The reason men like Steven and Bill are returning to the Old Testament dispensation for an explanation of repentance is because they are misunderstanding what it is to repent and what Jesus Christ was instructing men to do. In the old dispensation, before Christ went to the cross, works was the way to righteousness, but now, in the new dispensation, grace is the way to righteousness. Jesus Christ, over and over, scolded men who were doing many good works of the law because their hearts were not in the right place. If men's hearts are not in the right place via repentance, we end up with false converts that put Jesus Christ on a probationary period, subject to man's personal analysis.
Steve and Bill's misunderstanding of this concept comes from an example they give in Acts 16, where Paul and Silas were freed from prison by an earthquake while they sang praises unto God. In verses 27-28, the jail keeper seeks to take his own life, because if any one of the men would escape, his life would be forfeit anyway. Paul stops the jail keeper from doing so, reassuring him that everyone was still present in the jail, just released from their cells. The jail keeper calls a light to see what is going on, and the following takes place: Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
-Acts 16:29-31
Here, Steve Anderson preaches that all he had to do at that point was believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he was Saved, and I agree -- AT THAT POINT, all he needed to do was believe. Anderson jumps ahead to the end of the process of Salvation, instead of looking to the beginning of the process.
Have you ever tried to witness to someone, and they don't take you seriously? You can see them stick their nose in the air with pride, and they could care less about what you are saying? Now imagine if later, that person walks up to you, bows themselves down before you in tears at your feet, and begs you to tell them what they need to do to be saved. You don't tell them that they need to repent first, because they are already repenting before God! The difference between the person that has their nose in the air, and the one that has their nose in the dirt, is a repentant heart.
The jail keeper was already in a repentant state, and all He needed at that point was to be shown the way to everlasting life. Paul and Silas did not need to tell this man that he needed to repent, because he was already in repentance! 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. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
-Galatians 3:22-25
Paul is telling us directly how to bring someone to the Lord Jesus Christ and Salvation. The scripture concludes all under sin, and so the law condemns every man, which means we are all guilty of breaking God's Law, and will have to suffer punishment for the crimes committed. This is the way to bring a man to repentance, and those who just walk around saying "believe on Jesus," and "Jesus Saves," are not going to accomplish much of anything because there is no repentance of having done anything wrong. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 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.
-2 Timothy 2:24-26
One cannot get out of the snare of the devil without repentance, and that is according to Scripture, not this author's personal opinion. Once God gives that man or woman repentance to acknowledge the truth, they are ready to hear the truth, which is that they must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be Saved. After repentance, believing is the next step in the process, but believing that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, and rose again three days later, is not going to be possible for someone who does not repent of their wrong doing.
Think about this for a moment, let's say repentance was not part of Salvation, as some men believe. That means you don't need to turn from your sin and turn to God, as Bible tells us to do (Acts 26:20), but rather just believe on Jesus Christ. That means, to God, living in sin is completely acceptable, so long as you believe on Jesus Christ. This kind of false doctrine is what has led the new-age church into trying out Jesus Christ in an experimental fashion with a "Jesus is better than beer" mentality. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
-1 John 5:18
Without any other reading of different passages, we would end up concluding that if a Christian sins, he is no longer born of God, but we know it is the rightousness of Christ that justifies us by faith (Rom 5:1). But without repentance, what need is there to be justified? What need is there for a Judgment Seat in front of God? Why not just have a line up and all those who believe go up, and all those who don't go down? I am not saying a Christian will not sin, as even Paul admitted to sin in Romans 7, and anyone who says they are without sin is a liar (1Jo 1:8), but our delusion of inner goodness is destroyed with repentance, and that repentance is what brings men and women humbling themselves in submission to the foot of the cross, seeking the path to God and righteousness, just as the jail keeper did with Paul and Silas.
Even the men who are teaching false doctrine of "no repentance necessary" understand that repentance is needed. Bill, who I mentioned at the beginning of this article, slipped up in his final message to me. After quoting my website about repentance, Bill said the following (edited for spelling):
"Christopher what you promote with your unbiblical teaching of repentance is works salvation... Based on the above, I have decided to separate myself from you... If you repent of your false gospel and beliefs, let me know. If not, I don't want to hear back from you."
In the Bible, those preaching a false gospel will end up in hell (Mat 23:13), and that's where Bill believes I am going. So, according to Bill, in order to get on the righteous path to God, he says I am required to "repent of your false gospel and beliefs." So I need to repent of a belief that men should repent? The problem with this new-age "no repentance required" teaching is that some men like to hold on to the idea that they will not be held accountable for their wicked actions. All men will be held accountable, and all men will receive rewards for their good works, but repentance is not a good work by Biblical definitions, it is a state of godly sorrow (vertical repentance, not horizontal) that is acquired by the hearing of the Law of God, which brings us to faith in Jesus Christ. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
-2 Corinthians 7:9-10
To Steve, Bill, and everyone else who reads this: If you want to believe that repentance has nothing to do with Salavation, just make sure to tear 2 Corinthians 7 out of your Bible so you don't have to look at it."
The preceding article you just read is overflowing with heresy and lies. I sent an email response to Christopher Johnson, the writer of the article, and you can read my email here:
“This is in response to Christopher Johnson’s article “Is Repentance Necessary?” I hope that he will read it, as I wish to address many of the things stated in his article.
I am not expecting or asking for a response to this email, as I am aware that you do not wish to engage in an email debate. This is merely an attempt to point some things out, as God led me to your website and has pressured me to reach out to you.
Christopher, you have a false definition of repentance. You claim that someone named Bill wrote the following to you: “I believe that you preach another Gospel and that you have another Jesus. I believe that you are a false preacher and prophet that teaches that a works salvation.” This was a weak attempt by this person to call you out on your teaching on repentance, unless you only posted the part you wanted your audience to see. If the latter is not the case, then this person made it easy to ignore his claims, because he backed up his views with nothing. I am not writing to make a quick accusation against you. I am going to take the time to show you what is wrong with your teaching.
First of all, Billy Graham does indeed teach that repentance is necessary for salvation. I have listened to videos of him on youtube, and he claims that repentance means to turn from sin and must be done by someone who wants to come to Jesus Christ. I’m not sure where you are getting your information, but you are wrong about Billy Graham.
Now, let’s get to the real issues. You have used the same gimmick that many others do: You list a number of verses that use the word “repent” or “repentance.” What does that prove? No one is arguing that repentance is taught in the Bible. The problem is that you incorrectly define repentance, and on top of that, you try to make it an extra step for salvation. Repentance is to have a changed mind. It is not turning from sin, as some say, and it is not godly sorrow, as you say. Is repentance necessary for salvation? Yes, because repentance is having a changed mind. A lost person must go from unbelief in Jesus to belief in Him. In regards to salvation, believing on Jesus is the same thing as repenting. There is nowhere in Scripture where one must do something other than believe, and the reason repentance is not mentioned in verses dealing with salvation is because a person believing in Jesus has already repented by turning from their unbelief.
You mock the idea that since the book of John does not contain any form of “repentance,” then repentance is not needed for salvation. Yet it is a completely valid point. And what about all of Paul’s clear writings on salvation that do not speak of repentance? Those are scattered across a number of books. You assume that every time a person is told to repent in the Bible, that it is something they must experience in addition to belief for salvation, and you conveniently only point to the instances where repentance is used in regards to people. What about all the times God repented in the Bible? Was He experiencing godly sorrow or turning from sin? What about a verse like Romans 11:29?
“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”
How do you define the word repentance in that verse? Anyone can pull out verses from the Bible to illustrate that a certain word is used. But you better look at all the times that word is used before you come to a faulty definition of what it means.
What do the verses you quote in your article do for your argument? Let’s look at some of them.
“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
-Matthew 4:17”
So Jesus said to repent. What does repent mean? Here is more Scripture you quoted:
“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
-Mark 1:14-15”
Jesus said to repent and believe the Gospel. In other words, change your mind and believe the Gospel. You don’t have to feel sorrow to change your mind.
“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;
-Acts 3:19”
Peter was speaking to the Jews, who collectively had delivered Jesus to be crucified. Peter was telling these people to have a new mindset about Jesus, since they obviously had not believed on Him. They needed to change their minds and believe on Jesus, which would be a conversion. On your “About” page, you say that “a repentant heart is godly sorrow”. You define repentance as sorrow, which means that this verse from Acts teaches that feeling sorrow must accompany belief on Jesus. That’s adding a step to salvation by telling a person they must do something in addition to what God does. How much sorrow must be felt? What if someone feels sorrow, but he does not fall down and cry? Is that enough? How do you measure the necessary amount of sorrow that must be felt?
You state the following in your article:
“If you still believe that repentance is not part of Salvation, it sounds like you probably have a heart issue in rejecting the Gospel, and it could be that perhaps you have never repented.”
That is a cocky statement made by you in order to undermine people who don’t subscribe to your false definition of repentance. It’s an attempt at being tricky, because as I already said, I do believe repentance plays a part in salvation. Since repentance toward God is the same thing as believing in His Son, then yes, repentance is part of salvation. What is not needed, however, is a feeling of sorrow. Your teaching that repentance means sorrow is just as ignorant as the popular teaching that repentance means to turn from sin. Both of these ideas are done away with by a simple reading of Scripture.
Here is another Bible verse you quoted:
“But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and [then] to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
-Acts 26:20”
Let me paraphrase: Change your mind and turn to God. Change your mind from unbelief to belief. Then do works that are becoming of your newfound faith.
A good example of someone getting saved in the Bible is the eunuch in Acts chapter 8. Verse 35 says “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” Philip preached Jesus. He did not preach that sorrow must be felt. So what happened next? In verse 37, the eunuch said “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Then Philip baptized the man, signifying that he had been saved. Did the eunuch feel sorrow? There is no mention of that. Did the thief on the cross experience sorrow? No. What is recorded is the following: “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” These two men did exactly what is required to be saved.
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
Romans 10: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Why do you spend time tackling Jonah 3:10? Some false Christians teach that you must turn from sin to be saved. Some Christians use Jonah 3:10 to prove that turning from sin is works, and thus turning from sin to be saved is a works salvation. So this verse is used against people who teach that repentance is turning from sin, which is not what you teach. So why bring it up? Jonah 3:10 is ammunition against those people who define repentance as turning from sin. Ammunition against your definition of repentance is every single verse from the Bible where someone gets saved or is told how to get saved without any mention of feeling sorrow.
Now, concerning the famous jailer in Acts 16, here is what you say in your article:
“Steve and Bill's misunderstanding of this concept comes from an example they give in Acts 16, where Paul and Silas were freed from prison by an earthquake while they sang praises unto God. In verses 27-28, the jail keeper seeks to take his own life, because if any one of the men would escape, his life would be forfeit anyway. Paul stops the jail keeper from doing so, reassuring him that everyone was still present in the jail, just released from their cells. The jail keeper calls a light to see what is going on, and the following takes place:
Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
-Acts 16:29-31
Here, Steve Anderson preaches that all he had to do at that point was believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he was Saved, and I agree -- AT THAT POINT, all he needed to do was believe. Anderson jumps ahead to the end of the process of Salvation, instead of looking to the beginning of the process.
Have you ever tried to witness to someone, and they don't take you seriously? You can see them stick their nose in the air with pride, and they could care less about what you are saying? Now imagine if later, that person walks up to you, bows themselves down before you in tears at your feet, and begs you to tell them what they need to do to be saved. You don't tell them that they need to repent first, because they are already repenting before God! The difference between the person that has their nose in the air, and the one that has their nose in the dirt, is a repentant heart.”
What you have done here is just plain ridiculous. Since this jailer was trembling and fell down before the apostles, you try to shoehorn in your faulty definition of repentance. There is no mention anywhere of this jailer experiencing sorrow.
Acts 16:26-27: “And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.”
Imagine that you are a guard. All your prisoners are safely locked up, and you are in complete control. You are so confident of this fact, that you are actually taking a nap. Then there is an earthquake. This startles you right out of your sleep. In this startled state, you find that all of the prison doors are open. If all of the prisoners have escaped, you are in big trouble. This jailer was so fearful, that he was going to kill himself to escape the wrath of the higher ups he would have to answer to for losing all of his prisoners. Paul called out to the jailer, and the jailer came in and fell down before the apostles. Where does it say that he experienced sorrow? He was trembling and fell down because of the horrifying state he had awoken to. Remember? An earthquake. All the cell doors open. The jailer was going to commit suicide. You would be shaken up too if you were about to kill yourself. Come on now. Use some common sense here. And do not refer to salvation as a “process.” It is not a process. You believe on Jesus Christ and you are saved.
You go on to quote the following verse:
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 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.
-2 Timothy 2:24-26”
Where does this verse claim that repentance is sorrow? It says “repentance to the acknowledging of the truth”. What is the truth?
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
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.”
So a person must have repentance, or a changed mind, which causes them to acknowledge Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
You define repentance as “godly sorrow,” but then you say the following:
“Think about this for a moment, let's say repentance was not part of Salvation, as some men believe. That means you don't need to turn from your sin and turn to God, as Bible tells us to do (Acts 26:20), but rather just believe on Jesus Christ. That means, to God, living in sin is completely acceptable, so long as you believe on Jesus Christ. This kind of false doctrine is what has led the new-age church into trying out Jesus Christ in an experimental fashion with a "Jesus is better than beer" mentality.”
So what is it then? Is repentance godly sorrow or turning from sin? You have now added another component (turning from sin) to repentance. This is a classic move by people who teach a works salvation. They are not up front about their false teachings. They slip them in when they hope no one will notice. And where does Acts 26:20 say that turning from sin is necessary for salvation? It doesn’t. In fact, there is no mention of sin at all. Do you hope that people will not actually look at your references?
Here is another quote from you:
“Even the men who are teaching false doctrine of "no repentance necessary" understand that repentance is needed. Bill, who I mentioned at the beginning of this article, slipped up in his final message to me. After quoting my website about repentance, Bill said the following (edited for spelling):
"Christopher what you promote with your unbiblical teaching of repentance is works salvation... Based on the above, I have decided to separate myself from you... If you repent of your false gospel and beliefs, let me know. If not, I don't want to hear back from you."
In the Bible, those preaching a false gospel will end up in hell (Mat 23:13), and that's where Bill believes I am going. So, according to Bill, in order to get on the righteous path to God, he says I am required to "repent of your false gospel and beliefs." So I need to repent of a belief that men should repent?”
I agree with Bill. Since I have told you that repentance is simply a changed mind, then yes, you need to change your mind and stop teaching a works salvation. You are all mixed up, tossing extra ingredients such as sorrow and turning from sin into your faulty gospel concoction.
Here is another quote from you:
“The problem with this new-age "no repentance required" teaching is that some men like to hold on to the idea that they will not be held accountable for their wicked actions. All men will be held accountable, and all men will receive rewards for their good works, but repentance is not a good work by Biblical definitions, it is a state of godly sorrow (vertical repentance, not horizontal) that is acquired by the hearing of the Law of God, which brings us to faith in Jesus Christ.”
I agree that Christians will be held accountable for their works. But not for their sins. The judgment seat of Christ is where believers will be judged for their works. The works done for God will result in rewards. The works done for selfish reasons will result in loss of rewards. This is clearly explained in 1st Corinthians 3:10-15. Christians will not, however, be judged for their sins, because sins are not recorded to the believer’s account (Romans 4:6-8).
And by the way, sorrow does not bring us to faith in Jesus Christ. Hearing the Gospel does that. You have used a misunderstanding of 2nd Corinthians 7 to teach that sorrow leads to salvation. Your arrogant closing sentence perfectly illustrates your ignorance on what repentance actually is.
“To Steve, Bill, and everyone else who reads this: If you want to believe that repentance has nothing to do with Salavation, just make sure to tear 2 Corinthians 7 out of your Bible so you don't have to look at it.”
Since all you have done is used a passage of Scripture that mentions repentance, one in which you think helps your false teaching, let me show you what that passage is actually teaching. This became clear to me after I simply read the passage. The following is what I wrote in regards to people who abuse 2nd Corinthians 7:
(The following is taken from my page entitled “What About These Verses?”)
“2nd Corinthians 7:9-10
“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
This small passage of Scripture is misunderstood and abused by many people. Some people use it to teach that repentance means “godly sorrow.” Meanwhile, other people, who believe that to repent means to “experience godly sorrow,” use this passage to teach that great sorrow must be felt in order for a person to be saved. Both of these teachings revolve around ignorance or lies. We are going to find out what is really being said in this passage, and we will start, as always, by looking at the context that this passage was taken from.
The book of 1st Corinthians was written to the believers at the church of Corinth.
1st Corinthians 1:2: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:”
Paul was writing to the “saints,” those “sanctified in Christ Jesus.” That is referring to people who have believed on Jesus Christ for salvation. In his first letter to the Corinthian believers, Paul addressed certain problems and questions in the church. These included carnality (worldly living), believers going to law with each other, the matter of marriage, eating meat, taking Communion, and the issue of Corinthian believers incorrectly using the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. In addition, Paul dealt in his letter with a certain believer in the church who was committing fornication with “his father’s wife” (1st Corinthians 5:1). Paul instructed the Corinthian believers not to keep company with this man.
Now, moving on to the book of 2nd Corinthians, it is clear in chapter 7 that Paul’s first letter had had an effect on the Corinthians. This brings us to the passage in question, quoted at the top of this article. I will now place it within its proper context, so that we can get a broader idea of what is going on.
2nd Corinthians 7:8-12: “For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle (letter) hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.”
This is an interesting passage, and one that must be taken in carefully in order to understand it. Unfortunately, there are people who cannot understand Scripture, or who simply refuse to do so. There are two very ignorant conclusions that some people come to after viewing the preceding Scripture:
1. Repentance means godly sorrow.
2. Godly sorrow must be experienced before a person can be saved.
Both of these statements are false. Nowhere in the preceding Scripture is repentance defined as “godly sorrow.” Repentance in the Bible is always used in regards to a change of mind. Sometimes that change of mind is about sin. Sometimes the change of mind is experienced by God. When it comes to salvation, repentance means to change your mind and go from unbelief on Jesus to belief on Him. Repentance does not mean turning from sin, nor does it mean experiencing godly sorrow.
What was the apostle Paul saying in the passage of Scripture above? He had written a letter to the Corinthian believers, calling them out on the errors in their church. Paul said that even though his letter had made the Corinthian believers sorry, he himself was not sorry for having done so. Paul was glad that he had made the Corinthians sorry, because that had caused them to change their minds and fix the problems in their church. Because of Paul’s letter, the Corinthian believers became more careful in their actions, were fearful of doing wrong, were filled with zeal, and also had displeasure for those things which Paul had rebuked them for. Paul wrote his first letter to the church in order to show his care for the Corinthian believers, and the letter had indeed brought about good changes.
Why do some people insist on using this passage to teach what it does not? Let’s put an end to those two previously mentioned misconceptions that are derived from this passage.
1. Why do some people insist that this passage defines repentance as godly sorrow? Where does it say that? It says “godly sorrow worketh repentance.” Sorrow is a state of feeling grief, regret, or sadness. People who believe that repentance is godly sorrow teach that you must feel great sadness for your sins, attempting to force an emotion to come out of a person who wants to be saved. People who teach this idea are just as confused and wrong as those people teaching that repentance means to turn from sin. You don’t have to turn from sin to be saved, and you don’t have to feel great sadness for your sin in order to be saved either. And besides, this passage had nothing to do with eternal salvation! We will get to that in a moment. What the apostle Paul said in this passage was simply that godly sorrow can bring about repentance, or that feeling regret can bring about a change of mind, and possibly a change of actions, as was the case with the Corinthian believers. After the Corinthian believers were made to feel regret by Paul’s first letter, look at the changes that occurred:
“For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
2. Why do some people teach that godly sorrow must be experienced before a person can be saved? Well first of all, they mistakenly define repentance to mean “godly sorrow.” Secondly, they take the phrase “godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation,” and they assume that this is speaking of eternal salvation. It is not. But some people do not wish to find the truth, because they are more concerned with using Scripture to back up their unfounded beliefs.
Please recall that the Corinthian believers that Paul wrote both of his letters to were already saved. The first letter was meant to rebuke disorders in the church at Corinth. The second letter made mention of how those disorders had been corrected. Paul had no need to tell the Corinthians how to be saved, because they already were. So what is “godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation” referring to?
In the Scofield Reference Bible, the following excerpt is from a footnote found in the book of Romans: “The Hebrew and Greek words for salvation imply the ideas of deliverance, safety, preservation, healing, and soundness. Salvation is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes: as justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification.”
It is a mistake to think that each time the Bible mentions salvation that it is referring to eternal life. Let me show you two prime examples from the Bible where the idea of salvation was used to illustrate something other than eternal life.
Philippians 1:19: “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,”
Was Paul saying that he was not saved? No. Look at the context. In the first chapter of Philippians, Paul mentions being in bonds, meaning that he was imprisoned, in verses 7, 13, 14, and 16. The salvation that Paul was hoping for here was being free from prison. Paul possessed eternal salvation already, so his mention of salvation in the preceding verse was clearly referring to something else (his imprisonment).
James 2:14: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?”
Contrary to popular belief, the phrase “can faith save him?” is not referring to eternal salvation. James was teaching that faith without works would result in no rewards for the believer. Look at the two verses directly preceding verse 14.
James 2:12-13: “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”
Believers on Jesus Christ will not be judged for their sins, but they will be judged for their works. This is known as “the judgment seat of Christ” in 2nd Corinthians 5:10. James wrote that faith alone will not save the believer when it comes time to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. A lack of works will leave the believer with loss, but the believer’s soul remains saved (1st Corinthians 3:15). So you can see that even though the word “save” was used in James 2:14, this was not referring to a person’s soul. It was speaking of an entirely different event.
Now, getting back to the verse in question, we can begin to see what is being taught.
2nd Corinthians 7:10: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
Do you remember what was happening here? The church at Corinth had some problems. Paul wrote a letter to the church and addressed these problems. The believers in Corinth were made to feel regret because of the letter, and this resulted in them having a new mind and changing their actions. Recall that the original Hebrew and Greek words for salvation in the Bible implied the ideas of deliverance and/or healing. The salvation that had come upon the believers in Corinth was a deliverance from their carnal state, a healing from their disorderly actions. Want more proof?
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
Notice that Paul said to “behold this selfsame thing,” meaning “look at this exact same thing.” In other words, Paul was addressing the same thing he had just mentioned. The changes that had taken place at the church of Corinth were synonymous with the “salvation” that had occurred there.
Let me paraphrase what Paul said: Godly sorrow, or regret, leads to repentance, or a change of mind, that results in a change of actions that a person should not go back and change his mind about. Is that really that difficult to understand?
Furthermore, sorrow is not necessary in order to be saved. If it was, then Jesus lied.
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
In conclusion, repentance is not godly sorrow, and sorrow is not necessary for a person to be saved. Two completely unfounded theories have been based on a passage of Scripture that does nothing to support them. A simple reading of these verses in their proper context immediately does away with the false teachings that have become a burden to this misunderstood passage from the Bible.”
I’m tired of people like you abusing Scripture. It’s a slap in God’s face. God sent His Son to die for sinners, and all He asks for is that people believe in Jesus Christ to receive that salvation. Nothing should be added to God’s plan. If you cannot understand the simple concept of repentance, you have no business writing articles concerning salvation. When a person adds to the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ, they are presenting a false gospel. According to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, the Gospel is that Jesus died for the sins of the world, was buried, and rose again three days later. Romans 1:16 says that believing the Gospel is what saves one’s soul. There is no amount of sorrow that must be experienced for one to be saved. Teaching otherwise is spreading a man made doctrine, which you have added to your own false gospel message. Whether you are sincere or not, I have no way of knowing, but you need to understand that you have been corrupting God’s simple plan, and that is unacceptable. As of this writing, sixteen people have recommended your article on Facebook, and two more on Google. That shows that there are at least eighteen ignorant people that you are reaching with your false teaching. You are accountable for that.”
A reply was received from Christopher Johnson, who told me that he “literally laughed out loud” at my email. Christopher stated the following:
“Nothing will be corrected in my articles because you have just helped me further verify that I have it correct to the Word of God, and if that upsets you, then you can go start your own ministry and teach whatever it is you want.”
I suppose you could say that this website is my ministry, but I do not just teach whatever I want. I teach the Bible way to salvation, and I expose the nonsense of those who contradict it. I never planned on changing Christopher Johnson’s mind, but someone needs to stand up for God. And if nothing else, this provided my readers with a deeper look into the mind of someone who is an enemy of God's simple grace.
I am not expecting or asking for a response to this email, as I am aware that you do not wish to engage in an email debate. This is merely an attempt to point some things out, as God led me to your website and has pressured me to reach out to you.
Christopher, you have a false definition of repentance. You claim that someone named Bill wrote the following to you: “I believe that you preach another Gospel and that you have another Jesus. I believe that you are a false preacher and prophet that teaches that a works salvation.” This was a weak attempt by this person to call you out on your teaching on repentance, unless you only posted the part you wanted your audience to see. If the latter is not the case, then this person made it easy to ignore his claims, because he backed up his views with nothing. I am not writing to make a quick accusation against you. I am going to take the time to show you what is wrong with your teaching.
First of all, Billy Graham does indeed teach that repentance is necessary for salvation. I have listened to videos of him on youtube, and he claims that repentance means to turn from sin and must be done by someone who wants to come to Jesus Christ. I’m not sure where you are getting your information, but you are wrong about Billy Graham.
Now, let’s get to the real issues. You have used the same gimmick that many others do: You list a number of verses that use the word “repent” or “repentance.” What does that prove? No one is arguing that repentance is taught in the Bible. The problem is that you incorrectly define repentance, and on top of that, you try to make it an extra step for salvation. Repentance is to have a changed mind. It is not turning from sin, as some say, and it is not godly sorrow, as you say. Is repentance necessary for salvation? Yes, because repentance is having a changed mind. A lost person must go from unbelief in Jesus to belief in Him. In regards to salvation, believing on Jesus is the same thing as repenting. There is nowhere in Scripture where one must do something other than believe, and the reason repentance is not mentioned in verses dealing with salvation is because a person believing in Jesus has already repented by turning from their unbelief.
You mock the idea that since the book of John does not contain any form of “repentance,” then repentance is not needed for salvation. Yet it is a completely valid point. And what about all of Paul’s clear writings on salvation that do not speak of repentance? Those are scattered across a number of books. You assume that every time a person is told to repent in the Bible, that it is something they must experience in addition to belief for salvation, and you conveniently only point to the instances where repentance is used in regards to people. What about all the times God repented in the Bible? Was He experiencing godly sorrow or turning from sin? What about a verse like Romans 11:29?
“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”
How do you define the word repentance in that verse? Anyone can pull out verses from the Bible to illustrate that a certain word is used. But you better look at all the times that word is used before you come to a faulty definition of what it means.
What do the verses you quote in your article do for your argument? Let’s look at some of them.
“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
-Matthew 4:17”
So Jesus said to repent. What does repent mean? Here is more Scripture you quoted:
“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
-Mark 1:14-15”
Jesus said to repent and believe the Gospel. In other words, change your mind and believe the Gospel. You don’t have to feel sorrow to change your mind.
“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;
-Acts 3:19”
Peter was speaking to the Jews, who collectively had delivered Jesus to be crucified. Peter was telling these people to have a new mindset about Jesus, since they obviously had not believed on Him. They needed to change their minds and believe on Jesus, which would be a conversion. On your “About” page, you say that “a repentant heart is godly sorrow”. You define repentance as sorrow, which means that this verse from Acts teaches that feeling sorrow must accompany belief on Jesus. That’s adding a step to salvation by telling a person they must do something in addition to what God does. How much sorrow must be felt? What if someone feels sorrow, but he does not fall down and cry? Is that enough? How do you measure the necessary amount of sorrow that must be felt?
You state the following in your article:
“If you still believe that repentance is not part of Salvation, it sounds like you probably have a heart issue in rejecting the Gospel, and it could be that perhaps you have never repented.”
That is a cocky statement made by you in order to undermine people who don’t subscribe to your false definition of repentance. It’s an attempt at being tricky, because as I already said, I do believe repentance plays a part in salvation. Since repentance toward God is the same thing as believing in His Son, then yes, repentance is part of salvation. What is not needed, however, is a feeling of sorrow. Your teaching that repentance means sorrow is just as ignorant as the popular teaching that repentance means to turn from sin. Both of these ideas are done away with by a simple reading of Scripture.
Here is another Bible verse you quoted:
“But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and [then] to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
-Acts 26:20”
Let me paraphrase: Change your mind and turn to God. Change your mind from unbelief to belief. Then do works that are becoming of your newfound faith.
A good example of someone getting saved in the Bible is the eunuch in Acts chapter 8. Verse 35 says “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.” Philip preached Jesus. He did not preach that sorrow must be felt. So what happened next? In verse 37, the eunuch said “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Then Philip baptized the man, signifying that he had been saved. Did the eunuch feel sorrow? There is no mention of that. Did the thief on the cross experience sorrow? No. What is recorded is the following: “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” These two men did exactly what is required to be saved.
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
Romans 10: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Why do you spend time tackling Jonah 3:10? Some false Christians teach that you must turn from sin to be saved. Some Christians use Jonah 3:10 to prove that turning from sin is works, and thus turning from sin to be saved is a works salvation. So this verse is used against people who teach that repentance is turning from sin, which is not what you teach. So why bring it up? Jonah 3:10 is ammunition against those people who define repentance as turning from sin. Ammunition against your definition of repentance is every single verse from the Bible where someone gets saved or is told how to get saved without any mention of feeling sorrow.
Now, concerning the famous jailer in Acts 16, here is what you say in your article:
“Steve and Bill's misunderstanding of this concept comes from an example they give in Acts 16, where Paul and Silas were freed from prison by an earthquake while they sang praises unto God. In verses 27-28, the jail keeper seeks to take his own life, because if any one of the men would escape, his life would be forfeit anyway. Paul stops the jail keeper from doing so, reassuring him that everyone was still present in the jail, just released from their cells. The jail keeper calls a light to see what is going on, and the following takes place:
Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
-Acts 16:29-31
Here, Steve Anderson preaches that all he had to do at that point was believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he was Saved, and I agree -- AT THAT POINT, all he needed to do was believe. Anderson jumps ahead to the end of the process of Salvation, instead of looking to the beginning of the process.
Have you ever tried to witness to someone, and they don't take you seriously? You can see them stick their nose in the air with pride, and they could care less about what you are saying? Now imagine if later, that person walks up to you, bows themselves down before you in tears at your feet, and begs you to tell them what they need to do to be saved. You don't tell them that they need to repent first, because they are already repenting before God! The difference between the person that has their nose in the air, and the one that has their nose in the dirt, is a repentant heart.”
What you have done here is just plain ridiculous. Since this jailer was trembling and fell down before the apostles, you try to shoehorn in your faulty definition of repentance. There is no mention anywhere of this jailer experiencing sorrow.
Acts 16:26-27: “And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.”
Imagine that you are a guard. All your prisoners are safely locked up, and you are in complete control. You are so confident of this fact, that you are actually taking a nap. Then there is an earthquake. This startles you right out of your sleep. In this startled state, you find that all of the prison doors are open. If all of the prisoners have escaped, you are in big trouble. This jailer was so fearful, that he was going to kill himself to escape the wrath of the higher ups he would have to answer to for losing all of his prisoners. Paul called out to the jailer, and the jailer came in and fell down before the apostles. Where does it say that he experienced sorrow? He was trembling and fell down because of the horrifying state he had awoken to. Remember? An earthquake. All the cell doors open. The jailer was going to commit suicide. You would be shaken up too if you were about to kill yourself. Come on now. Use some common sense here. And do not refer to salvation as a “process.” It is not a process. You believe on Jesus Christ and you are saved.
You go on to quote the following verse:
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 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.
-2 Timothy 2:24-26”
Where does this verse claim that repentance is sorrow? It says “repentance to the acknowledging of the truth”. What is the truth?
Ephesians 1:13: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
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.”
So a person must have repentance, or a changed mind, which causes them to acknowledge Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
You define repentance as “godly sorrow,” but then you say the following:
“Think about this for a moment, let's say repentance was not part of Salvation, as some men believe. That means you don't need to turn from your sin and turn to God, as Bible tells us to do (Acts 26:20), but rather just believe on Jesus Christ. That means, to God, living in sin is completely acceptable, so long as you believe on Jesus Christ. This kind of false doctrine is what has led the new-age church into trying out Jesus Christ in an experimental fashion with a "Jesus is better than beer" mentality.”
So what is it then? Is repentance godly sorrow or turning from sin? You have now added another component (turning from sin) to repentance. This is a classic move by people who teach a works salvation. They are not up front about their false teachings. They slip them in when they hope no one will notice. And where does Acts 26:20 say that turning from sin is necessary for salvation? It doesn’t. In fact, there is no mention of sin at all. Do you hope that people will not actually look at your references?
Here is another quote from you:
“Even the men who are teaching false doctrine of "no repentance necessary" understand that repentance is needed. Bill, who I mentioned at the beginning of this article, slipped up in his final message to me. After quoting my website about repentance, Bill said the following (edited for spelling):
"Christopher what you promote with your unbiblical teaching of repentance is works salvation... Based on the above, I have decided to separate myself from you... If you repent of your false gospel and beliefs, let me know. If not, I don't want to hear back from you."
In the Bible, those preaching a false gospel will end up in hell (Mat 23:13), and that's where Bill believes I am going. So, according to Bill, in order to get on the righteous path to God, he says I am required to "repent of your false gospel and beliefs." So I need to repent of a belief that men should repent?”
I agree with Bill. Since I have told you that repentance is simply a changed mind, then yes, you need to change your mind and stop teaching a works salvation. You are all mixed up, tossing extra ingredients such as sorrow and turning from sin into your faulty gospel concoction.
Here is another quote from you:
“The problem with this new-age "no repentance required" teaching is that some men like to hold on to the idea that they will not be held accountable for their wicked actions. All men will be held accountable, and all men will receive rewards for their good works, but repentance is not a good work by Biblical definitions, it is a state of godly sorrow (vertical repentance, not horizontal) that is acquired by the hearing of the Law of God, which brings us to faith in Jesus Christ.”
I agree that Christians will be held accountable for their works. But not for their sins. The judgment seat of Christ is where believers will be judged for their works. The works done for God will result in rewards. The works done for selfish reasons will result in loss of rewards. This is clearly explained in 1st Corinthians 3:10-15. Christians will not, however, be judged for their sins, because sins are not recorded to the believer’s account (Romans 4:6-8).
And by the way, sorrow does not bring us to faith in Jesus Christ. Hearing the Gospel does that. You have used a misunderstanding of 2nd Corinthians 7 to teach that sorrow leads to salvation. Your arrogant closing sentence perfectly illustrates your ignorance on what repentance actually is.
“To Steve, Bill, and everyone else who reads this: If you want to believe that repentance has nothing to do with Salavation, just make sure to tear 2 Corinthians 7 out of your Bible so you don't have to look at it.”
Since all you have done is used a passage of Scripture that mentions repentance, one in which you think helps your false teaching, let me show you what that passage is actually teaching. This became clear to me after I simply read the passage. The following is what I wrote in regards to people who abuse 2nd Corinthians 7:
(The following is taken from my page entitled “What About These Verses?”)
“2nd Corinthians 7:9-10
“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
This small passage of Scripture is misunderstood and abused by many people. Some people use it to teach that repentance means “godly sorrow.” Meanwhile, other people, who believe that to repent means to “experience godly sorrow,” use this passage to teach that great sorrow must be felt in order for a person to be saved. Both of these teachings revolve around ignorance or lies. We are going to find out what is really being said in this passage, and we will start, as always, by looking at the context that this passage was taken from.
The book of 1st Corinthians was written to the believers at the church of Corinth.
1st Corinthians 1:2: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:”
Paul was writing to the “saints,” those “sanctified in Christ Jesus.” That is referring to people who have believed on Jesus Christ for salvation. In his first letter to the Corinthian believers, Paul addressed certain problems and questions in the church. These included carnality (worldly living), believers going to law with each other, the matter of marriage, eating meat, taking Communion, and the issue of Corinthian believers incorrectly using the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. In addition, Paul dealt in his letter with a certain believer in the church who was committing fornication with “his father’s wife” (1st Corinthians 5:1). Paul instructed the Corinthian believers not to keep company with this man.
Now, moving on to the book of 2nd Corinthians, it is clear in chapter 7 that Paul’s first letter had had an effect on the Corinthians. This brings us to the passage in question, quoted at the top of this article. I will now place it within its proper context, so that we can get a broader idea of what is going on.
2nd Corinthians 7:8-12: “For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle (letter) hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.”
This is an interesting passage, and one that must be taken in carefully in order to understand it. Unfortunately, there are people who cannot understand Scripture, or who simply refuse to do so. There are two very ignorant conclusions that some people come to after viewing the preceding Scripture:
1. Repentance means godly sorrow.
2. Godly sorrow must be experienced before a person can be saved.
Both of these statements are false. Nowhere in the preceding Scripture is repentance defined as “godly sorrow.” Repentance in the Bible is always used in regards to a change of mind. Sometimes that change of mind is about sin. Sometimes the change of mind is experienced by God. When it comes to salvation, repentance means to change your mind and go from unbelief on Jesus to belief on Him. Repentance does not mean turning from sin, nor does it mean experiencing godly sorrow.
What was the apostle Paul saying in the passage of Scripture above? He had written a letter to the Corinthian believers, calling them out on the errors in their church. Paul said that even though his letter had made the Corinthian believers sorry, he himself was not sorry for having done so. Paul was glad that he had made the Corinthians sorry, because that had caused them to change their minds and fix the problems in their church. Because of Paul’s letter, the Corinthian believers became more careful in their actions, were fearful of doing wrong, were filled with zeal, and also had displeasure for those things which Paul had rebuked them for. Paul wrote his first letter to the church in order to show his care for the Corinthian believers, and the letter had indeed brought about good changes.
Why do some people insist on using this passage to teach what it does not? Let’s put an end to those two previously mentioned misconceptions that are derived from this passage.
1. Why do some people insist that this passage defines repentance as godly sorrow? Where does it say that? It says “godly sorrow worketh repentance.” Sorrow is a state of feeling grief, regret, or sadness. People who believe that repentance is godly sorrow teach that you must feel great sadness for your sins, attempting to force an emotion to come out of a person who wants to be saved. People who teach this idea are just as confused and wrong as those people teaching that repentance means to turn from sin. You don’t have to turn from sin to be saved, and you don’t have to feel great sadness for your sin in order to be saved either. And besides, this passage had nothing to do with eternal salvation! We will get to that in a moment. What the apostle Paul said in this passage was simply that godly sorrow can bring about repentance, or that feeling regret can bring about a change of mind, and possibly a change of actions, as was the case with the Corinthian believers. After the Corinthian believers were made to feel regret by Paul’s first letter, look at the changes that occurred:
“For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
2. Why do some people teach that godly sorrow must be experienced before a person can be saved? Well first of all, they mistakenly define repentance to mean “godly sorrow.” Secondly, they take the phrase “godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation,” and they assume that this is speaking of eternal salvation. It is not. But some people do not wish to find the truth, because they are more concerned with using Scripture to back up their unfounded beliefs.
Please recall that the Corinthian believers that Paul wrote both of his letters to were already saved. The first letter was meant to rebuke disorders in the church at Corinth. The second letter made mention of how those disorders had been corrected. Paul had no need to tell the Corinthians how to be saved, because they already were. So what is “godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation” referring to?
In the Scofield Reference Bible, the following excerpt is from a footnote found in the book of Romans: “The Hebrew and Greek words for salvation imply the ideas of deliverance, safety, preservation, healing, and soundness. Salvation is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes: as justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification.”
It is a mistake to think that each time the Bible mentions salvation that it is referring to eternal life. Let me show you two prime examples from the Bible where the idea of salvation was used to illustrate something other than eternal life.
Philippians 1:19: “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,”
Was Paul saying that he was not saved? No. Look at the context. In the first chapter of Philippians, Paul mentions being in bonds, meaning that he was imprisoned, in verses 7, 13, 14, and 16. The salvation that Paul was hoping for here was being free from prison. Paul possessed eternal salvation already, so his mention of salvation in the preceding verse was clearly referring to something else (his imprisonment).
James 2:14: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?”
Contrary to popular belief, the phrase “can faith save him?” is not referring to eternal salvation. James was teaching that faith without works would result in no rewards for the believer. Look at the two verses directly preceding verse 14.
James 2:12-13: “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.”
Believers on Jesus Christ will not be judged for their sins, but they will be judged for their works. This is known as “the judgment seat of Christ” in 2nd Corinthians 5:10. James wrote that faith alone will not save the believer when it comes time to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. A lack of works will leave the believer with loss, but the believer’s soul remains saved (1st Corinthians 3:15). So you can see that even though the word “save” was used in James 2:14, this was not referring to a person’s soul. It was speaking of an entirely different event.
Now, getting back to the verse in question, we can begin to see what is being taught.
2nd Corinthians 7:10: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
Do you remember what was happening here? The church at Corinth had some problems. Paul wrote a letter to the church and addressed these problems. The believers in Corinth were made to feel regret because of the letter, and this resulted in them having a new mind and changing their actions. Recall that the original Hebrew and Greek words for salvation in the Bible implied the ideas of deliverance and/or healing. The salvation that had come upon the believers in Corinth was a deliverance from their carnal state, a healing from their disorderly actions. Want more proof?
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
Notice that Paul said to “behold this selfsame thing,” meaning “look at this exact same thing.” In other words, Paul was addressing the same thing he had just mentioned. The changes that had taken place at the church of Corinth were synonymous with the “salvation” that had occurred there.
Let me paraphrase what Paul said: Godly sorrow, or regret, leads to repentance, or a change of mind, that results in a change of actions that a person should not go back and change his mind about. Is that really that difficult to understand?
Furthermore, sorrow is not necessary in order to be saved. If it was, then Jesus lied.
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
In conclusion, repentance is not godly sorrow, and sorrow is not necessary for a person to be saved. Two completely unfounded theories have been based on a passage of Scripture that does nothing to support them. A simple reading of these verses in their proper context immediately does away with the false teachings that have become a burden to this misunderstood passage from the Bible.”
I’m tired of people like you abusing Scripture. It’s a slap in God’s face. God sent His Son to die for sinners, and all He asks for is that people believe in Jesus Christ to receive that salvation. Nothing should be added to God’s plan. If you cannot understand the simple concept of repentance, you have no business writing articles concerning salvation. When a person adds to the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ, they are presenting a false gospel. According to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, the Gospel is that Jesus died for the sins of the world, was buried, and rose again three days later. Romans 1:16 says that believing the Gospel is what saves one’s soul. There is no amount of sorrow that must be experienced for one to be saved. Teaching otherwise is spreading a man made doctrine, which you have added to your own false gospel message. Whether you are sincere or not, I have no way of knowing, but you need to understand that you have been corrupting God’s simple plan, and that is unacceptable. As of this writing, sixteen people have recommended your article on Facebook, and two more on Google. That shows that there are at least eighteen ignorant people that you are reaching with your false teaching. You are accountable for that.”
A reply was received from Christopher Johnson, who told me that he “literally laughed out loud” at my email. Christopher stated the following:
“Nothing will be corrected in my articles because you have just helped me further verify that I have it correct to the Word of God, and if that upsets you, then you can go start your own ministry and teach whatever it is you want.”
I suppose you could say that this website is my ministry, but I do not just teach whatever I want. I teach the Bible way to salvation, and I expose the nonsense of those who contradict it. I never planned on changing Christopher Johnson’s mind, but someone needs to stand up for God. And if nothing else, this provided my readers with a deeper look into the mind of someone who is an enemy of God's simple grace.
Sherry Shriner
Sherry Shriner is an enemy of Christianity. To find out why, visit the following link to my article on the apostle Paul.