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What Does It Mean To Repent And Be Saved?


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LTRP Note: The editors at Lighthouse Trails believe that one of the reasons so many proclaiming Christians are turning to contemplative mysticism is because they have been following a non-biblical “Gospel” that has kept them from a true born of the Spirit (born-again) relationship with Jesus Christ. Thus, mystically-induced experiences take the place of that relationship. The […]

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The reason this is important today is because so many tell folks to just "say a prayer" and they will be saved, or to just say you believe in Jesus and you will go to heaven. This has given us many thousands who have a false sense of being right with God though they are just as lost today as before.

 

There can be no salvation without repentance.

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Repentence before salvation merely means that a person recognizes their need for a Saviour.  They turn to Jesus, and put all their faith and trust in Him and Him alone.  The heart must be sincere before we get saved.  Repentence occurs when we put our faith and our lives in Jesus' capable hands.  When we are born again, we are constantly being convicted of sins the rest of our lives.  We immediately try to get rid of those sins by confessing them and turning from them.  An example of this is a bride on her wedding day.  What does a bride do when she gets a spot on her wedding gown?  She gathers a bridesmaid or two, and runs to the bathroom for cold water and paper towel to wipe that spot off her gown.  As Christians, we should be convicted of our sin, and do the same, as we are the "Bride of Christ".  We shouldn't want our gowns belmished with a spot. 

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LTRP Note: The editors at Lighthouse Trails believe that one of the reasons so many proclaiming Christians are turning to contemplative mysticism is because they have been following a non-biblical “Gospel” that has kept them from a true born of the Spirit (born-again) relationship with Jesus Christ. Thus, mystically-induced experiences take the place of that relationship. The […]

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To Finneyists, to repent and be saved means to repeat a canned prayer to "accept Jesus into your heart". 

 

On the other hand, those of us who hold to Biblical, Reformed theology, believe it means that the Holy Spirit, by a process called conviction, makes us aware of our sin, our enmity with  God, and our need for a Savior and then, by a process called regeneration, gives us the ability to turn from our sin, to embrace God, His laws, His will, and receive Christ and His atonement on our behalf as payment for our sin, by which we are forgiven by God, reconciled to God, and adopted as sons of God.

 

But you feel free to go ahead and do it your little way. We think it's cute.

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Good article.  

 

Yes, Auburn, Finneyists err greatly when they promote a canned prayer to ask Jesus into their hearts.  That is known as easy prayerism and is just as unbiblical as the RCC and other unbiblical religions.   While we are not Reformed, my hubby and I would agree  with your description of the process of salvation.  Too many people have trusted in a prayer rather than the Person of Christ for salvation.  

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"And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."  Acts 20:20,21

 

I believe one of things that is spiritually killing people and churches in our day is a shallow understanding of the message of the cross.  Some, fearing "low results" have given way to a cheap, 1,2,3,4 say this prayer type formula that, as with good saelsmanship, may get convert slips turned in, but will NOT get names written in the Lamb's Book of Life.  Notice Pauls core point, there's only two:

1.  Repentance toward God, THEN

2.  Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Man cannot place saving faith in Christ without understanding what he is being saved from.  A formula is NOT going to save him.  So what is the primary thing saving faith toward our Lord Jesus saving us from?  Is it sin?  In a sense, yes, salvation will pardon our sin, and sanctification will work on sin's control in our life, but, NO, that's not the FIRST thing Jesus is saving us from.  Is it Hell?  In a sense, yes, salvation will keep us from going to hell, but that is not the primary thrust of salvation.  So what is Jesus saving us from FIRST?

 

GOD!

 

"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

 

Because of God's holiness, righteousness, and justice, man is in The Great Dilemna!  He owe's a debt he cannot pay but must be payed.  Paul wrote:

 

"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."  Rom. 2:2

 

Christ is the propotiation for the debt we owed God for/because of our sins.  Satisfaction had to be made, nothing else would do.  I know that God saves in spite of some of the error that has been produced since we came up with the door-to-door Romans Road type salvation, but I'm also solidly convinced we've sent myriads to hell trusting that their unchanged heart had God bound to their "prayer" they said, never knowing they'd offended a holy God with their sin.

 

Honestly, is it hard to confess the first point of the Romans Road?  All have sinned. A beer drinking, hell raising, fist fighting, hell-bound biker would tell you he's a sinner, and EVEN maybe feel a little bad about it. . . sin. . . not that he'd offended God, but that the social implications of his behaviour is wrong and perhaps harmful (to some.)  But what about God, do we just quickly pass through points 1 and 2, rushing them to the FREE GIFT, and the SINNER'S PRAYER?  Indeed. 

 

Repentance toward God is an acknowledging that we have offended Him and that without the propitiation provided by Christ we are in desperate trouble and without remedy.  It would be far better to spend a week with one guy then rush 5 through a prayer that very welll may give them "false assurance" and send them straight to hell clinging to the the statement by the well intention soul winner, "Now write that date in your bible and when the Devil comes and says your not saved, you say Oh yes I am and point to that date!" never knowing that it WAS NOT the Devil but the sweet Spirit of God calling one last time before someone slips off to hell!

 

When the CONVINCED sinner comes to God in repentance THEN and ONLY then, does God in his Holy Love point to His Son and say, "There! There! Do you see Him on the Cross?  My only begotten Son, full of grace and truth?  He is your remedy, go to Him!" 

 

Repent and be saved!

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