Must One First Repent And Confess Their Sins Before God Saves Them?

[Grace Accepted]

There is this meme among some Christian groups that we must perform at least two good works before God's grace will kick in. Those works are confession and repentance. Sometimes there are additions to this list such as observing certain laws and/or traditions.

Is God An Angry Accountant?
This view of God makes him out to be an exacting accountant waiting for our ledger to be cleared before granting us His salvation. Now, let me stop right here and state unequivocally, that every single soul saved by God will have repented and confessed their sins. If this does not happen the person has not been saved.

So now that I have waxed confusing, let me untangle myself. The issue is not whether a saved person has confessed and repented but instead it is the order in which this happens.

Jesus physical miracles mirrors the spiritual healing He does to each saved person. After all, a saved person is a person who has been healed spiritually and made spiritually whole. Jesus never demanded that the lame walk before they could be healed or that the blind must see before he gave them sight and neither does he demand that a sinner repents before he heals them spiritually.

Why is this? Because the lame cannot walk nor the blind see unless they receive healing and neither can a sinner see their sin and repent unless they receive spiritual healing. This is what James was talking about when he exclaimed, "faith without works is dead."

James was not touting faith plus works for salvation. He was saying faith that does not engender the works of God is dead. Beating a dead faith with your works will not bring it to life.

Take Up Thy Bed...
So we can see that God calls us to get out of our bed of sin and walk after the spirit as He is giving us the healing to do so. It is a sudden process in the eyes of God for we are made perfect forever by Jesus one sacrifice, but we are still in the process of being made holy. That is the work of our lifetime under the guidance of God by faith and submission.

 

[God's Truth]

There is this meme among some Christian groups that we must perform at least two good works before God's grace will kick in. Those works are confession and repentance.

Those are things Jesus says to do to get saved. WHY do people go against what Jesus says to do to get saved?


Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Matthew 7:33 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’


And so many more!

Sometimes there are additions to this list such as observing certain laws and/or traditions.

Like what?

Is God An Angry Accountant?
This view of God makes him out to be an exacting accountant waiting for our ledger to be cleared before granting us His salvation.

People eschew the words of God to try to get people NOT TO OBEY GOD.

Now, let me stop right here and state unequivocally, that every single soul saved by God will have repented and confessed their sins.

Satan is tricky ain't he?

If this does not happen the person has not been saved.

We have to believe and obey to get saved and to stay saved.

So now that I have waxed confusing, let me untangle myself.

You admit it.

The issue is not whether a saved person has confessed and repented but instead it is the order in which this happens.

No such thing from God.

Jesus physical miracles mirrors the spiritual healing He does to each saved person. After all, a saved person is a person who has been healed spiritually and made spiritually whole. Jesus never demanded that the lame walk before they could be healed or that the blind must see before he gave them sight and neither does he demand that a sinner repents before he heals them spiritually.

Do you really think you make sense?

Why is this? Because the lame cannot walk nor the blind see unless they receive healing and neither can a sinner see their sin and repent unless they receive spiritual healing. This is what James was talking about when he exclaimed, "faith without works is dead."

James was not touting faith plus works for salvation.

Who said James was touting?

James was warning.

He was saying faith that does not engender the works of God is dead. Beating a dead faith with your works will not bring it to life.

Obeying God isn't ever wrong. It isn't beating dead faith to obey God. It is making faith alive to obey God by doing what He says to do.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Take Up Thy Bed...
So we can see that God calls us to get out of our bed of sin and walk after the spirit as He is giving us the healing to do so. It is a sudden process in the eyes of God for we are made perfect forever by Jesus one sacrifice, but we are still in the process of being made holy. That is the work of our lifetime under the guidance of God by faith and submission.

We have to obey Jesus. There is no getting around that, but oh how people try.

 

[God's Truth]

So now that I have waxed confusing, let me untangle myself.

You have not untangled yourself.

 

[Grace Accepted]

Those are things Jesus says to do to get saved. WHY do people go against what Jesus says to do to get saved?


Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Matthew 7:33 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Legalists read theses texts in a blind way because they have not experienced Jesus yet.

Each of theses passages support the miracle of God’s salvation for us.

If you are not doing the things Christ says to do, you not only are you not doing the will of the Father, you have not been saved.

Legalists can only imagine that they are doing God’s will but they have no power to discern what it is let alone execute it.

 

[Grace Accepted]

You have not untangled yourself.

There is a class of people of whom the Bible says that the Gospel is foolishness to them and that they cannot comprehend it.

 

[Arial]

There is this meme among some Christian groups that we must perform at least two good works before God's grace will kick in. Those works are confession and repentance. Sometimes there are additions to this list such as observing certain laws and/or traditions.

Is God An Angry Accountant?
This view of God makes him out to be an exacting accountant waiting for our ledger to be cleared before granting us His salvation. Now, let me stop right here and state unequivocally, that every single soul saved by God will have repented and confessed their sins. If this does not happen the person has not been saved.

So now that I have waxed confusing, let me untangle myself. The issue is not whether a saved person has confessed and repented but instead it is the order in which this happens.

Jesus physical miracles mirrors the spiritual healing He does to each saved person. After all, a saved person is a person who has been healed spiritually and made spiritually whole. Jesus never demanded that the lame walk before they could be healed or that the blind must see before he gave them sight and neither does he demand that a sinner repents before he heals them spiritually.

Why is this? Because the lame cannot walk nor the blind see unless they receive healing and neither can a sinner see their sin and repent unless they receive spiritual healing. This is what James was talking about when he exclaimed, "faith without works is dead."

James was not touting faith plus works for salvation. He was saying faith that does not engender the works of God is dead. Beating a dead faith with your works will not bring it to life.

Take Up Thy Bed...
So we can see that God calls us to get out of our bed of sin and walk after the spirit as He is giving us the healing to do so. It is a sudden process in the eyes of God for we are made perfect forever by Jesus one sacrifice, but we are still in the process of being made holy. That is the work of our lifetime under the guidance of God by faith and submission.

I have concluded that many do not understand what repentance is when Jesus says repent and be saved, and so they approach it in a very legalistic way. (Which really is what we need to repent of. What Jesus taught to the teachers of the law again and again, that they did not hear.) It is not individual sins that we must repent of. All our past sins are forgiven with our union with Christ through faith. The sins we commit after salvation we must eventually recognize and turn away from as we submit to the word of God. But they are forgiven in Christ and for His sake, because we bear His name.(Sanctify them by Your Word, Your word is truth. John 17.) What we must repent of and do repent of at salvation is our utter rebellion against God by turning to Him. From one thing, to its opposite. From unbelief to belief. The salvation is what breaks us in pieces before Him, and drives us to our knees---cut to the quick as Acts records at Pentecost---over sorrow at how our sinful, lawless, Godless lives have so transgressed the holy. Our Maker.

 

[God's Truth]

Legalists read theses texts in a blind way because they have not experienced Jesus yet.

Each of theses passages support the miracle of God’s salvation for us.

If you are not doing the things Christ says to do, you not only are you not doing the will of the Father, you have not been saved.

Legalists can only imagine that they are doing God’s will but they have no power to discern what it is let alone execute it.

Gobbledygook

 

[God's Truth]

There is a class of people of whom the Bible says that the Gospel is foolishness to them and that they cannot comprehend it.

It isn't those who believe and obey God and who preach obedience to Christ.

Can you imagine, LOL, you preaching against the one who preaches to believe and obey being the one who is damned for not being saved?

 

[Grace Accepted]

It isn't those who believe and obey God and who preach obedience to Christ.

Can you imagine, LOL, you preaching against the one who preaches to believe and obey being the one who is damned for not being saved?

No, I am against legalism. Legalism steals your salvation by making self the master of it in one way or another.

Gobbledygook

Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. To those who do not discern them spiritually they are foolishness.

 

[Grace Accepted]

I have concluded that many do not understand what repentance is when Jesus says repent and be saved, and so they approach it in a very legalistic way. (Which really is what we need to repent of. What Jesus taught to the teachers of the law again and again, that they did not hear.) It is not individual sins that we must repent of. All our past sins are forgiven with our union with Christ through faith. The sins we commit after salvation we must eventually recognize and turn away from as we submit to the word of God. But they are forgiven in Christ and for His sake, because we bear His name.(Sanctify them by Your Word, Your word is truth. John 17.) What we must repent of and do repent of at salvation is our utter rebellion against God by turning to Him. From one thing, to its opposite. From unbelief to belief. The salvation is what breaks us in pieces before Him, and drives us to our knees---cut to the quick as Acts records at Pentecost---over sorrow at how our sinful, lawless, Godless lives have so transgressed the holy. Our Maker.

Many do not understand the repentance that needs not be repented of.

 

[God's Truth]

No, I am against legalism. Legalism steals your salvation by making self the master of it in one way or another.

Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. To those who do not discern them spiritually they are foolishness.

No one will have the Spiritual without doing what Jesus says.

 

[Grace Accepted]

No one will have the Spiritual without doing what Jesus says.

No one will even know or do what Jesus says without the spirit. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. That’s why legalists cannot discern the truth.