A Biblical Case For Repentance

Is there a Christian here who has not called upon the name of the Lord for salvation? Meaning, is there a Christian here who has not sought after forgiveness of their sins with Jesus via by way of prayer?

Just_a_Christian said:

Being reborn, or born again.
1. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved - Mark 16:16

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In 1 Peter 3:21, Peter explains that baptism saves but not for the putting away of the "filth of the flesh" (i.e. sin). Again, compere similar wording "filth of the flesh" in 2 Corinthians 7:1 (Which is clearly in reference to sin). So we are saved via remitting sin from our conscience in baptism and we are not saved by remitting sin literally from our soul in regards to salvation. Baptism is a picture or symbol of salvation (See Romans 6:3-5). Mark 16 does not say he that is not baptized is condemned. This makes sense because the thief on the cross and Cornelius were saved without water baptism.

You said:

2. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. - 2 Corinthians 5:17
3. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:27
Baptism is the only way to be in Christ.

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Non sequitur. Putting on Christ and being in Christ is not the same thing. Water baptism was something they did as a part of accepting Christ back in the day. It was not always the case. Again, Paul says he came not to baptize but to preach the gospel. How can Paul be against an essential core doctrine in coming to the faith?

You said:

4. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. - John 3:5

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No. Being born of water is talking about being born by the Word of God (via the Scriptures).

Ephesians 5:25-27 talks about being washed by the water of the Word.
In John 15:3, Jesus says you are clean by the word I have spoken to you.
1 Peter 1:23 says, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

You said:

5. Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; - Colossians 2:12-13

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Baptism was something they did as a part of accepting the Lord in many cases. But in other cases this was not the case. Baptism was also a picture or symbol of salvation (See again Romans 6:3-5).

The passage mentions circumcision. A person had to first believe before being circumcised even under the Old Covenant (When the OT was once in effect at one time for the Israelites) (See Romans 4 in how Abraham first believed (before he took action) and his belief was accounted to him as righteousness). Yes, it is true that one needed to be circumcised to maintain their salvation later (See Genesis 17:14), but the New Covenant is not about ordinances or ceremonies or rituals, etc (that are mere shadows that point us to Christ). The New Covenant is about loving God and loving your neighbor in a more perfect way via the faith and or teachings of Jesus Christ and His followers.

You said:

Another verses that fits perfectly with the above verse about being born again a new creature.
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 18:3
Jesus says except we be converted, which is to believe that Jesus is the Christ and become as little children. Children are blameless - totally innocent. We have all our sins forgiven at baptism; when we're raised a new creature from baptism, at that time we are free of sin totally. If we remain in the light, as Christ is, we have continual cleansing by the blood of the Lamb.
In Him

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Be as children means to have the humble attitude. Children generally learn from their parents because they are limited in knowledge. If they make a mistake, they are sometimes punished so as to learn from their mistake so they can learn so as not to make such mistakes in the future. This is from the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant and it speaks nothing about water baptism. In context, being like a child one is innocent and quick to forgive and forget. Forgiveness is more in line with the Sinner's Prayer than water baptism. Water baptism is just a ceremony or ritual that is a picture of symbol of salvation and it is not a work or act in the salvation process.

Dave L said:

Who would choose to do good but a believer?

You are confusing grace with law by lumping the above passages together. Law doesn't save but obedience reaps material rewards. Grace on the other hand saves, and believers only would respond to the offers meant for them. Believers = already saved.

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No. Jesus desired for some to be gathered to Him like a hen would gather its chicks, but they would not let Him to do so.

Dave L said:

Jerusalem = the city government. They would not allow repentance and suffered annihilation because of it. You are using passages that apply to the civil law trying to make them apply to salvation in Christ. That is, you turn the gospel into law and salvation into works.

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No. Sorry, brother. But that is just non-sense. Why would Jesus care about civil government matters apart from salvation? That makes no sense. The mission of Jesus was that He cared about the salvation of people's souls (Including those in the governing authority). The Israelites thought Jesus (the Messiah) was going to set up an Earthly kingdom, but this was not so.

Jenniferdiana said:

Gee lol you guys are funny lol..what is a sinners prayer? I'm sorry for real what is that? I only know one prayer that is biblical and it starts with "our father".. the one Jesus told us to pray like...

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I believe most today do not know what repent even means. I believe this is because they have not studied the matter on their own with God instead of latching on to what their Pastor says or what some popular preacher or teacher says. The "Sinner's Prayer" is just another way of saying "Repent." To see proof of this obvious fact in Scripture, just check out my Biblical points in Post #2. If you disagree, you have to explain the points I brought up in Scripture using your English Bible and not a dead language like Greek (Whereby a person would attempt to change the plain meaning of the words in their Bible in English).

Just_a_Christian said:

Yep, you are right, some say believe the gospel. Some say have faith in the gospel...
And yet what does the Bible say about the gospel???
For it is right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.With flaming fire he will mete out punishment on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.They will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, - 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9
A large portion of the gospel of Jesus Christ is action (obedience) based on our part.
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that OBEY him; - Hebrews 5:9
Faith
Repentance
Confession
Baptism
Righteous living untill death.
Not sinless till death but righteous living--trying to model our lives after the Savior.
In Him

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The "Sinner's Prayer" is not a denial of the "Necessity of Works of Faith" (that come later after being saved by God's grace through faith) as part of the salvation process. The "Sinner's Prayer" is merely the entrance in most cases. It simply means to "repent." John says bring forth fruits (deeds) worthy of repentance. So the fruit cannot be the same thing as the tree. Repentance has to be different than the fruits of repentance. For what are the fruits of repentance in your view if you believe "Forsaking sin and living holy" = "Repentance"?

worshipjunkie said:

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) Seems pretty self explanatory

Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38). They are to repent and then be baptized. If baptism was all that was necessary why not simply say be baptized? In Mark 16:16 " He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.", why mention belief at all in the first part of the verse, and then why not mention refusal to get baptised in the second? Surely it would make more sense to say "He who is baptized will be saved."

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5) Washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit; not by water.

What about those who believe, but for one reason or another, do not get baptized. They have saving faith; they trust in the Lord Jesus, but they cannot get baptized, and they die. Are they then damned? If they are, you're admitting that it is the ceremony, the work, in and of itself that saves you. And if not, if their faith saves them, then you're admitting it's faith that takes prescidence over the ceremony of baptism.

Is baptism necessary for salvation? | CARM.org has a good article on this.​

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Yes, God's grace through faith (and not works) is how we are Initially and Ultimately Saved (Ephesians 2:8) (TItus 3:5). Without a belief in Jesus as our Savior (and believing in His death and resurrection on our behalf) for salvation, we cannot be saved. I believe it is possible to be a son of God by simply believing on His name (See John 1:12). I believe this is where it starts, but it does not stop for believers. Many believers also call upon the name of the Lord for salvation, as well (Which is the "receive Him" part mentioned in John 1:12). The belief alone part (for salvation) applies to those who are in primitive tribes or jungles who accept Christ (Whereby their language is very basic and savage). This also can apply to someone on their death bed, as well. But I believe that a Christian who lives out their faith and has a Bible will call upon the name of the Lord for salvation. It is a foregone conclusion. He who is given much will have greater responsibility (See Luke 12:48). This is why believers who live out their faith and have a Bible will be held in more accountability to the Lord by showing that their faith is true by their works of faith (See James 2:17-18). A person is initially and ultimately saved by God's grace through faith, but after being saved by His grace, they need works of faith as part of the salvation process, too (See 1 John 1:7, Hebrews 5:9, James 2:24, Titus 1:16). The Sinner's Prayer is not a denial of the necessity of works of faith as a part of salvation. Jesus makes this point clear in the Parable of the Two Sons. The one son who did his father's will was the one who not only said they were sorry, but they actually went out and did what their father desired of them to do (See Matthew 21:28-32). The bad son said he would go and do his father's will, but he simply did not do his father's will. So he was not even sorry, and thus he did not even do his father's will. 2 Corinthians 7:10 talks about how Godly sorrow leads to repentance. This is where our sin leads us to our knees in broken humbleness before the Lord (Whereby we are seeking His forgiveness). God's grace, how sweet the sound. But we do not remain as a wretched sinner. We are changed and we seek to obey the Lord in everything we do. If not, then we are not changed and we are showing that the Lord is not living inside of us (Seeking to do the good work through our lives). Paul tells us to prove that Christ is in us unless we be reprobate (2 Corinthians 13:5). We can have an assurance in knowing the Lord, if we find that we are keeping His commandments (1 John 2:3). But that person who says they know the Lord and they do not keep His commandments, they are a liar and the truth is not in them (1 John 2:4). In other words, while Grace is of the uttmost importance in our salvation for it how we are saved initially and ultimately, this grace is so that we can overcome sin in our life and it is not the kind of grace that gives us a free pass to sin in any way. If we sin, we have to confess of our sin in order to be forgiven (1 John 1:9). This is in view of forsaking sin (1 John 1:7). For he that confesses and forsakes sin shall have mercy (Proverbs 28:13).

Jenniferdiana said:

It's okay. But I really don't know what that is. It sounds like something that was made up. However, there is a prayer in the Bible though, why not just stick with that one and move along...why all the man made crap.. y'all need to leave that stuff alone..and we were already told how to repent and be forgiven, you know the true way..you know the truth..

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Okay, first of all, it is not good to swear as a Christian. Jesus says it is not what goes into our mouths that defiles us, but it is what comes out of our mouths that defiles us. Second, what I said is not made up; It is 100% Scriptural and I challenged you to look at the points in Scripture in Post #2 I have shown and you are simply ignoring them.

Dave L said:

OT Israel was mostly wicked except for a few believers at all times. God threatened them with death and exile for disobedience, and promised material rewards for obedience. His comment on Jerusalem was just another example of the wicked not allowing the prophets to preach national repentance. Instead they killed them. But it has nothing to do with salvation.

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So repentance does not deal with salvation?

Fidelibus said:

As a former Protestant and Sola Scripturist, here are a couple versions of the sinner's prayer I'm am familiar with.


“Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner and that I deserve to go to hell. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. I do now receive him as my Lord and personal Savior. I promise to serve you to the best of my ability. Please save me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

And:

""Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and eternal life. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless.
I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart, please Lord Jesus forgive me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend.

I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."


No where in Scripture will you find these words. So my question to those that adhere to the Doctrine of Sola Scriptura. (the bible alone) Since these words are not found in the Bible, would you consider them to be "extra- biblical", and by reciting it, nothing more than reciting a man-made practice?


Have a Blessed Day

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It is a general prayer of forgiveness to the Father in Jesus name or a prayer of forgiveness to Jesus. It does not have to be those exact words. You will find examples of people coming to come via seeking forgiveness with the Lord by prayer. See post #2 within this thread.

Ashley755 said:

It... can be. Let me explain. You don't become saved just by saying a few words (that you don't actually mean). It's just like reciting a poem. They're just words, and words alone can save no one. So only repeating the words of a prayer like this after someone else will do nothing and cannot save. All you're doing is reciting words.
However, if someone recites some kind of prayer like this AND GENUINELY REPENTS AND TRUSTS IN JESUS, then that person can be saved.
So, the method can vary. Just saying an empty prayer wont work, because salvation means that you believe, you repent, and you put your trust in Christ.

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Right, nobody is suggesting a fake Sinner’s Prayer here (where somebody repeats words mindlessly without really meaning it), but I am referring to a Biblical Sinner’s Prayer whereby somebody also honestly believes in Jesus as their Savior and whereby they believe in his death and resurrection on their behalf so as to be saved. This also naturally includes a Godly sorrow, as well (See 2 Corinthians 7:10). The Sinner’s Prayer is in harmony with these other things in coming to the faith.