Which comes first repentance or forgiveness?

What comes first in Eternal Life salvation, is believing. But actually repentance could come first, second or not at all, but that would not have any bearing on whether a person trust in The Messiah for God's free gift of Eternal Life.

Forgiveness of sin happened at the cross as Jesus took away the sin of the world even for unbelievers.

dms1972 said:

In salvation which comes first - repentance or turning to God, or God's word of forgiveness?

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Any question on a spiritual matter must be answered with the word of God. This is the only way to determine truth.

Gods saving grace is only for those who are willing to repent.

If no repentance then no salvation.

Repentance in the gospel Jesus Christ always precedes Gods gift of grace.

Notice the very first time in the Bible the gospel of Jesus was preached in order to save the hearers of Jesus' gospel, Acts 2. Those who heard the gospel first believed what they heard, then repented and were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins.

Acts 2:37
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

These men believed the gospel that Peter preached to them. They were pricked in their hearts, they knew they had murdered, crucified their Messiah.
They now ask what they must do for their sin of murdering God on the cross.
Clearly asking what to do is a response of someone who believes what Peter has preached. They have believed in the death, burial and ressurection of their now accepted Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Peter will now continue his preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Peter will now answer their belief and what to do with it.

Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We can see Peter preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ on how to be saved, telling these jews in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit you must repent and be baptized.

The Biblical order of salvation is thus
1. Believe the gospel Acts 2:37
2. Repentance Acts 2:38
3. Baptism Acts 2:38
4. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:38-39

This order is repeated with every conversion in Jesus' gospel.

Repentance precedes salvation.
Repentance is itself a turning from service of self centered sin, to a submission of life long service to God.

God gives repentance, it needs to be granted BY GOD, and they repent from evil belief, to then believe the Gospel..






Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

Acts 26:20 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.

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.





Repentance which God alone grants ( it cannot be found) is also conversion and is then the sins forgiven.

But the people it shows, do not know that the goodness of God leads to repentance.

Repentance was from all the uncleanness, remaining in it shows God never granted them repentance.




Acts 3:19 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.

Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

2 Corinthians 12:21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

2 Timothy 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

Just as God has offered salvation to all.
God has through His mercy commanded all men everywhere to repent.

God has given man the gift to repent of his sins.
It is now up to every individual to take Gods offer of salvation and repent.

Acts 17:30
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent :

31 Because He hath appointed a day, in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained: wherefore He hath given ASSURANCE UNTO ALL MEN, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.

All men everywhere have been given the blessing to repent if they so choose to take it.
If repentance was only for a select few, God would not have said for All men everywhere to repent, Acts 17:30.

New Testament Christian said:

Just as God has offered salvation to all.
God has through His mercy commanded all men everywhere to repent.

God has given man the gift to repent of his sins.
It is now up to every individual to take Gods offer of salvation and repent.

Acts 17:30
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent :

31 Because He hath appointed a day, in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained: wherefore He hath given ASSURANCE UNTO ALL MEN, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.

All men everywhere have been given the blessing to repent if they so choose to take it.
If repentance was only for a select few, God would not have said for All men everywhere to repent, Acts 17:30.

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It is already shown in the future, how they repent not, even as Israel was blinded and was unable to repent.



John 12:36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.
37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.



Also the end of the world prophecies show they are natural brute beasts, and are made ( by God) to be destroyed.

They have forsaken the right way and CANNOT CEASE FROM SIN...



2 Peter 2:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;


Revelation 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:


Revelation 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

Revelation 16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

dms1972 said:

In salvation which comes first - repentance and turning to God, or God's word of forgiveness?

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IMO, they are two aspects of the same thing, seen from different “angles”. I think “godly repentance” - the kind you clearly mean - is evidence of forgiveness. I think they are simultaneous, like the angles of a triangle.

Conversion & repentance = one reality with 2 aspects.

dms1972 said:

In salvation which comes first - repentance and turning to God, or God's word of forgiveness?

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But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
— Acts 3:18-19

It sounds to me that the wiping away of sins is sins being forgiven. As they are forgiven they are wiped away. If that is correct we first repent, turn to God and then have our sins forgiven (wiped away).

My Lutheran friend insists that we have been forgiven already through the sacrifice of Christ, and we receive that forgiveness through turning to God, by having faith in Christ.

Forgiveness comes first because men are forgiven by the blood of Christ which He shed on calvary, repentance comes later to the forgiven when they are born again by the Spirit. Forgiveness is Christs work for us, repentance is Christs work by the Spirit in us. Christ gives both Acts 5:31
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

New Testament Christian said:

Just as God has offered salvation to all.
God has through His mercy commanded all men everywhere to repent.

God has given man the gift to repent of his sins.
It is now up to every individual to take Gods offer of salvation and repent.

Acts 17:30
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent :

31 Because He hath appointed a day, in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained: wherefore He hath given ASSURANCE UNTO ALL MEN, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.

All men everywhere have been given the blessing to repent if they so choose to take it.
If repentance was only for a select few, God would not have said for All men everywhere to repent, Acts 17:30.

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Repentance in Acts 17:30 isnt a choice God gives or offer, but Gods commandment.

Jesus gave His life to give righteousness to believe in, otherwise there is nothing holy to have faith in.


The Spirit also is what reveals the Son to us, this is also because of Jesus being dead in the flesh, to be alive in the Spirit in man.


To believe in Jesus is to repent, from believing in and following death, or we continue to follow the wrong way.


Necessary to stop going astray and to turn to God ( in repentance) and to return from going away our own ways, which lead to death and damnation.

All men are commanded to repent, which reveals who obeys in faith and who disobeys in disbelief.


Also it is a choice by God, as He always chose, nobody ever made choice, that also is called grace.

dms1972 said:

In salvation which comes first - repentance and turning to God, or God's word of forgiveness?

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GOD's first word of forgiveness was in HIS promise of election to be HIS heavenly Bride, pre-sin.

Until a tree is planted in righteousness, it will produce corruption ( sin)

The Lord gave one beautiful branch to believe in, which was cut off for our sake, to graft us in with Him.

That is the work of God, the purpose of creation, to gather us all in Him, all that is in heaven and earth, together in Christ, and all that is offensive is what people reject themselves, how much more God does not look on what is evil.

To not repent from evil is what people do, maybe thinking, as it is of value to them, it might be to God too.

dms1972 said:

Ok what is "believing" in this context.

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Believing (trust,faith) in The Messiah for God's free gift of Eternal Life.

But what actually comes first (but that was not asked in the original topic post) is an understanding of who/where to place a persons faith in and that is The Messiah.

Many have placed faith but that faith has been place in wrong objects.

Belief is in righteousness, it is the same reason that no belief is put in all unrighteousness, which is the devil coming as an angel of light.



2 Thessalonians 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Only the regenerate are commanded by God to repent, for they are the only ones who can repent and have a right to repent.

All is seen on the cross, Jesus being crucified is thew forgiveness, as they knew not what they did.

It gives a heart to know it now..


Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 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.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.




Fear came on all of those three thousand, and they had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods and gave them away as they were needed..


Acts 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Brightfame52 said:

Only the regenerate are commanded by God to repent, for they are the only ones who can repent and have a right to repent.

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God calls ALL men everywhere to repent, not some but All.
Acts 17:30-31 Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained, HE HAS GIVEN ASSURANCE OF THIS TO ALL by raising Him from the dead.

The Bible teaches God calls All men everywhere to repent.
Not a select few.