Why repentance comes before salvation

In this article I’m going to explain how repentance comes before salvation or why a person cannot be saved unless they first repent from their sin.

Repentance is an essential part of the gospel message yet it is not preached enough, indeed many preach that one can be “saved” before ever repenting from sin.

Is that true? What does the bible say?

Acts 3:19 repent ye therefore and be converted...

Repent here means literally “a change of mind.”

Like the prodigal son who “came to himself” while in the pig pen. (Luke 15:17)

Converted means “turn to”

The prodigal son left the pig pen and began walking back to his fathers house.

Therefore a true change of mind will result in a change of direction. That is turning from sin and turning towards God.

The second part of Acts 3:19 reads

…that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

See how repentance precedes salvation?

It is after repentance that ones sins are blotted out or forgiven by God. It is after repentance that the times of refreshing shall come. Refreshing means “revival” or “recovery of breath”, in other words it’s when we are made spiritually alive by God, unto salvation.

There is one thing we need to understand for what I’m saying in this video to make sense and that is, all those who have salvation, have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. 

This is confirmed in Romans 8:9 

...if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his.

Therefore the opposite is true, if we are of Christ we have the Spirit of Christ. If we are part of his kingdom, his body, we have his Spirit within us.

But there’s one problem.

The Holy Spirit cannot enter a rebellious heart, hardened by sin. Just as a seed cannot enter or take root in hard ground.

What is sin?

Sin means to miss the mark, wander from the path of uprightness or to do wrong. In other words sin is going the wrong way.

God however is holy and righteous. Righteousness means rightness or correctness. Gods way is the right way.

Therefore a person who is committing sin is in rebellion to God. 

1 John 3:8

He that committeth sin is of the devil...

The very first step therefore towards receiving salvation is for that hard heart, hardened by sin, to be broken up.

Psalm 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God thou wilt not despise 

This verse corresponds with Hosea 10:12 which uses a farming analogy

...brake up your fallow ground for it is time to seek the lord till he come and rain righteousness upon you

“Fallow” means untilled, hard ground. Ones hard heart needs to be tilled, turned over, ploughed and broken up before it is ready to receive the seed, that is, the Spirit of Christ.

What breaks up the heart? Godly sorrow and repentance.

2 Corinthians 7:10 

For Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation...

See the order here? Godly sorrow “works” or “renders us fit” for repentance which then produces salvation.

Vs 11 of 2 Cor. 7 reads 

what clearing of yourselves...what vehement desire yea what zeal...

Godly sorrow is feeling so heavily convicted of ones sin that one is motivated to forsake it. That is the “vehement desire” and “zeal” spoken of in verse 11.

Sadly such conviction is put to sleep when people preach and believe that we can be saved without first repenting.

The word “clear” in verse 11 means “pure” and “clean” therefore “what clearing of yourselves” means removing all impurities from ones life. 

James 4: 8-10 shares a similar sentiment 

Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you, cleanse your hands ye sinners and purify your hearts ye double minded. 

How do we draw near to God?? Cleanse your hands… hands represent our actions, our activities, how we live, what we do. 

We must remove the sin from our lives and thus cleanse our behaviours.

Purify your hearts… Purify means cleanse and heart means the soul or mind, thoughts and feelings.

Therefore this scripture could be read, “clean up your mind, clean up your actions”.

Vs 10 states

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up.

Notice the order here? It is after we draw near to God that he draws near to us. It is after we humble ourselves in Gods sight that he lifts us up, or spiritually resurrects us to walk in “newness of life” (Romans 6) and we receive salvation.

When the prodigal son left the pig pen and began walking back to his fathers house in a state of absolute humility, his father saw him from afar off and ran to receive him (Luke 15:20)

So too God watches and waits for us to make a move towards him, then rushes out to meet us. 

Luke 8

Vs 5-8 A sower went out to sow his seed...

Some fell by the wayside...some fell upon a rock...some fell among thorns...and other fell on good ground and sprang up and bare fruit...

Vs 11 The seed is the word of God

Vs 15 But that on the good ground are they, which in a honest and good heart, having heard the word keep it and bring forth fruit with patience

A heart which is broken up, ploughed, tilled and turned over through repentance is the “good ground” or “honest and good heart” in which Gods seed can truely take root.

Heb 10:19&22

Having therefore brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest...

...let us draw near with a true heart...

To enter the holy of holies which means enter a right relationship with God, we must FIRST have a “true heart”, that is, a heart fully yielded to God, not one in active rebellion to God because of sin.

James 1:21

Wherefore Lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness (abundance of wickedness) and receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls.

Engrafted means implanted.

See the order again? We must first lay apart all our filthiness and wickedness before we can receive the seed, that is, Jesus into our heart and thereby be saved.

In conclusion,

I hope you can see how in order to receive salvation, ones heart must first be broken up by way of godly sorrow and a genuine repentance from sin. This ploughing produces “good ground”, that is, an honest, good or true heart in which the seed, Jesus, can enter a person via his Holy Spirit and take firm root, thereby producing spiritual life, which is salvation.

May we each work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. God bless.