Repentance

Acts 11:18 and 2 Peter 3:9 are two of the many verses that teach that repentance is necessary for salvation. My favorite: 2 Timothy 2:25-26 (NIV) Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. Repent is NOT an addition to salvation but PART of salvation along with Grace. The whole of Scripture teaches salvation by grace through faith, but at the same time, the first and initial act of obedience in the early church, the first and initial act of obedience was the public confession of that faith. Repentance basically means at salvation, we repent of our sins which is a willingness in our hearts to want to turn away from all our known sins and give them to Jesus. Christians are quick to learn that sin is destructive and besides that they don't want to offend their Loving Father. Biblically, a person who repents does not continue willfully in sin. Repentance is a turning from sin, and it always results in changed behavior (Luke 3:8). While sorrow from sin is not equivalent to repentance, it is certainly an element of scriptural repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). There will be a lot of people who will claim Jesus as Lord of their lives, but won't truly repent of their sins and won't submit to the commands of the Word of God in reference to the habit pattern of their lives.