Forgiveness without Repentance

William Booth “The chief danger that confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell.”

― William Booth

Romans 10:9-10,  NLT  Romans 10:9-10 ‘If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved’.

Question: Is there a conflict between Romans 10:9,10 and the call to repent? No, there isn’t a theological conflict; rather, faith and repentance are viewed as two inseparable aspects of the same salvific act, with faith representing trust in Christ and repentance signifying a change of mind about sin. While Romans 10 emphasizes confession and belief, it doesn’t exclude other necessary components of salvation such as repentance, which is essential for a genuine faith to flourish.

They both must go hand in hand.

Transition:

Forgiveness

The Bible never gives a “dictionary” definition of forgiveness, but it shows us many examples of it. The greatest of all examples is the forgiveness of God. Although the following passage does not use the word forgive, it describes the concept of God’s forgiveness perfectly:

Psalm 103:8–12: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

It is important to note that forgiveness operates in the realm of sin. In the majority of the passages in the Bible that contain the word forgive or forgiveness, sin is mentioned. The following are typical examples:

Genesis 50:17: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly. Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.

Exodus 32:32: But now, please forgive their sin.

Leviticus 4:35: In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

1 Samuel 25:28: Please forgive your servant’s presumption.

Matthew 12:31: And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

Luke 5:20: When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

For a person to find true forgiveness, he or she must admit the sin. This is called confession. If a person tries to pass off sin as a mere mistake, human failing, or temporary lapse of judgment; or if he or she simply denies the sin altogether, it is a barrier to forgiveness.

Repentance defined – The word repentance in the Bible literally means “the act of changing one’s mind.” True biblical repentance goes beyond remorse, regret, or feeling bad about one’s sin. It involves more than merely turning away from sin. Eerdmans Bible Dictionary includes this definition of repentance: “In its fullest sense it is a term for a complete change of orientation involving a judgment upon the past and a deliberate redirection for the future.”

The phrase “godly sorrow” appears only once in Scripture, in 2 Corinthians 7:10–11: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.” Godly sorrow, also translated “godly grief,” is an acute sense of sadness we experience as a result of the sins we have committed.

I. Repentance in the OT

In the Old Testament, repentance, or wholehearted turning to God, is a recurring theme in the message of the prophets. Repentance was demonstrated through rituals such as fasting, wearing sackcloth, sitting in ashes, wailing, and liturgical laments that expressed strong sorrow for sin.

These rituals were supposed to be accompanied by authentic repentance, which involved a commitment to a renewed relationship with God, a walk of obedience to His Word, and right living.

Often, however, these rituals merely represented remorse and a desire to escape the consequences of sin.

When the ancient prophets beckoned the people to repent and return, they were calling for a complete turnaround inspired from within the heart and will of the individual.

• The prophets called both the nation of Israel and individual people to surrender their lives, to turn away from a life ruled by sin to a relationship with God, the sovereign ruler over all: “Even now—this is the LORD’s declaration—turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the LORD your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster” (Joel 2:12–13, CSB).
  

II. Repentance in the NT

The theme of repentance continues in the New Testament, beginning with John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2) and then Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:17); both urgently called people to repent because the arrival of the Kingdom of God was at hand. Many chose this radical reorientation of their lives and demonstrated repentance through baptism (Mark 1:4) and profound changes in lifestyle and relationships (Luke 3:8–14).

Three Greek words used in the New Testament help us understand the full meaning of repentance in the Bible. The first is the verb metamelomai, which denotes a change of mind that produces regret or even remorse for wrongs done, but not necessarily a change of heart and action. This word is used in Matthew 27:3 to describe the guilt Judas felt over betraying Jesus.

The second verb, metanoeo, means “to change one’s mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge.” This verb and its related noun, metanoia, denote true biblical repentance, which is characterized by four elements:

1) True repentance involves a sense of awareness of one’s own guilt, sinfulness, and helplessness (Psalm 51:4–10; 109:21–22).

2) True repentance apprehends or takes hold of God’s mercy in Jesus Christ (Psalm 51:1; 130:4).

3) True repentance means a change of attitude and action regarding sin. Hatred of sin turns the repentant person away from his or her sin to God (Psalm 119:128; Job 42:5–6; 2 Corinthians 7:10).

4) True repentance results in a radical and persistent pursuit of holy living, walking with God in obedience to His commands (2 Timothy 2:19–22; 1 Peter 1:16).

Transition:

III. Jesus and Repentance

The focus of Jesus Christ’s mission was to call sinners to repentance: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). His call of absolute surrender goes out to all people: “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:5). In His farewell to the disciples, Jesus commanded that they take His message of repentance and faith to all the nations (Luke 24:47).

Repentance in the Bible involves a complete change of heart and mind, leading to different actions (Acts 26:20). Repentance recognizes that our sin is offensive to God. To repent is to make an about-face, a heart-directed turn away from self to God. Repentance sets us on a new trajectory, away from the past toward a future ruled by God’s commands. Repentance acknowledges that the Lord reigns supreme over our existence.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-repentance.html

https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-repentance.html