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The Necessity of Faith and Repentance
No gift is possessed until it is received,
and so it is with the gift of redemption. The means
by which this gift is received is the exercise of faith
and repentance. By faith here, I do not mean merely
intellectual faith. We believe in George Washington,
for example, meaning we believe such a historical figure
existed. Some people believe in Jesus Christ in only
this way. However, such faith is not saving faith.17
Saving faith means we trust in Him
and in his finished work on the cross alone for our
salvation. We no longer trust in ourselves and in our
own efforts to please God as the basis of our salvation.
To receive the gift of salvation, we must deliberately
shift our trust from ourselves and our efforts or in
anything else over to the solid rock of the Person and
work of Jesus Christ on our behalf.18
We must not only trust in Christ alone
to receive our salvation, but we must also repent of
our sins.19 What earthly
judge would withhold just punishment from an offender
who was unrepentant, and who had no intention of giving
up his life of crime? And so it is with the Judge of
the universe. To repent means more than just being sorry
for our sins. Repentance is a change heart, mind and
will about sin. Repentance involves seeing sin, sorrow
for sin, confessing sin, shame for it, hatred of it,
and forsaking it. Repentance comes as we see that sin
is not merely breaking the rules; it is viciously biting
the hand of the holy God who has graciously given us
everything. When we begin to see something of the infinite
goodness of God through the cross of Christ, faith is
ignited in our hearts. And as the Holy Spirit convicts
us of our sins we begin to turn from them in repentance.
We begin to stop loving, denying or justifying the things
we know in our hearts to be wrong. The thief must hate
the stealing he used to love, and give it up. The immoral
person must now hate the immorality he once loved, and
forsake it. The proud man must despise the arrogance
he once loved and replace it with humility and seeking
glory for God.
Faith and repentance are like two sides
of the same coin. As the believer looks upward to God
in faith, he simultaneously looks away from sin.
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