We are not to add to or take away from the Scriptures.

Deuteronomy 4:2 “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”

Revelation 22:18–19

¹⁸ For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: ¹⁹ And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Proverbs 30:5–6

5 Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

6 Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Perverting the Gospel

We are not to add to or take away from the gospel. Unfortunately, there are those who preach another gospel, another spirit, and another Jesus.

2 Corinthians 11:4

⁴ For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

2 Corinthians 11:13–15

¹³ For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

So there are false apostles and deceitful workers. These are the wolves in sheep’s clothing that we are warned about in Matthew 7:15 and Acts 20:29.

There are also true believers and preachers who fumble the ball when it comes to the gospel. In other words, overall, they preach the gospel correctly but sometimes preach some perversion of the gospel. They might do this out of ignorance or “respect of person,” preaching what a well-respected preacher says. Or it might be from peer pressure, as we see from the Apostle Peter in Galatians 2.

Regardless of whether it is an outright false teacher or a well-meaning brother in Christ, the gospel must be understood and defended.

Galatians 1:6–10

⁶ I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: ⁷ Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. ¹⁰ For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Galatians 2:11–21

¹¹ But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. ¹² For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. ¹³ And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. ¹⁴ But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? ¹⁵ We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, ¹⁶ Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. ¹⁷ But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. ¹⁸ For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. ¹⁹ For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. ²⁰ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

We must know what the gospel is as defined by the Bible. We find this in 1 Corinthians 15:1-6. We must understand what it is and what it is not.

Man always tries to insert his efforts into salvation, even though the Scripture is clear.

Ephesians 2:8–9
⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.

We are saved by grace (unmerited, unearned favor) through faith (believing). The Scripture is very clear that it is NOT OF YOURSELVES. Our part in the equation is that we are guilty. Jesus is the Savior and the Just One who justifies us through his blood. Salvation is “the gift of God.”

Look at how clear this is.

Romans 3:19–4:5

¹⁹ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. ²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

²¹ But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; ²² Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: ²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: ²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; ²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. ²⁷ Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. ²⁸ Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. ²⁹ Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: ³⁰ Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. ³¹ Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

4 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? ² For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. ³ For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. ⁴ Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. ⁵ But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Again notice “justified freely” in Romans 3:24. Look at Romans 5:15, 16, 18 where the Bible tells you three times it is a “FREE GIFT.” What is a free gift? Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Free means free. Charges that we make grace cheap is ludicrous. Grace is free or it is not grace at all.

We should also note that some also assail what they call “easy-believism.”

• If by easy believism someone means you simply believe the gospel and receive Christ, then that is exactly what the Scripture teaches. Where does the Bible tell you trusting Christ is something difficult to do?
• Now if someone means that someone just prays a prayer without understanding the gospel and trusting Christ, then that clearly would be wrong.

As far as the much maligned “sinners prayer,” consider the following:

Luke 18:9–14

⁹ And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. ¹² I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. ¹³ And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

According the Jesus in this example, this sinner went home justified after that prayer of faith. Our part in salvation is that we are guilty, hell deserving sinners. Your efforts, reforms, commitments, and promises will not do. We receive the free gift of eternal life by grace through faith in the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-6).

What is Lordship Salvation?

Lordship salvation simply put is unconditional surrender of all to Christ as a requirement for salvation. So commitment to Jesus as Lord of every area of life and complete abandonment of any and everything to Him are made mandatory for salvation. This view works closely with defining repentance as a turning from sin. This linkage is necessary to force sufficient amounts of scripture to conform to this theology. So Lordship salvation is a total surrender and complete commitment.

A. W. Tozer writes:

I warn you – you will not get help from Him in that way for the Lord will not save those whom He cannot command!

He will not divide His offices. You cannot believe on a half-Christ. We take Him for what He is – the anointed Savior and Lord who is King of kings and Lord of lords! He would not be who He is if He saved us and called us and chose us without the understanding that He can also guide and control our lives.

Dr. Adrian Rogers gives an eloquent illustration supporting Lordship salvation that goes a long way towards understanding this theological position.

Have you ever thought that salvation was like a cafeteria where you can pick and choose the aspects of Jesus you want? “I’ll have a little Saviorhood, please, but no Lordship.” Not so, friend. If Jesus is not your Lord, Jesus is not your Savior. What’s the difference? Well, suppose I perform a wedding ceremony and say to the young man, “Would you take Mary to be your lawfully wedded wife?” and he responds, “Well, I’ll take Mary as housekeeper.” Then I say to her, “Would you take John to be your lawfully wedded husband?” and she says, “Well, I’ll take him as provider.” Friend, we can’t pick and choose what we want from Jesus. We simply take Jesus as Lord over all!

That certainly sounds logical. But sinful man is not saved by logic or theological philosophy (Colossians 2:8). He is saved by faith in Christ and His gospel. Not to mention, who in their right mind would ever call marriage “a free gift”? Things that are different are not the same. You are not told to make Jesus King of your life and obey Him to be saved. That is works. Again the Bible says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5).

Christian N. Temple points out the confusion. “This is to confuse accepting the Spirit of salvation with the Christian call to walk in the Spirit. At the moment of salvation, a person receives a new nature as a regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. The person is saved first, by simple faith, and then the Spirit will lead him to respond to the Lordship call of Christ.”

In order to make the definition of total commitment and surrender work, one must modify certain scriptures. The Greek word for Lord (kurios) refers to deity in most cases. This presents a problem to the Lordship salvation theologians. The solution is simple. If the Bible does not say what is desired, find a version that does. The forcing of meanings into passages where the context does not clearly give that implication is tragic.

Jesus Christ is Lord by any definition. Time will not be taken to list all the names of Christ and their theological ramifications. How much does the sinner have to understand? Many contend that understanding the gospel is not sufficient and more must be incorporated into the good news.

An absurd statement that floats around is “…free forgiveness in one sense will cost [the forgiven] everything.” This is what is known as false advertising. There is no asterisk in the plan of salvation with small legal type at the bottom of the page. When the Lord told Adam “of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat,” (Genesis 2:16) did He really mean free? When God says free, He means it is free!

When sinful man is thrown into the salvation equation, things go awry. If the sinner must make Christ Lord of his life, then the Lord is in control of it all. Now which believer in the Bible had Christ as Lord of all his life? David? Abraham? Paul? Peter? If making Christ Lord of all their life was the condition for salvation, no one has ever made it to heaven. Now, remember the call being preached by many is complete surrender.

Can a person willfully reject Christ’s Lordship and be saved? The unbeliever must believe that Jesus is the way (the only way), the truth, and the life. Does sinful man have to understand all the doctrines relating to God and Christ in order to be saved? Of course not! Does a person have to understand the full ramifications of the term Lord, Christ, and Jesus in order to be saved? No, nor is it even reasonable to assume that any new convert grasps it all. Do you know the some thirty-eight things that happened to you at the moment you are saved? Did you have to know them? Who did all those things? We need not add to the gospel, nor detract from it.

Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It does not insert whoever obeys the Lord. Lordship salvation crams obedience into the passage when the book of Romans refutes obedience as the means of salvation.

Sadly Lordship salvation serves as a backdoor to get man’s effort into the salvation equation. When Adam and Eve sinned, it was the Lord who killed an animal and provided them a covering for their nakedness. Not one fig leaf did they keep. Salvation is of the Lord. When man tries to climb into the equation, he destroys it.

In light of Lordship salvation, it must seem odd to read Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Who? Brethren. Do what? Why write this to believers if they have already done this in order to be saved? Lordship salvation makes Romans 12:1 and other passages like it seem utterly absurd.

So can a person who is trusting in themselves by turning from sin, surrendering all, and giving total commitment be saved? No, there are too many scriptures to the contrary. Can a person commit his life to Christ at salvation while trusting only in Jesus to save him? Yes. The bottom line is, “what did that person trust in for salvation?” If the answer is anything besides Jesus and His finished work, then they are lost (John 14:1-6).

Lordship salvation ignores the fact that there are carnal Christians (1 Corinthians 3:1). They confuse justification with sanctification. They confuse being a child (born again John 3:3-18) with your conduct as a child (Hebrew 12:5-9), which are two very different things. They forget that you have two natures as long as you are in corruptible, mortal flesh (Ephesians 4:22).

The teachers of Lordship salvation do not discern the difference between the literal, visible, Jewish Messianic Kingdom of Heaven and the spiritual kingdom of God. This confusion causes false teachers such as John MacArthur to believe that everything in the Bible is the gospel. What a mess! This is based on PHILOSOPHY and not what the Scripture says related to the salvation of your soul.

Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Obeying Christ and making Jesus King and Lord of your life is not the same thing as believing “on Him that justifieth the ungodly.” And taking up your cross and following Him is certainly not a “free gift.” Growth and service come after salvation. Salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8); rewards are earned by works (1 Corinthians 9:25). Salvation is a present possession (John 5:24); rewards are a future possibility (2 Timothy 4:8). Don’t confuse the two.

Scriptural Salvation of Your Soul	Lordship Salvation Heresy
The Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-6):   Christ died for our sins;   And that he was buried, and that    he rose again the third day	The Gospel (MacArthur):   Make Jesus King and Lord of your life.   Put Jesus on the throne of your heart.
“Free gift”:    Come receive “freely”	Like Marriage:   “Give up all you are for all He is”
By Grace (unmerited, unearned, undeserved)	Cost you everything
Through Faith (believing)	By Total Surrender (yield control of your life)
Emphasis on what Jesus did!	Emphasis on what you must do!

Once again remember: Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Why is the word “Lord” missing from these important salvation passages?

The word know (in its various forms like know, knew, known, knoweth) occurs 39 times in the five chapters of 1 John. 1 John is the book where we read:

1 John 5:9–13

⁹ If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. ¹⁰ He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. ¹¹ And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

¹³ These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Lordship salvation preachers insist one must “make Jesus Lord of their life.” If that were true, isn’t it odd that the Holy Spirit failed to mention the word “Lord” at all in the entire book of 1 John?

Well, how about when God defines the gospel is by which we are saved?

1 Corinthians 15:1–6

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; ² By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. ³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ⁵ And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: ⁶ After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

Oops! How embarrassing that the Lord forgot “making Jesus Lord of your life” was part of the gospel and went so far as to forget to use the word “Lord.” Either you have a forgetful, careless God, or someone is perverting the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, look at the entire chapter of John 3, where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus about being born again. Look for the word “Lord” anywhere in the chapter. What we do read is:

John 3:14–16

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: ¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:36

³⁶ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

King & Lord of Your Life

Lordship salvation advocates love to talk about putting Jesus on the throne of your life and being King of your life. He should be, but that is not how you are saved. You ought to get baptized, but that is not salvation. You ought to attend church, tithe, give offerings, witness, read the Bible, pray, forgive others, not sin, do right with the right spirit, but none of those things are means by which you receive Christ.

Consider that you are NEVER told that Jesus is the “King” of the church. Read your Bible. Jesus is called “the king of the _________.” Look it up. (Matthew 2:2; 27:11, 29, 37; Mark 15:2, 9, 12, 18, 26; Luke 23:3, 37, 38; John 18:33, 39; 19:3, 19, 21).

Why the emphasis on Jesus being the King of the Jews? Because He will reign on a literal, visible, physical throne in Jerusalem in Israel. That is what they have been promised and the kingdom is what the Jews are looking for (Acts 1:6). When Jesus comes back to rule and reign, He will return as “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS”.

There is only two mentions of the word “king” in the Pauline epistles (books God gave through the Apostle to the Gentiles). These two times are:

1 Timothy 1:17 “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

1 Timothy 6:14–15 “That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;”

Notice 1 Timothy 6:14-15 is a second coming passage where the king is coming to take over. This is a different relationship than what is emphasized with the church.

Again consider the book of Revelation. The churches are addressed by our Lord Jesus Christ through chapter 3. Jesus is not mentioned by the title of King three times in the book of Revelation. All three of these are in the tribulation at or around the time of the second advent.

Notice the Jewish connection in the very first mention.

Revelation 15:3 “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”

Revelation 17:14 “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”

Revelation 19:16 “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Ruling with Christ is an earned reward for the Christian (Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12-13). Note also that he has made us kings and priests unto God. The emphasis is on us reigning with Him.

Revelation 1:5–6 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 5:9–10 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

So the major emphasis on Jesus being King is that He will reign from Jerusalem as King of Kings for a thousand years (Revelation 20). The emphasis is NEVER make Jesus king of all your life and live for Him or you can’t be saved. The emphasis is that Jesus redeemed us by His own blood on His own without asking for or needing our contribution. Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” It is finished!

Bonus Notes: “Perseverance of the Saints”

Lordship salvation falls under Calvin’s “Perseverance of the Saints.” Please see “The Other Side Of Calvinism” by Laurence M. Vance for a complete exposition. This is the most well-documented and Scriptural work I have ever read. Here are some comments excerpts Dr. Vance makes regarding the twisted doctrine called “Perseverance of the Saints.”

Because Perseverance of the Saints is the one point of Calvinism most understood by non-Calvinists, this litany of evidence has been presented to clearly establish, from a wide variety of Calvinists, precisely what a belief in Perseverance of the Saints entails. So according to the Calvinists themselves:

1. The saints will persevere in the faith
2. Only those who persevere in the faith are true Christians
3. Those who do not persevere in the faith are lost
4. Real Christians will return to the faith before their demise
5. Those who do not return to the faith were never saved

Although these conclusions are interrelated, they are distinct and clearly evident. But one conclusion that could never be drawn from the Calvinists’ definitions for perseverance is that Perseverance of the Saints is the same thing as eternal security. 

In other words, this teaching is contrary to the eternal security of the believer (see notes from our previous study on eternal security). Many of the same arguments against Lordship salvation and incorrect usage of repentance as it relates to being born again will apply. However, these points bear repeating:

The New Testament is abundantly clear in its declaration that all Christians may not persevere. It is possible to depart from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1), err from the faith (1 Timothy 6:10), err concerning the faith (1 Timothy 6:20), deny the faith (1 Timothy 5:8), make shipwreck of the faith (1 Timothy 1:19), cast off one’s first faith (1 Timothy 5:12), swerve from the faith (1 Timothy 1:6), and not continue in the faith (Colossians 1:23). Believers can fall from their own stedfastness (2 Peter 3:17), become barren and unfruitful (2 Peter 1:8), deny Christ (2 Timothy 2:12), and be ashamed when Christ returns (1 John 2:28). Hymenaeus and Alexander did not persevere–they were delivered by Paul “unto Satan” (1 Timothy 1:20). But this could not mean that they were never saved, like some Calvinists claim, because the fornicator among the Corinthians was also delivered to Satan (1 Cor. 5:5) and consequently restored (2 Cor. 2:6-8). Demas forsook Paul because of his love for the world (2 Tim. 4:10). Yet of Mark, who also deserted him (Acts 13:13), Paul later said “He is profitable to me for the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). If the Calvinist claims that only the Corinthian fornicator and Mark were regenerate because they alone returned to the faith before their death, then what about Lot? The Bible calls Lot “just” (2 Peter 2:7) and  “righteous” (2 Peter 2:8). But the last time we hear of him he is drunk in a cave committing incest with his two daughters (Genesis 19:33-36). Did he persevere in the faith? A righteous man can turn from his righteousness and never turn back (Ezekiel 18:24).

Repentance is the most misunderstood word in the Bible.

Acts 17:29–31 “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

Repent* covers any words that start with REPENT, such as repent, repentance, repented, repentest, repenteth, repenting, repentings

Repent* occurs 112 times in 105 verses of the Bible.

Repentance means “a change of mind.”

You can ask ministers in various denominations today, “what is the gospel?” You will get a variety of answers, even though “the gospel” by which we “are saved” is spelled out for you in 1 Corinthians 15:1-6.

In the same way you can ask about the word “repentance” and get varied answers. The problem is that most will answer that wrong even among Bible believing churches. That is a real cause for concern.

When they are honest about it, even those who hold to the false teachings and Calvinism and “Lordship salvation” will admit the word “repentance” means “a change of mind.” Among the more famous of the Lordship salvation teachers through his broadcasts is Reformed Baptist Pastor John F. MacArthur, Jr (Reformed Baptist means Calvinist). In his book The Gospel According To Jesus he writes this about the definition of repentance:

the Greek word for repentance, metanoia, literally means “to think after.” It implies a change of mind [emphasis added].

The basic point is that repentance means “a change of mind.” Men will insist on adding to that, like others do to the gospel.

Repentance in regards to receiving the free gift of eternal life by faith in Christ’s death for our sins, burial and resurrection from the dead is simply a change of mind from unbelief to belief. Jesus said to the Pharisees in John 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Salvation is by grace through faith in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Wrong Definitions

Repentance does not mean to be sorry.

Some have argued that you must weep and feel deep sorrow to be saved. While there is certainly nothing wrong with feeling deep sorrow and being emotionally upset about your sin, that is not what repentance means. Some even argue that most young people who are saved at an early age are not saved because they did not weep over their sins.

Where do they get this idea from?

2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

Look at the verse again. Godly sorrow will work the right kind of repentance. So it is one of the things that can produce repentance, but it does not say that it is repentance. The goodness of God does the exact same thing and the goodness of God is not repentance either.

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?”

Repentance does not mean to quit sinning

We have heard some well-known preachers say, “If you want to be saved, repent of your sins, turn from your sins.” If turning from your sins means to stop sinning, then people can only be saved if they stop sinning.

Did you quit sinning when you got saved? 1 John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Some tell those they are witnessing to they have to quit or give up certain sins in order to be saved. For instance, if they notice the person they are witnessing to has cigarettes, they will tell them to have to get rid of their cigarettes to get saved – no joke. That is a matter of spiritual growth and has nothing to do with being saved. My uncle led his friend to Christ with a New Testament in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

Preaching that defines or implies repentance in regards to being born again means for you that change your conduct (stop sinning), causes real Christians to doubt their salvation since they are still sinning (and will as long as they are in their fleshly, corruptible body). So they get saved again and sometimes again and again. Which is utter nonsense. Did God give you ETERNAL LIFE as a FREE GIFT or not (John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Romans 5:15-18)? John 10:28 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” What’s so hard to understand about that?

Some insist that the word “repent” or “repentance” be used in witnessing.

Like most cults that try to force fit works into salvation, many will insist you define repentance as a “turning from sins” and tell us you must use that word in every gospel tract and every time you tell someone about Jesus.

If you have to use the word repent, doesn’t it strike you kind of odd that the phrases “turn from your sin” and “repent of your sins” occur ZERO times in the Scripture. That’s odd! The Holy Spirit must have forgotten or He must not have read their literature before inspiring the Holy Scriptures.

If your salvation depends on that one word “repent,” then why does that word not occur even once in any form of the word in the following books of the Bible?

Old Testament Books	Old Testament Continued	New Testament Books	New Testament Continued
Leviticus	Isaiah	John	James
Joshua	Lamentations	1 Corinthians	1 Peter
Ruth	Daniel	Galatians	1 John
2 Kings	Obadiah	Ephesians	2 John
2 Chronicles	Micah	Philippians	3 John
Ezra	Nahum	Colossians	Jude
Nehemiah	Habakkuk	1 Thessalonians
Esther	Zephaniah	2 Thessalonians
Proverbs	Haggai	1 Timothy
Ecclesiastes	Malachi	Titus
Song of Solomon		Philemon

You got that right. Out of 27 New Testament books, 17 of them do not mention the word at all. Of the 39 Old Testament books, 21 do not mention the word in any form and of those that do, most mentions are of God repenting.

John is in that list, yet we read in John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” So the book that has John 3:16 and also the book that has 1 John 5:13 (that tells you that you can know you have eternal life) do NOT use the word repent in any of its forms even once. Is this an embarrassing blunder? Of course we should note that the words faith and believe (believ*) occurs 101 times in the book of John alone.

In the book of Romans the only two uses of repentance are in relation to Israel. Chapter 2 of Romans convinces Israel that they are sinners just like the Gentiles. Chapter 11 deals with Israel’s rejection by God is only temporary. Let’s see both verses.

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?”

Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

So not one time in chapter 3 where salvation is so clearly laid out, in chapter 4 where it is so clearly illustrated, in chapter 10 where it tells us how to receive, or the rest of the 16 chapters does the word occur. Isn’t that odd IF repentance means to “turn from your sins.” Yes it would be. Especially since faith and believe (believ*) occure 64 times.

No wonder these confused preachers present it as what is missing in preaching today. Their misuse and misdefining of repentance is not just missing from sound Bible preaching, the Holy Ghost excluded it in 16 New Testament books including the Romans road chapters and the entire books of John and Galatians where salvation are major topics. Even 1 Corinthians that spells out “the gospel” by which we are saved doesn’t contain the word repent in any form in the entire book.

Somebody is confused. Either the Spirit of God is confused or they are. Well, we know which of the two it is. Romans 3:4 “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

Things That Are Different Are Not The Same

Jesus is the only way to be saved (Acts 4:10-12; John 14:6). Therefore Allah, Muhammad, Buddha, and other religions are not the way. They are different.

Salvation by grace through faith is not the same as salvation by works!

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Romans 4:2–5 “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

Our part in salvation is that we are ungodly, guilty sinners. Any attempt to include man’s efforts, works, reforms, etc., are perverting the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-6; Galatians 1:6-9).

Repentance and God

God repents 28 times in the Old Testament. Another nine passages tells things God about which will not repent.

They want us to believe that repent means to “turn from sin,” “quit sinning,” “be willing to turn from your sin”? Well, then you would make God a sinner then.

Psalm 110:4 “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever After the order of Melchizedek.”

Jeremiah 18:5–10 “Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.”

The false notion of turn from sin will not work. First of all, God has no sin to turn from (1 John 3:5). Secondly, in the two passages above, a change of mind is the only definition that will work.

Repentance and Old Testament Israel

Let us first say in regards to Israel and to the Old Testament that emphasis was on physical life, a literal land inheritance, and being a good citizen in a country. These are vastly different subjects than that of the salvation of your soul. You must get this difference in order to rightly divid the word of truth (1 Timothy 2:15).

Ezekiel 18:30–32 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”

Notice the change of mind is given before and in addition to “turn yourselves from all your transgressions.” This has to do with the ruin of the people that leads to physical death (Proverbs 16:25) and not receiving the free gift of eternal life. You will never find a verse that deals with the salvaiton of your souls that says “turn yourselves,” but rather “not of yourselves” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Matthew is a transitional book with the emphasis on Israel. In Matthew 3 John shows up. His baptism is explained in Acts 19:4 “Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

John the Baptist is specifically preaching about the literal and visible kingdom promised to Israel, known as the kingdom of heaven. Remember the emphasis on being a good citizen regarding Israel. This kingdom is physical in nature (Matthew 8:11), while the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom (Romans 14:17). Both will be unified under the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 3:2 “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 3:8–9 “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”

Above, they were to have a change of mind about things. Additionally, they were to bring for “fruits meet for” (fitting or matching their professed) their change of mind.

When the context has to do with God demanding good conduct from Israel or a group of people to stave off their physical judgment, then obviously a change of mind they will have to produce more than lip service saying they have repented (changed their minds). For example, look at the book of Jonah in relation to Nineveh.

Matthew 12:41 “The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.”

Repentance In The Book Of Revelation

Revelation 2:5 “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

Revelation 2:16 “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

Revelation 2:21–22 “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.”

Revelation 3:3 “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”

Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

Revelation 9:20–21 “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: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

Revelation 16:9–11 “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. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”

The references in Revelation chapters 2 or 3 are aimed at the church getting right. They are already saved and are facing discipline. Chapters 9 and 16 of Revelation is directed at the lost who refused to change their minds about their wicked deeds.

Charles C. Ryrie in A Survey of Bible Doctrine he writes a nice summary in this manner:

To repent is to change your mind. However, this only defines the word, not the concept, for you need to ask, Change your mind about what? Depending on how you answer that question, repentance might be a synonymous concept to believing in Christ or it might become an additional requirement for salvation. If repentance is understood to mean changing your mind about your sin—being sorry for your sin—this will not necessarily save. There are plenty of criminals in and out of jails who are repentant in this sense. They are sorry for making certain mistakes, but this does not mean they give up a life of crime. People can be sorry for their sins without wanting to accept the forgiveness of a Saviour.

But if repentance means changing your mind about the particular sin of rejecting Christ, then that kind of repentance saves, and of course it is the same as faith in Christ. This is what Peter asked the crowd to do on the day of Pentecost. They were to change their minds about Jesus of Nazareth. Formerly they had considered Him to be only a blasphemous human being claiming to be God; now they changed their minds and saw Him as the God-man Saviour whom they would trust for salvation. That kind of repentance saves, and everyone who is saved has repented in that sense.

There is a third use of the concept of repentance and that is in the Christian life. A Christian needs to repent—that is, to change his mind about particular sins committed. If he does repent, then he will confess those sins and experience forgiveness.

Repentance and The Salvation of Your Soul

Gentiles needed a change of mind about the difference between their gods and the true God

Acts 17:29–31 “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

Note: “Godhead” is the Bible word for the Trinity.

What sin sends people to hell? The answer is not believing on the Son.

John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

2 Thessalonians 2:12 “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

1 John 5:9–13 “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

So repentance in context of the salvation of your eternal soul and the receiving of the free gift of eternal life has to do with a change of mind from unbelief to belief in Jesus and the gospel.