Biblical repentance toward God unto salvation is the repenting of your disbelief in Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God

The role that repentance plays in salvation for born again believers in the Church Age is one of those topics that always seems to create a controversy, and that need not be. God has given us the tool of rightly dividing the scriptures we read for situations just like this. Paul says we are saved by grace through faith, and he says that repentance is necessary in the salvation of a sinner. The question becomes then, what type of repentance is Paul talking about? What, wait…there’s more than one? Yep.

“Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21 (KJB)

In the Church Age, there are no works attached to or associated with a lost sinner becoming born again, it is all a work of the LORD. He provides the salvation with Himself crucified in your place on the cross at Calvary, He shed His Blood for the payment for your sin, and it is presented to you as a free gift. Case closed. Baptism does not saved you, the sacraments do not save you, the eucharist does not save you, Mary does not saved you. It is all of Jesus. There is just one problem, though, like the thief on the cross, the lost sinner is lost because he or she does not believe the good news of the gospel that Jesus Christ was crucified, died, buried and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. It is their disbelief that is keeping them from getting saved, not their sins. Jesus died for your sins, He wants your sins, but your disbelief has to be shed by you.

“Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” Romans 4:23-25 (KJB)

Jesus was crucified between two thieves, both of whom mocked and insulted Jesus as they all were up on their respective crosses. Both those thieves mocked and reviled Him equally, in the beginning.

“Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.” Mark 15:32 (KJB) 

But then a change took place in the heart of one of the thieves, after thoughtfully and carefully considering the entirety of the scene playing out before him in real time, he repented. Not of his crimes, not of his sins, and not by making restitution at all to anyone. But what he did do was to repent of his disbelief in Jesus Christ. That was not a work, it is simply a change of mind, which not coincidentally is the definition of the word ‘repentance’ according to Jonah 3:10. The work is of God.

“Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:29 (KJB)

When a lost sinner repents of their disbelief in Jesus, they go from rejecting the gospel to believing the gospel, and when they do, they receive the free gift of God’s salvation. For me, that happened a few minutes to midnight on March 14th back in 1991. When did that take place for you? If you are saved, then you should be able to point to a place and time where you believed the gospel and became saved. If you can’t, that’s a problem. No one in the Church Age is born saved, no one is saved because their granddaddy was a preacher, or because you were raised on the mission field, or because you ‘just always knew that you were’. No one is saved against their will, or without their knowledge. Unless you are a very small child, mentally incapable or some other situation that Romans 5:13 points to, you did not get saved without first repenting of your disbelief and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

“And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:30,31 (KJB)

So what about repenting of your sins? Glad you asked! After a soul gets saved, then repentance of and from personal sin becomes a vital, daily part of our walk with the Lord. Make no mistake about it, when you got saved you were given God’s imputed righteousness for your soul and you became born again in your spirit. But your body did not, and there’s the battle. There is no such as a sinner who gets saved who never again commits sin, that is a lie of the Devil. No sin you commit is held to your account that is true, from an eternal perspective, but a saved sinner here on Earth absolutely commits sin after salvation. God has provided the remedy for that as well.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:9,10 (KJB)

We hope this short little Bible study on the two types of repentance involved in salvation clears up some of the confusion surrounding this needlessly controversial subject. As with most other doctrines in your King James Bible, rightly dividing works every time. In Part #2, we will show you how after the Church Age, people will get saved by belief in Jesus and kept saved by enduring to the end with their works. A whole different ball game.

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Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

The writings of the prophet Isaiah make up a large part of New Testament Church Age scripture because Isaiah is the most ‘whole Bible’ prophet there is.

The prophet Isaiah writes 66 chapters in the book that bears his name, and in an amazing coincidence, there are 66 books in your King James Bible. In a second amazing coincidence, chapter 39 talks about the Temple, and everything from chapter 40 through 66 is about the coming Messiah at His First Advent. Which is fascinating because there are 39 chapters in the Old Testament, and 27 in the New, the ‘break’ is right on the money. You can’t beat the Book.

“I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” Isaiah 45:23 (KJB)

“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Romans 14:11 (KJB)

So let’s jump right into it, and see some of the amazing places that the prophet Isaiah connected himself to the New Testament, hundreds of years before any New Testament scripture would be written. For a deeper study, we highly recommend you get our Isaiah Commentary Bundle, which is packed full of amazing information on the end times ministry of the prophet Isaiah.

A Sampling of the Prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul

• “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 25:8 (KJB)
• “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:54 (KJB)

• “I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;” Isaiah 65:1,2 (KJB)
• “But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” Romans 10:20,21 (KJB)

• “For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.” Isaiah 10:22,23 (KJB)
• “Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” Romans 9:27,28 (KJB)

• “Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” Isaiah 29:14 (KJB)
• “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 1 Corinthians 1:19 (KJB)

• “So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.” Isaiah 52:15 (KJB)
• “But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.” Romans 15:21 (KJB)

• “Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;” Isaiah 49:8 (KJB)
• “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” 2 Corinthians 6:2 (KJB)

• “Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?” Isaiah 40:13,14 (KJB)
• “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:16 (KJB)

All told, there are a minimum of 52 direct quotations from the prophet Isaiah in the New Testament, and many more non-cited references as well, like this one.

• “Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.” Isaiah 59:7,8 (KJB)
• “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:14-18 (KJB)

In addition to Isaiah being quoted by our apostle Paul, he is quoted by the Lord because Isaiah foretold of Him. What book was the first Gentile convert in the Church Age reading? Isaiah 53. Phillip preached to him Jesus from that chapter, and the Ethiopian eunuch got saved and eternally secure every bit as much on that as you did on Ephesians 2:8,9 and 1 Corinthians 15:3,4. How’s that for rightly dividing? Maybe rightly dividing goes deeper than you think it does, (and it does).

A Sampling of the Prophet Isaiah and the Lord Jesus of Nazareth

• “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Isaiah 9:1,2 (KJB)
• “The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” Matthew 4:15,16 (KJB)

• “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.” Isaiah 42:1-4 (KJB)
• “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.” Matthew 12:18-21 (KJB)

• “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” Isaiah 53:4 (KJB)
• “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Matthew 8:17 (KJB)

Now you see the ‘secret’ of the prophet Isaiah. Not only does he foretell about the day of the LORD and what happens to the Jews in the last days, he also shows us, in mystery form, the Church Age with the gospel that would go to the Gentiles. Isaiah gives us the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. He is the most ‘whole Bible’ prophet there is, which is why what he wrote is indispensable to Paul in over 27 places. So you see that the New Testament is not something brand-new, it is the fulfillment of what was prophesied in the Old Testament that would take place. Below is a list of references with Isaiah on the left, and its New Testament match meet on the right. If you found more than we have listed here, please comment below and we’ll be happy to add it!

The biblical Mary is a model of humility and submission to God, she is not sinless, not divine, and does not hear or answer any prayers

The virgin called Mary in the Bible was a lot of things, and we will talk about that, but first let’s discuss what she was not, according to scripture. She was not sinless, she was not ‘assumed into Heaven’ instead of dying, she was not the ‘gatekeeper to Jesus’, she did not remain a virgin, she wasn’t blessed above women, and no one who knew her ever asked her to answer their prayers. In short, she is very much unlike the ‘perpetual virgin’ Mary that is a creation from whole cloth by the Roman Catholic Church.

“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.” Luke 1:30 (KJB)

Either you believe the Bible or your don’t, that’s what it comes down to. Mary was a wonderful, godly woman who was used in a tremendous way to show what true, humble submission to the Lord is all about. But Mary was 100% human, just like me and you, she needed a Saviour to pay for her sins, just like me and you, this is what the evidence of scripture shows us. Much myth and legend has grown up around her, and she is worshipped by the Roman Catholic Church who has made her divine. It is my intent with this article to show you Mary’s beautiful humanity, the real Mary who indeed is blessed among women.

• MARY NEEDED A SAVIOUR: “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Luke 1:46,47 (KJB). Well people do not need a doctor, and sinless people do not need a Saviour. Sick people need doctors and sinners need a Saviour. Mary rightly says that God is her Saviour, she understands her true condition before the Lord. The Catholic response to this is to say that “Mary was just being humble when she said that”, but if that’s true, then she lied about needing a Saviour, and lying is a sin. So either way, Mary was a sinner who needed a Saviour.
• MARY HAD 6 OTHER CHILDREN: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.” Mark 6:3 (KJB). Not only did Mary have other children, the Bible names Jesus’ 4 brothers and tells us about his two sisters. Matthew 13:53-58 shows this to be true as well.
• JESUS ALWAYS CALLED HER ‘WOMAN’: “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.” John 2:4 (KJB). Jesus never called Mary His mother, though scripture clearly shows us she was. But anticipating the cult that would rise up around her, it looks like Jesus very carefully addressed her when he spoke to her. As He lay dying on the cross, He continued to refer to her as ‘woman’ even when he was instructing John to take her into him home to live out her days with him. This completely cuts off the idea that Jesus was somehow always a ‘mama’s boy’ and that Mary would lead people to Him as she is portrayed now. 
• MARY HELD NO SPECIAL PLACE IN THE CHURCH: “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” Acts 1:14 (KJB). The last mention of Mary in the Bible is in Acts, where we see her seated beside all the others as they all prayed together. You will note she holds no special place other than to be a member of this first church, Peter is leading the group and preaching. Mary is not consulted, no one asks her for any special requests or favors, she is on an equal footing with everyone else. She lived the rest of her life out in the church, at some point she died, and went where all saved people go, to Heaven. The Roman Catholic ‘assumption of Mary’ is a complete fabrication not found on any page of any Bible.

You see, Mary was just like you and me, completely human and completely dependent on the God she served for every good thing in her life. She is a model of humility, and as such, would be appalled if she could come back and see the lies said about her. There is only one Person born sinless, and that’s Jesus, and He shares his glory with no one. The Roman Catholic Church has created an alternate Mary they call the ‘perpetual virgin’, and 100% of what they say about her cannot be proven by scripture. There are no records of any miracles performed by her, or any miracles performed that she had a hand in.

There was a time when Mary and Jesus siblings came to visit Him, and there were so many people that they could not gain access. So it was told to Jesus that Mary and His siblings were outside and wanted to see Him. How did Jesus respond to that request? Take a look for yourself:

“Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.” Luke 8:19-21 (KJB)

Jesus said that anyone who heard to word of God, and did what it said to do, was just as close to Him as His own mother and His own siblings. This is the exact opposite of how Mary is portrayed by the Roman Catholic Church who has turned her into the ‘4th part of the Trinity’. The Bible shows you the real Mary, the Roman Church shows you the pagan Mary who herself has become a god. Which one do you think is the real Mary?

In 1854, Pope Pius IX issued a decree about their “virgin Mary’, and in that writing he declared that Mary was equal with Jesus Christ. Pope Pius IX said about Mary “Let all the children of the Catholic Church, who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours. With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love, let them continue to venerate, invoke and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived without original sin. Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless.” Do you believe the popes, or do you believe the Bible? Pick one.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB