Repentance and Faith

And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’ [Acts 26.17-18]

Repentance and faith are clearly singled out as prerequisites to doing God's will. Whether it is us acting upon these mandates or laying them out for others, the protocol is the same: repent and believe.

To "turn from darkness to light" is both a singular act and life goal. It is certainly a notable event in a person's life, but also a change of motivation.

Then, faith's most validated process is receiving forgiveness of sins. Without comprehending God's forgiveness extended to mankind in the person of Jesus Christ, a person is simply left unchanged and certainly unsaved. Faith to move mountains is nothing compared to the faith to receive complete forgiveness of sins. Perhaps this is why the Psalmist orders the benefits of God like this:

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! [Psalm 103.2-5]

The first benefit the Psalmist lists is, "He forgives all my sins..."

Again, if we fail to comprehend God's forgiveness of sins, we are not likely to comprehend any other miracle of God.

How important is forgiveness of sins?

So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” [Matthew 9.6]

Jesus, in no uncertain terms, made clear that healing was, in fact, the direct result of forgiveness. If the Psalmist knew anything about which he was writing, it would appear he was in complete agreement with this, noting that every benefit one might receive from God begins with forgiveness of sins.

Interestingly enough, many of Jesus' miracles did NOT indicate that repentance preceded those miracles. How can that be? It is that way because faith by one CAN affect the life of another whether they are repentant or not (Jesus proved this over and over).

Perhaps this is why Jesus said this:

If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” [John 20.23]

It is not ironic that just before Jesus made this statement, He breathed on His disciples and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

AND, it is not ironic that before this Jesus said, "As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

Repentance is necessary for salvation but not necessarily necessary for a miracle.

This is all very important and requires our utmost attention and study.

Father, help us to understand the work of repentance and faith in our lives!