In recent weeks I have been writing on themes that pertain to our great salvation, and countering some of the egregious errors that are being taught regarding salvation. In particular, the teachings of Free Grace ( FG) theology.

Within this theology salvation does not require repentance of sin or any commitment to follow Christ. Repentance of sin is actually thought by some who advocate FG theology to be a heresy and a false gospel, because repentance of sin is deemed to be a work which adds to the finished work of Christ. Their logic is that since Jesus paid the price for sin, all that is required is belief in Jesus and Heaven is guaranteed regardless if the person repents of sin or not. 

This is problematic when you follow this teaching to its logical conclusion.  A person living in adultery, or as a rapist, or as a child abducting human trafficker, or a serial killer can believe that Jesus paid the price for their sin  and be granted eternal life, even if they never turn from their sins.

This however, is a mockery of the true gospel and undermines the truth of the character of a Holy God who gave his Son to save us from our sins. Teaching people that they will go to Heaven by believing, even if they refuse to turn from their sins and follow Jesus, is not free grace. It is the equivalent to free loading.

Heaven is not a hand out for wicked people to get a free pass while they continue to live in unrepentant sin. Paul says to the Ephesians, For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. ~ Ephesians 5:5-6

To the Corinthians, Paul says following:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Paul then follows these words by saying, And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. ~ v.11

Notice that being saved is being washed, sanctified, and justified from our sins, both in the name of the Lord and by the Spirit of our God. A person who is on the prowl to abduct children to traffic is not washed, sanctified, or justified. Neither is the man who is actively cheating on his wife with another woman, nor is the one who is getting wealthy cheating the elderly out of their life’s savings. I could go on, but hopefully you get the point.

Saved people are changed people, and saved people have a conviction to live godly because they have turned from their sins through their faith in Jesus Christ. But this is not the salvation taught within FG theology.

Consider the following response that a FG advocate gave to the scripture that says, let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. In response the FG advocate commented, “Not to be saved, but to be disciples. Rightly divide the word of truth, do you know what that means? “

The rationale behind this statement, and others similar to it is that if a person believes that they must stop living in sin to be saved, they are adding to the finished work of Christ. According to the FG theology that I have observed, being saved has absolutely nothing to do with deliverance or redemption from the actual sins in a person’s life. The emphasis is on the penalty for those sins after death. In other words, salvation from sin (in FG theology) doesn’t mean I stop living in sin to live for Christ, it means I will not be judged for my sins, even if I refuse to live for Christ and remain a drunkard, fornicator, or murderer, etc.

When the commenter mentioned above says, “Not to be saved, but to be disciples,” he is claiming that you do not have to depart from iniquity to be saved, only if you choose to be a disciple. Yet Paul tells us that Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify us unto himself as purchased people zealous of good works.

This mindset that separates some as saved only and others as disciples, is what motivated me to write the article I recently titled,  The Call to Discipleship. In no way did I cover all that the New Testament teaches about discipleship, but let me be clear, if you refuse to be a disciple of Jesus, and you think you can live in unrepentant sin and go to Heaven, you are deceived.

Being a disciple of Jesus is not optional for believers. Those who were saved in the book of Acts became disciples, and Paul’s letters to the churches were addressed to the saints (God’s set apart people, i.e., disciples). Becoming a disciple may be optional within FG theology, but it isn’t in gospel according to the scriptures. You will not find a subset of saved people who refuse to repent of sin, and refuse to be disciples of Jesus who have eternal life abiding in them, anywhere in the New Testament!

The commission of the gospel, which we often refer to as the great commission, is to make disciples of all nations, because saved people become disciples. If that bothers you, take it up with Jesus, because I am going to tell you the truth. I refuse to stand by and not condemn this FG theology, which is actually teaching people they can free load at the expense of the grace of God. And that is not the gospel!

The complaint that many FG advocates have with people like me who preach and teach repentance of sin, is their claim that the word repent means to change your mind, and they love to point out that God repented multiple times in the Old Testament by making claims such as one the one below.

I searched repent and didn’t find anywhere in the bible where it says “repent of sin(s)” or “of your sin”. And God repents the most. Man added “of sin” to the word.

Now, I plan to cover the topic of God repenting (changing his course of action) in a future article, but for now I want to stay focused on repentance of sin. As a Bible teacher who’s been offering apologetics for a long time, allow me to explain what’s wrong with the argument, “I searched repent and didn’t find anywhere in the bible where it says “repent of sin(s)” or “of your sin”.

I am sure you will not find the phrase “stop committing adultery” anywhere in the Bible, but that doesn’t mean that adulterers should not stop, or that the Bible doesn’t oppose adultery. Repenting of sin is affirmed often throughout the Bible, and to deny that fact because a phrase (cherry picked) isn’t found in your search, is just being lazy.

My apologies if I sound a little annoyed, but people need to do better when making such claims.

In 2 Corinthians 12:21 Paul expresses his grief concerning those who have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

Is uncleanness sin? Sure it is. What about fornication? Absolutely! How about lasciviousness? You know it is. These are all sins that Paul was concerned that the Corinthians had not repented of.

In Acts 8, Peter confronted Simon the Sorcerer, telling him to, Repent therefore of this thy wickedness (v. 22). Simon’s wickedness of which Peter is telling him to repent is sorcery. Is the wickedness of sorcery sin? Sure it is.

Now consider the following from Revelation 9

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. ~ v. 20-21

Is worshiping devils sin? What about murder, sorcery, fornication, and theft?

This is exactly why those who make claims like the one highlighted above, which says, “I searched repent and didn’t find anywhere in the bible where it says “repent of sin(s)” or “of your sin”, are being disingenuous. If you truly run a search on all the texts in the Bible that speak of repent, repentance, etc., you would come across the verses which speak of repentance of sin. 

Furthermore, if a person were to do a search on verses which refer to repentance, which doesn’t necessarily use the word repent, they would find even more texts that speak of repenting of sin. For example, consider Isaiah 55:6-7 and Proverbs 28:13.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. ~ Isaiah 55:6-7

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. ~ Proverbs 28:13

It doesn’t take a theologian to see that both of these texts above speak of repentance. Forsaking your sin, and returning to the Lord is repentance. Confessing your sins, and forsaking them is repentance.

Even though these verses do not use the phrase, repent of your sins, or the words, repent and repentance, they clearly teach repentance of sins. Repentance of sin is a major theme in the Bible. In fact much of the entire chapter of Psalm 51 has to do with repentance of sin. Consider for example, the first 4 verses.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. ~ Psalm 51:1-4

If we’d continue to read all 19 verses of Psalm 51 we would learn a lot about repentance. Allow me to highlight a few things we would learn. In his repentance, the Psalmist says, thou desirest truth in the inward parts (v.6).

True repentance leads to a heart of integrity in the sight of God, and true repentance seeks to have such a heart of integrity.

In verses 10 -12 the Psalmist says Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Repentance leads to a clean heart and a right spirit, and causes the joy of salvation to be experienced. Now, notice what the Psalmist says next, once his heart has been made clean and a right spirit has been renewed in him.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. ~ v.13

In his repentant state, asking to be made clean and right in his heart, the Psalmist says, “then” will I teach transgressors thy ways. God’s ways are for transgressors to repent and sinners to be converted. Teaching people that they can be saved without repentance is not teaching them God’s ways.