Authentic Pentecostal Church

What Is Repentance For Salvation From The Penalty Of Adam’s sin?

According to Jesus, repentance comes when He reveals Himself to a sinner, giving them a revelation of sin, righteousness and the coming judgement, so that they can see that they are a sinner in need of a Saviour, which changes their mind and heart, and aligns them with God’s will. It involves recognising one’s need for forgiveness, seeking God’s mercy, and embracing the message of salvation from the Penalty of Adam’s sin through faith in Him. The concept of repentance is intricately tied to the forgiveness of sins and the offer of eternal life.

NB: Our personal sin, lying, steeling, idolatry, etc. is simply the evidence that we are a sinner in need of salvation from the Penalty of Adam’s sin.

1. Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins

Luke 24:46-47 (NASB)
- and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Mark 1:15 (NASB)
- and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Repentance, according to Jesus, is linked to the forgiveness of sins. It does not mean a sinner needs to turn away from their sins to be saved. It simply involves a recognition that God is Holy and we are a sinner in need of God’s mercy and grace (unmerited favour). All we need is a willingness to make a 180 degree change in direction of mind and heart towards God, brought about by Christ having revealed Himself to us, to show us our need for the forgiveness of Adam’s sin, which incorporates our personal sins (Past, Present and Future) to be saved from Hell through faith in the death and resurrection of Christ on the third day. The moment we believe the Gospel we will receive God’s forgiveness and will be born again by His Holy Spirit to become a New Creation in Christ. Our old life, our culture, is dead, and receive a new life and culture. We become New Covenant Israelites.

2. Saved from the Penalty of Adam’s Sin:

John 3:16-17 (NASB):
- “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
Romans 6:23 (NASB):
- For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sinners, through repentance and belief in the Gospel, are saved from the penalty of Adam’s sin, which is spiritual death and separation from God.

3. Eternal Life through Faith Alone:

John 5:24 (NASB):
- “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgement, but has passed out of death into life.
John 6:40 (NASB):
- For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

Eternal life is a gift received through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not based on our works but on trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

4. Trust in the Gospel Alone for Salvation:

John 14:6 (NASB):
- Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Acts 4:12 (NASB):
- And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

According to Jesus, salvation comes exclusively through faith in Him. Trusting in the Gospel alone—acknowledging Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life—is the path to reconciliation with God.

The New Covenant Transaction

Hebrews 8:9-12 NASB

[10] “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel After those days, declares the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds, And write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, And they shall be My people. [11] “And they will not teach, each one his fellow citizen, And each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ For they will all know Me, From the least to the greatest of them. [12] “For I will be merciful toward their wrongdoings, And their sins I will no longer remember.”

When we have been born again by the Holy Spirit, we are grafted into New Covenant Israel as He has put His laws into our minds, And writes them on our hearts, and He becomes our God, And we have become His people, and He then leads and guides us into all truth. Our old sinful life and culture has passed away and all things have become new. We now belong to New Covenant Israel, as we begin the process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit who conforms us to the image of Christ throughout our life.

In summary, repentance, as defined by Jesus, involves a recognition of God’s Holiness and our sinful condition, and a changing of mind and heart to embrace the forgiveness of our sins through faith in Him. Sinners are saved from the penalty of Adam’s sin, which is spiritual death, and are offered eternal life through faith alone in Christ. Trusting in Jesus as the exclusive means of salvation is central to the message Jesus proclaimed during His earthly ministry. This causes a spiritual birth to take place within us, making us eternal son’s of God.