Aside from the Book of Acts and the gospels, can you show me where repentance is part of the gospel? The Gospels were pre-cross, and Acts is a historical book which is a book of transition. Most of our doctrine actually comes from the epistles. Where in the epistles does it tell us that repentance is part of the gospel?
Did you repent at salvation? Yes or no? I did.
Just think of what's at stake if we deny the ingredient of repentance as part of salvation. Preach the Gospel and tell them all they have to do is believe (which is not the entire ingredient, btw, belief is not enough, the devils also believe). What's at stake here is we think we are so learned and wise that we remove it? Then we have churches full of the unrepentant. This methodology doesn't touch upon mans lost condition. When sinners truly get saved, repentance is part of it.
Yep. Acts is historical. Yet, the method of salvation is clear, and I wouldn't discount nor marginalize it's teaching because it's popular to do so. By the way, those in Acts got the idea. They repented. That's good sound doctrine. We can get doctrine from Acts.
We also get other solid Biblical doctrine there, such as when Ananias and Saphira lied to the holy ghost, we learned they lied not to men, but to God. Good solid verification of the Spirit as deity. Good doctrine from that book. .
I'll give you some passages and explain why it is not given explicitly as a 1 2 3 step to salvation which should be apparent.
First off, did Jesus preach repentance? Luke 13? Yes, that's a gospel.
You want epistles that demonstrate the repentant lifestyle?
Romans 2:4? It's right there. It's part of the Gospel, because they can go back to that day they had gotten saved, and give God glory for their repentance. They learned repentance at salvation, and as a part of the Christian life.
2 Timothy 2:19? That's more repentance. Unless you need the exact word. Instead of seeing where it is implied. But this is the Christian lifestyle
2 Timothy 2:25...God again granting repentance.
Why do you expect to find in the epistles, the plan of salvation, when they are generally written for Christian living? The absence of it in it's strict sense you are getting at proves nothing, nor does it erase the fact that it is part of the plan of how God saves persons, that He leads them to repent at the hearing of the Good News.
You see repentance as a lifestyle in the Epsitles do you not? Why? Because is is written to those already saved, as instruction for living, not as Acts, which was written, showing to us how God saved persons, via repentance and belief. God's goodness led them to repentance, after they heard the Gospel.
To these churches that Paul wrote to in his epistles, he mentions how they heard the Gospel, and we know they repented at that time. The intentions of the epistles is not the plan of salvation. Acts shows us repentance to be necessary. Even our Lord emphasized this, that unless we repent, what will happen? We will perish.
Yes, Acts is a transitional book, making the transition from repentance and salvation, to the epistles on Christian living and doctrine.
Also, I'd take any inquiring sinner right to Act 11:16-18, and not be blushing that it's a transitional book, and show that sinner that God grants him repentance unto eternal life.
