- The Necessity of Repentance and Faith

2. The Necessity of Repentance and Faith as Evidence of Saving Grace

When I say repentance and faith are outward evidences or manifestations of the eternal life already bestowed, and are not the means to secure eternal life, I do not want to be misunderstood as diminishing one iota the biblical importance of faith and repentance in the life of God’s elect. The Scriptures declare, ‘the just shall live by faith.’ A life marked by faith in Jesus Christ is the sole instrument to demonstrate one’s justified state, the work of grace begun at effectual call unto eternal life, i.e., in right standing with God, accepted by God in Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ is the sole means by which one may know that he has been justified by the free grace of God at effectual calling from death to life.

Faith in Christ or resting in Christ is absolutely necessary for the believer’s on going spiritual well being and usefulness. The Lord says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” John 15:5. Often true believers live in such a way that they do not abide in Christ. Such often suffer severe consequences here in this life, though by grace, they have been delivered from eternal condemnation of hell and are kept in the state of grace.
It is obvious that only those who have been given eternal life can ever abide in Christ, begin to live a life of trust in and obedience to Christ. Abiding in Christ is a spiritual activity, and only one with spiritual life can perform this spiritual activity. It is just as true that such people, for all sorts of reasons, often fail to abide in Christ, and live wasted lives, and suffer the just consequences in this life. The prodigal son failed to abide with the father and justly suffered the terrible temporal consequences. “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” 2Tim 2:13. God will preserve His people in that state of grace, though they will not escape the chastisement and scourging for not abiding in Christ. They must work out their own salvation with fear and trembling if they are to remain in and enjoy a life of faith and holiness, Phil 2:12. A life of faith, a life of abiding in Christ is necessary to secure any temporal blessings of salvation in this redeemed life as we make our journey to our eternal home. I hope this preliminary note here is enough to caution you of the erroneous and loose assertion of your 7th theological position. ‘To be kept in a state of grace’ is not the same as ‘to be kept in a life of faith and holiness’! God does the former; the redeemed must work and strive for the latter by the grace working in them.

There is an aspect of salvation that was completed for all the elect by Jesus Christ at the cross, and applied to the individual elect at effectual calling unto grace and salvation. Faith is a fruit and evidence of the eternal salvation bestowed. This aspect of salvation is eternal and unconditional, all completed by Christ, and applied to us by the free grace of God at effectual calling to life, and shall be consummated at glorification.

There is another aspect of salvation that redeemed believers must labour, by the grace that works in them, to work out the salvation of his already redeemed life here by faith. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” Phil 2:12-3. This aspect of salvation is temporal and conditional, related to our life here and now. It is temporal because it relates to salvation in this present life, i.e. salvation from this perverse generation and all its evils. It is conditional because it depends upon the believers working out this temporal salvation with fear and trembling. It is as Apostle Peter said, ‘Save yourselves from this untoward generation’ Acts 2:40. Apostle Peter did not exhort the hearers to do something to save themselves from eternal hell. This is because only those whom God has saved from eternal hell by His free and unconditional grace at effectual call unto eternal life are able to repent and believe in order to be saved from this perverse generation, a generation that lives in sin and unbelief.
Let me now proceed to make a feeble attempt to show why I as the pastor of SDC, with clear conscience, cannot agree with the standard reformed position as espoused and defended by you and your churches. I believe that repentance and faith are the evidence, the fruit, the effect of eternal life bestowed to us while we were dead in sin. I will give some reasons below to show why the standard reformed position is inconsistent and deficient, and untenable. The Scriptures declare that even the elect of God are in a state of sin and death, they are children of wrath, just as the others. Without the bestowal of eternal life at effectual calling – justification, regeneration and adoption – there is absolutely no possibility of saving repentance and faith. There must be life to animate all spiritual activities such as spiritual understanding, conviction, repenting and believing. The Scriptures teach, and our Confession summarizes as follows:

1689.6.2 states, “Our first parents, by this sin, fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and we in them whereby death came upon all; all becoming dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.” (Ro 3:23; Ro 5:12-21; Tit 1:15; Ge 6:5; Jer 17:9; Ro 3:10-19.) I think we are all agreed that ‘man is spiritually dead.’ Therefore without the prior giving of eternal life, he cannot, and will not believe.

1689.9.3 states that “Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able by his own strength to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.” (Ro 5:6; 8:7; Eph 2:1,5; Tit 3:3-5; Jn 6:44.) I have hope that we are also agreed on the total depravity and total inability of fallen man. He is in enmity against God. Therefore without the prior giving of eternal life, he has no ability whatsoever to believe.

1689.10.1 states the gracious act of God delivering His elect out of that state of sin and death. “Those whom God hath predestined unto life, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ.” (Ro 8:30; 11:7; Eph 1:10-11, 2Th 2:13-14.)

I don’t know whether we are agreed that the bestowal of eternal life to individual elect who are spiritually dead in his sin at effectual calling is the absolute beginning of the application of redemption in an elect. I believe the bestowal of eternal life must precede repentance and faith. The bestowal of eternal life makes repentance and faith possible.

In my present understanding, I conclude therefore that repentance and faith are outward evidences and fruits of the eternal life ALREADY possessed, bestowed by free grace at the effectual calling to life, bestowed when there was no possibility of faith at all. For me to believe otherwise would be inconsistent with and contradictory to the plain testimony of Scriptures as summarized by our Confession of Faith. Faith is evidence of salvation already given.