Does Repentance Follow Faith?

We are answering here the second question introduced in the last issue: "What I'm concerned with is whether we should tell people to forsake sins and repent to be a Christian. I believe Calvin wrote this: 'Now it ought to be a fact beyond controversy that repentance not only constantly follows faith, but is also born of faith'. . . . But when we preach to nonbeliever, should we be telling a person that to be saved, he has to forsake his sins? Would that not be legalistic? . . . Faith results in repentance . . . so logically the call to repentance will be made to a Christian and not a non-Christian. So is it misleading to tell a person to forsake sins or be willing to forsake sins to be saved?"

The question suggests that bringing the call to repentance to an unbeliever would be a denial of sovereign grace in that it would imply some ability on the part of the sinner to respond. That part of the question we have already answered by insisting that the call to repentance is itself the power by which God produces repentance in the hearts of His elect people.

As far as the order of repentance and faith is concerned, we believe that in one sense it is true that faith must precede repentance as Calvin points out. A person must be regenerated and must therefore have the beginning or seed of a true faith before he is able to repent of his sins. He certainly cannot repent in his own strength or by the choice of his own will.

Yet, insofar as faith also involves our "receiving and resting upon Christ for salvation" (Westminster Confession of Faith, XIV, 2), there is a sense in which a person must repent before he believes, i.e., he must see his sin even to see His need for Christ and by way of coming to Christ and finding rest in Him. Unless we know our sins and desire to be delivered from them, which is part of repentance, we will not seek and come to Christ (which is part of believing).

This is only to say, therefore, that there are different acts involved in saving faith - different parts to it. It is a complex and wonderful gift! Thus it is not possible to reduce saving faith to a single act that either precedes or follows repentance.

The two go together and cannot be separated. One cannot truly repent without also at the same time believing, nor can one truly believe in Christ for salvation without also at the same time repenting of his sins. To turn from the one is to turn to the other, and to turn to the one is to turn from the other.

This is an important point. Some teach that one can feel sorrow for sin without EVER coming to faith in Christ, but this is impossible. Grace is one, and the same grace that produces repentance also grants faith. Thus only can it be said with assurance that those who seek shall find, to those who knock it shall be opened.

Our salvation, therefore, is not some mechanical process involving certain clearly distinguishable steps (though we may for our better understanding distinguish such steps). It is one great work of grace that brings the sinner out of darkness into marvelous light and translates him from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son.

And so, because, repentance and faith are inseparable, it is not wrong to call the unbelieving and unrepentant sinner to believe and repent. God will use that call to grant the gift of faith and to give repentance to those whom He has chosen.