Hi John,

Thank you for issues discussed thus far. In relation to the lordship salvation controversy, is it wrong to explain to a person the teaching of faith repentance for salvation—that in repentance the person should have a change of mind of who God is and what sin is. Secondly, what is wrong in the phrase “turn from sin to God for salvation.”

Your response would help me in my theology of salvation.

Mike

Hello Mike,

Thank you for your questions. These matters sometimes get confused.

Repentance is a change of thinking. About what? How do we know? Jesus clarifies by telling us that the Spirit convinces the world (unsaved people) about sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). Therefore, the change of thinking pertains to that which unsaved people are convinced of by the Spirit: sin is the problem, the righteousness of Christ is the solution, and judgment is the consequence without Christ.

Regarding your second question, people must turn from a wrong object of dependence (idols/moralism) to the right object of dependence (Jesus). But if people could turn from sin on their own, they wouldn’t need Christ. To keep the gospel Christ-centered, it is legitimate to say, “turn to Christ for deliverance from sin.” This is what some may mean when saying, “turn from sin to God,” but care must be taken to use terminology that is clear and cannot be confused with works by the hearer.

John

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