Subject: Are these essentials for Salvation? |
Bible Note: Hi CDBJ I don't see in the Bible the act of repentance is different for the unbeliever in relation to the believer, at least, that is not how I read it in the Bible. For the believer and the unbeliever, Biblical and genuine repentance involves a turn from disobedience to obedience towards God. Although 1 Jn 1:9 is written to believers, it does not demand that it be limited to believers; if an unbeliever confesses his sin and turns from it, God is still "just and may be trusted to forgive our sins and cleanse us from every kind of wrongdoing" (NRSV). If one is under the control of the, what you call, "sin nature", there is cause to question their salvation. There is no such thing as a believer being enslaved by the "sinful nature" (Rom 8:7, NRSV). That many misinterpret Rev 3:20 is no reason to suppose that the meaning and act of repentance is different between believer and unbeliever. |