Is repentance required for salvation, or is it a work?

Pastor Mike’s Answer (edited)

Repentance and faith are distinguishable, but they are inseparable in the response God commands in the gospel. They are not synonyms, yet they belong together as two sides of one coin—a penitent faith.

Some teachers associated with dispensationalism argued that repentance could be a condition of salvation only if it were defined as another word for faith. They feared that turning from sin would make repentance a human work added to faith.

That concern produced versions of “free grace” teaching in which a person might believe without repentance, obedience, or spiritual fruit. Some even separated entering the kingdom from inheriting it and treated discipleship as an optional second level of Christianity.

That is not the biblical pattern. Scripture repeatedly joins repentance and faith, sometimes stating them together and sometimes using one in a context that implies the other. Repentance is not meritorious work; it is the necessary turning from sin that accompanies genuine trust in Christ.

This error arose within some dispensational circles, but it is not a necessary feature of dispensationalism. Many dispensational teachers strongly rejected it. Believing that God has a future for Israel and a coming tribulation says nothing about whether someone must choose between repentance and faith.

The sound conclusion is that salvation is entirely by God’s grace through faith in Christ, and the faith that receives Christ is repentant. We rely on Christ alone, while turning from the sin he came to destroy.