Faith Alone Saves: Where Did The Repent “Of Your Sins” Heresy Originate?

Friday, September 18, 2026

Where Did The Repent “Of Your Sins” Heresy Originate?

Acts 3:19. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

The “repent of your sins” heresy is often traced back to misunderstandings of Biblical teachings on repentance and salvation, particularly the conflation (mixing) of repentance with a requirement to turn from sin for salvation. This view has been justly criticized by various theologians, laymen and clergy who argue that true Bible repentance is a change of mind, rather than a prerequisite to forsake sinful behavior to be saved. The concept is a misinterpretation of inspired Scripture, which wickedly emphasizes works over faith.

KING JAMES BIBLE (KJB) - Acts 3:19, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

EASY-TO-READ VERSION (ERV) - Acts 3:19, “So you must change your hearts and lives. Come back to God, and he will forgive your sins.”

I loathe the toxic modern English Bible revisions, which are corrupted by Satan. Repentance has absolutely nothing to do with changing your heart and life. To “repent” simply means to think differently to agree with what God says in His inspired Word.

Here's a bizarre translation...

AMPLIFIED VERSION (AMP) - Acts 3:19, “So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day].”

Unreal! Dear reader, none of what you've just read is Biblical. Repentance for salvation does not mean to change your inner self, which would be reformation, not repentance. Nor does Bible repentance to be saved require regretting your past sins. Seeking God's purpose for your life is a matter of service and discipleship, not salvation and sonship.

One of my favorite Bible teachers is Pastor Brad Strand in Texas. I recently purchased his 'The Strand Study Bible.' I love it so much that I bought five of them (2 new and 3 used). Here is Brother Strand's commentary for our text passage from 2nd Corinthians 7:8...

Repentance may include “remorse” (made you sorry), but remorse is not repentance. If so, then Judas repented because he was remorseful over what he had done to Christ (Mt 27:3). You can weep over sin and even express great remorse, but until you “change your mind” as to who you are and who Christ is and agree with God (Mt 3:2), you have not repented biblically.

Repentance may include “sorrow” (you were made sorry), but sorrow for sin is not repentance. Hell is full or sorrow, but only for the consequences of sin. The rich man who died and went to Hell uttered not a word of sorrow for his sin, only sorrow for his pain (Lk 16:19-31). You can weep over sin and even express great regret, but until you “change your mind” as to who you are and who Christ is and agree with God, you have not repented biblically.

Repentance may include “conviction” (after a godly manner), but conviction is not repentance. If so, then Felix repented when he trembled before Paul (Acts 24:24-25). You may be convicted that you are a sinner and even admit that you are lost, but repentance is a two-sided coin. You not only have to “change your mind” as to who you are, you have to also “change your mind” as to who Christ is and call upon Him to be your Savior (Rom 10:9-13). Otherwise, you have not repented biblically.

SOURCE: Brad Strand, “The Strand Study Bible,” p. 1938

I am so thankful for Pastor Strand, that he is one of few preachers today who gets repentance correct. Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) in a sermon titled: “A Vote For Preaching,” spake in this excerpt about the false gospel of Lordship Salvation which is unfortunately being preached from nearly every pulpit today. RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!!

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Memorable Quotes

“We don't grow in strength as believers, we grow in grace.”

“Salvation is not a reward for the righteous; it is a gift for the guilty!”

“The trouble with many men is that they have got just enough religion to make them miserable.” —Pastor Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899)

“Like the thief on the cross who never had an opportunity to 'turn from his sin,' we, like him, can only 'acknowledge our sinfulness' in order to be saved (Lk 23:40-41). ...True repentance has nothing to do with 'turning from sin' and everything to do with 'acknowledging one's sinfulness' (Jonah 3:5). Like the thief on the cross who simply acknowledged his sinfulness (Lk 23:39-43), the only part a person has in salvation is the beggar's part.” —Pastor Brad Strand, "The Strand Study Bible"; 2nd Corinthians 7:8-9, p. 1939

“The wickedness of a life has not one thing in this world to do with where you go when you die; not one thing.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, "Religion Or Christ?"

“Religion and Christ are in opposition to each other.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, "Religion Or Christ?"

“The fella who knows what repentance is knows it's included in believing.” —Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995)

“There is power in this Gospel message. Most people just don't know how to present it... The clarity of the Gospel is what makes it easy for them to believe.” —Pastor Yankee Arnold, “WHY GRACE CAN SAVE THE WORST MAN!” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, "Why Grace Can Save The Worst Man"

"There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel, to be a disciple one obeys the challenge to a life of dedicated service and separation. Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ; discipleship comes only by sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk. Salvation can't be lost because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but discipleship can be lost because it depends upon our faithfulness." —Pastor M.R. DeHaan, “Hebrews”; Zondervan Publishing House; 1959 (p. 117)

“The law tells me how crooked I am. Grace comes along and straightens me out.” —Evangelist Billy Sunday (1862-1935)

“Works cannot be the evidence of salvation. If works are required as evidence, then they will prove that you are not saved. Your good works cannot prove you're saved; they can only prove that you're not, if you go by works. Why? Because you have to be perfect. So your works can only prove you're not saved. You have to live a perfect life. 'Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.' You have to fulfill everything that is commanded, that you have to do them. You know that good works did not save you!” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, "Once Saved Always Saved: The Final Word"

“The ‘whosoever wills’ are the elect and the ‘whosoever won’ts,’ the non-elect.” —Pastor Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899)

“Salvation is one thing and service is another, and never the two goes together. No man is saved because he serves, and no man has to serve because he is saved. Gotta keep them separate. And if you don't do it, the Scriptures will be confusing to you. You'll not rightly divide what God has to say.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, "Why Lordship Salvation Is Wrong"

“It is 'Good News' if no one must have good works before salvation, or after salvation. For salvation to truly be by grace, it must not have any stipulations of any kind at any time. Works before, during or after; works cannot be evidence of my salvation.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, "Does Calvinism Change The Gospel?"

"The LAW and the GOSPEL are two keys—the law is the key that shuteth up all men under condemnation, and the Gospel is the key which opens the door and lets them out. Remember this, if you're depending upon your own good works to get you to Heaven, you're lost! Your salvation had to be purchased with something that was incorruptible, with the precious blood of Jesus Christ!” —Pastor Ralph 'Yankee' Arnold, Bibleline Radio Show, "The Precious Blood Of Christ"

“Dear sinner, do not make this a difficult matter. There is one simple step between you and Jesus. When you trust Him, everything else is settled, and you have repented, you have come to Christ, you have received Him, you have done everything necessary to be saved.” —Dr. John R. Rice, “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”

“We suppose there are many faulty ideas about repentance, but we will deal here with the more popular ones. Perhaps the most popular false idea is that repentance is turning from sin. We have heard some well-known preachers say, If you want to be saved, repent of your sins, turn from your sins.' If turning from your sins means to stop sinning, then people can only be saved if they stop sinning. And it is unlikely that anyone has ever been saved, since we don't know anyone who has ever stopped sinning.” —Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995), booklet titled: “Repentance,” p. 4; © 1986, Sword of the Lord Foundation

“Several years ago I read a book by a professor at a fundamental university. Under the chapter on salvation, he said, 'Quit your sinning, and God will give you a new heart.' He presented repentance as turning from sin. I wrote this dear brother and expressed my concern, knowing that such teaching frustrates the unbeliever and makes him think that salvation is unattainable since he cannot live a sinless life.” —Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995), booklet titled: “Repentance,” p. 5; © 1986, Sword of the Lord Foundation

“You don't get better to get saved; you get saved to get better. You can't get better until you do get saved.” —Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995), booklet titled: “Repentance,” p. 5; ©1986, Sword of the Lord Foundation

“You can never tell a true Christian by the way they live, because many imposters and many hypocrites and many false teachers are living in counterfeit of the Christian life. You cannot tell by the way they live.” —Pastor Max D. Younce, "James 5"

“What right does any preacher have to make it HARD for people to go to Heaven, when the Lord did all the work and made it easy for us, and all we had to do was accept what He did for us? It's the gift of God; it's not of works, lest any man should boast. But get what he said: 'When ye had seen it, repented not afterward,' and you ought to underline this in your Bible then, 'that ye might believe him.' You see, you change your mind and put your faith in what Christ did for you.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, "Repentance In The New Testament"

“I said there's only one thing that'll take a man to Hell. You know what it is? It's the opposite of faith, it's unfaith or unbelief. That's all. Now then, what will take a man all the way to Heaven? Faith, in Jesus Christ. What is the one prerequisite to being saves? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” —Brother Lester Roloff, "Faith"

“A man that's not a Christian can't be honest. Now that's gonna hurt some people, but that's the truth. You cannot be honest until you come to Christ, because you're living a life of ingratitude, and you're living on God and won't recognize him. And God supplies and holds everything together, and in him you live and move and have your being; and yet you won't recognize God's ownership and your stewardship, you're being dishonest. You're God's property by creation, by sustenance and by regeneration; and if you don't recognize it, you're not honest with God. Nobody! I believe that the main root of honesty is recognizing that God owns everything. Living off of Him.” —Brother Lester Roloff, "Faith"

“There's no substitute for compassion. There's nothing to me that's worse—dry cheeks, and no tears. Jesus wept. Paul said: 'I wept day and night, for three years.' I mean day at night, he said, 'I've wept.' The pew will never weep until the pulpit weeps; until God's people get back the compassion and the love, for people. You're working with, not animals, but people. Every one of them's precious in God's sight. Love every one of them. Love the little children. Spend time in prayer even with a little child. And love the members of your church. And love lost people. And then one other thing, love the down-and-out. That's one of the tests of your sincerity, is to love the down-and-outs. Just like Paul said, the grace of giving tests your sincerity. But if you love those that are not loved by anybody else, there's nothing that'll be like a tonic to you like loving the unlovely. I mean that's being like Jesus. He didn't come to call the righteous, there wadn't any. And so love your church, and live close to the Lord; close to the Word of God, and stay with the lost people and seek to save those that are lost.” —Brother Lester Roloff, "What Preachers Should Be"

“Now, a great many say, 'I am too great a sinner to be saved.' That is like a hungry man saying he is too hungry to eat, or a sick man saying he is too sick to send for a doctor, or a beggar saying, 'I am too poor to beg; I'll wait till I get some money first.'” —Pastor Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899)

“The change in your heart, sinner, is God's part and you may be sure He will attend to that. Your part is to simply believe in Him. Whatever else is necessary in your eternal salvation, the Lord attends to when you trust in Him, or believe in Him.” —Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980), “What Must I Do To Be Saved”

“When you get saved, you get saved not because you deserve it, but because you simply let God save you and because you confess your own poor sinful state and your inability to save yourself.” —Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980), “Dr. Rice... Here is My Question,” p. 304; 1962, Sword of the Lord Publishers; ISBN: 0-87398-158-8

This is one of my very favorite books. Michael P. Bowen grew up in private religious schools, seeing much spiritual abuse in his youth. Consequently, he became an atheist as a young man, but then gradually out of a hungry soul to find meaning in his empty life took an interest in Christianity. Unfortunately, Michael was being misled by dozens of famous big name preachers (e.g., Billy Graham, Charles Stanley, Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, Ray Comfort, John Hagee, Beth Moore and others. Michael had churchianity without Christianity! Finally, he was blessed by God to hear a humble man of God named Hank Lindstrom (1940-2008), who preached a simple Gospel sermon called: "How Permanent Is Your Salvation," which opened Michael's eyes to the true Gospel and he got saved. Led by the encouragement of his godly mother, Michael wrote a wonderful helpful book titled: "I NEVER KNEW YOU," in defense of the only true free grace Gospel. I love this book and so will you dear friend. If you know someone struggling with the assurance of God's gift of eternal life, please share this book with them.

Faith Alone Saves

Friday, September 18, 2026

Where Did The Repent “Of Your Sins” Heresy Originate?

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