#774 1689 Confession Repentance To Life and Salvation

15:1 Some of the elect are converted after their early years, having lived in the natural state for a time and served various evil desires and pleasures. God gives these repentance to live as part of their effectual calling.

1 Remind the believers to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient and ready for every good work, 2 to malign no one, and to be peaceable and gentle, showing full consideration to everyone. 3 For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, led astray, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures—living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.…
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,…Titus 3: 1-6

15:2 There is no one who does good and does not sin. Even the best may fall into great sins and offenses, through the power and deceitfulness of the corruption in them, along with the strength of temptation. Therefore, God has mercifully provided in the covenant of grace that believers who sin and fall will be renewed through repentance to salvation.

19 Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city. 20 Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. 21 Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.… Ecclesiastes 7: 19-21

31Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon , that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33“Lord,” said Peter, “I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death.”… Luke 22: 31-33

15:3 This saving repentance is a gospel grace in which those who are made aware by the Holy Spirit of the many evils of their sin, by faith in Christ humble themselves for it with godly sorrow, hatred of it, and self-loathing. They pray for pardon and strength of grace and determine and endeavor by provisions from the Spirit to live before God in a well-pleasing way in everything. 

10 Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the residents of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns an only child, and weep bitterly for Him as one grieves a firstborn son. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.… Zechariah 12: 10-11

Megiddo context

17 So if God gave them the same gift as He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder the work of God?” 18 When they heard this, their objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.” 19 Meanwhile, those scattered by the persecution that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message only to Jews.… Acts 11: 17-19

30 I will also make the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer bear reproach among the nations on account of famine. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and abominations. 32 It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD—let it be known to you. Be ashamed and disgraced for your own ways, O house of Israel!… Ezekiel 36: 30-32

…10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God.… 2 Corinthians 7: 10-12

5 Oh, that my ways were committed to keeping Your statutes! 6 Then I would not be ashamed when I consider all Your commandments. 7 I will praise You with an upright heart when I learn Your righteous judgments.… Psalm 119: 5-7

127 Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, even the purest gold. 128 Therefore I admire all Your precepts and hate every FALSE way. 129 Wonderful are Your testimonies; therefore I obey them.… Psalm 119: 127-129

15:4 Repentance must continue throughout our lives, because of the body of death and its activities. So it is everyone's duty to repent of each specific, known sin specifically. 

…7 And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham.… Luke 19: 7-9

…13 I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy. 14 And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.… 1 Timothy 13-15

15:5 God has made full provision through Christ in the covenant of grace to preserve believers in their salvation. Thus, although there is no sin so small that it is underserving of damnation, yet there is no sin so great that it will bring damnation on those who repent. this makes the constant preaching of repentance necessary. 

22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6: 22-23

16 Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil! 17 Learn to do right, seek justice, correct the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” 18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.… Isaiah 1: 16-18

…6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked man forsake his own way and the unrighteous man his own thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.… Isaiah 55: 6-8