You Don't Have to Clean Up Your Life to Be Saved: The Truth About Repentance

The Lie That's Sending People to Hell

Someone told you that you need to "repent of your sins" to be saved.

The question you should ask them is:

• How many of my sins do I need to repent of to be saved?
• Do I need to repent from all of them, or some of them?
• Do I need to repent of the one's I know about or the one's I don't know about?
• How can I repent of the sins, that I don't know are sins?
• Must I repent of all my past sins? If so, what about my future sins?
• Since I don't know what my future sins are, how can I repent of those sins?

Repentance is necessary for salvation. However, HOW can anyone reasonably respond when someone tells them they must "repent of their sins" to be saved?

If someone told you, you must clean up your life, stop sinning, and make Jesus Lord of every area of your life before God will accept you.

They lied to you.

And that lie is keeping you from the salvation that Jesus already paid for in full.

What Repentance Is NOT

It's Not Giving Up Your Sins First

If you had to give up your sins to be saved, you'd never make it. Why? Because as soon as you conquer one sin, another pops up. You'd spend eternity playing spiritual "whack-a-mole," never good enough for God.

The Bible says: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Cleaning up your life is works. And works don't save you.

It's Not Making Jesus Lord of Everything

The thief on the cross proves this. No baptism. No reformed life. No time to "make Jesus Lord." Yet Jesus told him: "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).

He called Jesus "Lord" once in faith, and he was instantly saved. No lifestyle change required.

What Repentance Really Is

The Bible makes it simple. Repentance is:

1. A Change of Mind - From unbelief to belief. From trusting yourself to trusting Christ alone.

2. Turning TO God - "Ye turned to God from idols" (1 Thessalonians 1:9). You don't drag your idols with you. You turn TO Him, not away from sin first.

3. Godly Sorrow - Not being sorry you got caught, but recognizing you're a sinner who needs a Savior. "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation" (2 Corinthians 7:10).

The Prodigal Son Shows Us How

When the prodigal son was eating with pigs, he "came to himself" and said: "I will arise and go to my father" (Luke 15:17-18).

He didn't clean up first. He didn't take a shower. He didn't get a job. He came as he was—filthy, broken, and desperate.

And what did the father do? He RAN to him. Embraced him. Celebrated him.

That's God's response when you turn to Him.

Jesus' Warning About Works

Listen to Jesus' sobering words: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you" (Matthew 7:22-23).

These people trusted their works. Their cleaned-up life. Their religious performance.

And Jesus will say, "I never knew you."

The Truth That Sets You Free

You want to know the gospel truth?

Christ surrendered His life for you. Not the other way around.

Salvation isn't you surrendering to earn God's love. It's accepting that Jesus already paid it all. After you're saved? Then you'll want to live for Him out of gratitude, not obligation.

Stop trying to impress God with your reformed life. Stop thinking you need to quit every sin before He'll accept you. Stop believing the lie that you're not good enough to come to Jesus.

The truth is, you'll NEVER be good enough. That's why Jesus died for you.

Come as you are. Turn to Him with empty hands. Repent of the fact that you're a sinner. Repent of the trust you put in your self-righteousness. Repent of having placed your faith in dead religion. Turn to Jesus. Run to Jesus. Trust what Jesus did, not what you must do.

That's repentance. That's salvation. That's grace.

And that's available to you right now.

🔥 This truth deserves more than 5 minutes of your time. Listen to the complete verse-by-verse sermon that breaks down Romans 2:4 and exposes the dangerous lies about repentance that keep people in bondage. This powerful expository preaching will transform your understanding of salvation forever. 📖 Listen to the full sermon here →

Don't let another day pass believing you're not good enough for God. Experience the freedom that comes from biblical truth.