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Prodigal Son - Part 3

By Michael Pearl

Transcription (edited)

[music]

Announcer:  Is it repentance or faith that saves you? Or, is there really a difference?

Man:  One of the big questions in the church today is, what is repentance? I submit to you that these three parables tell us exactly what repentance is. There's another thing implied here in this passage. Is it repentance that's necessary for salvation? And that when one does repent, it is effectual, and it causes heaven to rejoice.

If repentance was a step to salvation—an early step, a pre-phase event, like you repent, and then you believe, and then you're baptized, and so forth—if repentance was an early stage, there wouldn't be rejoicing in heaven. They'd be holding their breath. They'd be sitting there saying, "Maybe getting close, getting close. He's repenting. Now let's see if he believes. He's believing! Now let's see if he follows . . . , soon gets baptized. Woo! He's baptized! Hallelujah"!

But they didn't do that, did they? As soon as these sinners repented, heaven started rejoicing, because it was done.

We read in the book of Acts, he said that repentance and remission of sins should be preached. So repentance resulted in remission of sins. Several passages in the Bible speak of repentance alone as sufficient unto salvation.

I submit unto you that repentance is the opposite side of the coin that's marked faith. One side of it's faith, the other side's repentance. It's like a door that swings. One side is marked repentance, the other side's marked faith, but it's one door.

When you come to God, you must believe and repent, or repent and believe. You can't do one without doing the other. You see, no one repents toward God unless he believes. And he who really believes, repents. So it's not something you can do one–two, in stages. It's something that when it's done, it is the full act of coming to God.

Announcer:  We're really glad you listened today and we hope that you were blessed. Remember; check our always changing online specials. [background music]

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