Forgiveness vs. Repentance - Which Comes First?

Forgiveness vs. Repentance--Which Comes First?

Please read the following scriptures and let the Holy Spirit lead you, pray for understanding and wisdom as you read and let God's inspired word reveal His mind to yours.
 
Luke 5:20 Seeing THEIR faith, Jesus said,' My friend, your sins are forgiven" Question? Did the man that was healed repent first? Was he baptized before he was brought to Jesus? John 6:44 "For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him to me .... " also Romans 8:29-30. Even when we do repent-we can't claim it was of our accord because we were drawn by the Father. First! Question? Did we love him first or did He loves us first?
John 6: 45 "As it is written in the scriptures" ,'They shall all be taught by God.' Those the Father speaks to, who learn the truth from him win be attracted to me ... "John 6:65 cc •••.    no one can come to me unless the Father attracts him to me" Question? What truth? What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, what is the Good News? Romans 1:1-5,16-17
Luke 23:43 " And Jesus replied, Today you will be with me in Paradise. This is a solemn promise."    Question? Did the criminal on the cross that Jesus said this to : confess his sins, receive baptism, repent of his sins before Jesus told him that he would be with him? Why then did Jesus say this to him?
Luke 7:48 "And he said to her, Your sins are forgiven." Question? Why did Jesus tell her that her sins were forgiven? What did she
do? What did he tell her that saved her? 1 Corinthians 1:24 "But God opened the eyes of those called to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, to see that Christ is the mighty power of God to save
them; Christ himself is the center of God's wise plan for their salvation." Question? If God calls us to salvation and Christ is the power that saves us---
He died for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8) --- then Does our salvation (Our forgiveness from sin) depend on something we do OR what HE DID? Is it beliefin Jesus( our faith) in Him OR our repentance?
1 Corinthians 6:11 '4 •..    he has accepted you because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you." Question? Our sins were washed away because .... ?

Acts 8:32-39 Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. The eunuch was reading Isaiah 53:7, he was apparently a convert to Judaism, Philip was led by the spirit to talk to him, Philip told him the good news about Jesus, and he ( water) baptized the eunuch. Question? Scripture doesn't say Philip asked him to
repent of his sins or confess his sins before he was baptized. Was the eunuch forgiven of his sins? Was he saved-did he receive the salvation that Philip told him about?
Acts 10:43 "All of the prophets testify about him that everyone that believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Question? Are sins forgiven by belief in Jesus=- plus confession of sins, plus baptism, plus they must be circumcised, that they must have proof that they received the Holy Spirit, etc. etc..Or is it ONLY belief in Jesus plus nothing?
Acts 13:38" Brothers! Listen! In this man Jesus, there is forgiveness for your sins! Everyone who trusts in him is freed from aU guilt and declared righteous." Ephesians 1:7 "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace."
Acts 10 The story of Cornelius. Cornelius and his entire house hold according to scripture were devout and God fearing. He prayed regularly and gave generously to the needy. God sent an angel to him and told him to bring Peter to his house. God gave Peter a vision and also told him to go to Cornelius's house even though Cornelius was a Roman centurion. Peter spoke to a large crowd that had gathered and told Cornelius and his family all about Jesus. While Peter was still speaking the Holy Spirit came on everyone who was listening. They spoke in tongues. As a result they were all baptized. Question? They received the Holy Spirit before being baptized with water. Were they forgiven? There is no mention that anyone had repented of their sins before Peter spoke, before being baptized in the Holy Spirit or that they had openly confessed their sins or had asked for forgiveness. They believed in Jesus and were saved.
Definitions: Forgiveness=- to be merciful, cease to feel resentment, to overlook a debt or trespass.
Pardon--- to remit the penalty of, to forgive, to make allowances for, to excuse.
Restoration---to put, bring or give back, to repair, to reestablish to bring back to a former state.
Restitution--- act of restoring what was taken, reimbursement
Redeem, redemption---to buy back, recover by payment, to ransom, to atone for, to ful:fill,to deliver from sin.
Confess--- to acknowledge fully, to admit or own , to make known.
Repent, repentance--- to feel contrition, to change from past evil, to regret, to feel sorrow for, to turn away from,
Penitent---to be contrite, one who repents of sin, one who suffers sorrow because of their own sin.. All of these are involved in salvation. But there is not a specific order that a non believer must follow to be saved--to receive salvation.
In Luke 23:34 Jesus said ''Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing? In other scriptures Jesus said that he didn't do anything that the Father didn't tell him to do, that He and the Father were one, and we know that He was not only the son of God .but God. John 5:30.,John 14:11,John 14:7-10. If all that is true then did the Father forgive them? What did they do to be forgiven?
In Luke 5:18-26 "Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, 'My friend your sins are forgiven!' ... " In these scriptures Jesus healed a man who was paralyzed and his friends lowered him through the roof so he could be healed. The story never mentions that the man confessed his sins, repented of his sins or that he had been baptized. Yet, Jesus told him Iris sins were forgiven. In order to prove to the Pharisees that were present that Jesus had the authority to forgive the man's sins and that his sins were indeed forgiven Jesus healed the man so that the Pharisees would see a visible sign as proof Question? Did Jesus forgive his sins so that he could be healed? Or was it because of their faith? (His friends faith)
There is the relationship between: unbelievers and God, between God and believers, between unbelievers and believers and the relationship between believers and other believers and also the relationship between believers and the church. In each case there are examples in the bible of how sin, forgiveness, repentance, reconciliation, redemption, restoration is handled in these different circumstances. Often the types of sin are similar, but it is the relationship that defines how it is handled. Matthew 18:15-18,21-22;
The word Baptism    is defined differently depending on how it is used in different context Just as the Baptism of John (with water) is different from the Baptism of the Holy Spirit so too forgiveness and repentance are different when they are defined by the circumstances that surround them and the relationship that defines how they are used. John's Baptism was for repentance of sin. Matthew 3:6 " ... and when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the river Jordan." 3: 11 "With water I baptize those who repent of their sins." (only God can forgive sin)John told the people that came to him that in order to show that they had repented to do good deeds "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." Luke 3:8. John never preached that with his baptism sins were forgiven. He preached that they should be baptized to show that they had turned to God and away from their sins ,in order to be forgiven. 3: 1-2 " His constant theme was Turn from your sins ... turn to God ... for the Kingdom of Heaven is coming. John pointed the way to Jesus. Mark 1:8 " ....But He will baptize you with God's Holy Spirit."
Acts 2:38 " And Peter replied,' Each one of you must turn from your sin,
return to God and be Baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; then you shall also receive this gift, the Holy Spirit.'"
In Acts 16:13-16, a woman named Lydia and members of her household were baptized by Paul. She was a worshiper, a believer and prayed to God. Question? Did she receive the Baptism of John( a water baptism for repentance of sin) ? Did she receive the Baptism ofthe Holy Spirit( and the gifts of the Spirit) or was she baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins?
When someone is water baptized today it is often a believer who has already accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior( their sins have been forgiven) and they want to express their faith in an outward showing of that commitment. Often today when people are water baptized they also are baptized in the name of the Father, the son ---Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Is water baptism necessary/a requirement for salvation? How many people did Jesus (water) baptize. How many people did Paul or Peter (water) baptize? In comparison - -how many people were baptized with the Holy Spirit? After Jesus' death and
resurrection how many people were baptized in the name of Jesus, but had not been baptized with or received the Holy Spirit? How many received the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, by hearing the gospel preached, or by prayer asking to receive the Holy Spirit? How did the apostles receive the Holy Spirit on Pentecost? Scripture notes that there were several different ways in which people received the Holy Spirit. There was not just ONE way. Just as there are different types of baptism there are different gifts of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:4-13. Question? In the New Testament there are numerous examples of individuals being baptized with Holy Spirit and some both spoke in tongues and prophesied ..Acts 10:46, Acts 19:6 At the time an individual becomes a believer and accepts Jesus as Iris Lord and Savior isn't he indwelt by the Holy Spirit at that moment? Isn't he sealed by the Holy Spirit at that time? Doesn't he receive the anointing of the Spirit and is baptized into the Body Of Christ at that moment? If that is true does that mean that everybody receives those gifts? Acts 2:41,Acts 4:4, Acts 8:17 (These scriptures make no mention of converts speaking in tongues or prophesizing)
The mention of "Baptism" in this discussion on repentance and forgiveness is to show how differences exist in the usage of the words in context of the scriptures they are used in as well as in comparison with other scriptures throughout the bible.
Repentance---    Acts 2:38.,39 "Peter replied, <Repent and be baptized, everyone one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you win receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ,,,
Acts 3:19 "Repent, then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out. .." Acts 17:30 : In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent."
Acts 26:20 "First to those in Damascus .... ",I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds" Acts 5:31 " God exalted him .... that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel" Matthew 3:2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Luke 13:2,5 " .... , but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."
Luke 17:3-4 " ... if your brother sins, rebuke him and ifhe repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times comes back to you and says ,I repent, forgive him." 2 Chronicles 7: 14 "if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
Over and over again through out the bible we are given examples of repentance: where God called his people to repent, where John told those he baptized to repent, where Jesus told sinners to repent and that as followers of Christ we are to forgive those that repent of their transgressions against us. In each example repentance is the pre requisite for forgiveness of sin. According to several bible commentaries, as well as numerous books i.e. ( Anger by Gary Chapman), (The Smart Step Family by Ron L. Deal),( The Quick-Reference Guide to Biblical Counseling by Dr. Tim Clinton and Dr.
Ron Hawkins) that deal with forgiveness and repentance, forgiveness is a gift from God, but it is not a one way street. "There is no scriptural evidence that God ever forgives the unconfessing, unrepentant sinner. Forgiveness is indeed a gift, but can not be opened until the sinner is willing to admit he sinned. In order to experience God sforgiveness the sinner must respond to the call of God's spirit with repentance and faith in Christ. The word "repent" literally means to turn around. Ifwe want to receive God's forgiveness: 1. we must turn from our sin,2.acknowledge that Christ has paid the ultimate price for our sins,3.accept God's forgiveness,4.all at the urging and guiding of the Holy Spirit. The word "forgiveness" means to cover, to take away, and to be gracious to. God can not be reconciled to those who are unwilling to turn to him. There can be no reconciliation without repentance. There is no scriptural evidence that God ever forgave anyone that did not repent of their sin and
turn in faith to Him. Those examples of GOD'S Forgiveness to the UNBELIEVER are clear in what God requires.
Another relationship noted in scripture is between believer and believer, when one sins against the other. Scripture says that we are to forgive" our brother"    as God forgave us.(Colossians 2:13-14). The two essential elements of this model in Ephesians 4:32 are confession and repentance. These two are never separated in scripture.
In Luke 17:3-4 we are told to forgive those that sin against us, but scripture (Matthew 18: 15-17) also tell us to lovingly confront the person as God confronts us. Your first response is to rebuke the person ( to bring the matter to his attention). However, you must be careful not to sin in your rebuke. If the individual does not respond positively to your first confrontation you should pray for him and make another attempt, inviting one or two others to go with you as witnesses (especially if they have personal knowledge of the sin committed). If the person still does not respond positively by confessing
his sin, admitting his guilt and repenting then the reality of his sin, must be shared with the church. If at that point, he still refuses to confess and repent the church family should treat him as a pagan, an unbeliever or as an outsider.
You can't force forgiveness on someone who doesn't desire it. We should treat the person as an unrepentant sinner who has broken fellowship with us. The church family should continue to pray for him to treat him with dignity and respect, but we can't act as though the sin doesn't exist. We are told to no longer associate with him as a brother in the Lord --- not even to eat a meal with him as if he were a close friend. As Christians, with the aid of the Holy Spirit we are to always stand ready to forgive the brother or sister who sinned. As Jesus asked the father to forgive those that crucified him we should pray to the father for forgiveness--- that the individual that sinned against us be restored to the fellowship. We should release him to God and realize that God alone is the judge. Keep in mind that we are to rid ourselves of: anger, rage, malice, slander, jealousy,( Colossians 3:8 ) ,therefore: with the help of the Holy Spirit you should liberate yourself from any such feelings or emotions by forgiving those that sinned against you ( even though they haven't repented, confessed or asked for forgiveness).Forgiveness moves us from victim to victor. Forgiveness sets you free and refuses to allow the
person who hurt you to have any control of your life. One commentary (Believers Bible Commentary by William McDonald) states that Luke 17:3 is not a permit to withhold forgiveness pending others repentance, but rather an admonition against withholding it even after they repent.
If and when the other person does confess and repent of his wrong doing that doesn't necessarily mean that when you forgive him restoration of your fellowship with him will follow.
Note! Forgiveness doesn't not remove all the results or consequences of sin.( at any level) Forgiveness and accountability are not mutually exclusive. We can forgive someone for their actions, but still hold them responsible for those actions. (God does) Forgiveness doesn't remove the effects of sin. Forgiveness doesn't mean automatically forgetting what happened. (At the human level) There is a difference between remembering a transgression and lacking forgiveness. Forgiveness doesn't mean trusting. You can forgive someone without trusting them. Your part is to forgive them. Their part is to rebuild the trust they have lost. Learning from your experience with someone who has sinned against you doesn't eliminate protecting yourself in the future from a similar experience with that person. Forgiveness doesn't guarantee reconciliation. One person can forgive, but it takes two to reconcile.
Forgiveness and repentance are two different sides of the same coin. They usually happen simultaneously when it's an unbeliever and God relationship, but not necessarily. You can't put God in a box. When the relationship involves believer and believer one may depend on the other, but not always. When it involves a believer and the church ( the family of believers) one must occur before the other for restoration to happen ..Remember reconciliation, restoration, restitution, and redemption are different from repentance. In a believer and unbeliever relationship one can/may happen without the other. Mark 11:26 "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you."
Forgiveness with God is not a one way street. Sin is separation from God. Confession alone doesn't mean forgiveness. Just because you got caught or have suffered for wrongdoing as a result of the consequences that followed doesn't mean forgiveness will follow. Making restitution to the person who has been wronged is also the responsibility of the offender. Once you are forgiven you must turn from your sin nature and follow Jesus. How does a sinner, an unbeliever, become reconciled to God? How does a believer who sinned restore or reestablish fellowship with the church? Or with a fellow brother or sister in the lord?

The unbeliever and God relationship. Question? Romans 5:8 states "But God shows us His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." In Romans 5:8-11 scripture not only says that "while we were sinners (enemies of God ,before we were attracted or drawn by the holy Spirit, before we ever knew Jesus) Christ died for our sins, but it also says that as a result of His death and sacrifice we are:
justified, reconciled, and saved. We receive justification, reconciliation, grace, and righteousness as a result of the price Christ paid for our sins.
At what point does God forgive us for our sins? When Christ died for us! If forgiveness was granted by God when Christ died for us then forgiveness had to occur before repentance .before we were drawn by the Holy Spirit (John 6:44), before confession, before justification or reconciliation. Christ's death on the cross paid the sin debt we owed, therefore; we were no longer separated from God because of sin.( sin is separation from God). If we are no longer guilty of sin( our sins don't exist) then there is no need to repent to receive forgiveness. God forgives us because of His will alone, not because of anything in us or anything we do including answering the call of the Holy Spirit because it is God who loved us first. Once an unbeliever becomes a believer because of God's love he asks for forgiveness and repents. It isn't something he does to obtain salvation.
In the believer and believer relationship, repentance should precede forgiveness because the offender is a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ, a member of the family of God. Do believers sin, commit wrongs against other believers?
Do believers sin against God? Aren't our sins already forgiven--all our sins? Because our sins are forgiven that doesn't that doesn't mean we don't sin. Scripture says unbelief is sin. Scripture tell us to confess our sins immediately and God will restore us back into the community of believers. As believers we repent because we love God and want his fellowship. If an unbeliever sins against a believer even though repentance should come
before forgiveness, the believer should forgive the unbeliever anyway. As believers we are told to love our enemies and to forgive as God forgave us.
When a believer sins against the Church, the body, not just another believer, repentance is a condition, a prerequisite to being reconciled, restored and forgiven.