In Acts 3:19 we find a statement that, for some 1900 years, has been misunderstood by salvation seekers who, as the saying goes, have placed the cart before the horse. The mistake concerns which came first–forgiveness of sins or conversion of souls. Let us read the verse and allow the Words themselves to answer the question. Here we find the Apostle Peter addressing a crowd of people who have witnessed a crippled man being miraculously healed. After explaining what had happened and why, he said to them, “REPENT therefore, and BE CONVERTED (SO) THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE FORGIVEN ….” Notice the order of events leading to one’s right standing with God.

First comes REPENTANCE. Repentance of what? Repentance (sorrow for one’s sins) can take place only if one acknowledges one’s sins. What is sin? The breaking of God’s Law (1 Jn. 3:4). This is the Law that was supposedly “nailed to the cross” of Christ. This is the Law that Jesus Christ and the Apostle James called the Truth/Word (Jn. 17:17; Jam. 5:19). Here James notes that conversion means to turn to the Truth/Word of God, which He calls His Law. One does not repent for breaking a non-existent Law. This means that CHURCH PEOPLE HAVE NEVER REPENTED OF THEIR SINS. Their faith is expended in vain. They are in the same spiritual condition as the false Christians in the church in Corinth who did not believe that Christ had been resurrected, to whom Paul wrote: “Your faith is in vain and you are STILL IN YOUR SINS” (1 Cor. 15:17). Faith requires works of obedience in order to be of value (Jam. 2:10,14,17,18,20,24,26). Sin nullifies faith by separating the sinner from God (Isa. 59:2). What takes place millions of times daily in the church is false repentance in which the penitent has no intention of putting sin out of his life for he has been told that, due to Adam’s fall, he/she must sin. His/her only requirement is to repent regularly. I will once again remind you of what a local preacher told his t.v. audience: “Don’t even try to be righteous; you’ll just make yourself sick. You are nothing more than a society of sinners.” And the whole of professing Christendom would shout: “AMEN!” And Satan smiles. True repentance means to use the power of the Holy Spirit to stop sinning, to stop walking in darkness, to turn around (convert) and walk in God’s light. Read The Message of the Cross. Key word–Message.

Step two involves conversion–to turn to the light and walk in it. In James 5:19,20 the apostle makes a very important point. He addresses church people as “brethren”–Israelites who have embraced Jesus as their Savior (2:1). In verse 19 he says to them that if one of “you” sin (“err from the Truth”–Word/Law of God), and someone CONVERTS him (a church sinner) “from the error of his ways,” he has “SAVED A SOUL FROM DEATH.” Notice that the church sinner’s ways are in error–contrary to God’s Word/Truth/Law. Note also that the church sinner must be saved “FROM” his sins, not IN his sins, as the come-as-you-are-stay-as-you-are church declares. One must, as Jesus told the ex-prostitute and the man at the pool at Bethesda: “SIN NO MORE.” Why would Christ die the most horrible of deaths because of man’s breaking of God’s Law (sinning) so that he could, upon being “saved,” then break that same Law and inherit eternal life? Jesus did not need to die for that. He could have simply declared that, after, accepting Himself as one’s Savior, one was free to sin repeatedly, as long as he repented of each sin, as the church teaches. And if the Law no longer exists, thereby eliminating sin, why does one need a Savior? What is Jesus supposedly saving him from? a non-existent sin committed for breaking a non-existent Law? One who believes this has not been converted, is walking in darkness while believing that he has no other choice, thanks to Adam. But not to fear, Christ died so that he could sin at will and, as the Serpent told Eve, “not surely die.” The Lord says otherwise.

What is conversion? Conversion means to do a 180 degree turn relative to one’s conduct of life–one’s “walk” (read 1 Jn. 2:6 and Rev. 3:21). Prior to conversion one is walking in darkness and into more darkness. In Jesus “there is no darkness at all” (1 Jn. 1:5). True conversion turns one around so that one is now walking in and into God’s light, just “as He (Christ) is in the light” (vs 7). Read this verse carefully, for it shows us what true conversion involves. Note that “IF we (church people) walk in THE (ONE AND ONLY) LIGHT … (THEN, AND ONLY THEN) the blood of Jesus cleanses us FROM (NOT IN) ALL SIN.” Only AFTER TRUE CONVERSION HAS BEEN PROVEN, JESUS JUSTIFIES us by forgiving us of all PAST sins (Rom. 3:25). Notice that forgiveness of sins comes AFTER TRUE CONVERSION–the turning away from all sin. True conversion makes us like the sow that is cleansed of her filth and the dog that has vomited out his sickness. If we continue to sin following our cleansing and healing, we are like the sow that returns to her mire and the dog that returns to his vomit. The sin-repent, sin-repent cycle continues day after day. Sound familiar? It should, for you hear it every sun god worship day–Sunday. What you will never hear is God’s command to obey His commandments–His law–in order to prove your love for Him and His Son as is required for salvation. Read First John 3:3,4; 2:5,6/ John 15:10; 14:15,23 and Matthew 19:17.

Step three involves JUSTIFICATION–the removal of all past sin. This renders the convert free of sin, pure, holy and righteous. Is this impossible as the church declares? The why did Jesus say that he who hungers and thirsts for righteousness WILL BE FILLED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS. The problem is that church people are not being fed God’s “food” of righteousness and holiness, the END RESULT OF WHICH IS ETERNAL LIFE. Read Romans 5:21 and 6:22. The end result (salvation) is the result of true repentance, followed by true conversion, followed by justification, followed by “walking” in the spiritual footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth Who obeyed God’s Law and, AS A RESULT, REMAINED IN HIS LOVE (Jn. 15:10).

Like our perfect example, we must walk in the footsteps of holiness using the same power of the same Holy Spirit. Only by obedience to God’s Law can we reach the point of justification which removes all of our past sins. This is where the “Now what?” question must be answered. In Matthew 10:22 Jesus tells us that in order to be saved, we must “endure (in that state of justification) until the end” of our lives so that, upon His return, we “… shall (then) be saved.” This can only be done by obeying God’s Law: “For not the hearers of the Law are just(ified) before God, but THE DOERS OF THE LAW SHALL BE (REMAIN) JUSTIFIED” (Rom. 2:13). IN ORDER TO RETAIN OUR JUSTIFICATION WE MUST OBEY THE LAW UNTI DEATH OR CHRIST’S RETURN. So now another question must be answered.

What is taking place in the heart (mind) of a church person who returns to sin after repenting, being converted, etc? The answer is found in Romans 2:4,5 where Paul tells church sinners that they DESPISE CHRIST’S SACRIFICE AND GOODNESS THAT LEADS THEM TO TRUE REPENTANCE. He tells them that because of their hardness of heart and their FALSE REPENTANCE, they, “treasure (store) up unto yourselves God’s wrath until the day of wrath (judgment)” when righteous judgment will come forth” from the Lord Who will “render unto every man (including churchman) according to his DEEDS/ WORKS–OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S LAW (Rom. 2:4-6). The prime example of Romans 2:4,5 are the five foolish virgins who had begun right but then went wrong (Mat. 25).

Every sin, no matter how fervently one repents, remains on one’s ledger until true conversion takes place and one is walking in righteousness. Then, and only then, will one’s past sins be forgiven. Church sinners continue to treasure up their sins because they have nailed to the cross the very thing that determines sin and righteousness–God’s Law. Like Adam and Eve who rejected God’s definition of sin (1 Jn. 3:4), those who destroyed God’s Law were free to make their own rules of engagement with God. Then they divided themselves into churches, denominations, faiths, assemblies, etc. each having its own set of rules, method for attaining salvation and its own method for dealing with those who break those rules. What resulted is what is today known as “the church,” which the Biblical God rejects because it is founded on heathen beliefs, customs and practices and not on His Word/Law/Truth. For a list of such foundational precepts, read the home page (introduction) to this website.

In summary, justification (forgiveness of all past sins) takes place AFTER one has walked as Jesus walked (1 Jn. 2:6) for a while and one has proved his love for God and Christ by obeying Their commandments (the Law). Read John 14:15,23; 15:10/ Matthew 19:17/ First John 2:5. Those who refuse to obey His Law, remain in the church and repent after their sins are guilty of false repentance for there is no intention of obeying God. Such people call themselves SINNERS SAVED BY GRACE who reject God’s command to “sin no more.” According to the Holy Scriptures, there is no such thing as a saved sinner. One is either truly converted and has put sin out of his/her life, or one is a sinner. Their faith and God’s grace play no part in his/her life. Grace and faith are useless unless one obeys God by keeping His Law, including commandment #4.

God’s time element relative to forgiveness of sin is as old as history. In Second Chronicles 7:14 God says: “IF My people, who are called by My name, will … TURN FROM THEIR SINNING WAYS, THEN (AND ONLY THEN) I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND ANSWER THEIR PRAYERS.” Note that these are “His people who are called by His name. However, in order for Him to deal positively with them, THEY MUST TURN FROM DARKNESS, WALK TOWARD THE LIGHT AND BECOME HIS LIGHT IN THE WORLD. THEN, THEN, THEN HE WILL HEAR THEIR PRAYERS AND ANSWER THEM. L.J.