I am a devout Christian, but for some reason I have not been able to ease my mind about this. Can a person believe that Jesus Christ died for their sins, then not repent of anything and still be saved?
If you profess to be a devout Crhistian,why would repentance bother you. Repentance naturally comes with an acceptance of Christ's sacraficial and substitutionary death for us. If you love him, you would naturally want to ask forgiveness and turn from your sins. That's what repentance is all about...a turning away from a past lifestyle. Let's see what the Scriptures say about it...
Luke 13:2-3 (KJV) And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but,
except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Matthew 9:13 (KJV) But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for
I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Luke 15:7 (KJV) I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over
one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Romans 2:4 (KJV) Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
2 Corinthians 7:10 (KJV) For
godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
When you see sin as God sees it, there is a natural inclination to want to be accepted back into the loving arms of the Lord and sin will force you to turn from God. Consider Adam before the fall. Up until that time he had enjoyed daily communication with God without any guilt or condemnation. After they eat of the fruit which God told them not to, immediately guilt set in and Adam realized he was naked and hid himself from the Lord's presence. Sin will make you turn from a loving Father because of that guilt. And, of paramount importance is that sin will always take you further than you want to go or think you will go. I am a witness.
2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
If you hurt your wife or husband in some way and feeling guilty, you say, "I'm sorry" that's repentance in a way. It's simply a way of being sorrowful of your actions and/or deeds, be they in word or in deed. How many times do we, when a child, say, "I'm sorry, Mom...I won't do it again." A simplified explaination? Yes...but, it gets the point across. If you love someone and you do things that displease them, youo will want to say I'm sorry and turn from the way you've acted. That's all there is to it. But, that's not to say there may not be repercussions from that fault or failure or natural inclination. David paid dearly for his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and as the bible says..."the sword will never depart from your house". David went about a year after the death of Uriah (that he personally set up) without much if any guilt until Nathan confronted him with a little story about "A Traveler". The story is in the 12th Chapter of 2 Samuel. Did David try to hide his sin and cover it up? No-after Nathan confronted him he simply said, "I have sinned against the Lord". True repentance.
There are also promises to the penitent...
1 Samuel 7:3 (KJV) And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
2Chronicles 7:14 (KJV) If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
