Thanks for making my point.
As we see it doesn’t say repent of your sins.
Do you understand what repent means?
Here is what I believe.
In the grace of repentance, our soul is awakened to its wretched state before God. We recognize our need for a Savior, and by taking hold of Christ, we are empowered to turn from our sins, renounce the world, and bear our cross, undeterred by the scorn of others or the cost of discipleship.
Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace, the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every minister of the gospel, as well as that of faith in Christ.
WCF 15.1
Repentance is the direct and immediate result of God’s work of regeneration in the heart (John 3:3; 3:5; Ezek 36).
Regeneration > Faith > Repentance
Repentance is not forsaking sin that you may turn to Christ, it is turning to Christ that you might forsake sin.
Is repentance necessary for salvation?
It depends on what you mean by repentance.
If you mean 1) that you must stop sinning before coming to Christ then obviously no. But if you mean 2) knowing you cannot save yourself, by grace, you turn from your sin and self-righteousness to trust in Christ alone to deliver you from it, then yes, it is necessary. No one can come to Christ unless they come to Him as the Savior from sin.
Monergism.com
Repent is the translation of
metanoeō (μετανοεω) which in classical Greek meant “to change one’s mind or purpose, to change one’s opinion.” The noun
metanoia (μετανοια) meant “a change of mind on reflection.” These two words used in classical Greek signified a change of mind regarding anything, but when brought over into the New Testament, their usage is limited to a change of mind in the religious sphere. They refer there to a change of moral thought and reflection which follows moral delinquency. This includes not only the act of changing one’s attitude towards and opinion of sin but also that of forsaking it. Sorrow and contrition with respect to sin, are included in the Bible idea of repentance, but these follow and are consequent upon the sinner’s change of mind with respect to it. The word
metamelomai (μεταμελομαι) is used in Mt. 21:29, 32, 27:3; II Cor. 7:8; Heb. 7:21, where it is translated “repent.”
Metanoeō (Μετανοεω) is the fuller and nobler term, expressive of moral action and issues. It is the word used by n.t., writers to express the foregoing meaning. In the case of Judas,
metamelomai (μεταμελομαι) means “remorse.” In the case of Heb. 7:21 it means only to change one’s mind. The act of repentance is based first of all and primarily upon an intellectual apprehension of the character of sin, man’s guilt with respect to it, and man’s duty to turn away from it. The emotional and volitional aspects of the act of repentance follow, and are the result of this intellectual process of a change of mind with respect to it. This means that the correct approach of the Christian worker to a sinner whom he wishes to lead to the Lord is that of clearly explaining the issues involved. When the unsaved person is made to clearly understand the significance of sin, the intellectual process of changing his mind with respect to it can follow, with the result that sorrow, contrition, and turning away from it will also follow. A mere emotional appeal to the sinner is not the correct one. The Greek word
metanoeō (μετανοεω) tells us that the intellectual appeal must come first, since the act of repenting is basically a mental one at the start.
Wuest, K. S. (1997, c1984).
Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English reader (Studies in the Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament: p.27-28). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
