Faith, repentance, preparationism, Spurgeon

We find it awkward sometimes to express the absolute necessity of repentance. I work at this very topic, at length, in the manuscript of my upcoming book. The issue is this: do we have to repent, to get saved?

Some would say "Well duh, of course we do."

To that, others would reply "So then, someone who is a slave of sin and dead to God has to go over all his sins — which he loves and in which he walks — and decide he doesn't want to do them anymore; THEN he turns to Christ; THEN he believes; THEN he is regenerated and gets saved? How is that not synergism? How is that not works-righteousness? How are we not saving ourselves?"

Is that what we want to say? Do we want the people to whom we tell the Gospel to stay away from Jesus, looking within themselves, working to convince themselves that they really do hate sin, and that they really do want to break with it, so that they can then — after that, after killing sin within themselves by themselves — and only then come to Jesus?

Enter Spurgeon, with his 6/13 am Morning and Evening reflection on Revelation 22:17, quoted as “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Spurgeon makes this plea (emphasis added):

Jesus says, “take freely.” He wants no payment or preparation. He seeks no recommendation from our virtuous emotions. If you have no good feelings, if you be but willing, you are invited; therefore come! You have no belief and no repentance,—come to him, and he will give them to you. Come just as you are, and take “Freely,” without money and without price. 

I think Spurgeon is absolutely right. A lot more could be said (and I do, in the book), but this hits at the heart of it. At bottom, we're not trying to get people to repent, per se, or to claim to have faith, per se. We're trying to get people to Jesus.

"Whoa," you say. "They can't get there without repentance and faith."

Totally agree. But take a look at what Spurgeon says. He never denies the necessity of repentance and faith. But he addresses the hesitating person, and says in effect, "You don't feel faith in yourself? You don't feel repentance in yourself? Don't let that stop you. Come to Jesus. Bring those lacks to Him. Go to Him, He's what you need."

The reprobate person with neither faith nor repentance will snort, and stay where he is.

But what if one does come? To "come," as Spurgeon says, he must see his need of Jesus. He must see that he can't stay where he is. He must see Jesus as being who he needs. He must have confidence (faith) that Jesus alone can give those things. And, in coming to Jesus, he must turn from where he is presently.

And what is that but faith and repentance?