Faith and repentance go together hand in hand, to be distinguished but not separated. They are both the gift of God (cf. Acts 5:31;11:18; 2 Tim. 2:24). They are stated in juxtaposition in Scripture and not to be divorced. They can be seen as the flip side of the other. In fact, theologians speak of penitent faith or believing repentance. To see them linked in the Bible, read Acts 20:21 and Heb. 6:1.
Also, the way to salvation is termed with one as well as the other (cf. Luke 24:47; Acts 26:20). Repentance must produce fruits worthy of it. The first message of the kingdom of God for John and Jesus was to repent! “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand!” (cf. Matt. 3:2; cf. 3:8). If you cannot believe, you need to repent and vice versa! This is the conclusion of the matter: There is no genuine repentance without saving faith! Soli Deo Gloria!
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