I really don’t feel worthy of sharing this, but I feel it is ready and it is time.
Everything good in your life is because of God. God loves us. He created everything! He created us! And He sent His only Son, Jesus, into the world to live a sinless life and suffer the most unimaginable death on the cross, so that we have the opportunity to be saved. (View John 3:16).
The truth of God is he wants to take away all your fear, shame, doubt, worries about the future, etc. God wants to take it all away! He wants you to trust in him. ALL the bad things we suffer through is because of the devil, the fact that we continue to sin, and live in a sinful world. It doesn’t mean we won’t still suffer, but we can trust in Him that He will provide for us and take care of us.
When I Believed in Religion and Church to Teach Me Salvation…
I thought I had the love for God and Jesus that would save me. God has answered many prayers for me in the past, and I thanked God and gave him credit for answering those prayers. I’ve thanked God many times for the blessings in my life, gave money to church, prayed regularly, prayed for others with sincere compassion, would go to church, did a bible study, was baptized in water, talked with others about Jesus who didn’t believe, and made in effort to morally be a good person. But when I was stuck in one of the worst pain cycles I have ever had, I felt I was missing something.
Luckily, I found this podcast that explains each verse in the bible and I started researching scripture on Google, ChatGPT, and reading the bible for myself. I realized it ALL SAID THE SAME THING ABOUT SALVATION.
I thought my belief in God, in believing what Jesus has done (John 3:16), and understanding that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one PLUS my actions were signs of my faith. But church attendance, church activity, giving money to the church, water baptism, none of it will save me (that’s following religion). I even asked for forgiveness quite often. I felt my heart was in the right place, but I didn’t get it. I was deceived.
When I learned what the bible says about my salvation, it lit a fire in me.
We must REPENT! And there is a lot of false teaching on repenting!
NOT the Same Thing as Asking for Forgiveness Like Many Churches Will Say
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3 (KJV)
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: –Matthew 3:11 (KJV)
“And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” — Matthew 3:2 (KJV), Also similar: Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15
“And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” – Luke 24:47 (KJV)
MORE REPENT New Testament Scriptures: Mark 1:4, Mark 2:17, Luke 3:3, Luke 5:32, Matthew 4:17, Revelation 2:5 & 3:3, Acts 3:19, Acts 5:31, Acts 17:30
MORE REPENT Old Testament Scriptures: 2 Chronicles 7:14; 30:9, Isaiah 30:15
FYI: I’m using King James Version, but you can view the other versions using BibleGateway.com or search your bible.
Repentance is NOT the Same as Asking for Forgiveness!
Repentance involves a deeper change of heart and behavior, while asking for forgiveness is a more direct appeal for pardon. To repent you acknowledge wrongdoing, feel remorse, and turn away from the sin. Forgiveness is only the act of pardoning the offender. (From Google Ai)
REPENTING IS having deep regret for our sins. So it is choosing to give up a lifestyle of sinning. You are supposed to hate all sins, and generally feel bad. When I was told in church to ask for forgiveness for my sins I would. But I never really felt bad about all my past sins, or understood everything that was sinful. There were sins I had excuses for in my head, even though I haven’t committed those sins in years.
You have to repent to receive the Holy Spirit, you need the Holy Spirit to be saved! No one explained to me how to repent to receive the Holy Spirit. I understand now how you can’t stop sinning through will power alone. I didn’t know I needed to ask for the Holy Spirit, and have faith I would receive the Holy Spirit (View: Luke 11:13, Acts 19:2, John 7:37–39, John 14:16–17)
MOST IMPORTANTLY, I didn’t understand how it would help me turn away from a sinful lifestyle. The Holy Spirit keeps you from even wanting to sin, but yes there will be temptations.
When you repent you surrender every area of your life. You give him full access to your thoughts, time, relationships, habits, finances, etc. You decide you don’t want to sin anymore, and God gives you the power (his grace) to resist sin.
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
(John 3:5)Ezekiel 36:26–27 (prophecy) – “26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Romans 8:9 – 9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
My Way of Repenting – What Felt Right for Me
When I repented, I personally wanted to make sure that I repented of any sin that I didn’t feel bad about in the past. So I repented of whatever popped into my head. Then, I kept asking God, “what else would you like me to repent of?” I’m not saying that’s what you need to do, but this is what I did. Thoughts would pop into my head of past sin, and I would say something like… “God, sincerely, yes, I see now why that was bad.” I would feel the shame. Then, say I’m sorry and those are sins I don’t want to commit ever again. Also, I always pray “in Jesus Christ name.” Then, I would release those sins from my mind.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” – John 14:13
If you still feel the shame, and you sincerely repented, that can be the devil in your head, not God. So, you ask in Jesus Christ name if it is him. Ask in the name of Jesus Christ for the shame to be gone.
Ask the spirit: Did Jesus Christ come in the flesh?
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
(1 John 4:2-3)
We probably can’t recall every time in our life we have sinned. However, God can bring the major ones to our mind. I’m not saying this is how it should be done. This is what I personally felt was right for me, because I didn’t want to have any excuses for sins unaccounted for. But I still make it a point to repent daily. We can still be tempted and fall. It is so much easier to resist though!
There are No Instructions on How to Repent – It Takes Faith
There are no detailed instructions in the bible for how to repent. When I would repent, sometimes the devil would be in my head making me think, “God isn’t going to forgive you, no keep feeling the shame.” But God says you truly repent and you are forgiven again and again in the bible. It is a war, but in the end Jesus Wins! God Wins!
Remember, Paul who persecuted and had Christians murdered for their faith WAS forgiven and became the greatest Apostle of all time!
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 KJV)
Churches Today are Not Like the First Church in Acts
I’ve gone to many church services at various churches, have read what many religions say about salvation, visited many church websites, and most don’t talk about repenting! Worse, some talk about repenting, but don’t help you to understand that God gives you power to resist sin on a level you can’t do on your own!
Listen, I know some of you go to church and know the truth, but most people need salvation spelled out for them. The first church in Acts explained how salvation works directly. Churches have watered down the bible, twisted it to deceive people, or put restrictions on what they say to keep people from getting angry. People get confused about what the scripture says and don’t understand it, because of these false teachings. Faith and the Holy Spirit allows us to read the bible without being so confused.
I know the Catholic church talks about repentance, but it seems like they don’t believe in the idea of the Holy Spirit stopping your sinful lifestyle. Also, many of those churches make you think you have to do all these other religious activities to be saved (sacraments and good works). Many of these churches get you caught up in following the church and religion NOT Jesus and scripture.
There are Two Types of Good Works
There are two types of good works mentioned in the bible and people confuse them!
- Good works that are religious activities.
- Good works that come from obeying God, having the spirit of God in you. Which you do for his glory not to earn salvation.
Religious Good Works
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
– Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV)
You are not sinning if you don’t attend church, volunteer at church, take communion, and do acts of service. While these can be good things to do, they are not required to be saved. Relying on them for your salvation is wrong. It is wrong to think you are doing a good job at being a Christian for doing these things.
Good Works from Faith
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” – James 2:17 (KJV)
James is saying that obedience and action are the fruit (not the root) of saving faith. So your faith should produce obedience, and actions that are good for God’s glory, not to secure your salvation.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
– Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)
Salvation results in a transformed life—obedience and good works follow true faith.
Good works that we do because Jesus is in us, not to earn our salvation is the fruit. Sharing your testimonial with others for God’s glory, or giving to the poor for God’s glory is good works from your faith. If you do these things to feel good about yourself, or because you think it will help save you, you are NOT doing it for God’s glory.
The Bible Clearly Says We Need to Stop Sinning
View Matthew 26:28 below, remission means to stop! How do we do that? By receiving the Holy Spirit after REPENTING and having faith! The first verse below, it literally says “he shed his blood so that we would stop sinning.” Remission means “to end” “to stop.” Think about it, the whole bible talks about how God hates sinning. He hates sinning, but he loves us. That is why he came in the flesh, lived a sin free life, and was crucified, rose from the dead, and sent the Holy Spirit. There are plenty of verses in scripture across Old and New Testament that show this was always the plan and is the plan.
Matthew 26:28 – “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Mark 1:4 – “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”
Luke 1:77 – “To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins.”
Luke 3:3 – “And he came into all the country… preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.”
Luke 24:47 – “…that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
The Holy Spirit Changes You!
No one talks about the transformation that happens when you have the Holy Spirit – how that changes you when you truly repent. When you truly Repent, you are choosing to HATE sinning. You feel remorse for all your past sins. It is God’s grace (power from God) that keeps you from sinning, willpower alone doesn’t work. The Holy Spirit in you gives you the power to not sin.
Grace is not just forgiveness like many people will tell you (only a couple bible verses mention it as forgiveness). The bible focuses more on how it transforms you (Ephesians 1:7), it empowers you to live differently (Titus 2:11–12), it gives you the power to obey (1 Corinthians 15:10), it helps you daily and strengthens you (Hebrews 4:16).
When I started to feel the Holy Spirit, it changed me.
We must continue to REPENT ALWAYS because we can still sin, but we are no longer slaves to a lifestyle of sinning.
“ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” – Revelation 3:19
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:8-9
NEXT BLOG the Holy Spirit – Understanding It
Bible Teachings About Salvation Part 2 (The Holy Spirit)
Then, I have one on understanding Baptism after that. I spent two days researching baptism and trying to understand why all churches say different things. But I was missing something, it was humbling when the Holy Spirit had the answer for me through my husband.
NOTE: I share ALL this for GOD to receive the GLORY not me!
So, Why do I Share This?
I share this because I want to see you in Heaven. God has been working in me and through me all my life so that I would get to this point. I know sharing doesn’t help my salvation. There are rewards in Heaven for sharing the Gospel, and I’m not even sharing for that reason. I know what it is like to be deceived. So, I can’t live with myself if I do nothing, when I know this world is so incredibly deceitful and I’ve been a victim of it myself.
God deserves all the credit and all the glory! I don’t want to fall victim to vainglory or pride. If what you read makes a significant difference in your life – don’t give me credit. Thank God.
What I do hope for though, I hope to see more people in the future sharing their testimonials of the Holy Spirit changing them.
References:
The Holy Spirit & Bible
Hawke, M. E. (Host). (n.d.). Bible explained verse by verse [Podcast]. Retrieved from https://open.spotify.com/show/7e72IBUZmqKjI9Yj116XyM
Google. (2025). Gemini [Large language model]. https://gemini.google.com/
I have a Wellness Coach Certificate, I'm an entrepreneur, an innovator, writer, and artist. My expertise includes over 7 years of marketing, research, and developing content for holistic health businesses. Plus, my own personal journey of becoming chronically sick: understanding what went wrong, and finding a way to heal and live a healthier life. I have a passion for wellness with a wealth of knowledge surrounding: wellness, flaws in healthcare, root causes for chronic illnesses, and alternative treatments.