“Is repentance necessary for salvation?” “Is it a sin for a Christian to laugh and enjoy humor?”

QUESTION: Is repentance necessary for salvation? Can a person simply believe on the Lord to be saved?

ANSWER: Scripture gives us several accounts of the gospel being presented to individuals or groups. Each account is different, for each individual or group to whom the gospel was presented was different. The Holy Spirit does not use a “prescribed” approach, but suits the message to the hearer’s state and need each time. There are certain basic components to the gospel message. We should be aware of these so that we present the complete gospel as we deal with men.

The crowd of Jews from many nations to whom Peter preached on Pentecost “were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’” It is obvious from their distress that they believed what Peter told them: that they had done wrong in crucifying Jesus and God had reversed their verdict by raising Him from the dead, exalting Him to His right hand and making Him Lord and Christ. Peter’s answer to their question thus was, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:37-38 NKJV).

Repentance is more than an act of penance or show of regret; it is a complete reversal of the direction one has been taking. These Jews were part of the nation that cried out, “His blood be on us and on our children” (Mt. 27:25) a few weeks earlier. It was necessary by repentance and baptism in Jesus’ name to “be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40). This would demonstrate the reality of their believing on Jesus – having true faith in Him.

When he preached to the philosophers and men of Athens in Acts 17, Paul concluded his message by stating unequivocally that God “now commands all men everywhere to repent” in view of the coming judgment when men will have to face the Lord Jesus as judge (Acts 17:30-31). Also, reviewing his service among them, Paul told the elders of the church at Ephesus, “I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:20-21).

In the opening of his epistle to the Romans, Paul demonstrates how all mankind, whether the debased heathen, the moralizing Gentile teachers, or the Jews, have sinned against God. He stresses that all the world is guilty before God, that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:19,23). Before coming to his objective of teaching justification by faith, he shows the guilt and thus the need for repentance.

Some might ask why Paul and Silas made no mention of repentance when the Philippian jailer asked them, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Here was a man in despair, who had fallen at the feet of his prisoners trembling and had brought them out from the inner prison. He was confronted with the fact that God had acted, undoing all that he had been attempting to do. His repentance was thoroughly evidenced by his conduct. He needed to know the Savior. As a Roman citizen he had probably never heard of Jesus before that night.

May we never lose sight of the importance of repentance to salvation! The Holy Spirit delights to guide us as to how we present the gospel. Let’s be sensitive to our listeners. Young children are not the same as hardened men and women at a rescue mission. Yet both are sinners and need to acknowledge this before God in repentance. The depth of their repentance will differ widely, but repentance is an essential component of salvation and should not be forgotten or down-played if we want to see souls truly converted, saved and blessed.

Can a person simply believe on the Lord to be saved? God sees and accepts true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But true faith – to “simply believe” – is more than a matter of giving mental assent to the existence of Jesus or God. James says, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble” (Jas. 2:19). But Romans 2:4 makes plain that “the goodness of God leads you to repentance.” What would be the point in believing on the Lord without some measure of recognition that He died for our sins, and a consequent sense of guilt before God resulting in repentance? God has commanded that all men everywhere repent. Thus we do well not to soft pedal repentance in proclaiming the good news of salvation.

By Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.

QUESTION: Is it a sin for a Christian to laugh or enjoy humor?

ANSWER: Psalm 2:4, tells us that God has a sense of humor: “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh.” However, the capacity for humor has increased with the fall of Man. This topsy-turvy world has produced some ridiculous situations where laughter is an involuntary and harmless response. There is, however, a school of thought which regards humor as cruel, as it is often at another’s calamity. I’ve had to recover my composure quickly when a visiting preacher’s false teeth fell out! Sometimes we laugh as fellow-sufferers in an unpredictable world.

We also know that the animal world contains many natural comedians. The story is told of the ancient Greek who never laughed no matter how witty the situation. One day this humorless one saw a donkey trying to eat thistles. He could no longer contain himself and broke into uncontrollable laughter.

It is certainly not a sin to laugh, though we must guard against uncouth jesting. In the Bible laughter is encouraged in certain circumstances. This would imply that while deacons, their wives and aged men are commanded to be “grave” (1 Tim. 3:8,11; Ti. 2:2), they shouldn’t be mistaken for the grave!

Jesus promised His disciples, “Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh” (Lk. 6:21). And does not a mother laugh at the safe delivery of her child? What better example of this in the Old Testament than Sarah? As we know Isaac’s name means “one laughs.” Hence, “Sarah said, ‘God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me” (Gen. 21:6). The birth of Isaac was no joke, but the miraculous fulfillment of a divine promise.

Despite the right to laugh, there is also a right time and place to do so. There is what the Bible calls “a solemn assembly” (Lev. 23:36) with the “reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28) associated with worship. The Christian gathering should not exclude rejoicing. Who has more right to be glad than those Christ made to “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1:8)?

By Tom Summerhill