10 - Saving faith and spiritual repentance

And conversion, never let it be forgotten, is a matter of repentance as well as faith. What is more, neither repentance nor faith can exist in isolation. What I am saying is that no sinner can truly repent without exercising saving faith; nor can he savingly believe without truly repenting. He must turn from sin in turning to God. ‘Repent, and believe’, commanded Christ (Mark 1:15). ‘A great number believed and turned to the Lord’ (Acts 11:21). ‘Whatever is not from faith is sin’ (Rom. 14:23). Repentance must, therefore, be from faith, and with faith. And both faith and repentance are the gift of God to his elect (Acts 5:31; Eph. 2:8). What is more, the same benefits are promised to both repentance and faith, unitedly called ‘turning to God’.