Have you repented since you believed? Some people in the Bible who recognized they were sinners believed in Jesus Christ, repented and were saved. The Bible says, whoever believes in Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God shall not perish, but have  eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus also said in the Bible, unless you repent of your sins you will perish (Luke 13:1-3). Furthermore,  he said , if you believe in him as your Lord, you should obey his commandments—every written word of God (Luke 6:46; John 14:15; Matthew 4:4).

BELIEF AND REPENTANCE OF HEAD AND HEART

The Bible shows that belief in Jesus Christ may be of the head only, which does not cause one to repent and obey the Lord (Luke 6:46). Or that belief in the Lord may be of the head and heart, which causes one to change their sinful lifestyle, and become more and more Christ-like, with the help of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22-23).

DEVILS.  Scriptures reveal that devils believe with the head that Jesus Christ is the “Son of God;” but that they do not demonstrate that they have it in their heart to obey him. They continue to do works of the devil. (Mark 5:7; Acts 19:15; James 2:19).

ZACCHAEUS. In Luke 19:1-9, a corrupt tax collector named Zacchaeus demonstrated that his belief in Jesus Christ affected his head and heart; which caused him to initiate Christ-like changes in his life. Zacchaeus, being short in stature, climbed a tree to see Jesus who was passing by in a crowd. The Lord, who knows all heads and hearts (John 2:25), saw him and chose to go to his house . Zacchaeus was so impressed by Jesus coming to his house, despite it being commonly known he was “a sinner,” he decided to change his sinful way of life. He told the Lord, “I give half of my possessions  to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”  The Lord, who knew his head and heart, said, “ today salvation has come to this house.”

A THIEF ON THE CROSS.  One of the two thieves on crosses who was being executed with Jesus believed he was the Christ from God. This thief asked the Lord: “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” In dying, the thief was not able to do any works of repentance, other than believe in his heart. Nevertheless, the Lord, who knows every head and heart, and the opportunity each person has for believing and repenting, told him: “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-42; 2 Corinthian 8:12). 

VARIOUS PEOPLE TODAY.  Some people may not choose to give up their sinful lifestyles and obediently follow the Lord. Some may plan to be like the thief who asked to saved when he was dying. They may plan this way, although the Lord does not promise that anyone will be given opportunity to be saves when they are dying; or that they will be inclined to take advantage even if given the opportunity. Could their strong desire to hold on to their worldly way of life cause them not to be saved, like the other thief who was dying beside Jesus?  Even facing death, he did not  ask the Lord to remember him in the life after death. 

However, there are people today who heed the Word of God when it tells them, now is the day of salvation, and if you hear the Lord’s voice today do not harden your heart (2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:15). These believe and repent, and the Lord promises them they will be with him in paradise.

When I was working as a counselor in a drug and alcohol program, I would visit program participants who were hospitalized and sometimes dying. On one occasion of visiting in the hospital, the Lord allowed me to witness a person who was dying and had accepted the Lord; and to see another person who was dying but rejected the Lord. The patient who accepted the Lord wanted me to pray with him and rehearse John 3:16. He seemingly died in peace. Previously, I had offered to pray for another very frail patient who had refused my offer. When I passed his bed again on the way out of the hospital, he evidently was dying in a state of great horror–Frighteningly, he raised up in his bed and contorted his frail body with his eyes protruding from his head. 

WORKS OF REPENTANCE AFFIRM BELIEF

When we come to believe in Jesus Christ, we are saved by faith and not by our good works.  But what we do after saying we believe may be indications of the Lord working or not living in our lives. James writes in the Bible, “Faith without works dead ” (James 2:14-21). 

Although the Word of God says you should judge nothing before God’s appointed time (1 Corinthians 4:5); Jesus said, you shall have indications of who is and who is not of his Spirit by the fruit they bear (Luke 6:43-45). The Bible tells us what the fruit of the Spirit is–love, joy, peace, long-suffering…(Galatians 5:22-23).

HELP FOR REPENTANT BELIEVERS IN OBEYING THE LORD

We may have an earnest heart desire to produce the fruit of the Spirit, but feel inadequate to do so. We can ask the Lord for help. Jesus saves us and gives us the Holy Spirit to empowers us to obey the Lord and produce the fruit of the Spirit (Act 1:8). According to God’s plan, after we believe the Holy Spirit helps us to grow to be more and more like our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18).