For over 50 years, Ray Comfort has shared a message of repentance, stressing its foundational role in the gospel. Now, he is asking a key question: Has he been right or wrong about the role of repentance after all these years of ministry?
A growing number of modern teachers suggest that repentance is simply a change of mind about Jesus—an intellectual acknowledgment rather than a moral or spiritual shift. But Comfort firmly rejects this interpretation. He insists that true repentance is a decisive turning from sin to God, not a vague mental adjustment. It involves the heart, the will and the direction of one’s life.
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“Repentance is a subject I’ve preached for 50 years. I have seen, as I’ve studied the Word of God, how crucial it is. You cannot ignore it, and you cannot substitute anything else for it,” Comfort says.
The debate surrounding repentance revolves around two differing views: one that sees it as “a simple change of mind, especially about Jesus,” and another, which Comfort supports, viewing it as “a decisive turning from sin to God.” He insists that repentance is not optional but “absolutely essential for salvation.”
This understanding is not new. It is rooted in church history and echoed by voices across generations. The Puritan Thomas Watson described repentance as a grace of God’s Spirit that produces both inward humility and visible reformation. Charles Spurgeon called it a hatred and forsaking of sin. Evangelist D.L. Moody emphasized that repentance requires not just sorrow, but a turning and forsaking of sin altogether. And George Whitefield insisted that repentance must include a firm resolution to abandon sin.
These leaders did not view repentance as a work, but as a vital response to the work of grace. According to Comfort, true repentance is the evidence of a changed heart and the mark of someone who has truly encountered Christ.
Comfort also spoke directly on justification. “Justification is not a process. You don’t gradually give up sin and then become saved. That would be salvation by works. Regeneration is an instantaneous act accomplished by God’s grace. When you repent by turning from sin and forsaking it in your heart and mind and believe the gospel, you are saved instantly.”
“The Gospel is that Jesus paid the penalty for sin… The death of Christ is essential,” Comfort says. However, salvation becomes real only when a person repents and trusts in Jesus: “Repentance means you turn from sin, but you also trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.”
This repentance is the only way to truly be saved from eternal separation from God. “If you don’t repent, you die in your sins and you end up in hell. But if you’ll simply repent of your sins, turn from them and trust in Jesus… God will grant you everlasting life.”
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Repentance is essential, not just as a change of mind, but as a decisive turning toward God, forsaking sin and putting our trust in Jesus Christ. This foundational truth of the gospel—rooted in centuries of biblical teaching—reminds us that salvation is not a gradual process but an instantaneous gift, available to all who repent and believe.
As we reflect on the depth and urgency of repentance, may we each be moved to examine our hearts, turn from our ways and place our faith in the one who paid the ultimate price for our redemption.
Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
