Jesus is all inclusive. Every specific word he spoke had layers of meaning to be revealed by study in the Holy Spirit. When Jesus said, without me you can do nothing, that included truly repenting which is my point.
You're pulling this out of thin air because there’s nothing about repentance in the entire chapter. He was echoing what He had just said in the previous statement. All men have the ability to repent and believe the gospel. Look at Acts 17:30-31
“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance,
God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.””
Acts 17:30-31 NASB1995
God has commanded ALL MEN EVERYWHERE TO REPENT BECAUSE THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BE JUDGED. Judging and punishing people who are not given the ABILITY to repent is unjust. You can’t punish someone for failing to meet an IMPOSSIBLE EXPECTATION.
It is a mistake to believe that we can truly repent on our own without Christ. Davids prayer in
Ps. 51:1-14 is a great example of true repentance.
DAVID’s prayer says absolutely nothing about not being able to repent. Exactly which verse are you getting this idea from?
“Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom. Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.”
Psalms 51:1-14 NASB1995
This is where many people get confused and, because of that, miss out on the help Christ is ready to offer.
If Christ is ready to offer it how are they supposed to receive it? So far you sound like a Calvinist, but a Calvinist would never suggest that people who aren’t the elect can accept Christ’s offer and people who are the elect can “miss out on Christ’s offer”. It sounds like you’re saying that Christ is offering salvation to people who miss out on it. Is that what you’re saying here? Because you’re interpretation of Romans 9 (shown below) seems to suggest the exact opposite.
Verses 6–13 – Paul starts by saying that not all who are descended from Israel are truly Israel. He uses examples from Israel's history:
Isaac over Ishmael (God chose Isaac, not Ishmael, even though both were Abraham’s sons)
Jacob over Esau (God chose Jacob before they were born, "not because of works but because of him who calls")
Verse 14–15 – Anticipating the objection, Paul asks:
“Is God unjust?”
He answers with a quote from Exodus: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy...” showing God’s freedom in bestowing mercy.
Then comes Romans 9:16 –
“So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”
"him who wills" = someone who desires to do right
"him who runs" = someone who works hard or strives
Paul’s point: God’s mercy isn't earned—it’s given freely by God's will, not human effort.
Verses 17–24 – Paul uses Pharaoh as an example: God raised Pharaoh up to display His power, even knowing he would resist. This part brings up some of the hardest theology: God hardening hearts, and the idea of people being “vessels of wrath” or “vessels of mercy.”
Verses 25–33 – Paul quotes the prophets to show that this inclusion of the Gentiles and the stumbling of Israel were foretold. It ends with a contrast:
Gentiles, who weren’t trying to be righteous, attained righteousness by faith
Israel, who pursued righteousness through the law, stumbled over Christ
Verse 16 is a statement about God’s sovereign grace:
No one can earn mercy. No matter how much you desire it or strive for it, mercy isn’t something you can force—it’s a gift. And Paul’s deeper message is: trust the mercy and wisdom of God, even when we don’t understand it fully.
They think they have to repent before they can come to Him—that repentance is something they must do first in order to be forgiven.
Yeah because that’s exactly what Peter said in Acts 2.
“Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38 NASB1995
Repent and be baptized
FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS AND YOU WILL RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT. Not repent because you have been chosen to be the elect or because you have received the Holy Spirit. Repentance precedes the Holy Spirit.
It's true that repentance comes before forgiveness, because only someone who feels truly sorry and humbled will recognize their need for a Savior. But does that mean a person has to wait until they’ve repented before coming to Jesus?
Yes it absolutely does. Repentance not only means turning away from sin but also turning away from unbelief.
Should repentance become a barrier that stands between the sinner and the Savior?
Aren’t you a Calvinist? Doesn’t Calvin teach that no one can come to Christ unless The Father has drawn him? I’m confused because you’re saying that we put repentance as an obstacle between a sinner and Christ yet we say that everyone has the ability to repent. So in reality there is no obstacle at all other than an individual’s own choice to either repent or not repent. But a Calvinist will place the obstacle of repentance OUT OF REACH of the individual whereas they DON’T HAVE THE ABILITY TO REPENT AND COME TO CHRIST.
The apostle Peter explained this clearly when he told the people of Israel that God raised Jesus to be our Leader and Savior so He could give repentance and forgiveness (
Acts 5:31).
Yeah He granted repentance to Israel by preaching the gospel to them. That’s exactly what He did during His ministry. But not all Israel repented, many still refused to believe of their own choice even though He was trying to save them.
Just as we can't be forgiven without Jesus, we also can't truly repent without His Spirit waking up our conscience.
We don’t receive His Spirit UNTIL WE REPENT. READ ACTS 2 AGAIN. REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED THEN YOU WILL RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Jesus is the source of every good impulse we have. He's the only one who can plant a deep hatred of sin in our hearts. Every time we feel drawn toward truth or purity, every time we feel the weight of our own wrongdoing—those are signs that His Spirit is already at work within us.
Many unbelievers do good works. They’re just not saved.
