SINNERS must not believe that their forgiveness lies in their repentance and sorrow for sin, nor in their inherent holiness. I mean, it is not for the sake of their repentance, nor for the worth of their own faith, nor that their inherent holiness is any part or matter of their justifying righteousness before God or for the sake and worth of which they are pardoned and justified but only by the active and passive obedience of Christ. Be it known unto you therefore, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, Acts 13:38-39.

Consider that repentance and sorrow for sin, humiliation and faith itself, are the effects of Christ’s death and merits and that all sense of sin and such a believing or confidence which an ungodly person may have before He obtains a vital union with Christ, are but dead works that profit no man to justification. Know also, that true repentance is the immediate product of saving faith, though faith itself is a Fruit of God’s Spirit, Gal.5:22. The sense of Divine Love in free forgiveness works brokenness of heart and true sorrow for sin.