As a result of the bankrupt theology of Dispensationalism, many professing Christians these days believe that repentance is a "work" and that it is not required as part of the process of salvation. For part of the answer to this issue, see my previous article Are We Saved By Faith Alone?.
So, what exactly is repentance? According to Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, to repent means "to be sorry"; "to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life," "to feel regret or contrition," "to change one's mind." It means to agree with God about His assessment of us; that we are wretched sinners deserving of eternity in Hell. Repentance involves doing a 180. It means to
STOP what you are doing, the direction you are going; TURN AROUND; and START
doing the opposite, going in the opposite direction. It is turning
FROM your sin and turning TO God.
When Jesus said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of heaven is at hand; REPENT and BELIEVE the gospel" (Mark 1:15), He was telling them to turn from the wickedness of their ways. As Matthew Henry said, “By repentance we must lament and forsake
our sins, and by faith we must receive forgiveness of them. By
repentance we must give glory to our Creator whom we have offended; by
faith we must give glory to our Redeemer who came to save us from our
sins. Both these must go together; we must not think either that
reforming our lives will save us without trusting in the righteousness
and grace of Christ, or that trusting in Christ will save us without the
reformation of our hearts and lives. Christ has joined these two together,
and let no man think to put them asunder. ... Thus the preaching of the
gospel began, and thus it continues; still the call is ‘Repent and believe, and live a life of repentance and a life of faith.’” (Emphasis mine.)
Some individuals attempt to contest all of this. They want to argue that it has nothing to do with our sin, but only with placing one's faith in Christ. If that were so, then how do you explain this passage? "If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he REPENTS, forgive him" (Luke 17:3; see also verse 4). Is your brother placing faith in you? Quite obviously not! So repentance is something different from faith. What does repentance mean in 2 Corinthians 7:8-10? Clearly, what these individuals are attempting to argue is not what the Bible teaches.
Acts 20:21 gives the exact formula I described above in the second paragraph: "repentance TOWARD God [from what?] and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." Hebrews 6:1 contains the same formula, giving us the other side of it: "repentance FROM dead works and of faith TOWARD God" Acts 26:20 agrees: "they should repent and turn TO God." If repenting means to turn to God, as we saw in Acts 20:21, what does it mean here when it adds "and turn to God"? Acts 26:20 also talks about "performing deeds appropriate to repentance." What does this look like? "He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need." (Eph. 4:28). That is a complete 180 right there!
Not to mention that in the context of the command to repent by John the Baptizer, he said to the Pharisees and Sadducees, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit [demonstrate evidence] in keeping with repentance" (Matt. 3:7-8; cf. Luke 3:8). But if that was not clear enough, how about when Scripture says, "REPENT of this wickedness of yours" (Acts 8:22)? How about this passage? "I gave her time to REPENT of her fornication; and she did not repent" (Rev. 2:21). That is turning from the wickedness of our ways right there!
John the Baptizer's ministry began with, "REPENT, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). Jesus' ministry began with, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of heaven is at hand; REPENT and BELIEVE the gospel" (Mark 1:15; cf. Matt. 4:17). The disciples, when they were sent out, "preached that men should REPENT" (Mark 6:12). All throughout the entire New Testament are commands to repent. Jesus told His disciples that "Christ would suffer [His crucifixion] and rise again from the dead the third day [His resurrection], and that REPENTANCE for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations" (Luke 24:46). What about when God's Word states that "God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should REPENT" (Acts 17:30)? Jesus even stated, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to REPENTANCE" (Matt. 9:13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32). Jesus twice says, "unless you REPENT, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5). He also stated that "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who REPENTS than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:7).
Acts 5:31, 11:18, and 2 Timothy 2:25 inform us that repentance is a grace from God. Romans 2:4 informs us that the kindness of God leads us to repentance. If we are chosen by Him, He has granted to us the ability to repent. There is no faith without repentance, and there is no repentance without faith. They are two sides of the same coin. They go hand-in-hand. You cannot have one without the other.