This is a subject I, like you all, feel is vital. I don't have the time at the moment to invest in research to back up what I am about to say. I do think however that most of you will generally agree.
For me, I always struggled with the idea that I first had to stop sinning to be saved (I don't even remotely believe this is true for us to recieve the gift of salvation). What I believe concerning the repentance that is spoken of in Scriptures that preceeds salvation is the kind that takes place in ones mind. I think this repentance is when a sinner acknowledges/realizes that they've lived in sin their whole lives, and that they have lived for themselves (in a sense as a god unto themselves), and that NOW they wish to seek God and His will and make Him their Lord and Saviour. When the individual acknowledges in their heart that they believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, to have shed blood on the cross of Calvary for their sins, and then to rise from the dead 3 days later, it is then that I believe they are saved. When the Christian recieves the Holy Ghost, I make no claim to know this point definitively. One thing I know for certainty is that for me, it was entirely God that turned the lights on within me in regards to who He is. It was as simple as that. One moment I was sitting watching a movie, the next I instantly realized that God was indeed real and that I had to acknowledge Him and His Son or continue on in ignorance (yes I do believe in free will, that a man can resist at this point, and that this is the reason Satan will not be saved. He does not want to be saved. His heart is thoroughly hardened against God). So the point I make concerning this pre-salvation repentance is that it is an internal event that leads a person to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and to put their faith on Him and what He did on the Cross for their sins.
Concering the repentance after salvation: I do indeed believe that it is safe to say that repentance leads to action for a Christian. At this point the Christian knows who is Lord and Saviour, and that whether or not they acknowledge this fact as I state simply now, Jesus IS Lord of all His flock, and the true Christian will seek always to do those things that please Him. I do believe that this doesn't mean a Christian now lives entirely free from the will of the flesh (I can attest to this as a man...), however, it is the desire of the true Christian to put to death DAILY the deeds of the flesh. That when a Christian confesses their sins to Jehovah God through Jesus Christ, He is faithful to forgive us our sins. Repentance at this stage of the profession of the faith effects all aspects of a Christian life, from the way we talk, the way we dress, the way we deal with others, and the way we think. EVERY aspect of the Christians life will be affected by true repentance. Repentance has not changed from being something that happens in the heart/mind, however repentance almost always (the flesh always wars against the spirit...) ends in action as a Christian grows stronger in God's righteousness. This is what I believe is what James is referring to in his letter as faith without works as being dead.
I know some may not agree with all the points I made, this is fine, but I hope you all can appreciate that I like you struggled with this topic (yes Luke I had the same battle as you, and still do, with repentance). One thing I can attest to with certainty, is that God does love us, and that it is His desire for all men to be saved. God does look at the heart, and a humble man He will not turn away. It is enough for us to seek daily to bring glory to Him through the sacrifice of our lives lived unto Him. This is the reasonable service rendered unto the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
forever seeking His face,
Stephen
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