And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
Acts 11:21

This simple verse underscores the fact that faith and repentance are inseparably linked. While the word “repentance” is not in the verse, the words, “turned to the Lord” are another way of saying, repentance. Repentance is turning from sin, to the Lord. This is important for three reasons:

First, when sharing Christ with non-believers, we do not want to misrepresent the gospel so that people think that believing without repentance is genuine faith. Many nonbelievers have a false sense of assurance that they are Christians because they “believe in Jesus,” though their faith has no corresponding repentance.

Second, we should not have a false sense of assurance about the salvation of family and friends who claim to believe, if their lives give no evidence of the change that happens when a person is truly converted. Remember Jesus’ words: “You shall know them by their fruits.”

Third, we need to “examine [our]selves as to whether [we]are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). While even believers are far from sinless, if we are truly saved, our lives are marked by a desire to turn from sin to follow the Lord.