As It Is Written

Why Repentance Must Be Enabled, Not Caused

God desires worship that is freely given—not the devotion of slaves. This simple insight lies at the heart of both the Apostle Paul’s preaching and Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s warning against “cheap grace.”

Bonhoeffer famously defined cheap grace as forgiveness without repentance, grace without discipleship, and grace without transformation. But cheap grace can arise in another, less obvious way: when repentance itself is treated not as a human response, but as something effectively produced by God. In that case, the demand placed upon the sinner is quietly reduced. Repentance becomes less an act for which one is responsible and more an outcome one experiences.

Paul’s preaching resists both distortions. God’s grace enables repentance but does not replace it, and he holds every sinner fully accountable for their response. It is said that one can lead a horse to water but cannot make it drink. Likewise, God will always lead sinners to forgiveness but will not force them to drink repent

Paul’s Commands Presume Real Response

Throughout his writings and recorded sermons, Paul does not merely describe salvation—he calls for action:

• “Repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20)

• “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

• “Now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

• “Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21)

These are not descriptions of what God will cause to happen. They are appeals directed to human agents.

And when people refuse to repent, Paul says God holds them accountable, for their sins. He says they are:

• “without excuse” (Romans 1:20–21)

• “storing up wrath” (Romans 2:5)

• subject to judgment “according to what they have done” (Romans 2:6–11)

Such language only makes sense if repentance is offered for the taking and, therefore, can be refused by the person to whom it was offered.

Grace That Enables, Not Determines

Paul does speak of God’s initiative:

• God “grants repentance” (2 Timothy 2:25)

• God “works in you to will and to act” (Philippians 2:13)

• God saves “by the washing of regeneration” (Titus 3:5)

But these statements must be read alongside Paul’s equally persistent insistence on accountability. The result is not contradiction but tension—one that is best understood if grace is seen as enabled causation rather than determinative causation.

Grace, in Paul’s preaching, does not function like a force that produces repentance inevitably. Rather, it functions like a provision that makes repentance genuinely possible. God’s kindness “leads” (Romans 2:4), but it does not compel. It calls, invites, and urges—but does not override.

This distinction matters.

If grace determines repentance such that it cannot fail to occur, then repentance ceases to be a response and becomes a result. The moral weight of turning to God is diminished because the outcome no longer depends on the person.

But if grace enables repentance—placing forgiveness within reach and calling the sinner to repent and turn—then the act of repentance remains fully accountable and fully meaningful.

Cheap Grace Reconsidered

Cheap grace is often understood as forgiveness without repentance. But it also emerges when repentance is subtly removed as a genuine human act.

It appears in two forms:

• When repentance is reduced to apology alone.

• When repentance is treated as something God will ensure, regardless of the sinner’s response

In both cases, the seriousness of repentance is diminished.

Paul rejects both.

Repentance is not saying sorry.
Repentance is [re]turning to God—and “performing deeds in keeping with repentance” (Acts 26:20, Matthew 3:8).

And repentance is not something that happens to us apart from our participation. It is something we are called to do—and for which we are held responsible.

Not Coercion, but Response

God does not seek coerced devotion but a willing response.

The difference is not trivial.

A man under slavery responds because he must.
A free man responds because he chooses.

The gospel does not replace one form of compulsion with another. It transforms the relationship so that the grace available through repentance is how we choose to seek forgiveness.

Should the cause of repentance render refusal impossible, the distinction between response and compulsion would dissolve. The result would be the product of coercion and could no longer carry the same moral significance.

Paul’s relentless appeals—his pleading, warning, and exhortation—only make sense if the outcome is not already determined.

A Pastoral Word

If you have been waiting for some irresistible force to make you repent and believe, Paul offers a different picture.

“The kindness of God is leading you to repentance” (Romans 2:4).

The grace is real.
The offer is genuine.
The path is open.

But the turning is yours and yours alone. If you refuse, the results are of your own making.

God has done everything necessary to make forgiveness possible. What He does not do is repent for you. He does not override your will to produce the response He desires.

He calls you to it.

Conclusion

Bonhoeffer cautioned that the church faces a grave threat from cheap grace. Paul would agree—but not only because grace can be offered without repentance. It can also be preached in a way that removes repentance as a meaningful human act.

Grace, in Paul, is neither automatic nor coercive. It is enabling—a real offer of forgiveness that calls for a real response.

That response cannot be reduced to words.
It cannot be assumed.
And it cannot be caused in such a way that it ceases to be wholly human.

And thus, God seeks worship freely given, not the devotion of slaves.