The power behind the message of Jesus Christ is one that brings forth a sanctification and an inclination to good works. While we do not work to receive Jesus' redemption, good works will always come as a fruit of a revelation of Jesus Christ.
After a powerful manifestation of the Holy Spirit during the Pentecost, a fired up Peter stepped out into the open to proclaim the power of Jesus' lordship and reconciliation and to give a message to all those who were present. He spoke in Acts 2:38 saying, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Yet there will be some who argue that Christianity is bent on what God has done and not what we do, and nothing could be more true than that. Our salvation has nothing to do with our good works and has everything to do with God's grace and love, but how else would a person who has receive love and grace respond? Would they respond in inaction and simply acting as if nothing happened, or would a redeemed person quickly get on their knees ready to repent and turn away from sin?
Repentance is a word that has been labeled as dirty, often taken in a condescending and judgemental tone giving people the notion of an angry preacher with a picket sign on the busy streets proclaiming hell upon everyone. That's not God's picture of repentance.
Matthew 7:16 tells us, "You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?" Repentance is the fruit of a truly redeemed heart, and the absence of that fruit only shows that the gospel has not pierced the heart to the point of surrender.
In a sense, a person who hears of Christ and does not respond in repentance has simply heard a powerful message yet disallowing it from changing one's mind about the dangers and tragedies of sin and the beauties of God's ways and grace.
So to say that repentance is a requirement in salvation in the sense that we earn God's regeneration through our prayers and petitions is to try to earn our salvation. But Ephesians 2:8 tells us, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." We don't need to earn our salvation through repentance, but salvation without the fruit of repentance is not true salvation because salvation will always lead to Godly repentance.
