We have to really get into the Bible to start to understand what areas the local church misses the arc on salvation Jesus, free will, repentance, god is a gentleman we are not robots etc...It seems they are lock step in toto. Yet Does A Child Repent? No ! Yet He Can Be Saved ! Similarly...
The Gospel Message is simple and cannot be altered yet with the wrongly defined use of the word repentance it changes the Gospel into a conditionally clouded this for that scheme
We often don't see our need for something until we need it, then we drop everything to take care of it. This is sheepish yet typical. God is who we need but we are blinded to need. Furthermore we have been tricked into thinking he doesn't exist or he is a killjoy that will punish us so we stay far away. But he died for us to reconcile ourselves to HIM even in our sin !