This is a question I've been considering for a fair while now. For myself and many others on the forum that I've read, we can pinpoint an event, and know when we came to repentance towards God and thus when we were converted. And these events are typically quite dramatic, with a lot of tears and grief, and after which, are lives change majorly, and we begin warring against the flesh.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19
Repentance is clearly necessary for salvation, but can everyone that is saved pinpoint more or less when they received repentance? Or could they receive repentance perhaps a bit slower, in a more subtle and less obvious way that they didn't notice or it didn't really stick out to them when it happened? (And of course some people are already are repentant and humbled and just need to believe, like the prison keeper in Acts 16. But I think probably the majority of the forum had a decent understanding of the importance of believing in Christ and what he did before being saved.) It seems a lot of people are unware when the foundation of repentance is laid in ones heart. However we know in most cases it is not.
Why I ask is that I wish to be more vocal and outspoken about repentance with those that I know, but I don't want to cause those that I am confident are saved to doubt their salvation (though I want to have certainty with them), but I want those that I believe to be false converts, like I once was, to have fear.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? -Matthew 7:16
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. - Philippians 2:12
Those that I am quite confident in their salvation have been very receptive and thought it made sense. But those that I am confident are false have mocked it.
Hopefully my question is clear enough, but more than happy to clarify.