True Repentance:

[H. Richard]

I believe that repentance is necessary for the child of God. But that repentance is not a ritual that is done when they think they have sinned. I believe in a repentant attitude, an attitude of continually acknowledging, to God, that the sins of the flesh are always present in the mind.

Having said the above I must state that, to some, repentance seems to means that they perform a ritual of repentance. I do not believe that knowing you have committed a sin and then pulling down your get out of sin repentance card is true repentance. It ignores the fact that they sin in their minds all the time.

In this article I have said what I believe true repentance to be. Some seen to have a different opinion and they are welcome to it. But that does not mean I have to share their opinion OR that they have to share mine.

IMHO (In my honest opinion), to the religious mind, repenting of sins is something that a person does, at some time or other, to ask for forgiveness for a sin they think they have committed. I say it this way because, for them, they must pick a time and go to God in a prayer of words and ask for forgiveness for that sin. They do it only when they think they have done something wrong. For the rest of their time they rationalize that they do not sin and therefore do not have to repent.

True repentance "IS" a "CONSTANT ATTITUDE" of the heart and is not an action that is done at some place or time. --- It is constantly acknowledging (admitting to God) that you are a sinful person in the flesh and that you need His forgiveness, the need for God, who paid for your sins, to save you from your sinful nature in the flesh. -- It is a constant humble walk with God (the Holy Spirit that lives in your heart) in honesty, without deceit. -- To be exact it is and attitude of the heart and it is not a ritual that you do at some place or time.

1. A repenting; penitent state; feeling of sorrow, etc. especially for wrongdoing; compunction, contrition; remorse. A child of God feels remorseful that he/she sins but since they live in a body of sinful flesh there is no way they can stop from sinning in the flesh. Paul couldn’t in Romans 7 and neither can we.

Ps 32:1-2
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
(NKJ)

Deceit = dishonesty / a person saying they have no sin is being dishonest (deceitful) with God. Therefore having a constant honest attitude of acknowledging your sinful nature to God and placing your faith, trust, confidence, and hope in God's work on the cross to save you from your sinful nature is true repentance. A person that does not acknowledge his/her sins (sinful nature) is being dishonest with God and will feel no need to have an constant attitude of repentance. IMHO they are like the Pharisee below.

Luke 18:11-14
11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men-- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
12 'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'
13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'
14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
(NKJ)

The tax collector was repenting, he was sorrowful, contrite, remorseful, because of his sinfulness. But that does not mean he stopped being a sinful person or a tax collector.

 

[Windmillcharge]

I agree with your post.

God is far holier than we can begin to imagine, but his love for us is also far greater than we can imagine.
We talk about Jesus's crucifixtion, yet how much do we understand about what it physicaly cost Jesus, let alone what it cost him Spiritualy.

Then people wonder whether they will be forgiven, they seem to think God's forgiveness is similar to a childs fickle liking of another child.

As you say repentance is a serious comitment to God and to Godly behaviour.

Our God never changes.

 

[Helen]

I believe that repentance is necessary for the child of God. But that repentance is not a ritual that is done when they think they have sinned. I believe in a repentant attitude, an attitude of continually acknowledging, to God, that the sins of the flesh are always present in the mind.

Amen !! Excellent.

True repentance "IS" a "CONSTANT ATTITUDE" of the heart and is not an action that is done at some place or time. --- It is constantly acknowledging (admitting to God) that you are a sinful person in the flesh and that you need His forgiveness, the need for God, who paid for your sins, to save you from your sinful nature in the flesh. -- It is a constant humble walk with God (the Holy Spirit that lives in your heart) in honesty, without deceit. -- To be exact it is and attitude of the heart and it is not a ritual that you do at some place or time.

Sometimes I get frustrated because I know what I believe but can never put it into words that state a thing clearly. You have said it so well.

I was just saying to @bbyrd009 a moment ago.. The dear person who led me to the Lord told me 'that instant repentance was instant forgivenes if we wish to walk and live in the light.'
This stood me in good stead for many a year...then as we mature God shows us that everything comes back to the heart...and we learn to live with a repentant heart..acknowledging His amazing grace every step....and staying in union through the Spirit. Not of ourselves.
How can we not live in acknowledged repentance, without the constant ritual!
Which I believe undermines faith.

 

[bbyrd009]

confess your sins, one to another
no ritual there imo; at least not until Catholics get done with it

of course self-flagellation is also an option, yes

 

[mjrhealth]

@amadeus Well lsaid Amadeus, in its simplest. confession is, " Hi dad im wrong you are right, you are not blind you can see all, help me walk as you do".
HE is always right we are always wrong,

 

[bbyrd009]

HE is always right we are always wrong,

Unfort the def of "confess" is pretty occluded now too, you could mean agree, or you could mean declare, or you could mean promise, but only in one sense is a debt acknowledged i guess?

i mean, don't get me wrong, you address navel-gazing sins here, sure, personal sins, but the fact that sins are also perpetrated upon others is pretty much written out of this?
Strong's Greek: 1843. ἐξομολογέω (exomologeó) -- to agree, confess
Strong's Greek: 1861. ἐπαγγέλλω (epaggellomai) -- to proclaim, to promise
Strong's Greek: 3670. ὁμολογέω (homologeó) -- to speak the same, to agree

but imo confessing your sin to God is strictly Catholic, and i srsly doubt you could quote the concept from Scripture wadr; i would even be confessing navel-gazing sins one to another. BAM agree, proclaim, and promise God also, sure

 

[mjrhealth]

@bbyrd009 actulay i was on about "repentance" but old age got in there, but I dont need confess my sins to anyone but God, and that not even, God isnt blind, I discovered a long time ago there is nothing i can do that God doesnt already know about, but still I confess, God , im wrong you are right, teach me.

 

[bbyrd009]

I dont need confess my sins to anyone but God

ah lol, i get you, up there.
Ok, i would just challenge you to challenge this pov, here in the snip; try to Quote it or whatever iow

or address confess your sins, one to another

 

[mjrhealth]

ah lol, i get you, up there.
Ok, i would just challenge you to challenge this pov, here in the snip; try to Quote it or whatever iow

or address confess your sins, one to another

and so how many sins did you commit today, i speak of those ones you dont realise you did, So here we are waiting for you to confess your sins before us... Please do you will be teh first, ever.

But than

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

this is that narrow way He speaks of.

So you can sit and worry and dwell on your sins, and I like some can sit and dwell on Him who is our life,

Have a good day.

 

[amadeus]

@amadeus Well lsaid Amadeus, in its simplest. confession is, " Hi dad im wrong you are right, you are not blind you can see all, help me walk as you do".
HE is always right we are always wrong,

He is always right. We are always wrong when we are trying to follow God with our head alone or even with the Bible alone and without the leading of the Holy Spirit.

We very often do not see our own hearts clearly and miss some things for which we would need to repent if and when we became aware of them. Does this leaves us without hope because we are blind to some of our own faults? I would say, no... Consider the OT first:

"And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty;
Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned." Lev 4:27-28

Sins committed in ignorance subject to that written law required atonement, but for presumptuous sins the penalty was extreme:

"But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people." Num 15:30

God has not changed.

But who of us has committed such a presumptuous sin which stands between him and God? That would be a person who already knowing that a certain thing was wrong to God went ahead and planned to do it anyway perhaps even presuming that God will forgive him one more time because He has forgiven him so many times before.

When would a sin become the unforgivable sin? Different people will give you different answers to the question and there are likely different answers according to the person's present position in and/or with God. What does the person really know about God and God's Way and what does the person actually do with what he actually knows?

We, believers are very ignorant [some more or less than others], which is why all of us must lean heavily on God, not on anything else including the Bible, but on God. How much can a person know and be allowed to commit a sin without receiving the worst of penalties?

Remembering again that God has never changed, David committed sins [adultery and murder] for which the penalty in his time was death. God forgave him. What was it that allowed David to be forgiven of such sins, while Saul for seemingly lesser sins was rejected by God as King?

But then you and/or me: How blind are we? How deaf are we? How is our heart toward God in spite of what we can see and what we can hear?

Perhaps David's forgiveness was given because his heart had that repentant attitude mentioned in the OP.

This is why we cannot render a final judgment against anyone. We are capable of doing it fairly. We may think we know where that other guy is, but God is the only One who always does.

God has forgiven everyone of us when we did not deserve forgiveness. If we use His past mercy toward us as a basis for planning to sin again, being certain in our mind that He will forgive us again, how likely are we come to our final breath with having an opportunity to repent once more? This is the problem for believers. This is the problem for folk who say that they can never lose salvation after repenting sincerely that first time.

All we can do is continuously go back to the bottom with God no matter what He has done for us before. We need to start again each time [not less often than daily] as if we had never received any blessings ever before. We must come to Him as that tax collector mentioned in the OP very regularly because we do not always already know what errors we are walking in... A person does not know if he has already left the Lord in a delusion and he never will if he does return to the Lord really on his knees repeatedly while time remains. God will not judge us unfairly, but we should never presume that we are OK because we presume that God will forgive our errors one more time. We are not better than Israel who for the most part [except two adults] died in the wilderness because of their repeated rebellions against God.

 

[mjrhealth]

@amadeus Nicely put, the difference between David and Saul was that David wasnt proud and always admitted His wrong as where Saul turned His heart from God feared teh people more than God

1Sa_15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

There is a person I know of from another forum who wrote to a friend of mine telling Her that he knew what she said was true, but if she told anyone he believed her ,he would deny it before them, There are a few on this forum who know this person.

Now one thing, actually i think i8t was one of teh first things God taught me was that, "David loved God but wasnt perfect". Cool so I have nothing to worry about.

 

[amadeus]

@mjrhealth

It is not an easy road unless we turn it all over to God. If we can it is a very easy Way indeed. Most believers fall short on turning it all over all of the time. That's me too, but hopefully with God's help I am getting better!

 

[mjrhealth]

@mjrhealth

It is not an easy road unless we turn it all over to God. If we can it is a very easy Way indeed. Most believers fall short on turning it all over all of the time. That's me too, but hopefully with God's help I am getting better!

Can see it in you daily, took me a long time, used to ask my dad, "but How" now it just happens, "mostly".

 

[APAK]

I believe that repentance is necessary for the child of God. But that repentance is not a ritual that is done when they think they have sinned. I believe in a repentant attitude, an attitude of continually acknowledging, to God, that the sins of the flesh are always present in the mind.

Having said the above I must state that, to some, repentance seems to means that they perform a ritual of repentance. I do not believe that knowing you have committed a sin and then pulling down your get out of sin repentance card is true repentance. It ignores the fact that they sin in their minds all the time.

In this article I have said what I believe true repentance to be. Some seen to have a different opinion and they are welcome to it. But that does not mean I have to share their opinion OR that they have to share mine.

IMHO (In my honest opinion), to the religious mind, repenting of sins is something that a person does, at some time or other, to ask for forgiveness for a sin they think they have committed. I say it this way because, for them, they must pick a time and go to God in a prayer of words and ask for forgiveness for that sin. They do it only when they think they have done something wrong. For the rest of their time they rationalize that they do not sin and therefore do not have to repent.

True repentance "IS" a "CONSTANT ATTITUDE" of the heart and is not an action that is done at some place or time. --- It is constantly acknowledging (admitting to God) that you are a sinful person in the flesh and that you need His forgiveness, the need for God, who paid for your sins, to save you from your sinful nature in the flesh. -- It is a constant humble walk with God (the Holy Spirit that lives in your heart) in honesty, without deceit. -- To be exact it is and attitude of the heart and it is not a ritual that you do at some place or time.

1. A repenting; penitent state; feeling of sorrow, etc. especially for wrongdoing; compunction, contrition; remorse. A child of God feels remorseful that he/she sins but since they live in a body of sinful flesh there is no way they can stop from sinning in the flesh. Paul couldn’t in Romans 7 and neither can we.

Ps 32:1-2
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
(NKJ)

Deceit = dishonesty / a person saying they have no sin is being dishonest (deceitful) with God. Therefore having a constant honest attitude of acknowledging your sinful nature to God and placing your faith, trust, confidence, and hope in God's work on the cross to save you from your sinful nature is true repentance. A person that does not acknowledge his/her sins (sinful nature) is being dishonest with God and will feel no need to have an constant attitude of repentance. IMHO they are like the Pharisee below.

Luke 18:11-14
11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men-- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
12 'I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'
13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'
14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
(NKJ)

The tax collector was repenting, he was sorrowful, contrite, remorseful, because of his sinfulness. But that does not mean he stopped being a sinful person or a tax collector.

HR:

The word "repentance" in Greek means to ‘change the mind.’

As a believer we already did this as a requirement for rebirth and salvation. We changed our minds and confessed our sins. God does not want us to that any longer.

Now to want to forgive and share our faults with others is another matter. This we want to do with our will as the spirit within will encourage this act. And even tell us how to heal with others.

Repentance and forgiveness of sin then is for us to others and not for God, being a true believer. - as one of my friends also told me in a similar way, as a practicing Lutheran minister.

Having a repentant heart is built-in a true believer. This is one of many things that the spirit of God working in our heart gives us. God’s spirit is renewing our minds all the time as we grow in faith. We do not have to use our will to keep renewing our mind. The spirit is doing this, we allow this and know this is happening within us all the time as we mature and become more as Christ’s spirit or heart and mind.

So, as a true believer, using our own will to repent to God is useless. Using our will to repent for sins committed against other people is necessary as part of the love we have for them. The spirit within us will nudge us to do this.

Bless you,


APAK

 

[amadeus]

Can see it in you daily, took me a long time, used to ask my dad, "but How" now it just happens, "mostly".

Believe me when I say that it must be a very regular thing. Even once daily is not often enough. Daniel prayed before God three times a day, but I suspect he communicated with God more often than that:

"Pray without ceasing." I Thess 5:17
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." Phil 4:4

I have not missed my morning time with God in years, but I have slacked off during the day more than once during that time and God has let me know about it.

The "How" is as you say: it just happens in God own time and there is no foreseeing when...

Give God the glory!

 

[bbyrd009]

and so how many sins did you commit today, i speak of those ones you dont realise you did

those are either imaginary, and i will be led into flagellation, or those are not realized because i am a hypocrite, and cannot see the accusing glance, or hear the verbal accusation, imo. But these are all irrelevant to confessing the realized sins to the one i have offended.

So here we are waiting for you to confess your sins before us... Please do you will be teh first, ever.

lol, i have confessed here before, and will no doubt have occasion to do so again? i have witnessed others confessing, too? Pretty rare though lol, yes

what i fail to note though, is any Quote of "confess your sin to God,"

or address of "confess your sins to each other," except perhaps in the most tangential manner?

Bible Search: confess your sin to God
Bible Search: confess to God

 

[mjrhealth]

those are either imaginary, and i will be led into flagellation, or those are not realized because i am a hypocrite, and cannot see the accusing glance, or hear the verbal accusation, imo. But these are all irrelevant to confessing the realized sins to the one i have offended.
lol, i have confessed here before, and will no doubt have occasion to do so again? i have witnessed others confessing, too? Pretty rare though lol, yes

what i fail to note though, is any Quote of "confess your sin to God,"

or address of "confess your sins to each other," except perhaps in the most tangential manner?

Bible Search: confess your sin to God
Bible Search: confess to God

Well next time I smack you over the head with a saucepan ill apologize...

 

[Helen]

When would a sin become the unforgivable sin? Different people will give you different answers to the question and there are likely different answers according to the person's present position in and/or with God. What does the person really know about God and God's Way and what does the person actually do with what he actually knows?

There is no such thing as an unforgivable sin.

We had a long thread on that one...remember?

 

[amadeus]

There is no such thing as an unforgivable sin.

We had a long thread on that one...remember?

Nonetheless I could still see that as a possibility on the one hand with sinlessness on the other. Where will most people be at the end? Your conclusion sounds good in a way, but it seems to me more of a human story than God's. God knows.

 

[Helen]

Nonetheless I could still see that as a possibility on the one hand with sinlessness on the other. Where will most people be at the end? Your conclusion sounds good in a way, but it seems to me more of a human story than God's. God knows.

Yes John...agree, only God knows.
But how on earth do you reconcile the work of the cross and then say there is a sin which cannot be forgiven!!
That is an oxymoron to me.
Nothing is impossible with God.
Do you want to tell me how you believe it?
But don't worry if you don't wish to get into it...I know we have done this on this forum and on others
No worries. We can 'wait and see' ...

Bless you...H x