Featured Repentance

What verse are you referring to?

 

webdog that sounds like DoG to me!!!!!!!!!!! Is it possible? No! You said regenerated by faith, not regenerated by God through His boundless Grace. I believe like repentance that faith is a gift of God the Holy Spirit.

 

Brother Webdog,

What I mean is this. God wants all of us, and not just some. I think it's like the prodigal son. He was in the "hoglot", realized his sinful condition, and knew where to go to. As he was returning home, the father was watching for him, and when he saw him coming, he ran out and met him. When the father saw him coming, he didn't wait for him to come home, but met him half-way, so-to-speak. I see him coming towards his father's house as us repenting of our sins. When God see our repentance, He then saves us.

IOW, we can't repent, and continue to run the srip clubs, party all the time with the boys, "have" many women. I do believe we "sell out" to the world and it's "play pretties". We can't serve two masters, because we must hate one and love the other. This is how I view LS. We turn from one "lord"(small "l"), and turn to THE LORD, the true God of all!!

 

Saying that God requires and enables us to have a change of heart as regards to us realising that we cannot save ourselves, and only jesus can, and place faith in Him!

repenting over personal sins happen after getting saved by God, as we would repent and confess and forsake them to God!

 

In our efforts to define repentance, let me throw this into the mix. It is coming to the point of seeing my sin as God sees it. It is repulsive to God, and so, I come to hate it too. Part of this is also coming to see the results of my sin, which of course, is separation from God.

In looking back at my own conversion at age nine, this is what happened to me. This sudden realization that I was a sinner, and those sermons on Hell came flooding back, scared the daylights out of me.

I had been going to Sunday School and church regularly, but up to that point, those teachings and messages didn't register much with me.

In retrospect, I see this as a work of the Holy Spirit to open my eyes, and convict me of my sin, draw me to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.

So, in a way, repentance is godly sorrow for sins, but also coming to hate that sin, and running to the Savior.

 

I view repentance similar to holding a piece of wood heading down the river towards a waterfall where you will perish. Someone calls out your name and tells you to grab the line they threw you. In doing so you are turning to the one saving you, but also your desire to not go over the falls is still there. You cannot turn away from the falls (sin) unless you turn to the Savior. Some would have it you can turn from the falls then reach out for saving. Doesn't work that way.

 

Think that the Lord as the repentance required for sinners to repent of trying to come to him by their efforts/works, and once saved, repenting of known sins after salvation, as when convicted by the Holy Spirit!

Just saying that the church seems to teach clean up your life, repent of sinning etc, while God asks us to to Christ just as we are first, than do the rest!

 

In my opinion, one of the many key verses to keep in focus when discussing repentance, faith, salvation... (beside the one about Godly sorrow) is found in Ga 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.​

Within this single verse is the personal work of the believer to "crucify" not only the fleshly, but also it shows the important truth that Christ died for the believer's sins.

Secondly, is the life lived in the flesh is to be a life of faith; but NOT faith that is MAN generated, for such faith is faulty, frail, and bound to fail.

Third, the faith is "by" which in the original is not a word that signifies any movement such as one might "come to Jesus." Rather, it is a significant word which indicates ownership of or title holding. I often use the illustration of cars ownership. What is the single indicator demarcating all other cars from "your" car? The title.

Fourth, the faith is the faith of Christ. PLEASE be very careful to recognize that the work is all of Christ. The verse isn't saying faith "in" but faith "of the son" which in the original is "huios" which indicates kinship.

Fifth, the verse shows the purest form of love.

Repentance is important; it is vital to becoming the believer and sustaining victory as a believer.

However, sorrow generated of this world only leads to destruction; however, "Godly sorrow (that which only God can bring by Holy Spirit conviction and believer salvation) works (katergazomai - fashions, forms, accomplishes) repentance unto salvation." 2 Cor. 7:10


Great thread, FAL!

 

Jesus was God in human flesh...

God needed to exercise faith to have things done?

 

Not certain of how your question fits into what I posted, however I will state that God doesn't need to "exercise faith" to "do" anything.

Faith has substance and it is used as evidence. It therefore would fit into a scientific realm of some elemental form - though it may be in a dimension in which we have no current understanding (think of the dark ages understanding of hygiene, atoms, germs, microbes, fungus, ...).

The "work" of salvation from the earliest stages of conviction to the finished work in glory is all of Christ. Not one small area may a mere human point and say, "I had a hand in helping the Lord God save me."

The believer "experiences" the "work" (or the effects) of the faith in their lives. Paul states that the work of faith will bring about certain benefits.

 

Are you saying faith is like some kind of force, that we have some energy going out towards God?

faith to me is basically agreeing with what God has said in His bible, and to believe in Him to do all things according to His will and in line with His promises!

 

Faith has substance and it is used as evidence. (Hebrews 11:1)

It would have force in the sense that evidence in a court of law may bring about the finding of "not guilty" to the believer. Christ said, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:36

As this example would relate (with the parameters of "force"), it is not some human generated "energy going out towards God;" rather it is God's gift (God gives the measure of faith) that Christ (our advocate) presents as the substance and which is used as evidence for our salvation.

This is not really as much of a definition of faith as part of what would be considered repentance and obedience.

Hebrews 11 has a list of events and people.

To some, they would read it from a worldly perspective in which some great man generated essence moved to accomplish some event or purpose.

This is wrong reasoning.

Believer faith is NEVER a man generated essence, rather a "gift of God" which each believer is granted.

Try reading Hebrews 11 as faith being a gift from God, measured to every believer, and according as God purposes. You will see tremendous contrast in what God has done vs what mere man cannot do.

Man generated faith never allows for a God that can frame the worlds by merely His word, and that which is seen to be made of what does not appear.

Man generated faith never can offer "a more excellent sacrifice" that would obtain not only righteousness, but being dead yet be able to speak.

Man generated faith never has achieved "translation" from this worldly existence.

Man generated faith cannot please God, for He rewards the believer that follows Him.

Man generated faith ...