Repentance

Repentance seems like this today:
Imagine a married man wakes up and leaves to commit adultery against his wife, comes back home with a sorry heart and says to his wife, “Hello dear, I’ve just commit adultery against you, I am very sorry, I will never do it again…
…what’s for supper?

Or, I can give an example from the Bible (or what did not happen in Scripture).
[b]Mat 26:75[/b] And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, who said unto him, Before the cock crows, you shall deny me three times. And he went to Jesus with hat in hand, looked sheepishly at Jesus and said, “Oops, what do you know, your right; I did deny You three times?
I am very sorry, I’ll never do it again…
So, I wonder what Judas is up to?

Logic, you're absolutely right on that one, but it leads to relevant questions and thoughts...
For a number of years, i have prayed for conviction against sin, to see it in the same light as God and to desire not to do it. However, i have never felt the conviction in that way i have read about in Edwards' account of the Great Awakening, or in the way it was experienced by Job after God's discourse. What i have learned is that i cannot genuinely conjure conviction against sin or conjure a love for God, but when i commit sin of commission I'm not sure what else i can do but at least try to feel sorry!

It's my hope that God gives me this conviction and freedom from sin as i knew in the first weeks of my new life; i admit that picture of repentance you mentioned has been my normal practice of it. I also know i'm not alone in saying this; has anybody else known this kind of 'repentance' yet known God's gift of conviction to lead them into a greater awareness of His grace?

In Him,
Ben

Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

First and foremost repentace is a commandment from God and I believe that we don't have to wait for a sort of dramatic conviction before we comply. I understand though what dantejones is saying, having plead the same prayer many times.

But let's look at the simplicity of obedience that Abraham showed when God called him:

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee...

...Gen 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Having counted the cost, let's begin and continue our Christian journey in simplicity of faith, trusting the grace of God as we go on even unto the unknown.

Just because one may never do ta certain sin again, does not mean that he has repented of it.

For example:
When I was first saved, I still wanted to get stoned.
My affection for it caused me to stumble because
I never realy stopped wanting to stop smoking pot. (I have now, I'm talking about back then)

Did I really repent of it, even though I made a resolution to never smoke pot again?
I would say no.
My affection for it reveals my heart, I realy did not repent, I only stoped acting upon what I really wanted to do.
I only repented when I finally realized that I hated getting stoned and took a dislike towards it.

True repentance is hating the sin, not just stopping it.

@Logic,

Please bear with me, but I am confused with your last post.

It seems, that your definition of repentance has gone overboard. If you haven't really repented of your drug abuse then, how can you say that you have been saved at that time.

Are men really capable of such change in their hearts? or is it part of the regenerating or sanctifying work of God.

Who will be saved then? Was this the repentance that John 'the baptist' and the apostles were preaching?

passerby wrote:

It seems, that your definition of repentance has gone overboard. If you haven't really repented of your drug abuse then, how can you say that you have been saved at that time?

It is that relationship which is eternal life (John 17:3) not a matter of specific repentance.

What I mean about specific repentance is repenting of this & that.

The first & foremost repentance is that I repented with faith from my independance from Christ (trusting in my own effoerts to attain God's favor); this is my Salvation (Act 20:21).

Are men really capable of such change in their hearts?.

My brother was saved about 15 years ago.
He was in the homosexuality "lifestyle" (he was gay).

For about fifteen years he has been fighting temptaion with perverted lusts for the same gender; stumbling with gay porn.
A few months ago, he backslid and fornacated with a man.

I told him that he has never realy repented of this, because he is still a homosexual at heart; his actions prove it.

In contrast to my brother is one of my best friends.
He was a radeging alchoholic and drugy.
When he got saved, after a month or so, he thought that he would go to a bar and play some pool (He [b]LOVES[/b] pool), however he got drunk.
The next day, he did not go out of his apartment, did not say a word all day, in mourning over his sin.
after that, he has never gotten drunk ever again; however, he may enjoy a glass of wine now & then. He can even enjoy a beer if he chooses, more over, he is not a so called "recovering alchoholic", but a man who has truly repented; his actions which reviel his heart prove it.

So, yes, men really capable of such change in their hearts, they are commanded to; command implies ability.
My brother must come to the point where he mournes over his sin ([b]Mat 5:4[/b] [color=990000]Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.[/color])

or is it part of the regenerating or sanctifying work of God

Sanctification is a process, it is God dealing with you and working with you to help you to change/be conformed more & more to the image of His Son.
One must be willing AND it is a partnership in one obeying God.

Who will be saved then?

Was this the repentance that John 'the baptist' and the apostles were preaching?

John 'the baptist' and the apostles preached repentance [b]from[/b] these worthless things [b]to[/b] the living God(Act 14:15-16)
Repentance toward God (from other gods or things), and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (away from their own efforts to gain favor with God)(Act 20:21).

Repentance from specific sin can only come as an effect of the first; the first is the foundation (1Corinth 3:11, Eph 2:20, 2Tim 2:19, Heb 6:1)

I hope this clears thing up for you.

I like what Keith Daniels said in one particular message in which he used as an example of a drunkard that comes into the church with a bottle in his hand, hears the call for Salvation, goes down the aisle to the altar to receive Salvation, still with the bottle in his hand(I am totally fine with). Then supposedly receives salvation and departs, STILL with the bottle in his hand( I'm not fine with this). What has taken place here??

rnieman wrote:
I like what Keith Daniels said in one particular message in which he used as an example of a drunkard that comes into the church with a bottle in his hand, hears the call for Salvation, goes down the aisle to the altar to receive Salvation, still with the bottle in his hand(I am totally fine with). Then supposedly receives salvation and departs, STILL with the bottle in his hand( I'm not fine with this). What has taken place here??

However, if the bottle never leaves the picture (as pot did with me), then it prooves his relationship with the Father through Christ is non-existant.