What is repentance?

[Ironside]

Some say that repentance is turning away from sin. But this is to confuse the fruit of repentance to what repentance really is. Repentance is the root, turning away from sin is the fruit; the result of it:


Mt 3:8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, (NKJV)


To make it clearer...another translation might help:


Mt. 3:8 Let your change of heart be seen in your works: (BBE)


Repentance literally means a change of mind; essentially a change of attitude. In the verse above, repentance is the change of heart. Let your change of heart [repentance] be seen in your works [acts like turning away from sin etc.]

Again repentance is the change of attitude; turning from sin is the result of it. One can do acts of repentance and yet not have a repentant attitude inside. But when one changes his attitude about sin, the spontaneous result of it is that the repentnat sinner turns away from sin.



2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ... .FAITH
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . ... |
.SIN----repentance-->---------------------------->*CHRIST-SALVATION



Repentance is a change of attitude towards sin, God , self and Christ. Repentance is basically not outward acts and behavior.

When you change your attitude towards God, you will naturally [as an outgrowth] change your behavior towards God; you will revere Him. When you change your attitude towards sin; spontaneously you will change you behaviour towards it; you will leave sin. When you change your attitude towards self, it will result in not relying in the works of self for salvation; you will accept Christ as Savior. You will trust in Him alone for salvation and not in yourself and what you do but in Him alone and what He did on the cross.


"Repentance leading to salvation" is not being saved through works for repentance is a change of attitude towards sin, God, self, and Christ. Saving Faith [aside from many other things] is an attitude of the will towards Christ. Repentance is never complete when it has not reached the point of trusting Christ alone for salvation. [....repentance leading to salvation......]


Can one savingly trust in Christ without having changed his attitude towards God, sin and self? No. When one says: "Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" [Acts 16:31], implied in the directive is to change your attitude about yourself. You thought before that you can save yourself, but you can't. Your only hope is Christ. Trust in Him.


Implied in the directive to "trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" is the idea of changing one's attitude about sin. You are a sinner and you need salvation. Seeing the need of salvation implies that the genuinely repentant sinner sees the detestableness of sin. He sees the danger of sin and therefore seeks salvation. Christ died because of sin. He terribly suffered because of it. How can I relish and live in it? Changing one's attitude towards sin implies changing one's attitude towards God; He is to be honored.



When one has savingly trusted in Christ, He has already repented; he has already changed his attitude about God, sin, self and Christ. No one can have faith in Christ unless he has repented [changed his attitude towards Christ]. Faith is the chnge of attitude towards Christ. I did not trust in Him before for salvation; I trusted in myself. But now I changed my attitude towards Him; I trust Him now for salvation.

This faith came only when I realized that I could not save myself; I am a helpless and hopeless sinner. This faith came only when I realized that sin is a serious problem in my life and that it is a detestable thing to God. I abhor it now. I do not abhor and leave it because i want to escape hell and want to go to heaven. No, not that. I have completely changed my attitude towards sin that even without Hell or Heaven I will leave sin because it is a detestable thing before God. I did not abhor and leave sin because i want to save myself. You see, i saw myself a helpless and hopeless sinner, I could not save myself I finally realized. My only hope is the Savior and I will trust in Him.



Question: Do we need to continually repent all throughout our lives? Absolutely Yes. As long as we are sinners we are to repent. Our attitude towards God must always be that of revering Him; our attitude towards self must always be that of "we are helpless sinners and we cannot saved ourselves"; our attitude towards sin must always be that of hating it; our attitude towards Christ is that of: "He alone is the Savior and I will continue to trust in Him".


The book of John was primarily written as an evangelistic piece:

Joh 20:31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.


But why is it that in the book of John we can never find the word "repentance" or "repent" in it... not even once? Does that mean that repentance is unecessary? Did the apostle John forget about repentance?


No, the book was writen that you may believe [savingly trust] in the Lord Jesus Christ and believing [trusting] in Him we may have life in His name. Believing or trusting in Christ you see is a result of one having changed one's attitude towards God, sin and self. One who has already trusted in Christ implies that he has already changed his attitude towards God, sin and self. No one can ever trust in Christ without having changed his attitude towards God, self and sin.


The words: "Sin no more" in John come only after the words: "Neither do i condemn you" and "See you have been made well." [apparently his wellness goes beyond the physical realm; he was also saved from the spiritual malady of sin. It is not surprising that the Lord Jesus as the promised Messiah of Israel when He heals the children of Israel He heals completely [physical and spiritual] whereever He sees people exercising faith in Him [see Mark 2:4-10].


After one has already been saved, after one has heard the verdict: "Neither do I condemn you" and "See you have been made well" our attitude towards sin will always be that: "I wont sin no more"

[alexb]

Well explained brod. I just want to add that repentance is also from God. Saan ka pa? Salvation thru grace which is a gift from God and repentance - a prerequisite - is also from God.

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? -Romans 2:4

[Stacie Fil]

:D OK aah! Parang tag team nang Sin anatomy 101. :p

He,he,he, jok lang po. May tanong lang po kase na sumabit sa kukote ko. Halimbawa po lamang, na ako'y di Christiano. Ako ay nakatira sa isang malayong sa kabihasnan at liblib na di pa napapasyalan nang Christiano. Sakali man na may naligaw eh, di ako kasali sa mga na meet niya.

Halimbawa po na nagkautang ako sa magulang ko, sa kapatid o sa kaibigan kaya at nakalampas na sa taning pero di ko mabayaran.

Tanong:
(1.)Kung mabayaran ko naman ang utang ko at mapatawad nila, kaso di ko nga kilala si Christo. Wala akong utang kahit kanino. Matanggap kaya ako sa langit?
(2.)Kapag humingi po ba ako sa kanila nang kapatawaran sa ngalan ni Christo, mapapatawad po kaya ako. Kung hindi man ako mapatawad nang tao, matanggap kaya ako ni Christo sa langit?
(3.)Kung di ako makararating sa langit dahil di ko nakilala si Christo. Ako ba ang may kasalanan o yung christianong misyonaryo sa di namin pagtatagpo?
(4.)Kung ikaw ang nasa ganitong sitwasyon, di mo kaya maisip na ang puso ni Christo eh maliit at di para sa lahat kagaya nang sinasabi sa turo?

Papaano natin hahanapan ang wala. Paano niya maiintindihan kung di mo naman tinuruan. Sino ngayon sa inyong dalawa ang may malaking responsibilidad na siyang dapat umako nang kasalanan?


Pakipagpaliwanagan nga po ninyo ako sa aking katanungan. Salamat po sa inyong pagbibigay nang panahon.


:)

[Ironside]

Erratum:

"I won't sin no more"-------the last statement of my post above.......I would like to correct. I realized that a double negative makes a statement positive.

The statement should be: "I will sin no more"


Bro Alex:

Yes, indeed bro...repentance comes from God.


Ac 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life."


2Ti 2:25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

[alexb]

Halimbawa po na nagkautang ako sa magulang ko, sa kapatid o sa kaibigan kaya at nakalampas na sa taning pero di ko mabayaran.

Tanong:
(1.)Kung mabayaran ko naman ang utang ko at mapatawad nila, kaso di ko nga kilala si Christo. Wala akong utang kahit kanino. Matanggap kaya ako sa langit?
(2.)Kapag humingi po ba ako sa kanila nang kapatawaran sa ngalan ni Christo, mapapatawad po kaya ako. Kung hindi man ako mapatawad nang tao, matanggap kaya ako ni Christo sa langit?
(3.)Kung di ako makararating sa langit dahil di ko nakilala si Christo. Ako ba ang may kasalanan o yung christianong misyonaryo sa di namin pagtatagpo?
(4.)Kung ikaw ang nasa ganitong sitwasyon, di mo kaya maisip na ang puso ni Christo eh maliit at di para sa lahat kagaya nang sinasabi sa turo?


Sa book of Romans ipinaliwanag dun na merong mga taong hindi nga naabot ng gospel, but God has given man instincts for the Law, God has written it in every man's hearts, and God speaks to us thru our conscience. God will judge these people according to these. Hindi ganun kaliit ang puso ng Dios.


Romans 2:11 For there is no partiality with God.

Romans 2:12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;

Romans 2:13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

Romans 2:14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,

Romans 2:15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,

Romans 2:16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.



Papaano natin hahanapan ang wala. Paano niya maiintindihan kung di mo naman tinuruan. Sino ngayon sa inyong dalawa ang may malaking responsibilidad na siyang dapat umako nang kasalanan?


finger-pointing ka na sis ha, hehehe...si Jesus lang ang umako ng kasalanan ng tao, wala pa ata akong nabasa na pwedeng ipasa ang kasalanan ng isa sa iba.

The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. -Ezekiel 18:20

[alexb]

finger-pointing ka na sis ha, hehehe...

am not sure if its a he or a she, sorry :confused:

[Stacie Fil]

Sa book of Romans ipinaliwanag dun na merong mga taong hindi nga naabot ng gospel, but God has given man instincts for the Law, God has written it in every man's hearts, and God speaks to us thru our conscience. God will judge these people according to these. Hindi ganun kaliit ang puso ng Dios.


Romans 2:11 For there is no partiality with God.

Romans 2:12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;

Romans 2:13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

Romans 2:14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,

Romans 2:15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,

Romans 2:16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.





finger-pointing ka na sis ha, hehehe...si Jesus lang ang umako ng kasalanan ng tao, wala pa ata akong nabasa na pwedeng ipasa ang kasalanan ng isa sa iba.

The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. -Ezekiel 18:20


Thanks AlexB for the reply. So that means everyone has a spot for heaven. Even none Christian.

Im not finger pointing, but you've said Jesus done it. Can't he be a model? Beside your quote from Ezekiel is really good and very responsible, I think. But thats prior to Jesus teaching and ways.

Not ipapasa, but can't somebody in his own initiative take responsibility for other. Kung ang magulang natin ay kulang ang love na naituro/naibigay sa atin. Sa atin ngayon, mas pagsusumikapan natin na ituro ang mas malalim at malawak na kakayahang magmahal. In simple words, "love your neighbor". Isn't it what we are wishing for. That someone should take initiative to love others(even from different sect/belief/enemy), then everyone can follow to love one another without stumbling block/boundery?


:)

[alexb]

Thanks AlexB for the reply. So that means everyone has a spot for heaven. Even none Christian.

Im not finger pointing, but you've said Jesus done it. Can't he be a model? Beside your quote from Ezekiel is really good and very responsible, I think. But thats prior to Jesus teaching and ways.

Not ipapasa, but can't somebody in his own initiative take responsibility for other. Kung ang magulang natin ay kulang ang love na naituro/naibigay sa atin. Sa atin ngayon, mas pagsusumikapan natin na ituro ang mas malalim at malawak na kakayahang magmahal. In simple words, "love your neighbor". Isn't it what we are wishing for. That someone should take initiative to love others(even from different sect/belief/enemy), then everyone can follow to love one another without stumbling block/boundery?


:)

oo naman, kahit di Christian, yan ang nakasulat sa bible...

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands -Rev 7:9

pero... merong pero... iba yung di naka-alam totally about Jesus sa mga naka-alam pero di tinanggap Siya. different categories. Romans 2:11-16

Even in OT times it was Jesus who spoke in these prophets writings. He didn't change the rules in Ezekiel when He came.

Yes, we should love our neighbors, but without compromising the truth.