Repentance Definition?

[Tinky]

 

One of the reasons this topic is important to me, is for quite awhile, I was greatly influenced by the teachings of John MacArthur and his Calvinistic leanings. 

 

I was devastated by every slip up - plagued by a secret guilt I felt ashamed to share. I think most of the problem was my lack of belief that God could still love me as much as before a fall.

I totally know where your coming from, i listened to multiple sermons from John Macarthur, i bought his study reference bible, and also attended one of his associated churches down here in florida. Rather than ephasizing that its the Spirit that will correct, Lordship salvation focuses on your own merit. Its the grace of God that teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts yes, but the way Macarthur teaches it is too much on the side of the strength of ones flesh.

 

 

 

Exactly! 

 

I became so weary "trying" that I began to question my own salvation - often.

 

I have a personality that causes me, when influenced by something, to dive right into the deep end. 

 

Intellectual laziness, I suppose. 

[Littlelambseativy]

Repentance is asking the Father, in Jesus Name to forgive you all the sins of your life and choosing to live a life that pleases Him. If you are sincere it requires nothing more, nothing less. All he wants is your heart and love. The Father is a jealous God and does not want to share your love and adoration with anything or anyone.

[Alejandro84]

 

 

One of the reasons this topic is important to me, is for quite awhile, I was greatly influenced by the teachings of John MacArthur and his Calvinistic leanings. 

 

I was devastated by every slip up - plagued by a secret guilt I felt ashamed to share. I think most of the problem was my lack of belief that God could still love me as much as before a fall.

I totally know where your coming from, i listened to multiple sermons from John Macarthur, i bought his study reference bible, and also attended one of his associated churches down here in florida. Rather than ephasizing that its the Spirit that will correct, Lordship salvation focuses on your own merit. Its the grace of God that teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts yes, but the way Macarthur teaches it is too much on the side of the strength of ones flesh.

 

 

 

Exactly! 

 

I became so weary "trying" that I began to question my own salvation - often.

 

I have a personality that causes me, when influenced by something, to dive right into the deep end. 

 

Intellectual laziness, I suppose. 

 

Yep, I hear ya on that. Glad the Lord lead you out of that spider web.

[Willa]

The true meaning of Lordship is surrendering our will to God and learning learning to walk in the Spirit. It is all done by the grace of God changing our desires and resting in all Christ has done for us on the Cross. We cease doing things in our own strength and wholly rely on Christ to change our attitudes and give us grace to live by faith.

[Qnts2]

The word in Hebrew, translated as repentance is 'shuv'. Shuv literally means 'to turn'. To turn is not just turning away from, but turning towards. If we turn away from 'drugs', but turn to a different thing like alcohol, that is not repentance. We must turn away from what is disobedient to God, and turn towards God. But, even simpler, if we turn to God, then by that action, we have turned away from all that God forbids or dislikes.  

 

So, in my view, repentance is simply, turning to God. Then God helps and gives a way for the person to come into agreement with God. Which would be allowing God to place his thoughts and desires into us. God is not only willing but happy to enable us to be conformed to Him.

[Kim1984]

I think repentance happens when you realize you aren't perfect and will make mistakes and that you need God's help to be better and are prepared to rely on His wisdom.  So I guess a change of mind is all it takes.

[OneLight]

The word means turning from bad to good, or good to better. Many in the world repent from evil acts, but they do not turn to God. That is not scriptural repentance. Scriptural repentance is turning from evil to God, or sin to forgiveness through repentance. If someone ever says "Look at me, look at how righteous I am", there is no humility in a person like that, and all they have done is swap one sin for another sin (pride). True repentance always is accompanied with humility.

[FreeinChrist]

After King David had committed two great sins, adultery with Bath-sheba, and than killing her husband Uriah; he repented and gives a good example of true repentance in Psalms 51, the whole chapter is about a great man of God, who had sinned greatly, but relied not on his own righteousness, but God's mercy; it a great read on what true repentance requires.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Psalms 51:17

 

Paul shows that repentance does not require being sinless, Romans 7:14-23; but we must serve Christ with our minds, but our flesh will war against the mind and we will be faced with defeat.  After talking about this war between our mind and the flesh, Paul makes the cry that we all know all to will:

24)  O wretched man that i am!  who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25)  I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  So that with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

 

IMO Paul refers to the Believers renewing their mind over and over again, because if we don't the flesh gains such easy victories over us; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:23-24;  Colossians 3:10.  With Christ's mind in us; I Corinthians 2:16, we know that we are forgiven so much that we dare not hold a grudge again others:  And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.  Ephesians 4:32

[B3L13v3R]

Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

 

Repentance

REPENT'ANCE, n.

 

1. Sorrow for any thing done or said; the pain or grief which a person experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his own conduct.

 

2. In theology, the pain, regret or affliction which a person feels on account of his past conduct, because it exposes him to punishment. This sorrow proceeding merely from the fear of punishment, is called legal repentance, as being excited by the terrors of legal penalties, and it may exist without an amendment of life.

 

3. Real penitence; sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude towards a Being of infinite benevolence. This is called evangelical repentance, and is accompanied and followed by amendment of life.

 

Repentance is a change of mind, or a conversion from sin to God.

 

Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. 2 Cor 7. Mat 3.

 

Repentance is the relinquishment of any practice, from conviction that it has offended God.

[1to3]

A change of heart and a willingness to let the Holy Spirit of God come into your heart and show you the way out and into becoming His new creation

Edited December 6, 2014 by 1to3