Repentance vs. Backsliding

[Jedi4Yahweh]

The bible teaches us that if a wicked person repents of their wicked ways and lives rightly that none of their sins will be remembered and will live.  On the other hand, if a righteous living person backslides and chooses to live in wickedness then none of their previous righteousness living they had done will be remembered only the wicked things they have done and will die.

"But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.  When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. [Eze 18:21-24, 26-28 ESV]

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. [2Pe 3:9 KJV]

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. [2Pe 2:20-22 KJV]

 

Edited November 22, 2020 by Jedi4Yahweh

[Not me]

2 hours ago, Jedi4Yahweh said:

The bible teaches us that if a wicked person repents of their wicked ways and lives rightly that none of their sins will be remembered and will live.  On the other hand, if a righteous living person backslides and chooses to live in wickedness then none of their previous righteousness living they had done will be remembered only the wicked things they have done and will die.

"But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.  When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. [Eze 18:21-24, 26-28 ESV]

 

The righteousness of God made manifest... 

In Christ, Not me 

[Jedi4Yahweh]

oops double post.

Edited November 22, 2020 by Jedi4Yahweh

[Jedi4Yahweh]

9 hours ago, Not me said:

The righteousness of God made manifest... 

In Christ, Not me 

HallaluYah!

Edited November 22, 2020 by Jedi4Yahweh

[NotAllThere]

14 hours ago, Jedi4Yahweh said:

The bible teaches us that if a wicked person repents of their wicked ways and lives rightly that none of their sins will be remembered and will live.  On the other hand, if a righteous living person backslides and chooses to live in wickedness then none of their previous righteousness living they had done will be remembered only the wicked things they have done and will die.

 

 

Yes. It does.

[Desopixi Seilynam]

I testify unto you, that if you continue in sin Christ will profit you nothing;

that Christ is no Savior to you unless He saves you from your sin;

and that unless it purifies your heart, faith shall profit you nothing.

You must understand, that to oppose either inward or outward holiness, under the guise of exalting Christ,

is directly to act the part of Judas the betrayer.

John Wesley, A blow at the root.

[WayneS]

15 hours ago, Jedi4Yahweh said:

But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.  When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it;

Therefore, believing in Jesus is not sufficient to save us?

Is Paul here using “a wicked person“ to separate those that are particularly evil on the average person?

[Jedi4Yahweh]

5 minutes ago, WayneS said:

Therefore, believing in Jesus is not sufficient to save us?

Is Paul here using “a wicked person“ to separate those that are particularly evil on the average person?

Jesus never preached just believe.  He preached repent and believe.  Faith in God without true repentance is not real faith.

Jesus:

...I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. [Mar 2:17 KJV]
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. [Luk 15:7 KJV]

Apostles: 

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

Paul:
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks [Gentiles], repentance toward God, AND faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. [Act 20:21 KJV]

 

 

[WayneS]

15 hours ago, Jedi4Yahweh said:

Faith in God without true repentance is not real faith.

Well said. 

[glff]

Hey! Jedi4Yahweh...  PTL!!!

Rather than repentance vs backsliding; let's call it, stumbling vs falling away since James tells us that we all stumble in many ways.

Once we believed and repented and turned to the Lord for forgiveness and were given faith by Jesus and were indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we become babes in Christ.  According to Heb 5 a babe is unskilful in the word of righteousness, needing to be tought or tought again: the first principals of the oracles of God before getting strong meat of understanding which is for the mature believer.  The elementary principals of the oracles of God are: repentance from dead works, faith towards God, doctrine of baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement.  Repentance from dead works is the only do-over on that list, though the burden of the lost's resurrection of the dead and eternal judgement can be renewed to us by the Spirit since we are all eternal priests of the new covenant with both a word and a ministry of reconciliation from the Lord.

A beliver who stumbles becomes out of fellowship with the Lord, usully from their own guilt and usully due to a sin.  The promise of the new covenant and what makes it better than the old covenant is that the Lord writes his commandments into our hearts and minds; which is transforming our consciences to perceive sin as Jesus does.  Things that we once delighted in become points of conviction and once delivered, the Holy Spirit will apply the blood of Jesus to that heart to purge that conscience from dead works to better serve the living God and then the Spirit will move onto the next sin as he chooses.  It is thus that Jesus sanctifies and cleanses his church with the washing of water by the word which empowers us to even forgive ourselves and sleep the sleep of the innocent.  The Spirit illuminates the scriptures here a little and there a little so that 3 to 5 chapters of daily devotions will lead to daily miracles in our hearts and minds, enabling us to keep the Spirit of the new covenant where Israel couldn't keep just the letter of the old one.  The difference between stumbling and falling away is that when we stumble, we get back up.  We do this by renewing our fellowship with the Lord who is found in the scriptures by the ministry of the Holy Spirit which is the only place where babes in Christ can grow up!

glf