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Post by Beck on Jul 19, 2006 9:51:18 GMT -5
What is repentance, and what is the importance of it?
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Post by And Such Were Some Of You on Jul 19, 2006 10:14:58 GMT -5
What is repentance, and what is the importance of it? Great question! Repentance is a change of mind. I also go a step further when dealing with Christians and unbelievers is that it is to turn away from sin and towards God. Many people feel that asking for forgiveness is the same as repentance but it is not. Forgiveness is asking God not to pay the penalty that I deserve for my sin. Repentance requires first a heart change and that change of heart will manifest outwardly. I was going to bring this point up in the "Salvation & Deliverance" thread. Again, great question bro! |
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Post by Beck on Jul 19, 2006 10:24:51 GMT -5
Good post... Most people get being remorseful for being caught in the act confused with true repentance. "MOST" of the time when people repent, they repent because they were caught doing something wrong, and they ask god for forgiveness with the intent to do it again if placed in a compromising situation. If we are truly of a repented heart, we are TURNING away from the guilt, the sin, and the same of the act, and TURNING to God's grace, mercy, healing, strength, stability, comfort, and POWER. Psalms 51 is a very good example of a repentive heart, which was penned by david after his thing with bathsheba...
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Post by MsKayLander on Jul 19, 2006 12:12:23 GMT -5
I think it is a change of heart. I believe once your heart changes everything else falls in place. You change change your mind over and over again... but when my heart changes, it changes everything....true repentance comes from the heart and not the mind....
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Post by Beck on Jul 19, 2006 15:13:15 GMT -5
I think it is a change of heart. I believe once your heart changes everything else falls in place. You change change your mind over and over again... but when my heart changes, it changes everything....true repentance comes from the heart and not the mind.... how can we get it to be a heart thing and not a mind thing? |
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Post by And Such Were Some Of You on Jul 19, 2006 15:15:59 GMT -5
I think it is a change of heart. I believe once your heart changes everything else falls in place. You change change your mind over and over again... but when my heart changes, it changes everything....true repentance comes from the heart and not the mind.... how can we get it to be a heart thing and not a mind thing? I believe this is where the truth of God's Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit comes. Once we are aware of our "error" and truth has been revealed then it is up to us to take appropriate action. As David said: "thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee". |
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Post by Jasmine on Jul 19, 2006 15:41:40 GMT -5
Also flowing from our hearts are the issues of life. So if are heart has not been changed, our mind wont change.
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Post by And Such Were Some Of You on Jul 19, 2006 16:00:59 GMT -5
Also flowing from our hearts are the issues of life. So if are heart has not been changed, our mind wont change. You don't think the mind has to change before the heart? If I don't first change my mind to STOP doing something how can I then get my heart to change? Or am I looking at it the wrong way....lol (sratching head) Okay, I have been thinking too much today --- I am going home! |
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Post by Jasmine on Jul 19, 2006 17:37:50 GMT -5
ASWSOY, I think I agree with you. I believe it is the mind that must change first. Now, I also think that since the heart is the central center of our emotions. When we have the "will & desire" to do something, we are going to do it. The will and desire seats in the center of the heart, not the mind.
So I think at times it could be both.
Pr 23:7 - For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
It appears that its the matters of our heart.
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Post by And Such Were Some Of You on Jul 20, 2006 5:44:38 GMT -5
Okay, now that I have had somewhat of a good night sleep. Let me attempt to explain what I meant by mind first, then heart. When you are in church listening to the Word of God, or if you are at home reading/listening to the Word, it first challenges your mind. Either it confirms what you already believed, and thus are living, or the Holy Spirit will bring conviction thus challenging your mind and requiring action on your part. At this point one has to make some decisions am I going to ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit and continue with a hard heart or will I allow my heart to receive what my mind already has. When I think of the scripture that talks about "renewing the mind", "having the mind of Christ" and "thinking on these things" causes me to believe that when I am actually doing those things, then it becomes a heart issue for me. Another example I think of as I type is this: When I first became a Christian, I only had head knowledge of who God is. I had book knowledge and that was it. As I became to know Him in an intimate way it became a heart issue. I like the scripture, "guard your heart for out of it flows the issues of life." How does one guard their hearts? I believe that it is keeping your mind renewed in the Word of God, by having the mind of Christ, and by thinking on these things: - whatever is true
- whatever is honorable
- whatever is right
- whatever is pure
- whatever is lovely
- whatever is of good repute
- if there is any excellence and
- if anything worthy of praise
let your mind think on these things. (ref. Phil. 4:8] |
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Post by auneeqsol on Jul 20, 2006 9:09:51 GMT -5
Some ppl teach that the mind and heart in terms are interchangeable. So it might be the same way, but I can see both sides tho.
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Post by And Such Were Some Of You on Jul 20, 2006 10:19:11 GMT -5
Some ppl teach that the mind and heart in terms are interchangeable. So it might be the same way, but I can see both sides tho. Riding to work this morning, I was thinking the same thing and was going to ask Jasmine if she thought the same because I, too, can see both sides. |
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Post by MsKayLander on Jul 20, 2006 11:28:51 GMT -5
The heart can operate outside of the brain as it has it's own operating system. The mind needs other things to operate... the heart doesn't. The word hits your heart and then changes your mind... the mind does not change the heart....only GOD knows the very thought and intents of the heart... that is why he looks at the heart... think about this....if pornography weren’t a 10 billion a year industry in our culture, there would be sexual immorality. Pornography doesn’t cause sexual immorality, but it’s a symptom of what is inside the human heart, not the conditions where you live... not because of what comes on tv... but what's in the heart....
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Post by Beck on Jul 20, 2006 11:55:12 GMT -5
Okay here is some thoughts that I wrote down...
What is repentance? The New World Dictionary says "repent" means "to feel sorry or self-reproachful for what one has done or failed to do; be conscience-stricken or contrite ... to feel such regret or dissatisfaction over some past action, intention, etc., as to change one's mind about ... to feel so contrite over one’s sins as to change or decide to change one's ways; be penitent ... to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite, over [an error, sin, etc.] ... to feel such regret or dissatisfaction over it as to change one's mind about..
“Greek: Metanoeo: to change one's mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins. This word is used 32 times in the new testament.
Why should we repent?
Jesus preached repentance (Luke 13:3-5, Mark 1:14-15, Matthew 4:17), Paul taught it when he wrote the Corinthian church following a particularly embarrassing case of incest within the congregation. He said, "Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow Worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh death"' (II Corinthians 7:9, 10).
The change Repentance brings
Before conversion to the resurrected Jesus, Paul was a evil dude. He was devoutly religious. He was well studied. He was accomplished in scripture. Yet, he was just evil. In his own declarations, he thought he should do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 26:9). He imprisoned many Christians (Acts 26:10). He voted for their deaths (Acts 26:10). He physically abused Christians he found in synagogues in an effort to force them to blaspheme because he was "furiously enraged" at them (Acts 26:11). Can you believe God made a man like that a powerful missionary and the most prolific New Testament writer? Paul stated why God did this in 1 Timothy 1:12-16. It occurred because of the incomprehensible mercy of the incredible God expressed through Jesus Christ. God knew what Paul was, and Paul knew what Paul was! Yet, God sent Jesus to save sinners. If God could save the worst sinner, that would forever evidence God could save any sinner.
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Post by MsKayLander on Jul 20, 2006 12:05:29 GMT -5
I still think repentance is a change of heart... until my heart changed I was still sinning in my heart...
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