Repentance Defined.

[DinoDillinger]

I was thinking about God today and how I received my faith. An important part that I never understood before was repentance and what it really is. Reading The Gospel brought me to repentance before I saw it for the truth. It didn't happen overnight I might add.(for me anyway)

So I was wondering if it described what happened to me anywhere. Then I remembered this...

John 12:25 "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

Now I didn't just read that passage and say ok I need to hate myself. When I read it I still loved myself and thought I deserved to go to Heaven. I did see some truth from the Gospel in that any God would want you to live as Jesus lived. I also knew that Jesus did exist. It was the whole miracles thing and rising from the dead that my logical mind couldn't take the Bible in faith for its Word on. So I knew from what I had read of the Bible that I didn't actually have faith. 1Cor 15:14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. So whatever faith I had then was empty.

This is basically how I was converted(there was prayer pretty much throughout)

Reading the Word (along with sermons)
conviction
repentance
Revelation of truth through the Holy Spirit
Faith and Love for Christ my Savior!!

Glory be to God!!! AMEN

 

[wattie]

How I was converted?

I asked Jesus to save me from my sins.

Repent-

G3340
μετανοέω
metanoeō
met-an-o-eh'-o
From G3326 and G3539; to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider (morally to feel compunction): - repent.


Believe-

G4100
πιστεύω
pisteuō
pist-yoo'-o
From G4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well being to Christ): - believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.


Call-

G1941
ἐπικαλέομαι
epikaleomai
ep-ee-kal-eh'-om-ahee
Middle voice from G1909 and G2564; to entitle; by implication to invoke (for aid, worship, testimony, decision, etc.): - appeal (unto), call (on, upon), surname.


(Rom 10:9-12) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

(John 3:14-17) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

 

[Slepsog4]

The Greek term in the NT behind our English word Repent primarily denotes a change of mind. It is followed by a change of will and behavior.

 

[MahogonySnail]

amen, and usually that change of mind happens in stages bit by bit.