The Necessity of REPENTANCE

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Nov 11, 2009
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Is repentance necessary for Salvation in light of the following words by Charles Spurgeon? "If thou hast not felt that hell is thy just desert, and that if God banish thee for ever from himself, to the place where hope and peace can never come, he has only done with thee what thou hast richly earned. If thou hast not felt that the flames of hell are the ripe harvest which thy sins have sown, thou hast never yet repented at all. We must acknowledge the justice of the penalty as well as the guilt of the sin, or else it is but a mock repentance which we pretend to possess. Down on thy face, sinner, down on thy face; put away thine ornaments from thee, that he may know what to do with thee. No more anoint thine head and wash thy face, but fast and bow thy head and mourn. Thou hast made heaven mourn, thou hast made earth sad, thou hast digged a grave in hell for thyself. Confess thine iniquity with shame, and with confusion of face; bow down before the God of mercy and acknowledge that if he spare thee it will be his free mercy that shall do it; but if he destroy thee, thou shalt not have one word to say against the justice of the solemn sentence." Tell me what you think guys and girls.
 
Jan 8, 2009
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#2
Yes repentance is necessary, repentance is simply changing your mind about something. Even in the most basic case of a person not believing in God, to believing in God, that is repentance.
 
G

Graybeard

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#3
I agree with snail, repentance is necessary.
 
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shad

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#4
Repentance is agreeing with God by faith, about the blood sacrifice of God, against yourself. When I say yourself I mean your thoughts, your ways, your own righteousness, your self atonement , your sincere desire for the things of God (even the gift of the Holy Spirit) and even the personality makeup and disposition of your soul. God has to initiate to us through grace before we can agree with Him. When God initiates to us, that is the goodness of God because He does not have to do it. That goodness leads us to repentance to be received by faith. Repentance can only come when God extends His mercy to us. No one can repent, in and of themselves, because repentance is a gift of grace. Esau sought repentance carefully with tears and found no place for it, because God did not initiate His goodness to Esau after he sold his birthright as a profane person.

David made a declaration in Ps 23:6 concerning the goodness of God; 'Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...' David did not have to follow after goodness and mercy but it followed him. Esau went after the goodness and mercy of God as a profane person in his flesh to get back what had been taken from him and given to another, Jacob, but he did not find that place of God's goodness and mercy and being rejected found no place of repentance. He was careful to make sure he had remorse with tears before God but was rejected because it was all contrived in his flesh. This same thing happened when Cain's offering was rejected by God and his brother Abel's was received / Gen 4:3-5.

When people and preachers are always trying to get you to repent without the goodness and mercy of God, they are acting like a profane person without any understanding about the blood of Christ. It is their treatment of the blood of Christ that keeps others from turning from themselves to the cross of Christ. They contribute to others failing the grace of God because of a root of bitterness within that ends up defiling others. Many of them have sold out their birthright to salvation by grace and encourage others to do the same because their religion has been defiled by their own system of righteousness that comes from the flesh of Adam instead of the blood of Christ.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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Yes repentance is necessary, repentance is simply changing your mind about something. Even in the most basic case of a person not believing in God, to believing in God, that is repentance.
Snail you are half right repentance does involve a change of mind, but that also inevitably leads to a change of life or action. The sinner/christian when being granted the gift of repentance is first illuminated or shown their sin by the Holy Spirit and they begin to see it as it really is, as SIN. Then Humiliation comes, they begin to realize they have sinned against a very just, loving, and Holy God and they Feel horrible that they have hurt such an one by their sins! They also feel that their sins DESERVE Hell. Then Detestation; they actually begin to hate and loathe their sin because they see it as the horrible thing it is. They are in sorrow because they have wounded the God they Love by their sin. Now they begin to hate sin just as HE hates it. Last but no least is Transformation. They forsake their sin and walk in holiness in regards to that area of life. So they actually turn from it and stop doing it! I am by no means saying that repentance is perfect or that we after repenting wont have to repent of that same sin later in life. But what I am saying id God Given repentance produces real changes in the sinner's or believer's lives. One leading to Salvation, the other to more Sanctification. GBU
 
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Definition_Christ

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#6
2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. One repentance leads to salvation the other to sanctification.
 
May 21, 2009
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#8
You have to repent. Over and over and over.
 
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