Turning from sin

[homwardbound]

Every church, true believers and unbelievers, teach that Jesus is the Savior Who died for sins and arose.
The key lies in the Biblical response.
Two responses are most common:
1. Calling upon the Lord
2. Believe (faith, trust)

What unbiblical religion and traditions do is interject a false/ unbiblical response like the one you mentioned for example, "committing your life to Christ."

What we don't know is what that actually means. To an unbeliever, that would sound like a work of that individual rather than faith/believing.

Another one I just read yesterday on a pastor's website was that " he gave his life to Christ."
What's wrong with that testimony?

So an unholy man offered the holy Savior an Unholy sacrifice.
What was wrong with Christ's sacrifice? Wasn't it enough? So did that pastor decide that he had to add his own filthy rag, his own basket of fruit to the Lord Mr. Cain?

The funny thing about this is that the pastor's name is actually Kane. It's just spelled with a "k" instead.
Sad thing is that he is misleading many with his false gospel.

I see Paul glories in both, those that are sincere and those in falsehood for self gain
I will glory in both, because Jesus Christ is preached
Paul got taught from God to glory in all things, to know God sees all and will take all and use it for the good for us all to see truth to believe God personally each
Just my thought, over it all in the call to love all from God Father given me through risen Son to do as lead, knowing right form wrong
I heard your hurt in your post, so sorry for that to have happened to you in past and now out of it to stand, thank you. Please watch out for the anger that can get the best of anyone, I think you do, yet the hurt remains.
Hurt for me too remains too, learning. to stand anyways in God's mysterious ways of love for us all. Thanks

 

[Follower777]

I would be interested to know your thoughts on this.

I believe repent at salvation means to change your mind, heart about who Jesus is..to believe in Him.

I believe..we can 'turn from sin' as a behaviour of change after conversion. It's not the requirement for salvation.

Knowing you are a sinner, deserving hell, and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Believing He is God, that He lived sinless, that He died and rose again. That by believing, you have eternal life.

That's salvation. Not about your behaviour of doing good. That good behaviour of turning from sin..comes because you are saved..in response to salvation.. but it's not the way of salvation.

Repent= change of mind, heart.

Right on ! Brother, It's ALL about the condition of our heart, character .. It MUST be like Christ .. Having the Righteousness of Christ

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me:" Gal. 2:20

I'm an ol' guy and having been a "worldling" most my life, lost in the lusts of my selfishness, ... after having become a follower of Jesus, I still find it difficult to STAY repented of old character habits, ie " lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and pride of life." 1 John 2:16 Finding myself continually asking forgiveness for 1 John 2:16 ...

I've come to find out, thru study of God's Word and prayer that this is the Sanctification process. It's the struggle and "race" that the apostle Paul wrote of, in 1 Cor. 9:24. I find myself considering Romans 7 quite often, when I struggle with maintaining my repentance, as in when Jesus said, "Go and sin no more" John 8:11

Here are some notes, points, that I have found, to help with being "Repentant", unto salvation.

Staying in a state of repentance is not a one-time act but a daily experience of humility, confession, and dependence on Christ. True repentance involves the heart, and maintaining it requires cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

How to Stay Repented:

• Surrender daily to Christ
• Allow the Holy Spirit to guide
• Examine yourself regularly
• Confess and forsake sin promptly
• Focus on Christ, not feelings or self
• Stay in prayer and the Word
• Behold God’s love and holiness

I pray this confirms your understandings
Have a Blessed Day, Brother

 

[homwardbound]

Well, see here is the thing, to make God "the authority and ruler of our every being and lives truly subitting to him and his will the all powerful all ruling God and king"...

How is that related to:

KJB:
(Act 16:30) And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
(Act 16:31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

and

(Rom 10:9) 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.
(Rom 10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

I know exactly the phrases you are saying.. I've heard and seen them over and over.. but does it really get down to the simple statement:

Know you are a sinner, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

For anyone that turns sincere to God. God will take in and reveal to him/her truth that is beyond understanding to the human flesh
And one will stop sin, and that not be of them trying to do it either. God gets all the credit, not anyone else and Father and Son are Won (One) won for us to be new too and love all as Son has done that once for us all to love all, at least me I see, was blind, then picked up the hammer and saw, whether or not another does us wrong, matters not anymore. I know in past I did and repented to God in trust to God, now given risen Son to lead me new in Father, the Holy Spirit as did Jesus first
thanks

 

[homwardbound]

Right on ! Brother, It's ALL about the condition of our heart, character .. It MUST be like Christ .. Having the Righteousness of Christ

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me:" Gal. 2:20

I'm an ol' guy and having been a "worldling" most my life, lost in the lusts of my selfishness, ... after having become a follower of Jesus, I still find it difficult to STAY repented of old character habits, ie " lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and pride of life." 1 John 2:16 Finding myself continually asking forgiveness for 1 John 2:16 ...

I've come to find out, thru study of God's Word and prayer that this is the Sanctification process. It's the struggle and "race" that the apostle Paul wrote of, in 1 Cor. 9:24. I find myself considering Romans 7 quite often, when I struggle with maintaining my repentance, as in when Jesus said, "Go and sin no more" John 8:11

Here are some notes, points, that I have found, to help with being "Repentant", unto salvation.

Staying in a state of repentance is not a one-time act but a daily experience of humility, confession, and dependence on Christ. True repentance involves the heart, and maintaining it requires cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

How to Stay Repented:

• Surrender daily to Christ
• Allow the Holy Spirit to guide
• Examine yourself regularly
• Confess and forsake sin promptly
• Focus on Christ, not feelings or self
• Stay in prayer and the Word
• Behold God’s love and holiness

I pray this confirms your understandings
Have a Blessed Day, Brother

Work, work, work, work, sweat, sweat, sweat, until one day one, anyone see truth over error still going on in the present
then see one day new as in Gal 2:20 too, thank you
It is not of me, it is of God in risen Son form us to ben new in and not alive to the flesh any longer
Actually new in risen Son the Holy Spirit leading, not the self any longer anymore Phil 3:1-20
Romans 6:11 reckon that long enough it becomes you the new you, no more thinking about sin that brings more sin as in Romans 7 reveals to God's kids to see how to stop sin from Gods alone for them, Ready, set. go thank you for your post

 

[GWH]

Right on ! Brother, It's ALL about the condition of our heart, character .. It MUST be like Christ .. Having the Righteousness of Christ

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me:" Gal. 2:20

I'm an ol' guy and having been a "worldling" most my life, lost in the lusts of my selfishness, ... after having become a follower of Jesus, I still find it difficult to STAY repented of old character habits, ie " lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and pride of life." 1 John 2:16 Finding myself continually asking forgiveness for 1 John 2:16 ...

I've come to find out, thru study of God's Word and prayer that this is the Sanctification process. It's the struggle and "race" that the apostle Paul wrote of, in 1 Cor. 9:24. I find myself considering Romans 7 quite often, when I struggle with maintaining my repentance, as in when Jesus said, "Go and sin no more" John 8:11

Here are some notes, points, that I have found, to help with being "Repentant", unto salvation.

Staying in a state of repentance is not a one-time act but a daily experience of humility, confession, and dependence on Christ. True repentance involves the heart, and maintaining it requires cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

How to Stay Repented:

• Surrender daily to Christ
• Allow the Holy Spirit to guide
• Examine yourself regularly
• Confess and forsake sin promptly
• Focus on Christ, not feelings or self
• Stay in prayer and the Word
• Behold God’s love and holiness

I pray this confirms your understandings
Have a Blessed Day, Brother

It appears that you have an accurate understanding of God's Requirement For Salvation/Sanctification.
Welcome to CC!

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

Right on ! Brother, It's ALL about the condition of our heart, character .. It MUST be like Christ .. Having the Righteousness of Christ

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me:" Gal. 2:20

I'm an ol' guy and having been a "worldling" most my life, lost in the lusts of my selfishness, ... after having become a follower of Jesus, I still find it difficult to STAY repented of old character habits, ie " lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and pride of life." 1 John 2:16 Finding myself continually asking forgiveness for 1 John 2:16 ...

I've come to find out, thru study of God's Word and prayer that this is the Sanctification process. It's the struggle and "race" that the apostle Paul wrote of, in 1 Cor. 9:24. I find myself considering Romans 7 quite often, when I struggle with maintaining my repentance, as in when Jesus said, "Go and sin no more" John 8:11

Here are some notes, points, that I have found, to help with being "Repentant", unto salvation.

Staying in a state of repentance is not a one-time act but a daily experience of humility, confession, and dependence on Christ. True repentance involves the heart, and maintaining it requires cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

How to Stay Repented:

• Surrender daily to Christ
• Allow the Holy Spirit to guide
• Examine yourself regularly
• Confess and forsake sin promptly
• Focus on Christ, not feelings or self
• Stay in prayer and the Word
• Behold God’s love and holiness

I pray this confirms your understandings
Have a Blessed Day, Brother

I agree that repentance is an ongoing daily thing that is part of, what theologians call, Progressive Sanctification. I constantly work on my thought process, attitude to wrongs and put to death daily the sin nature if the flesh. This is BECAUSE I am already saved, a one time decision became an everlasting reality. Nothing can change that destiny in Christ that He did once for all.

The problem lies with those who preach works for salvation. They mix progressive sanctification, which IS works with the unmerited Salvation from Hell which is the wrath of God from where one is saved forever.
Eternal life is not a process as many false translations say. It is a gift given by God at faith in the Son, apart from works.
This is the distinction I make when telling others about the Savior.
After the person trust Christ alone for that gift, there are many things that God wants them to experience in growth as a believer and fellowship with Him.

 

[homwardbound]

I agree that repentance is an ongoing daily thing that is part of, what theologians call, Progressive Sanctification. I constantly work on my thought process, attitude to wrongs and put to death daily the sin nature if the flesh. This is BECAUSE I am already saved, a one time decision became an everlasting reality. Nothing can change that destiny in Christ that He did once for all.

The problem lies with those who preach works for salvation. They mix progressive sanctification, which IS works with the unmerited Salvation from Hell which is the wrath of God from where one is saved forever.
Eternal life is not a process as many false translations say. It is a gift given by God at faith in the Son, apart from works.
This is the distinction I make when telling others about the Savior.
After the person trust Christ alone for that gift, there are many things that God wants them to experience in growth as a believer and fellowship with Him.

Grows each new person into maturity
Hebrews 5:12-6:3 thanks fr you post insightful to me

 

[Blain]

Well, see here is the thing, to make God "the authority and ruler of our every being and lives truly subitting to him and his will the all powerful all ruling God and king"...

How is that related to:

KJB:
(Act 16:30) And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
(Act 16:31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

and

(Rom 10:9) 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.
(Rom 10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

I know exactly the phrases you are saying.. I've heard and seen them over and over.. but does it really get down to the simple statement:

Know you are a sinner, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

It relate to it because it is a part of salvation, to believe on Jesus Christ is to submit to him at least that is how it happened for me and then the change happened.
Repent was a common thing Jesus said adfter all and to repent is to submit our sins to him and to submit ourselves as well

 

[BillG]

I would be interested to know your thoughts on this.

There are many gospel tracts that have in their salvation talk..

'Turn from sin' and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is what they think 'repent' means.

The thing about this is God Himself repented of what He was going to do in the OT.

It was a 'change of mind, heart'.

I believe repent at salvation means to change your mind, heart about who Jesus is..to believe in Him.

I believe..we can 'turn from sin' as a behaviour of change after conversion. It's not the requirement for salvation.

Knowing you are a sinner, deserving hell, and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Believing He is God, that He lived sinless, that He died and rose again. That by believing, you have eternal life.

That's salvation. Not about your behaviour of doing good. That good behaviour of turning from sin..comes because you are saved..in response to salvation.. but it's not the way of salvation.

Repent= change of mind, heart.

Your thoughts?

John 16:7-11
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

Grows each new person into maturity
Hebrews 5:12-6:3 thanks fr you post insightful to me

Thanks for bringing the subject up.
It just occurred to me while thinking about it....
I agree with you that we certainly need that growth. We have been told in the believers' "John 3:16" for our maturing, 2 Timothy 3:16

16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

That requires a lifetime of good works to grow up.
However, being spiritually born into the family was not a labor.

John 3:16
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Believing/faith in the only begotten Son of God is the absence of works.
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
AND
Titus 3
5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us....

All Scripture instructs the believers in Christ in perfection, wherein the gospel of John is written primarily to the hell bound to be saved by Jesus sacrifice with no sacrifice on their part.

31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

I think you already know that, but you reminded me by your comment on the most vital doctrine everyone needs to hear. Once this truth is acknowledged, then the Lord opens up understanding on the topic of God's repentance, the believer's repentance and national repentance. They are different subjects that take more study/ reading.
Have a blessed day!

 

[homwardbound]

John 16:7-11
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

yet, how far are we to go accusing and excusing sin in self and others?
I see that a constant judging from others going on and I did that also. no more
Nor connect to any crowd that comes across as better than other either

I, just Love all as I am loved first by God in Son first
Romans 8:1-3

 

[wattie]

Right on ! Brother, It's ALL about the condition of our heart, character .. It MUST be like Christ .. Having the Righteousness of Christ

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me:" Gal. 2:20

I'm an ol' guy and having been a "worldling" most my life, lost in the lusts of my selfishness, ... after having become a follower of Jesus, I still find it difficult to STAY repented of old character habits, ie " lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and pride of life." 1 John 2:16 Finding myself continually asking forgiveness for 1 John 2:16 ...

I've come to find out, thru study of God's Word and prayer that this is the Sanctification process. It's the struggle and "race" that the apostle Paul wrote of, in 1 Cor. 9:24. I find myself considering Romans 7 quite often, when I struggle with maintaining my repentance, as in when Jesus said, "Go and sin no more" John 8:11

Here are some notes, points, that I have found, to help with being "Repentant", unto salvation.

Staying in a state of repentance is not a one-time act but a daily experience of humility, confession, and dependence on Christ. True repentance involves the heart, and maintaining it requires cooperation with the Holy Spirit.

How to Stay Repented:

• Surrender daily to Christ
• Allow the Holy Spirit to guide
• Examine yourself regularly
• Confess and forsake sin promptly
• Focus on Christ, not feelings or self
• Stay in prayer and the Word
• Behold God’s love and holiness

I pray this confirms your understandings
Have a Blessed Day, Brother

Thanks for the post. I would think the 7 things you have there would be the right response to having eternal life, than the means of getting or keeping eternal life.

Eternal salvation vs daily service

 

[BillG]

yet, how far are we to go accusing and excusing sin in self and others?
I see that a constant judging from others going on and I did that also. no more
Nor connect to any crowd that comes across as better than other either

I, just Love all as I am loved first by God in Son first
Romans 8:1-3

Matthew 18:15-20

Dealing with a Sinning Brother
15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’
17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Your thoughts.

 

[BillG]

yet, how far are we to go accusing and excusing sin in self and others?
I see that a constant judging from others going on and I did that also. no more
Nor connect to any crowd that comes across as better than other either

I, just Love all as I am loved first by God in Son first
Romans 8:1-3

I used to ask God to forgive me of the things I did wrong, not acting as a child of our Father in heaven.

Then one day when sat praying the above I honestly felt the Holy Spirit say "What about the sins you committed you didn't know you committed"

I did that and boy was it an eye opener.

It's easy to confess what you know but hard to accept what you didn't know.

But praise God he has given us the Holy Spirit to conform us to the image of Jesus.

 

[lrs68]

There are many gospel tracts that have in their salvation talk..

'Turn from sin' and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

This immediately presents 2 idealisms, don't it?

Those who believe we have the free will to [turn from sin] + [to believe on the Lord Jesus]...and... those who believe God does this for the person because that person has been selected by God to be saved aside from the many that God chooses to toss into eternal damnation forever.

So, the real question is before diving deeper into thought would be how do you view ['Turn from sin' and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ]?

 

[wattie]

This immediately presents 2 idealisms, don't it?

Those who believe we have the free will to [turn from sin] + [to believe on the Lord Jesus]...and... those who believe God does this for the person because that person has been selected by God to be saved aside from the many that God chooses to toss into eternal damnation forever.

So, the real question is before diving deeper into thought would be how do you view ['Turn from sin' and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ]?

I believe you can only 'turn from sin' after conversion.

I believe people have the free will to believe or reject Jesus's offer of salvation. Not calvinism..but 'turning from sin ' isn't part of salvation.

Knowing you are a sinner, deserving hell and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. That is it.

Not making a higher purchase agreement with Jesus that is conditional on good behaviour.

Sometimes when people say 'turn from sin' and believe.. they are just meaning.. turn to Jesus for salvation.

But it can be easily interpreted to mean good works leading to salvation. The good behaviour of turning from sin giving salvation.

That is works based salvation.

 

[SomeDisciple]

I would be interested to know your thoughts on this.

There are many gospel tracts that have in their salvation talk..

There are many gospel tracts that need a serious update; I found one in the lobby of the building I work in and the "rich man" in it was rich because he had a 90's looking sports car, a shiny watch, and a turtleneck... but I think even if we were still in the 90's this kind of throwing quips at rich people in a little tract or pamphlet would be unpersuasive and ineffective.

As far as the rest of the post goes; you seem to believe that Salvation=justification: a *POOF* I'm saved! theology that treats sanctification like it's some kind of add-on, or just butter on the bread of life when it is an essential ingredient of the bread. Good works may not be the way to salvation; but, they're definitely the way of salvation.

Jesus died not just to atone for our sins; but for our sanctification; so that we could have eternal life; because without holiness no man will see the Lord.
“Here I am, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all....because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.

And turning from sin and turning to God are the same thing; there is no where else to turn from sin, but to God; and if you turn to God you turn away from sin.

. They mix progressive sanctification, which IS works with the unmerited Salvation from Hell which is the wrath of God from where one is saved forever.

That's not a description of works salvation. People mix them because they're inextricably linked- James mixed them because they are meant to be mixed; you will not have one without the other. Sanctification is about as much "our" work as suffering on the cross was the work of Simon of Cyrene; all of the effectual work is done by God, and our contributions are incidental.

Works-salvation is any doctrine that supposes that doing good deeds or keeping some code (whether it be Torah, Noahides or something else) is to make atonement for your sin. When a Christian does a good work, even if it is something that makes restitution, it's not to receive forgiveness of sins. (He saved us, not by works in righteousness that we did, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit) The sins are what we are saved from and the good works are what we are saved to. Just as repentance is a turn from sin to Christ who "gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." "...now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Notice that the holiness is not the outcome of the eternal life; but the eternal life is the outcome of being made free from sin and reaping fruit to holiness; neither of which are earned by the reaping- but they are gifts of God; because no amount of reaping could earn these gifts as a wage.