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shad

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#21
So which IS it fellas, is repentance a gift granted by the Holy Spirit or is it a command of God?
You can't have it both ways you know.

And with all this Amen-ing and agreeing going on between you all that is exactly what you're trying to do.
Stop tip toeing through the tulips.

You don't command someone to accept a gift.

Jesus said, The time has come, "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

What? Get saved first and then maybe repent if you so chose?
NO.

Repent and believe the Good News.

Repent first...then believe.

Believe how? By placing faith in Christ.

And through that faith, receive His grace.
The grace by which you are saved.

"We can only repent and forsake our ways and our thoughts after God has drawn us to Himself through lovingkindness..."

And how does He do that? How does He draw us to Himself?

Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Hear it and Repent. Hear it and believe.
Hear it and then you shall receive.
I wish I could communicate it in another way but for now I repeat (with one addition);

I don't think that any believer should have a problem with repentance and they should understand that repentance saves no one, but salvation by grace through faith in Christ does. Repentance is granted by God through grace and mercy. The old man Adam has no desire or capacity to repent of anything. The old man is totally depraved and dead. It is only when the light of the gospel shines unto the sinner that he can have a capacity to see and respond to the truth and you don't create that capacity by telling people to repent all the time. You create that capacity through giving them light, love and life. When we receive these three the Holy Spirit will take care of granting repentance that we might need. Your flesh can't repent of anything because it is flesh and it is corrupt. Even if the flesh does its very best to repent with sincerity and much sorrow for sin, it has no power with God. Humility is what God honors with grace. When we receive grace then we will have the power to repent and change our mind about who God is and the direction that we were going.

Addition: Heb 12:15-17Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
 
Jan 8, 2009
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#22
When Christ said "repent and believe the good news", he was not pointing his finger at them and scolding them to tell them to turn from their sins or else - He was lovingly inviting them to change their mind and accept the good news that He was offering.
 
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shad

Guest
#23
After we believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation the Holy Spirit, that comes and indwells us, convicts our heart of those things that we need to turn from (or repent) and put away in ours lives that do not glorify God and reveal the person of Christ. God does this little by little as we receive grace and are transformed by the renewing of our mind through the word of God. There are things in our life that we have no idea even exist like the wounds of a talebearer that go down to the innermost parts of the belly (emotions) / Pro 18:8, 26:22.

The heart is so deceitful and desperately wicked that we can not possibly know how wicked it really is / Jer 17:9. It takes the quick and powerful preaching of the word of God to go deep into the thoughts and intents of the heart and deal with them / Heb 4:12. There are areas in our life that God tried to deal with but we would have nothing to do with it. So He comes back years later and deals with it again and we receive grace and turn (or repent) from that area of sin, or unbelief or disobedience. We were saved and cleansed of our sin but God had to come in with His word and clean us up / John 15:3 and it is the same way that we wash one another's feet through the washing of the word / Eph 5:26, John 13:5-14. Peter did not need to be cleaned all over, just his feet (or his walk).
 
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TeamJesus

Guest
#24
Wherever the word repent is used, you could substitute the words "change your mind".

"change your mind and believe the good news".

That's all it means, no need for anyone to get confused or argue over this very trivial subject. But, you know the bible teaches that changing your mind is actually the responsibility of the hearer. No one can change your mind aka repent for you, not even God - you're in control of your own mind and thoughts.

The christian walk is a lifetime of repentance, and I'm not talking about the abused useage of the term - to turn from sin, but I'm talking about the actual meaning of the term - to change your mind about God, yourself, and others, whether thats a new revelation from teaching in scripture or your pastor, or a new way of looking at things from God's point of view, or whether you go from praying from 5 minutes a day, to 20 minutes a day.
Repent and be saved.
Continue to repent to be clean.
Repentance is first done for salvation, and then repentance is to remain clean before God. See John 13.
Daily repentance is also asked of us. Many wish to skip the repentance that's needed when we do wrong to God or others.
 
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Aliciaforjesus

Guest
#25
Wherever the word repent is used, you could substitute the words "change your mind".

"change your mind and believe the good news".

That's all it means, no need for anyone to get confused or argue over this very trivial subject. But, you know the bible teaches that changing your mind is actually the responsibility of the hearer. No one can change your mind aka repent for you, not even God - you're in control of your own mind and thoughts.

The christian walk is a lifetime of repentance, and I'm not talking about the abused useage of the term - to turn from sin, but I'm talking about the actual meaning of the term - to change your mind about God, yourself, and others, whether thats a new revelation from teaching in scripture or your pastor, or a new way of looking at things from God's point of view, or whether you go from praying from 5 minutes a day, to 20 minutes a day.

Wherever the word repent is used, you could substitute the words "change your mind".
I would add to this and change your mind to Love,1Cor13

"change your mind and believe the good news".

If God is Love,
that means Jesus was love come in the flesh!
Jesus knew no sin because He was full of the Holy Spirit, Love!
 
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