Repentance and righteousness in their highest form

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Cee

Cee

Senior Member
May 14, 2010
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Cee said:
My thoughts:

I agree, sin sucks. We don't want any part of it. We need to lay it down and run forward looking to Jesus.

I agree, we need to repent. And it should take us into obedience.

But not everybody needs "heart-felt sorrow" to have "heart-felt" obedience.

If you did something wrong, did you parents punish you until you cried for you to change your mind about your actions? I hope not.

Scripture continually compares our "evil" parents to the "goodness" of our Father. So why would He need to do less.

Does godly sorrow have its place? Yes.
Does repentance HAVE to be godly sorrow or it's worthless? That's religion in its highest form.

Which interestingly is exactly what a tradition of man is:

You can tell religious ideas because they exclude relationship with things like: "have to, must, always". And it attacks freedom which believes in relationship with God and truth is a person. Not a collection of principles Why? Because religion loses its security. Instead of trusting Holy Spirit to guide His people and convict of sin. Religion takes the duty on itself. It often denies the existence of a living God who is well able to teach, train, empower, and equip Himself without the addition of religion's fear, guilt, and control. And those who are under it, generally feel the need to put others under it also.

Religion pointed to Jesus' apparent "false works". He didn't DO things they way they thought it should be done. Jesus pointed to His relationship. He confronted these traditions of man by revealing His relationship. And ultimately empowering us to have the same relationship He has with the Father. How? By giving us His Spirit.

Religion also minimizes its own errors while maximizing others. It desires to be right not righteous. It looks for what it must do to justify itself. And then when others' find their justification in something else, it attacks because at its core it is fear.

Let's for a minute, look at what sin really is. Let's really look at it.

It's not when you do what's wrong. That's a small part of it. But that's not what tripped up the law-keepers is it?

It's actually when you don't do what is right. 24/7. Always doing what is right. Loving the people around you, revealing Christ to them, being good to them, giving to the homeless, the poor, praying for the sick (yes we are commanded to do that), anytime we don't do what is right, this is sin. Anytime we don't do something out of faith, this is sin.

Religion thinks a collection of principles will tell you what you should do. But I promise you, it doesn't have a clue. It looks at what it's NOT doing instead of what it is doing. Why? Because it can't quantify it. How do you know what do and not do? Religion says look at what not to do and everything else is okay. Relationship says look to God and follow Him.

And I promise you one more thing, relationship is the only way to exit religion. Jesus showed us this, He empowered us to walk like Him, and He expects us to teach others the same.

Any focus outside of looking to Him, following Him, hearing His Spirit misses the mark, IMO.

My question is, is what we're teaching, helping people see Him, hear Him, follow Him? Or is it teaching them why they can't do these things? One builds one destroys, one encourages one accuses, and one inspires love the other inspires fear.

2 Tim 1:7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Let us agree. We do not have a spirit of fear. But we do have one of power. One of love. And one of self-control. That means we can follow Him and we can love others.

I think a thread about righteousness is in order, because how can we be in right-standing, if we don't have right-hearing? How can we hear His Spirit and follow what He is doing, if we instead we are lead by what we think is true instead of Him a Person? I want to call us up to a higher level. Let us truly fix our eyes on Jesus Christ and let those who have ears hear what His Spirit is saying. I believe this is righteousness in it's highest form. Following Him. And anything that misses this mark is not repentance.

Any explanation of Repentance must include love, it must include freedom, and it must include following the Spirit of God.
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Amen Brother, Great post.. The last few weeks I have been really challenged by so much coming against me I went to church on Sunday just like this is what I'm struggling with, this is where I'm at.. One of the responses of a friend was right I think you need to go back to the start and resting commit your life... I was like how crazy is that? Because I'm going through some stuff I need to renew commit my life? Is this then not a teaching based on right Jenna if u will do this then God will.... I used to be all for this kind of religious clap trap.. It just does not sit right with the gospel at all... Our right standing with God is solely based on Jesus righteousness that we inherit through faith.. Just like we were imprisoned in sin because of Adam (Romans 5:19) We are now imprisoned in righteousness because of the obedience of Jesus.. Not our obedience... This is what stirs up anger in the religious heart because they make out that we are saying we can do as we please.. Not understanding that we are saying the opposite.. Because of grace I can obey... It's all his obedience... Not mine which is filthy rags.. If then when we come to God and are made righteous do we now obey by our own efforts? Impossible! All the glory be to God.. We are nothing and can do nothing apart from him but with him we are everything and can do everything. Woohooo :)
 
Sorry you experienced that! I think it's awesome you had the courage to share your struggles and be authentic that's not always super common. It's almost like show you're doing good on the outside, but don't share where you're struggling. I think that's why some people comment that Christians are "plastic".

I agree with you too! We are righteousness in Christ! And I think that privilege also leads us to hearing His voice and being lead by Him. Like you said: "Because of grace I can obey".

With Him we can do ALL things!
 
There's a deep deep cry in the hearts of the church that's begging for us to be real.. We all speak this christian language to one another that's just a noise.. Like how's your week been this week.. "It's been great, Praise the Lord".. when really you have had the week from hell, but your scared to admit it because you may look like u lack faith or aren't spiritual enough.. This again is because of a religious heart.. If we humble ourselves he will exalt us.. What does it mean to humble ourselves? Be like.. Right I cannot do this in my own strength.. I'm finding this so so difficult.. I'm fed up now I hand it over to you Jesus.. and he's like ahhhh wonderful now you get it.. You can't.. I can... I think it's so important we encourage one another to be completely open and real about what's going on and where we are at. A prideful heart pretends.. Where there is pride there is no humility, we are either one or the other.
 
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