What Exactly does it mean to Repent?

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BlackTigress777

Guest
#1
#1
One thing I would like to State before anyone answers.

I am Not trying to be rude, but I Have to state this: PLEASE have common sense. I am EIGHTEEN. Please do NOT constantly tell me to COMPLETELY STOP SINNING. Do NOT make me feel anymore Fearful or Bad then I feel right now (Even though I haven't commited any horrible sins).
"There is no one righteous; no, not one"... - So PLEASE do Not act like Saints, and tell me to COMPLETELY stop sinning while we are living here on this Earth - PLEASE.

I would like to Simply know what Repenting means.

I know that it means to "turn away" from sins, but why should we Repent when we know that we're just going to constantly sin over and over again?

The reason why I ask is right here (from ChristianLibrary.org) :

"What does Jesus call on us to do to be our friends?
1. We must believe that he is the Messiah.
a. John 8:24 - "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."​
2. Repent (turn away from) our sins.
a. Luke 13:3-5​
3. Confess the name of Christ.
a. Matthew 10:32​
4. Be baptized into Christ
a. Acts 2:38, 22:16"
​
I understand that we Should repent, but is there a certain Time to repent? Do we repent before we go to sleep - or do we repent before we Die? Wouldn't it just be a "slap in a face" to Jesus if we repent but just Knowing we're going to Sin yet Again?

Please help me - and Please have common sense while answering.
 
Blain

Blain

The Word Weaver
#2
Aug 28, 2012
19,211
2,547
113
#2
To repent is to ask forgiveness when you feel guilty for what you did, yes you will with out a doubt do it again( Unless it is something like murder i doubt you would do that again) And as to when to repent it really depends on you, its great to do it as soon as possible though. Jesus died so we would not be held captive in our sins and he did this because he knew we could not live up to his standards. so as long as you try not to do it again and when you do do it and ask for forgiveness you are good:D And if anyone judges you or me for what i have said who are they to judge? We are all children of god we should be kind to each other not throwing scripture at each other like i have seen so much. Maybe some are actually trying to help but most of them are not doing it out of love. But just know god loves you for who you are, you are his child.
 
ForthAngel

ForthAngel

Senior Member
#3
Aug 31, 2012
2,171
91
48
#3
Active confession of your sins, active denial of sin, active defiance against sin, actively trying to correct your errors through prayer and reading the bible. Others on this site have disagreed, but I do not believe you are made perfect and physically sinless once you are saved, so absolute perfection of your body and mind, and being able to practice everything taught in the bible to a T isn't possible. Anyone who claims they are absolutely infallible and perfect after salvation is misunderstanding. Sin may not abruptly stop once you are saved, but you do have to make a conscious effort in ceasing it. The mindset that you can just ask for forgiveness later so sinning is ok as long as you repent is a horrible mindset and this is often what happens.
So repentance doesn't give you the right to continue sinning.
But it doesn't mean you will become automatically perfect when you are saved.
People who teach this are turning a lot of people away from Christ I think because most people are gonna be like, geez, there is no way I can be perfect so why should I get saved if they require me to be absolutely blameless. I think the point is to actively pursue perfection, but at the same time knowing that none of us will ever achieve true perfection until God makes it so.
Then again, this is just my opinion, as are many others on here. You should take all you hear with a grain of salt and pray for guidance on the matter while reading your bible along side it.
 
S

stacyann2138

Guest
#4
#4
Repenting is a change in your heart of how You used to see your sins and Christ, when you repent your heart is sensitive to sin and you don't like that you have hurt God. If someone is not truly saved they don't recognize that they are sinning against a Holy God once you are saved the holy Spirit will convict you when you sin and then you ask for forgiveness. It is impossible to never sin again but I feel the more we read Gods word, morning and night as often as you can, we are more sensitive to hearing the holy spirit and make better choices and can avoid sinning. Hope that helps :)
 
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BirdiesLoveJesus

Guest
#5
#5
repent    

1.
to feel sorry for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, etc. Example : He repented after his thoughtless act.
2.
to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better.
3.
To Change ones mind.


So I'm pretty much repeating what everyone is saying :p
 
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BirdiesLoveJesus

Guest
#6
#6
OH ! what my mom always told me was that you repent from being a sinner and "Change Your Mind' about God and turn to him, and then once you accept Christ you ask for forgiveness. I do this every night before i go to sleep when i pray :)
 
N

NinJaGGS

Guest
#7
#7
Repent... the greek word for repent is "Metanoia" which is translated as "change of mind" or "change of heart"
 
C

carolineh

Banned
#8
Sep 10, 2012
758
4
0
#8
to turn from sin is a part of repentance but the full meaning of repentance is to have a complete change of mind and heart so that you take on the mind and heart of Jesus and you think as He thinks about things...you have the same attitudes and values and you love the same as He loves...you love God with your entire heart, mind, strength and soul and you hate as He hates and that is to hate sin...you become a new creature...you are born again and you are being transformed more and more into the likeness of Jesus
 
RickShafer

RickShafer

Banned
#9
Sep 8, 2012
4,367
58
0
#9
O.K. - Black Mamba Tigress;

Repentance is a state of the spirit.
Lust is a state of flesh.
We; - as people are spirit, soul, and body.
Can we lust and be saved? - Yes.
Can we dither, dally in the valleys of youthful sin and still be saved? - Of course.

What more do you need to know?

Is that what you wanted to hear?........Well then go at it!
His grace is sufficient.

(Honestly, I can't tell if your trying to beat yourself up or make an excuse for sin.)
There is no excuse for sin.......the only way its covered is under the perfect life and blood of the risen savior.
You want to be free, you want to be cleansed, you want to be excused????
-----Well then rely on Him, (and He will give you all the grace you need).
Whether you continually fall or continually triumph.
The righteousness isn't in you, it's in Him.
As you go on He will rid you of your continual reliance on your own righteousness.
Either because you have left Him to do your own thing or you have learned to just trust in Him,....
and stopped worrying about whether your good enough.
 
RickShafer

RickShafer

Banned
#10
Sep 8, 2012
4,367
58
0
#10
I get the sense you yearn to be holy. - This is good.
And your flesh is in complete dichotomy and wants the opposite - this is normal.
Your flesh and spirit are warring against each other.
All I can say is, listen to your spirit, and if you fall you fall; but don't make a habit out if falling.
(and if you do, come back to Him)
His Grace truly IS sufficient!
He will forgive you over and over until you get the picture........
and finally learn to rely only on His Righteousness and His Atonement.
Then it's amazing how The Holy Spirit can change you.

..........what I'm saying is, don't try to get some theological precept to excuse what you want;(in the flesh), to do.
Sin is sin.
And Grace is Grace.
Don't you understand my 'tigerlike' little sister?
God loves you, He's not letting you go.
 
J

Jemuel

Guest
#11
#11
BlackTigress777 said:
One thing I would like to State before anyone answers.

I am Not trying to be rude, but I Have to state this: PLEASE have common sense. I am EIGHTEEN. Please do NOT constantly tell me to COMPLETELY STOP SINNING. Do NOT make me feel anymore Fearful or Bad then I feel right now (Even though I haven't commited any horrible sins).
"There is no one righteous; no, not one"... - So PLEASE do Not act like Saints, and tell me to COMPLETELY stop sinning while we are living here on this Earth - PLEASE.

I would like to Simply know what Repenting means.

I know that it means to "turn away" from sins, but why should we Repent when we know that we're just going to constantly sin over and over again?

The reason why I ask is right here (from ChristianLibrary.org) :

"What does Jesus call on us to do to be our friends?
1. We must believe that he is the Messiah.
a. John 8:24 - "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."​
2. Repent (turn away from) our sins.
a. Luke 13:3-5​
3. Confess the name of Christ.
a. Matthew 10:32​
4. Be baptized into Christ
a. Acts 2:38, 22:16"
​
I understand that we Should repent, but is there a certain Time to repent? Do we repent before we go to sleep - or do we repent before we Die? Wouldn't it just be a "slap in a face" to Jesus if we repent but just Knowing we're going to Sin yet Again?

Please help me - and Please have common sense while answering.
Click to expand...

I totally understand where you are coming from.

I always put it this way. I live each day as if it is gonna be the LAST DAY I am going to live so I repent( ask forgiveness) of every single sin that I know of everyday. Every one dies but not everyone truly lives. We have free will.....To sin or not to sin....an everyday battle we face everyday, every hour, every minute, every second of the day. I am worst than what you think. I know how it feels to be a garbage in front of the Lord. And with all humility I still commit sin. We fall, we get up. At least we give our very best to get up and start again.It is the holy spirit that will convict us and will speak in our hearts........


do we repent before we Die? Wouldn't it just be a "slap in a face" to Jesus if we repent but just Knowing we're going to Sin yet Again?


I also asked that question to myself...... I call that a struggle. I sinned one time. It was a deliberate sin. I kept doing that. The feeling of PRIDE like I wouldn't want to repent because it had been like a repetitive deliberate sin.....I have come to the point where i got tired not of asking forgiveness but of doing that sin all over again...FREE WILL. We are not TV's that has remote control. The grace of God is there always but not a license for me to sin. There will always be a turning point. If we don't feel bad at all about committing a sin whether it is big or small then that is disturbing... AT least if we have the guilty feeling when we commit a sin then there will be a room for the action of asking forgiveness....However, if we sin and we no longer have the guilty feeling then that is something horrible.. the possibility of asking forgiveness is somehow close to nothing.......which needs attention..... Yes , I agree with you...I am with you. I wouldn't also want to hear those fiestas in the forums...........When to repent..I do it everyday... when to sin? that is a choice.......when to repent ...now?, tomorrow?, next day?. next week?,.....Again, I put it this way, everyday is my last day...I may never wake up tomorrow an might be late to ask forgiveness of my sins..



Glory to the risen king
 
RickShafer

RickShafer

Banned
#12
Sep 8, 2012
4,367
58
0
#12
Put your trust in Jesus!
Either His perfect life and obedient death was sufficient, or it wasn't.
A lot of people who's souls are right now in heaven have sinned far more grievously than you two.

------- Receive the sacrifice and abide in Him.
 
RickShafer

RickShafer

Banned
#13
Sep 8, 2012
4,367
58
0
#13
This idea that if you sin right before you die, that means your lost.
What kind of grace is that?
You tell me.
" Oh, I'm sorry, I really loved you, even so much that I came and lived for over thirty three years perfectly,..........
and then I obeyed My Father, (even though doing it made Me sweat blood the night before),
but,......ah bu,t..... you came up short.
So even thought I spent my life learning and finally knowing what it was like to be tempted; I refuse
to understand yours."

What?!?

Still.........., none of you, none of you.
 
RickShafer

RickShafer

Banned
#14
Sep 8, 2012
4,367
58
0
#14
The last line, - "still...... none of you, none of you." was not included in my message.
If anything it's: " still all of you, ........still all of you."
Give God's Grace a chance to set you free to do good works for him (through your temple), instead of
worrying about what you did wrong.
 
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