TRUE REPENTANCE
True repentance is always accompanied by sorrow.
Repentance is a deep, radical, fundamental, lasting change; and you will find that, whenever you meet with it in Scripture, it is always accompanied with sorrow for past sin.
And rest assured of this fact-- that the repentance which has no tear in its eye, and no mourning for sin in its heart, is a repentance which needs to be repented of.
In such false repentance, there is no evidence of conversion, and no sign of the existence of the grace of God.
The man who knows that his sin is forgiven, does not cease to mourn for it. No, brethren, his mourning becomes deeper as his knowledge of his guilt becomes greater. His hatred of sin grows in proportion as he understands that love of Christ by which his sin is put away.
In true believers, mourning for sin is chastened and sweetened, and, in one sense, the fang of bitterness is taken out.
But, in another sense, the more we realize our indebtedness to God's grace, and the more we see of the sufferings of Christ in order to effect our redemption, the more do we hate sin, and the more do we lament
that we ever fell into it.
The man who has led the purest life, when he is brought before God by the humbling influence of the Holy Spirit, is the man who almost invariably considers himself to have been viler than anybody else.
"Repentance is to leave
The sin we loved before,
And show that we in earnest grieve
By doing so no more."
From Spurgeon's sermon, "APART"
Cristina (Baptist Girl)
9 Comments:
True repentance flows from regeneration. Good post.
wayne
June 21, 2007 9:16 AM
Mat 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
How often have I heard that this applied to mourners on this earth regarding their dead loved ones. But how little sense that makes when we do not grieve as those who have no hope.
I believe this passage (and all of the beatitudes) has to do with those who are poor in spirit (lacking God, knowing of their lack, acknowledging same) and therefore MOURN their SINS. The rest of the beatitudes speak of the sinner's path to righteousness. They're all connected. Jesus didn't leave any out as unnecessary, and they're told in a specific order.
Praise God! He's so good to us.
June 21, 2007 9:44 AM
And yet, not all sorrow (mourning for sin) is true repentance. I am thinking of the dog returning to its own vomit syndrome. How blessed is the man who's grief leads to a right response.
June 21, 2007 11:31 AM
Cristina!!!! How timely!! Thank you for posting this.
June 21, 2007 12:42 PM
JZ:
You wrote, "True repentance flows from regeneration."
If you are speaking of regeneration preceeding faith/repentance you have it backwards.
Regeneration/salvation is the result of faith and repentance.
See- http://www.middletownbiblechurch.
org/reformed/regenera.htm
LM
June 21, 2007 5:12 PM
I find that all my repenting needs repenting of.
June 22, 2007 12:48 AM
Ah, Mr. Martuneac. Welcome! You know that one day you'll embrace the doctrines of grace. Why fight it any more? :-)
June 22, 2007 8:00 AM
Hi Mark:
I welcome and embrace the doctrine of grace: as long as it is taught from a balanced biblical perspective, and in light of the whole counsel of God.
My note above, however, was to state that regeneration before faith/repentance is an extra-biblcal extreme.
LM
June 22, 2007 10:33 AM
To All:
On Monday morning I am posting a final in the series of articles on the theology of Zane Hodges.
BTW, I have recently been interacting with Antonio da Rosa in the thread under The Teachings of Zane Hodges.
Antonio is very passionate in his defense of Free Grace theology, especially as it is presented by Zane Hodges. After his initial entry you have to go pretty deep in the thread to find where Antonio picks up the discussion. There are several others who interact in that thread as well.
Antonio also posted a few comments under Free Grace Follow-Through.
LM
June 23, 2007 3:06 PM
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