Confession and Repentance?

Neogaia777

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To "repent" one totally walks away and does away with a sinful behavior in their life, but confession is not the same as repentance (it may be the beginning of repentance)

What if one does actually confess and ask forgiveness for/from their sin, but they still do it the very next day... Say this person dies in this/that state of confessing but not repenting, if this person died, would they be saved?

How long do we get away with confession without repenting?

Does a person who never confesses, or has a prayer life headed for hell?

Comments?

God Bless!
 

EastCoastRemnant

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Acts 10:43, 2 Corinthians 5:19, Colossians 1:14, Colossians 2:13, Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 4:32, 1 John 2:12, Hebrews 8:12, Hebrews 10:17
These quotes are all the results or product of confession and repentance... Forgiveness is predicated with an action on our part.
 
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EastCoastRemnant

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To "repent" one totally walks away and does away with a sinful behavior in their life, but confession is not the same as repentance (it may be the beginning of repentance)

What if one does actually confess and ask forgiveness for/from their sin, but they still do it the very next day... Say this person dies in this/that state of confessing but not repenting, if this person died, would they be saved?

How long do we get away with confession without repenting?

Does a person who never confesses, or has a prayer life headed for hell?

Comments?

God Bless!

The way I understand this, is that we are judged on the light we understand. To continually replicate the same sinful behaviour with nothing more than confession, is not what we are called to do... you are correct that repentance is the second stage to confession. This doesn't mean that we won't be tempted on these same points and occasionally fall but this is where God's Grace and knowing the intentions of our hearts come in...
 
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EastCoastRemnant

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They are the result, the product, of being in Christ.
Of course... do you know of another?

What do you do when you find yourself lusting in your mind for another not your wife? Are you automatically forgiven or do you have to confess and repent?
 
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EastCoastRemnant

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Exactly so. Works are the result of, not the cause of salvation.
I'll ask you... when you sin, do you confess and surrender or just carry on, thinking that Christ has already forgiven you anyway... like diplomatic immunity?
 
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ViaCrucis

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It is on account of the free forgiveness that is from God to us in Christ that we can walk in repentance. Without mercy, without God's forgiveness there would be no repentance at all, but it is because God graciously and freely forgives us all our sins that we are to, in the words of St. John the Presbyter, "confess our sins" because "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins".

Repentance is not [merely] the gateway to the life of faith, it is the way laid before us as we live our lives grounded in the truth and hope of Christ's death and resurrection. We should, therefore, daily drown ourselves in repentance, remembering our baptism and the promises which are ours in Christ according to God's gracious and certain word.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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EastCoastRemnant

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They say that those in Christ HAVE forgiveness.
What does that mean to you though... to be in Christ? To walk like Christ? To talk like Christ? To pray daily for the Grace necessary to overcome like Christ?
 
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Steeno7

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What does that mean to you though... to be in Christ? To walk like Christ? To talk like Christ? To pray daily for the Grace necessary to overcome like Christ?

It means many things, but as it pertains to this thread it means that I have forgiveness.
 
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EastCoastRemnant

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It means many things, but as it pertains to this thread it means that I have forgiveness.
Forever? Do you believe that you never have to ask for forgiveness after Christ Justified you through His blood ? Or, that God's forgiveness is always there when I surrender myself to it in confession and repentance?

Just trying to get a sense of your understanding so I won't say something irrelevant or stupid...lol
 
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grasping the after wind

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I'll ask you... when you sin, do you confess and surrender or just carry on, thinking that Christ has already forgiven you anyway... like diplomatic immunity?

Since sin is a constant companion we need to be in a constant state of humble repentance. If I were arrogant enough to think I could, by my own actions, change my nature, I would repent once and tell Jesus thanks for the offer but his assistance was no longer required. If one seriously realizes that sin is not simply the breaking of a particular rule but a state of imperfection that afflicts us all one would not ask such a question as you have here.
 
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Steeno7

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Forever? Do you believe that you never have to ask for forgiveness after Christ Justified you through His blood ? Or, that God's forgiveness is always there when I surrender myself to it in confession and repentance?

Just trying to get a sense of your understanding so I won't say something irrelevant or stupid...lol

What is so hard to understand about those in Christ having forgiveness?
 
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Open Heart

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I'm much more worried about those who repent but don't confess. James says to confess your sins one TO ANOTHER. Telling God that you are a sinner is NOT CONFESSION. Even if you list your sins privately to God, it still doesn't meet the REQUIREMENT to confess one TO ANOTHER.

In the Early Church, confession was done before the entire congregation, and penances then given, which were very strict, sometimes lasting for years. The problem was that it brought about terrible gossip and many were ruined by such sin. To solve this problem, the bishops switched to private confession to a presbyter. One of the smartest decisions ever. It still meets the requirement of confessing your sins one to another.

Part of the rite of confession is that one must be truly repentant for the sacrament to be valid. Without repentance there is no forgiveness--you can fool a priest but you can't fool God. It also includes prayer directly to God.
 
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Tree of Life

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To "repent" one totally walks away and does away with a sinful behavior in their life, but confession is not the same as repentance (it may be the beginning of repentance)

It's pretty hard to separate confession from repentance. If there is no repentance then there is no true confession. Confession is not simply the acknowledgement that one has performed a certain action. Confession is agreeing with God that a certain action or thought is sinful and wicked. To truly agree with God about the sinfulness of sin is to begin to turn from sin.

What if one does actually confess and ask forgiveness for/from their sin, but they still do it the very next day... Say this person dies in this/that state of confessing but not repenting, if this person died, would they be saved?

Repentance does not guarantee that we will never sin in a particular way again. We need to repent every day, all the time. If someone dies with unconfessed and unrepentant sin then what really matters is whether or not they belong to Christ. Jesus Christ saves us from sin. His salvation brings about our confession and repentance. Not the other way around.

How long do we get away with confession without repenting?

Don't separate the two. God lets us "get away" with sin until he either gives us the gift of repentance, brings judgement upon us, or both. That's God's prerogative.

Does a person who never confesses, or has a prayer life headed for hell?

Yes. If we never agree with God that we are sinners then we will not be saved from his wrath.
 
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Salvation is to have the power of Christ dwell in you so that you can be a blessing to the world, the promise made to Abraham.

Paul confessed his sin, so that he could have the power of Christ dwell in him, but God said His grace, His approval was sufficient.

So although the thorn in the flesh remained with him, Paul was still able to be an effective evangelist, because God's grace was more when he was more weak, more humble:

2 Corinthians 12:9And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Summary
It's good to put to death the deeds of the body through the Holy Spirit, by confessing, towards being cleansed of unrighteousness, but THAT is not what saves you, make you a blessing to the world. What makes you effective in your evangelism is God's approval, His grace, RESULTING from being agreeable with God, agreeing, con fess ing, WITH SPEAKING, being of one mind, that your sin is sin.
 
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