I was reading the lesson and came to this part,
"Real Repentance
The secular world bombards us with messages of independence, indulgence, and self-promotion--the opposite of the principles of God’s kingdom. Interestingly, the first words recorded in the Bible by John the Baptist and Jesus were similar. John said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:1-2, NKJV). Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15, NKJV; see also Luke 24:46-47). Both Jesus and John called those listening to repentance because the kingdom of heaven was near. Could it be that this same message is equally as relevant to us today?"
So what does repentance do for us, does it lead to change, real repentance does. Does it bring us closer to God, as we clear out the anger and hate and addiction to sin, I would say it does. Most importantly, how does it bring us to the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life with Christ? True repentance is not merely feeling guilty or avoiding punishment or being shames, it is a sincere turning away from sin and toward God, involving humility, honesty, and a change of heart. We must allow the Holy Spirit to do its work and guide us down the path of transformation, and stop holding on to hating our brother or breaking what allows for sin and iniquity, and what takes us away from loving God and our fellow man. True repentance involves as what is simple as we see, 'two steps: (1) sincere pain and sorrow for our sins; and (2) the honest decision to abandon sin. In the Bible, repentance is almost always connected to forgiveness. We genuinely repent; God forgives. It’s that simple.'
So why dont we repent and turn from what is evil?
"Real Repentance
The secular world bombards us with messages of independence, indulgence, and self-promotion--the opposite of the principles of God’s kingdom. Interestingly, the first words recorded in the Bible by John the Baptist and Jesus were similar. John said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:1-2, NKJV). Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15, NKJV; see also Luke 24:46-47). Both Jesus and John called those listening to repentance because the kingdom of heaven was near. Could it be that this same message is equally as relevant to us today?"
So what does repentance do for us, does it lead to change, real repentance does. Does it bring us closer to God, as we clear out the anger and hate and addiction to sin, I would say it does. Most importantly, how does it bring us to the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life with Christ? True repentance is not merely feeling guilty or avoiding punishment or being shames, it is a sincere turning away from sin and toward God, involving humility, honesty, and a change of heart. We must allow the Holy Spirit to do its work and guide us down the path of transformation, and stop holding on to hating our brother or breaking what allows for sin and iniquity, and what takes us away from loving God and our fellow man. True repentance involves as what is simple as we see, 'two steps: (1) sincere pain and sorrow for our sins; and (2) the honest decision to abandon sin. In the Bible, repentance is almost always connected to forgiveness. We genuinely repent; God forgives. It’s that simple.'
So why dont we repent and turn from what is evil?
