Is repentance a "one time act" or is it, or should it be "a way of life" (here)...?

[SkyWriting]

The longer we reject His loving conviction, the more we move toward having a "seared conscience."

Gosh. Yikes!

 

[Sabertooth]

Doesn't God "compel you" or draw you, or make you to, (or made you to (and for), long ago) or predestine you, or "whatever", to do that after you are saved...?

He draws and rewards us and is very compelling (by His Love, Grace, Peace, etc.). (For me, His positive [blessing] & negative [absolutional] reinforcements are more compelling than the potential punishments are.) But He stops short of actually CONSTRAINING our surrender, both in the beginning and in our continued walk (with Him).

Predestination doesn't override that reality and that's the dividing point between Conditional & Eternal Security.

 

[SkyWriting]

I agree. Someone who has to sin, repent, sin, repent, sin, repent, as a lifestyle does not have the power of the Holy Spirit to stop sinning in the first place.

Only Jesus had that power.

 

[Neogaia777]

He draws and rewards us and is very compelling (by His Love, Grace, Peace, etc.). (For me, His positive [blessing] & negative [absolutional] reinforcements are more compelling than the potential punishments are.) But He stops short of actually CONSTRAINING our surrender, both in the beginning and in our continued walk (with Him).

Predestination doesn't override that reality and that's the dividing point between Conditional & Eternal Security.

If he stops short of controlling (or constraining) it, then some of it must be because of us, and if he doesn't know the outcome, then he is not 100% totally and completely omniscient...

So, which or what is it...?

God Bless!

 

[Sabertooth]

So, which or what is it...?

Having the Holy Spirit and 1 John 1:9 makes Christianity completely doable. And that is what He expects us to "do." His yoke IS easy and His burden IS light, but it is still a yoke.

 

[Monk Brendan]

Is repentance a "one time act" or is it, or should it be "a way of life" (here) (while we are here)...?

Comments...?

God Bless!

Repentance is a way of life, a lifestyle, if you like.

It's a constant and frequent course correction to make sure we end our earthly journey at the threshold of our true eternal home.

 

[royal priest]

I like A.W. Pink's definition of repentance:

1. Repentance is an evangelical duty, and no preacher is entitled to be regarded as a servant of Christ’s if he be silent thereon (Luke 24:47).
2. Repentance is required by God in this dispensation (Acts of the Apostles 17:30) as in all preceding ones.
3. Repentance is in nowise meritorious; yet without it, the gospel cannot be savingly believed (Matthew 21:32; Mark 1:15).
4. Repentance is a Spirit-given realization of the exceeding sinfulness of sin and a taking sides with God against myself.
5. Repentance presupposes a hearty approval of God’s Law and a full consent to its righteous requirements, which are all summed up in “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart…”
6. Repentance is accompanied by a genuine hatred of and sorrow for sin.
7. Repentance is evidenced by a forsaking of sin.
8. Repentance is known by its permanency: there must be a continual turning away from sin and grieving over each fall there into.
9. Repentance, while permanent, is never complete or perfect in this life.
10. Repentance is to be sought as a gift of Christ (Acts of the Apostles 5:31).

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Is repentance a "one time act" or is it, or should it be "a way of life" (here) (while we are here)...?

Comments...?

God Bless!

There is forgiveness of sins and there is repentance from sin. Many think that forgiveness is the same as repentance but it is not. Once we repent, turn away from sin, we are forgiven.
Now this is a quandary for us, as a lot of us are repetitive sinners doing the bad deed over and over. This is because we have not turned away from that sin. Difficult for us to achieve which is why we have the Holy Spirit to give us the armor we need to have success.
Anyway, I only say this due to my own personal experience. Let me know if you want me to expand.
Blessings

 

[Oldmantook]

If your saying it should be a way of life and/or very regular, then, yes...

God Bless!

Agree with you.

 

[1stcenturylady]

I don't see any evidence of a break between 7 and 8. 2:1 clearly envisions the possibility of a Christian sinning.

You need to know church history, and the aberrant sects that plagued Christianity. 1 John 4:1-3 is about the Gnostics who did not believe Jesus came in the flesh. They had the strange doctrine that only sins of the spirit were evil, and sins of the flesh were not sins at all. Thus they claimed they didn't sin, even though they actually sinned on purpose to have the most grace possible. That is what 1 John 1:8 is about, and also 6 and 10. Would John actually contradict himself and say in 1 John 3:9 that a Christian doesn't sin, but we aren't to acknowledge that fact?

My people perish for lack of knowledge.

 

[1stcenturylady]

Only Jesus had that power.

Then you don't know the power of the Holy Spirit. But you are not alone. Just read people on this forum. Mind boggling, but I was just like them for the first 30 years of going to church, UNTIL I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the desire to sin was destroyed.

 

[corinth77777]

Is repentance a "one time act" or is it, or should it be "a way of life" (here) (while we are here)...?

Comments...?

God Bless!

If you sin then you repent....if you stop sinning no need to repent.

 

[messianist]

It’s something that is granted by Elohim.

 

[Neogaia777]

If you sin then you repent....if you stop sinning no need to repent.

@1stcenturylady as well...

How about not "if" but "when", or "if and when" you "do sin"...

(1 John 2:1)... John is saying that he is writing so you won't sin, but also realizes you probably will and do sin sometimes, therefore we have and advocate with the Father, ect, ect...

Cause it's inevitable that you will sometimes or at times, "sin", and it (repentance) is not a "one time thing", but should be a/an (certain) attitude and/or state of mind, or "way of life" IOW's...

Cause thinking that you'll never have any kind of need for any kind of repentance ever again, or after a certain point in your life, is not only very foolish, stupid, ignorant, ect, but is (also) is deceiving yourself and your own mind, ect, ect (1 John 1:8)... Which deceiving yourself is something that "you do" and chosse that "is a sin" in and of itself... of denying sin, or that you sin, or in God's eyes are a "sinner", ect...

And if you think you "no longer have any need of any kind of repentance any longer" (Luke 15:7) or past a certain, point; the deception is, besides thinking that you have no sin or will never ever sin again, the deception is that you will trick yourself into always thinking you are always in the right or will always be in the right and are never ever wrong at all ever or anymore, ect...

Do none of you ever question of doubt yourself as to whether you are "right" or not, or are always right forever (now) or past a certain point in your life (now) or in this life ever, or all of the time...? Cause I do question myself constantly as to whether I am right or wrong or not, or what I am doing and/or saying is right or wrong or "whatever", "even when" I am or may be right a lot...?

I still question it, and talk to God about it, apologize all the time, or when necessary, and, sometimes, "even when it's not necessary" or I've not really even done anything wrong, or it's not my fault ect...? I'll still do it anyway, cause I question and doubt myself a lot or sometimes, not doubt or doubting God, but me or myself, so don;t get that twisted...

I call it "erring on the side of caution", which has to be better than "not erring on the side of caution ever" IMO...

Anyway, you guys don't ever do that...?

Any kind of wrong, or if you are ever wrong at all, or are not always, "always right" all the time, then it is "sin"... And are "any of you gonna say" you are "always right all the time now, and never ever slip up or make a mistake ever (now), or are not ever wrong ever now or at all ever...? Any of you truly gonna say and/or claim that...? Cause I would call you a "liar", and I think God would as well...

It's (all) deceiving yourself and your own mind (1 John 1:8)...

So, you do, or do not, need to repent...? Or live a life of continual, regular repentance, or have "no need of repentance at all anymore, ever", or not...? Or what...? (Luke 15:7)...

God Bless!

 

[catcher2000]

I agree. Someone who has to sin, repent, sin, repent, sin, repent, as a lifestyle does not have the power of the Holy Spirit to stop sinning in the first place. There IS a Big Repentance as you say, and one who truly repents and truly wants to be scrubbed clean of all sin and its lusts, is the one to who Jesus gives His Spirit. It is the Spirit who makes us DEAD TO SIN, and not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.

Well, Peter let down Jesus when he denied him 3 times and he spent a lot of time with him. The argument could be made that Peter did not have the Holy Spirit yet but Peter sinned again after the Pentecost. In Acts we find that Paul had to rebuke him for showing favoritism to Jews. So, even Peter sinned again. Also, it seems like the early church had some sin going on as well and Paul is writing to them to get their stuff together. They had probably received the Holy Spirit. So, based on scripture I think there is a moment of repentance where one is saved and becomes a Christian and then that we continue with a lifestyle of repentance.

 

[Neogaia777]

I'm sticking with a life or lifetime or lifestyle of repentance while I am here, because even if it's not necessary, I feel the need to always "err of the side of caution", like I said...

And also like I said, "what does it hurt except your pride"...?

God Bless!

 

[Sabertooth]

I'm sticking with a life or lifetime or lifestyle of repentance while I am here, because even if it's not necessary, I feel the need to always "err of the side of caution", like I said...

"Who can understand his [own] errors or omissions? Acquit me of hidden (unconscious, unintended) faults." Psalms 19:12 AMP

 

[Neogaia777]

If it's not a way of life for you, then you are choosing to horribly deceive yourself to much calamity, error and folly, (the kind of a "fool") (or that a fool does and/or commits) and/or some "very great sin", in God's eyes... And is of a, or is the kind (of sin), God hates most, or more than anything, in reality and really...

And "that kind of sin", especially and because you chose to deceive your own self to it, or in it, or for it, is of a kind and type of sin that God hates most and more than anything, or any other kind and/or type of sin, really...

One of the worst words God will use is calling someone a "fool" and/or foolish, and He calls these ones, "fools" all the time and every single time...

God Bless!

 

[Sabertooth]

I, presently, stand with a clear conscience.
Whenever I am made aware of my guilt, I go to Jesus under 1 John 1:9 and get washed.
Whatever the Holy Spirit has not yet called me on remains covered by His grace.

 

[Neogaia777]

A broken (or broken up) and contrite heart (and or spirit) God will not reject, ignore, or brush aside, or let or leave alone, or abandon, ect... regardless of any kind of sin (in their life)...

It is how/what he both wants and prefers (possibly even requires) for us to (all) come to Him...

He will never turn such a one away, regardless of (any kind of) sin...

God Bless!