Why can't I repent and be saved!?!

[Jeffwhosoever]

RobertZ: I agree as long as the Holy Spirit is still striving with me and has not abandoned me.

Jesus Christ: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age". Matthew 28:20(a) (NKJV)

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

I dont know, according to the word of God a person can reach the point that the Holy Spirit will cease to deal with that person even before physical death.

There are many people living and breathing that have crossed Gods deadline and are on their way to hell with no way out, most are unaware that they have crossed that deadline but I believe that there are a very few rare cases where a person crosses that deadline and then later in life realizes it through different circumstances that may arise in that persons life.

I disagree Robert - your thoughts are not consistent with the Gospel. Jesus loves you Robert. Believe!

Jeff

 

[RobertZ]

Jesus Christ: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age". Matthew 28:20(a) (NKJV)

Jesus is speaking of those that are already his, those that he dwells in. Unfortunately this isnt the issue that has me concerned.

 

[RobertZ]

I disagree Robert - your thoughts are not consistent with the Gospel. Jesus loves you Robert. Believe!

Jeff

Jeff its not just my thoughts, I really wish that was all that it was but it isnt, what I am talking about is scriptural.

Let's see that scripture - with your interpretation - and I'll try to help.

Jeff

 

[RobertZ]

Jeff how did you get into my account and edit the above post? I got to say im a little creeped out right about now.

 

[Ursie]

I dont know, according to the word of God a person can reach the point that the Holy Spirit will cease to deal with that person even before physical death.

There are many people living and breathing that have crossed Gods deadline and are on their way to hell with no way out, most are unaware that they have crossed that deadline but I believe that there are a very few rare cases where a person crosses that deadline and then later in life realizes it through different circumstances that may arise in that persons life.

But if you are actively seeking God, I can't see how you would have reached that place. Jesus, I pray that you would bind the enemy who wants to lie to Robert and tell him that he cannot be saved. Protect him from fear Lord. I pray that You would show Him the truth and the path to righteousness in Christ. Thank you God, that you are willing to show us when we seek you.

Keep seeking Robert. If you want it, go after it. The one thing that I have seen again and again keep people from submitting to God is pride. Search yourself to see where this might be manifesting in your life. Stop feeding the pride and turn any prideful thoughts over to God and ask that He replace them with humility and a right attitude in that area.

 

[JSnell]

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[JSnell]

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[Ursie]

I forgot to add my point for posting this...Please pray for me as well.

I will certainly pray for you. But you musn't give up. Sometimes God requires one person to seek with great fervancy for a very long time because of something He wants to work out in that person's life. For another, they find true repentance in a moment. If you have read the bible, then you know that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are above our thoughts. Trust that and keep seeking. There is no way to know that you are 'not' chosen until you are dead and still aren't saved. keep seeking!

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

I will certainly pray for you. But you musn't give up. Sometimes God requires one person to seek with great fervancy for a very long time because of something He wants to work out in that person's life. For another, they find true repentance in a moment. If you have read the bible, then you know that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are above our thoughts. Trust that and keep seeking. There is no way to know that you are 'not' chosen until you are dead and still aren't saved. keep seeking!

Well said - I completely agree!

Jeff

 

[JSnell]

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[Jeffwhosoever]

Most people don't find it because most are not even trying. How often have you been in Scripture and in Prayer with the Lord this week?

 

[RobertZ]

Most people don't find it because most are not even trying. How often have you been in Scripture and in Prayer with the Lord this week?

But you see, this does not make sense to me because you dont find salvation on your own efforts, its salvation that finds you is the way that I understand it.

If you have to seek in order to be saved then you get the credit for it do you not?

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

Robert,

Of course you don't achieve salvation through your own works, and no you matter what you do personally, Jesus will get 100% of the credit. I'm telling you how I got saved - spending time in sincere (not ritual) worship, prayer, and bible study for months before my conversion. I get NONE of the credit, so neither will you. However, even those who are chosen must first hear the gospel! Spending time with the Lord is "preparing the way" for the Holy Spirit, for either your regeneration or your rejuvenation, depending on whether you are already saved, or not.

God bless - I continue to pray for you Robert.

Jeff

 

[RobertZ]

Robert,

Of course you don't achieve salvation through your own works, and no you matter what you do personally, Jesus will get 100% of the credit. I'm telling you how I got saved - spending time in sincere (not ritual) worship, prayer, and bible study for months before my conversion. I get NONE of the credit, so neither will you. However, even those who are chosen must first hear the gospel! Spending time with the Lord is "preparing the way" for the Holy Spirit, for either your regeneration or your rejuvenation, depending on whether you are already saved, or not.

God bless - I continue to pray for you Robert.

Jeff

Jeff I hear what you are saying but im sorry, this isnt making sense to me. It sounds as though its a process to justification and I have always been taught that justification was immediate as soon as you believe. I understand sanctification is a process but not justification as far as I know.

 

[Ursie]

But you see, this does not make sense to me because you dont find salvation on your own efforts, its salvation that finds you is the way that I understand it.

If you have to seek in order to be saved then you get the credit for it do you not?

Reading your posts, I almost feel like you are looking for reasons why you can't be saved. Stop spending energy on that and spend energy on seeking truth.

 

[RobertZ]

Reading your posts, I almost feel like you are looking for reasons why you can't be saved.

No, not at all. I can understand how you might see it that way but its not my intention at all.

 

[faceofbear]

No, not at all. I can understand how you might see it that way but its not my intention at all.

Robert, I am struggling along with you. Check out I'll Be Honest - Media Ministry of Grace Community Church - Tim Conway - San Antonio, Texas listen to some of Tim Conway's videos on repentance. If you've already listened to them, listen again. It sounds to me like you are trying to work your way to repentance or work your way to finding salvation.

Jesus commands us to repent. Impossible? YES. With God? NO. Throughout the Gospel Jesus commanded men to do things that they could not do. Palsy men to walk, Peter to walk on water, blind men to see, these people surely could not do these things in their human strength but their faith is what made it possible. Christ even raised dead men by simply commanded them, He commands all men to repent, even though we are dead in our sins yet He is commanding us to come to life. So REPENT. Stop relying on self and have faith in Christ. We are commanded to repent, and it is impossible to do so on our own strength it is only by faith. The Bible tells us that if we do not believe the Gospel that we've made God to be a liar, we are ABLE to repent because Christ has already conquered sin for us. Our repentance is a response to the gospel. It's a turn from disbelief to belief and admitting we are unable to come to Christ by our own merit or understanding but it is by FAITH.

Believe me I am struggling right along with you but the more I am understand it is only by my faith that I am capable of anything, just as it is with repentance. We cannot repent on our own but by our faith we can. If you desire to repent then it is not to late to repent. I believe you're referring to Romans 1 where God gives people up to their lusts. If the Holy Spirit wasn't at work in you, you would not be convicted because God would have completely left you and you would not care so much like you do. We need to stop focusing on OUR repentance and start focusing on what Christ accomplished and our response to it is in faith and this will produce a repentance towards sin. By trying to produce a repentance ourselves is trying to add on to what Christ already accomplished. All we need to do is believe and trust Christ sufficiency and God will produce the repentance. Remember its all by grace.

I'm struggling along with you, and though even saying these things that I've learned it's difficult for me to completely understand, or to know if I've truly repented. But it's not based on if I've repented properly, or if I'm repenting enough or if I'm believing enough, but trusting in Christ and that His death and resurrection was sufficient.

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

Reading your posts, I almost feel like you are looking for reasons why you can't be saved.Stop spending energy on that and spend energy on seeking truth.

Amen!

 

[Ursie]

Robert, I am struggling along with you. Check out I'll Be Honest - Media Ministry of Grace Community Church - Tim Conway - San Antonio, Texas listen to some of Tim Conway's videos on repentance. If you've already listened to them, listen again. It sounds to me like you are trying to work your way to repentance or work your way to finding salvation.

Jesus commands us to repent. Impossible? YES. With God? NO. Throughout the Gospel Jesus commanded men to do things that they could not do. Palsy men to walk, Peter to walk on water, blind men to see, these people surely could not do these things in their human strength but their faith is what made it possible. Christ even raised dead men by simply commanded them, He commands all men to repent, even though we are dead in our sins yet He is commanding us to come to life. So REPENT. Stop relying on self and have faith in Christ. We are commanded to repent, and it is impossible to do so on our own strength it is only by faith. The Bible tells us that if we do not believe the Gospel that we've made God to be a liar, we are ABLE to repent because Christ has already conquered sin for us. Our repentance is a response to the gospel. It's a turn from disbelief to belief and admitting we are unable to come to Christ by our own merit or understanding but it is by FAITH.

Believe me I am struggling right along with you but the more I am understand it is only by my faith that I am capable of anything, just as it is with repentance. We cannot repent on our own but by our faith we can. If you desire to repent then it is not to late to repent. I believe you're referring to Romans 1 where God gives people up to their lusts. If the Holy Spirit wasn't at work in you, you would not be convicted because God would have completely left you and you would not care so much like you do. We need to stop focusing on OUR repentance and start focusing on what Christ accomplished and our response to it is in faith and this will produce a repentance towards sin. By trying to produce a repentance ourselves is trying to add on to what Christ already accomplished. All we need to do is believe and trust Christ sufficiency and God will produce the repentance. Remember its all by grace.

I'm struggling along with you, and though even saying these things that I've learned it's difficult for me to completely understand, or to know if I've truly repented. But it's not based on if I've repented properly, or if I'm repenting enough or if I'm believing enough, but trusting in Christ and that His death and resurrection was sufficient.

I wonder what your understanding of the word repent is. Often, what is taken for the meaning of repent is to 'turn from sin' but this is not a biblical definition at all. Repent is one thing, turn is another.

Repent means, in short, to change ones mind about sin. In otherwords, to see one's sin in the same way as God sees it. To see it in all its wickedness and to move from a place of loving the sin to hating, loathing the sin because one recognizes it as evil.

The turning is what happens as a result of the repentance. If you don't see your sin as evil, you'll continue in it. But if you see it as an abhorrent thing, you will turn away from it and do it no more.

This happens only when the Spirit of God comes in and allows us to see the gravity of our sin. There is certainly the case where we are believers, but we do not see 'all' of our sins as grievous and we continue in them. Then, as time goes by, God will give us light in an area of our life and we are grieved by it. We repent and then we turn. Then God will work on the next thing.

Clearly, the first work of repentance for a believer must be that he sees the grievous nature of not trusting God with his life and the grievous nature of denying the sufficency of Christ's blood sacrifice on the cross to be propitiation(attonement) for his sin. Often, when the Holy Spirit accomplishes this work in the heart of the believer, He also accomplishes additonal repentance at the same time, but this is the first step.

Have you gotten that far?