Frightening word????? Bad person?? When you hear the word, repent, do you immediately feel guilty? And if ‘guilty’… of what? Do you try and distance yourself from whoever spoke the word regardless of circumstances? But do you realize that you repent often. Every time you change your mind… you repent, and I realize that this is not what the majority of people think. Should I repeat what I just said?! Every time you change your mind… you repent. Look to the definitions. Betcha you never thought about ‘repent’ in this light. Yes, repentance is the door to being born again, saved. Simply you have to say NO! to the devil and accept the gift from Jesus by making Him your Lord. However, you need to focus on the person who is the basis of your change – Jesus. Who is He, what has He asked?
I think the point is that you have to change your feelings about the word. I was listening to a podcast by Pastor Robert Morris and he was pointing out that we have totally misunderstood what the word is saying. When you go back to the Greek, the word means to ‘change your mind’. If you have the wrong understanding of (fill in the blank) and come to this realization, regardless of method, do you continue being ‘wrong’? Or, do you change your mind? Most of us would accept our initial misunderstanding and change to the more correct interpretation. The change was/will be subsequently incorporated into our frame of reference. Did we experience ill effects from the change? Hardly.. maybe less skinned noses and knees though.
If our answer is that being corrected and changing to a more correct or proper interpretation enhanced rather than punished, then why not apply this definition across the board to other areas? The point is that the change was better than before we repented. I do believe that the word has been used as a huge hammer over people’s heads to make them ‘better’. How long do you think this will be the norm?
Never forget it is scripture that is the last determination – (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The following are excerpts from Ephesians 2:1-9
“And you [He made alive when you] were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins, in which you once walked. …
Among these [unbelievers] we all once lived in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by the sinful self], indulging the desires of human nature [without the Holy Spirit] and [the impulses] of the [sinful] mind. We were, by nature, children [under the sentence] of [God’s] wrath, just like the rest [of mankind].
But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment). …
[and He did this] so that in the ages to come He might [clearly] show the immeasurable and unsurpassed riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us in Christ Jesus [by providing for our redemption].
For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].”
And 2 Corinthians 6:1-2
“Working together with Him, we strongly urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain [by turning away from sound doctrine and His merciful kindness]. For He says, “At the acceptable time (the time of grace) I listened to you, And I helped you on the day of salvation.”
Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”—”
So what will you choose? How will you react? The decision is in front of you right here, right now. You…..???
