Category: Growth

REPENTANCE OR REMORSE

Have you ever given any thought to why some bible characters seem to get forgiven, and others lose what they have? Take for example Jacob and Esau. Jacob tricked Esau into selling his birthright, when he tried to get it back God rejected him. And how about Judas Iscariot after betraying Jesus went out and hanged himself. Or, Peter for instance after denying Jesus went and wept bitterly, but in the next chapter we find him preaching the gospel.

So, I went into the scriptures to see if there was a reason for these actions. I found some interesting bible facts that may hold a answer to this question. Let us first, look at Matthew 27:3-5,

“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that”.

In the KJV above, the word “repent-ed is used”, this is not a true interpretation of this word. Looking into the original meaning, we find the word Metamelomai,when interpreted, this word actually means regret. Did you ever stop and ponder, why Judas was condemned and Peter forgiven? I will cover that a little later.

Look at the confrontation between Jacob and Esau, Genesis 25:29-34. Esau

was the first born which gave him the birthright and best inheritence of his father’s estate. But he despised his birthright and sold it to Jacob for some red stew. When he tried to retrieve it with tears was denied.According to:

Hebrews 12:16-17, “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears”.

Take notice of what the bible describes in Peter’s betrayal of Jesus. Peter was with Jesus when the guards arrested Him. Peter followed as they took Jesus to be condemned. He mingled among the guards, was close enough that he saw Jesus’ eyes as the rooster crowed for the third time. Then Peter went out and wept bitterly. This is where confusion comes in. Just because a person sheds a lot of tears, doesn’t necessarily mean that the heart has repented. Tears can be a heart felt sign of true repentance in a persons heart. In this instance, Peter did what Judas did not, Peter repented for his part in the betrayal of Jesus. How do we know this, John 20:2, Simon Peter and John ran to the sepulchre to see the empty tomb. More proof would be, in Acts 2:38, On the day of Pentecost, Peter launched his preaching ministry with the same requirement of repentance as John the Baptist and Jesus did.

Here Is the difference between repentance and remorse, guilt, regret and sorrow.

Guilt is a prison that will keep you perpetually bound and unchanged.

Remorse enslaves you in sorrow that engulfs you emotionally and leaves you feeling sad, depressed, hopeless, and unchanged.

Regret is self-pity that is focused more on your own personal loss than on the pain or loss you caused to others or the heart of God and leaves you unchanged.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 7:10, “For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death”. Peter repented to salvation. Judas’ remorse led him to his death.

This is possibly what Judas went through. Deep remorse for his part in the betrayal of Jesus. Had he repented, I don’t believe he would have hung himself.

The word for repentance is, Metanoeo. Which referring to a complete turn in the way one thinks, lives, or acts. For a person to repent, he must simply make up his mind to change. Esau did not repent of his selfish attitude but, sought it back with regret, not repentance.

Could this be the reason a person will go to the altar every time one is given. For regret, remorse or guilt, and not for true repentance?

If you are trapped in any one of these, there is healing for you today.

Real repentance is a mental choice to leave a life of sin, flesh, and selfishness, and turn toward God with all of one’s heart and mind to follow Jesus. The scripture verses below will help you find rest for your soul.

Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”.

Be blessed in Jesus.

Al S.

CHANGE FROM WITHIN

If you are like many Christians that are in love with God, then there are probably some areas in your life that need internal changing. These can be emotional, or spiritual. There may be something in scripture that you found not in line with your life style. We all have had issues with this same problem. What have you tried on your own to eliminate the problem?

If you are like me, I have tried to change myself. This has only produced anger and frustration with no real improvement. There are many self-help books on the market, some may even be beneficial for a short term gain.

Another course of action, we all have tried is, Will Power. You know the one that says, “I can do this on my own”. I have been acquainted with some of these approaches and still had not changed into the image of Christ. What was I doing wrong? That answer was quite easy. I was trying to do the changing in my own strength. If you can relate to this problem the answer is in the scriptures.

The Lord God made provisions for us to live a holy life on earth, the difference is we don’t do the changing, the Holy Spirit works in us. Notice the wording in 2 Corinthians 3:18:

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”.

This verse plainly says, we are changed from glory to glory into the image of Christ. God’s, Holy spirit is the only one that can change us from the inside out. Scripture calls this “Sanctification”. This sanctification must be pursued by the believer, earnestly and diligently.

There is another aspect to being sanctified and that is the Word of God. We are clearly told in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” To be continually in the Word means, you will have good success. Through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we can mortify the deeds of the flesh, as described in Romans 8:13:

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live”.

We are being continually changed every day as we put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Romans 13:14. In conclusion, let the Holy Spirit do His work in you. Pray that He would reveal those areas that you so desperately want changed. Read and study the Word daily to show yourself approved unto God, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. We are a work in progress and God will finish what He started. Don’t quit. Let the Holy Spirit lead, and give you His peace.

Blessings to you in Jesus’ name!

Al S.

Something happened in the garden of Eden that caused a major shift in man’s relationship with his creator. Since God created man in His own image and stated that everything He had created was, very good, the problem I see is not with God but man.

We all know how the story goes. Adam and Eve were in a perfect garden environment no sin, sickness or turmoil of any kind. Just perfection at its finest. Along comes the Tempter with partial truths to question what God really said. (He has not changed His tactics to this day). His whole ploy was to get the authority that God had given Adam over the earth. Could it be that Satan’s objective was to have the people of earth worship Him instead of God? The Bible does not give us the answer.

God enters the narrative with a question, “Adam where are you?” Isn’t that just like our God to give us the opportunity for repentance, to explain what he had done? But no, he starts the age old blame game. The woman you gave me she did it. Eve said, the snake he tricked me into eating the fruit. Genesis Chapter 3.

This is the part I find most interesting, Genesis 3:7, “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew they were naked;..” Why did they now know of their nakedness, they had been naked just moments before and had no shame? Could it be that Adam was painfully aware His relationship with his Creator was not the same as it had been?

Under the Mosaic law, which God had given to Moses, was to show mankind their sin but, provide no lasting solution to the problem. The law and sacrifice was their conscience effort to cover the sins committed by them. The process went something like this, sin, then sacrifice, sin, then sacrifice with no viable end. Because of man’s flesh he was trapped in an continues circle. Before Jesus came into our lives, we too were living in dead works.

Titus 1:15, “ Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled”.

Then enters Jesus with a new covenant, one that does away with that endless cycle. Jesus does what that old covenant could never do. His death and resurrection refreshed man’s old conscience and made it new.

Hebrews 9:14, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

A new conscience is part of the new covenant, where sin is forgiven and guilt is removed, allowing for a renewed relationship with God.

1 Peter 3:21, “ The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”

When Adam sinned his conscience changed from a God-conscience, to a self-conscience, that is why (I believe) he then saw himself naked and hid from God.

Thank You Jesus for Your ultimate sacrifice for mankind.

1 John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us”.

May you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers! 3 John 1:2

Al S