Good morning brothers and sisters. Today I was asked to talk on repentance.
We come to earth for the purpose of growing and progressing. This is a lifelong process. During this time we all sin. We all have need to repent. Repentance is one of the first principles of the gospel and is essential to our temporal and eternal happiness. In the repentance section of the For the strength of youth pamphlet it says. The Savior gave His life for us and suffered for our sins. This great sacrifice is called the Atonement. Through the Atonement, you can receive forgiveness and be cleansed from your sins when you repent. When you do what is necessary to receive forgiveness, you will know for yourself the power of the Atonement and the love God has
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It is a change of mind and heart that gives us a fresh view about God, about ourselves, and about the world. Mosiah 4:10 says, “And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.” In the October 2003 General Conference elder Dallin H. Oaks says, “repenting means giving up all of our practices—personal, family, ethnic, and national—that are contrary to the commandments of God. The purpose of the gospel is to transform common creatures into celestial citizens, and that requires …show more content…
Jesus commanded us to love one another, and we show that love by the way we serve one another. We are also commanded to love God, and we show that love by continually repenting and by keeping His commandments. And repentance means more than giving up our sins. In its broadest meaning it requires change, giving up all of our traditions that are contrary to the commandments of God. As we become full participants in the culture of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we become fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of
Life as we all know is full of disappointment and filled with disparity. Most of us are able to go through these and learn from and forgive ourselves. Yet, this isn’t always the case. People are faced with traumatic experiences that often take a long time to get over, if they ever do get over it. These experiences brew in our brain popping up at the most random points often bringing our spirits down. Although these experiences may scar us and fill us with regret and guilt, we can’t continue to live in the past and let these regrets haunt us. Self forgiveness is a key to healing and to moving on in life, no matter how hard it is.
Jesus began, "repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," or is it, do penance: "for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17 K.J.V.). The two words repent and penance have somewhat the same connotation in the understanding of having sorrow for ones’ sins, nevertheless the two words are at the heart of Christianity and Christendom. The Catholic Church exerts the Latin term “paenitentiam agite” to justify its position on sacramental penance. The Latin term can be variously translated into English by the word repent or do penance, though similar, but somehow un-unified as earthly is with spiritual. This concept of repentance and abhorrence of one's sins before God is a heart issue. To do penance for one's sins before God is a heart issue. The dividing factor between the two words is who can know an individual’s heart in relationship to the scripture; As Paul wrote, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation…but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Corinthians 7:10 K.J.V.). The same factor affects the relationship between Christianity and Christendom, who can discern the motives of human hearts in relationship to history. Christianity is a universal appeal to man's heart, heart of Christendom is a universal appeal for an earthly kingdom. The union of these two or schism as one wishes to perceive, is in the concept of a visible church and an invisible church.
In Christianity, the emphasis is placed on love of God rather than on obeying his will. People must believe that God is merciful and loves them as well. As a reflection of God’s love, people must also love other people (and the whole humanity in general) and forgive their enemies. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus endorses agape, or selfless love (in contrast to eros, or possessive love), which consists of dedication to another person’s good, even at the expense of our own good and happiness. People should practice peace and nonviolence, return good for evil and love for suffering (“turn the other cheek”).
Atonement is the action of putting things right between us and God. This story illustrates a very simplified version of one Atonement theory. Jesus, the "Pan," accomplished Atonement by sacrificing himself for mercy and forgiveness. He died for us so God would forgive our sins.
God’s law demands sins to be confessed and forgiveness be requested in order to become stronger through Him. 1 John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (ESV). Just as the BSC is a strategy for organizations to grow stronger, God’s strategy of sinners confessing and requesting forgiveness is a way for Christians to become stronger. Economies of Scale and
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." [Matthew 22:37-40, AV]
First, I affirm and concur that Jesus was sent to show us a better way. Especially, one of love and, I might add, mercy. That said, a common pitfall that we—myself included—seemingly rush into when it comes to theology is we quickly choose our side, assume we are right, and begin declaring others as wrong. The atonement is one of those areas that has been hotly debated throughout the history of the Church. Origen, essentially, declared that the atonement was like a ransom.
Through his death Christ gained forgiveness of sins for all who follow him (see "baptism"). Titus 3:13,14 says "our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity".
In Acts 4:12, we are told that there is no other name that we can accept salvation by, except by the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before me, him I will confess also before my father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). After you have spoken with the pastor and repented of your sins, he usually brings you to the front of the church and lets the members know you have confessed your faith in Christ. After your public profession of faith you follow the pastor to the door where all of the members can greet you and show their joy for you becoming a brother or sister in Christ. This simple, yet critical confession is the final step to gaining salvation and eternal life with
“imparts to the sinner the live of God who reconciles: "Be reconciled to God."7 He who
Wesley suggests that we will have a change in heart under the prompting of grace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As I look back over my life I realize God has indeed lifted me out of all my trials and tribulations. He was always there and because God gave me freedom to makes choices, I was able to repent and turn toward God and away from sin.
Forgiveness has set me free. My moments of the perpetual journey of repeated practice and willingness to forgive has
Their conscience will reoccur the memories in which they failed to follow God’s commandments. This is when the decision to confess their sins to a priest occurs. Healing and forgiveness occur during the reconciliation. Both factors allow an individual to emerge into a complete state of
Repentance is essential when it comes to salvation. One must repent of his or her sins to truly believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. As it has been correctly stated, “Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin.” One cannot repent unless he or she believes in Jesus Christ. Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:25, “God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.” This sums up the relationship between saving faith and repentance.
We must rebuke the lies the devil tells us that repentance is a fearful thing. God tells us in the scripture we “shall be saved from wrath through His son.” Not only do we not have to fear the wrath God has reserved for those who don’t accept Christ, God promises us peace with Him. Romans 5:1 (NKJV) “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”