In class yesterday I talked about a "lifestyle of repentance". I referenced 1 John 1:5-10 which says,
"5 This is the message he has given us to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness. We are not living in the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." New Living Translation
With this verse in mind, what does "lifestyle of repentance" mean to you? Have you ever known anyone who acted like someone verse 8 describes? How can we help someone in that situation move into confession that is genuine? How do we keep ourselves from becoming like the person described in verse 8?
I look forward to your comments!!
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To me, "lifestyle of repentance" means deliberately choosing to be reflective and aware of two things: God's character of holiness and how our acts, thoughts and choices measure up to His holiness. If we are honest with ourselves, and with God, we will always come to the conclusion that we fall far short, and therefore rely on His grace and Christ's sacrifice to unite us with the Him and move forward. Proverbs 28:13 says: "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." Some people are not naturally reflective, and it takes more work for them to daily take a deliberate look at their lives and the life of Christ and His word and measure them together. Also, people's concept of sin greatly influences their ability to see their own soul struggles and repent. I do believe we must gently help ourselves and others move from looking only at the Biggie List (murder, adultery, theft, etc.)and look deeply into the fruits of the flesh that are present in our lives (Gal. 5:22-24, Phil 2:14 impurity, idolatry, enmity, strife, jealous, anger, complaining, etc.)
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