Re: Why is Ongoing Repentance Necessary For A Christian?

Tomi: Repentance is an honest, regretful acknowledgement of sin with commitment to change.

Rainy: Yes, Tomi, I agree with you 100 percent on this.

Tomi: If you repent each day then your repentance is repetitious, without sincerity in the first place.

Rainy: I disagree with you here. Since I know that I am not perfect, I like to examine myself as often as possible which is probably daily. I repent for my failures known and unknown by me. I ask the Lord to show me things that are wrong with me so I can repent and better work to change what He sees in me that is not of Him. There is nothing wrong with repetition if it is not VAIN. It would be VAIN if I were not sincere. I know that I am sincere. God wants us to be overcomers. Most Christians are not perfect and are working on things even if they are minor. Some struggle to stop smoking, for example. They admit to God that they struggle with this and seek God's help to overcome the nasty habit. They repent and seek His help to overcome. They are sincere. I do not smoke for your information just in case you get any ideas of spinning that to use against me.

Tomi: Just how many times must Jesus forgive you to make it
genuine.
He says "go sin no more".
So why insist on repenting when you have done so already, do you not trust in his word?
Is your sin so bad that you do not value his forgiveness even though its God that gave his life for you.?

Rainy: 1 John 1 was written to Christians. Verse 8 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Also, speaking to Christians, verse 9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." When Jesus said ,"Go and sin no more" He was speaking to a woman who was caught in adultery. He was telling her to stop committing adultery. Certainly, when I came back to the Lord I stopped committing such blatant sins knowing that the grace of God is not a license to sin. But what happens when the thought enters the mind. Jesus said even the thought is committing adultery. The Bible tells us to cast down ungodly imaginations. So we need to cast down the thoughts, but we need to also sincerely repent and ask God to help us keep our minds clean. Jesus said that if we get angry at our brother without cause that is the same as committing murder. Even though we may have never committed the physical act of murder, we need to examine ourselves for such sins that we may have inadvertantly committed to seek repentance and to seek God's help in overcoming them. I ask myself, "Did I gossip today? Was I unkind today? What did I do today that did not please God?" Even though, as I go through my day, I try as hard as I can not to commit even the smallest sin, I know that I am not perfect and seek the Lord to show me what I did wrong whether that be in thoughts, words, motives, or deeds. I seek the Lord to uproot everything in me that is not pleasing to Him. I know I am a work in progress. I don't feel that I even know everything in me that needs to be uprooted, but I know He does. If I don't pray for Him to completely purify me, how else am I going to get it done. I can't do it on my own strength. I need His help. Overcoming is a process for many things in our lives. Yes, some things can be instant like the woman who stopped committing the sin of adultery.

I do value His forgiveness for He has forgiven me for a lot, but I need His help to overcome all. I would love to get to the place where I am totally sin free. Any sin in my life is bad no matter how small. The more I can get rid of the better my relationship with God will be. I do trust in His word and I am sincere no matter how anybody on this forum wants to spin these things to make me look bad.

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