Recognizing our sins is not enough; it must be accompanied by repentance. The biblical meaning of repentance includes three aspects: acknowledgment of one’s sin, sorrow for having sinned, and the desire not to sin any more. If one is lacking, there is no true repentance. For example, Judas admitted his sin, but he lacked grief for having betrayed the Master (Matt. 27:3, 4). He was overwhelmed with remorse, not with repentance. His confession was generated by fear of the consequences, not by his love of Christ. Without repentance, redemption is impossible, because the absence of repentance demonstrates that people refuse to surrender to the Lord. Now, we have been told “the goodness of God leads you to repentance” (Rom. 2:4, NKJV). What does that mean? A block of ice can be broken into small pieces, but the resulting pieces will still be ice. That same block of ice can be placed next to a heater, and it will melt away into water. The ice of our pride can be thawed only if we are exposed to the warmth of God’s goodness and love. Thus, how crucial for us to dwell, as much as we can, on all the evidences we have been given of God’s love for us.“We do not repent in order that God may love us, but He reveals to us His love in order that we may repent.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons,p. 189.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:23:27 +0000
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