Ping
Indeed! Repentance is more than paying penance.
Christ instituted a sacrament covering this subject...The sacrament of reconciliation or penance brings Catholics back to a state of grace after forgiving their sins when they confess those sins and show true repentance for them.
Etymology of repentance: From Latin *penitire “to regret,” from Latin poenitire “make sorry”
According to Strong’s (G3340 - used 36 times in KJV)
I.to change one’s mind, i.e. to repent
II.to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins
What is key to understanding repent or repentance is the adoption of change. One must change one’s thinking. If we were to hold up the sin of theft, before the act of repentance, one might think that stealing is ok or acceptable. However, after instruction in righteousness, one’s thinking changes to understand that stealing is NOT ok and once that understanding takes place, then one can feel remorse for prior thefts.
But this starts with the change of thinking or the way one see’s one’s actions. If the change in thinking does NOT occur, then the person has not repented.
With regards to homosexuality, many who are caught in this sin refuse to change their thinking. If one truly repents, they would no longer practice that sin. Outward evidence of this failure to repent, such as living with and continuing a homosexual relationship shows that repentance has not occurred. That is why I strongly oppose gay marriage as it is the state acceptance and condoning the perverted and depraved indifference to God’s will.
Amen. Like a lightening bolt.
metanoeó: to change one's mind or purpose
Original Word: μετανοέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: metanoeó
Phonetic Spelling: (met-an-o-eh'-o)
Short Definition: I repent, change my mind
Definition: I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), repent.
The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24-26)
.When we know how unworthy we are, we keep turning to Christ in gratitude for His Love, because without it we would be doomed to eternal Hell.
We can be aware and do our best to resist temptation, but even then we will have cause to repeat Paul's lament in Romans:
14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.c For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful natured a slave to the law of sin.
Praise God!
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Whoops, sorry Rn Mom, meant to address that as a follow-up to verge.
Every day I pray a sincere act of contrition:
Oh, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. And I detest all of my sins because of Thy just punishments. But most of all because they offend Thee, oh my God, who are all good and worthy of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sins. Amen