When do people truly repent of their sins, before or after truly believing in Jesus?

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jacko

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2024
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#61
Thanks... I didn't see anything other than that verse when I first went to respond. I see what you mean. Good observation.

There's a good reason to trust the KJ Bible.
If we used the Mormon bible it would say "repent of your sins" quite a lot.
The same is true of the Quran.
This is a work that many preachers confused me about as a teenager.
when it doubt KJV! Most accurate by far.

NIV kinda sucks, but it's easy to read ,when it gets a little technical, so I usually read in the NIV first time through, a second itme NKJV and a third in KJV. Just my own way.
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
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Almost Heaven West Virginia
#62

Blade

Well-known member
Nov 19, 2019
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#63
Hebrews 10:26
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
You have problem here. Well we all have many times willfully sinned oops. Sorry every sin we have done was not just being tempted. See pffft sorry.. this is the stuff that's milk..we should have moved on by now. So I hear the truth I know Jesus Christ died for my sins yet I reject it and now willfully sin. From that moment on there is nothing else out there.. I reject Christ now only judgement. Then we have those Paul was talking to that were Jewish believers and would sin and go offer a sacrifice for that sin. He or the sweet sweet holy Spirit said there is no more sacrifice for that sin. Christ can not die again. What they were doing was putting Christ to open shame.

Chrisitan's we just love to quote only parts of the word and then make same case for what we personally believe. OT/NT fact that anyone that calls on Gods name shall be saved/delivered. Christ in Matt what 11+ and then once in Jone what 7 "Now on the last and most important day of the feast, Jesus stood and called out [in a loud voice], “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

And we have Him saying in Luke "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. " Remember Him telling some to stop sinning why so they can get to heaven? " “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” Said the woman caught in sin.. go and sin no more. Sin takes us away from Him.. He knows this and we do not fully understand it. We just or some do I do not tell the lost to repent or (Forgive me Father) burn. He died for the "sin" of the world.

There is so much of "man" all over this. I can't speak about you and your life and what seen and heard and what you truly believe. For me when all I saw was the sin I did day in day out and told Him.. the margin here says I wont get anything from you if my heart convicts me. I told Him it convicts me 24/7 so I quit. See I didn't just say it.. I meant it. So as I got up reached for the door that sweet small voice that we should know by now asked me "what is righteousness?" I turned said "ok ok righteousness is right standing with God". He asked me "how do you get righteousness?" I said by believing in Jesus". Something happened.. I cried and cried.

What I told Him is what I had heard so right after that I went to the word to make sure its written and it us. He wanted me to see me as He does. Christ already died and since I made Him lord He took my place so when He died I died..when He rose I rose and fact sin can not long touch Him. Do you see? So I don't freely sin because with in me does not want to...yet there is this other part that does want to sin and now that part has no say over me. I cannot not undo what a GOD has made new. That new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. He is in.. the Father is in me ooh the sweet holy Spirit is in me and I am in Him we are one.

Many so so many believe in Him but do not know Him..
 

FlyingDove

Senior Member
Dec 27, 2017
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#64
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
1st
Jn 12:32 Jesus said; if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw "all" men unto me.
(MY PARSING: Jesus was in fact lifted up on a cross, then from the grave & via His Holy Spirit draws "ALL" to Himself. Unfortunately not all except His offer)

Some background on OP headline question:
KJV Dictionary Definition: repentance

1) To change the mind in consequence of the inconvenience or injury done by past conduct.

2) To express sorrow for something past.

3. A change of mind, or a conversion from sin to God.

(MY PARSING: Changing from denying God's sovereignty & practicing abject self-service. To acknowledging God's sovereignty & willing submitting to it.)

Repentance in regards to salvation.
Ultimately, there is only one sin that stands between one receiving God's GIFT of eternal life (Rom 6:23) & eternal separation (2 Thes 1:9) from their Creator God.

Acts 20:21 (B & C) Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
(MY PARSING: The key to this verse is found in the article "TOWARD". Repentance TOWARD God & faith TOWARD Christ)

When this change/repentance from unbelief to belief is mixed with FAITH placed in Christ's sin atoning death (sins required 'Rom 6:23'wage PAID), burial (proof Jesus died) & resurrection (Father's receipt, sins payment received & accepted). The end result of will be a CHANGE in/of one's actions. Find more context: 1 Cor 15:1-4, Rom 10:8-13 & Ephesians 1:13.

Rom 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

GRACE - Is a GIFT given freely & received thru FAITH: Rom 3:24, 4:16, 5:1-2, 15, "11:6" "Eph 2:5 & 8"

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
(MY PARSING: God's Grace has a name. It's Jesus the Christ)
 

JohnDB

Well-known member
Jan 16, 2021
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#65
Psalms 66

17I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
 
Sep 2, 2020
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#66
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
repentance comes with truth

“And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.


And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6:6-7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

his action isn’t the repentance part but what he feels in his heart because of his action beforehand , this then leads to the action .

“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7:9-10‬ ‭KJV‬‬

repentance is a mechanism in the heart as we hear the truth that we’ve been wrong in our actions and we deserve death according to Gods word in tbe ot ….this is meant when we acknolwedge it , to bring us to humility and shame , sorrow and repentance ( the place where the broken decide to follow after the way promising life and salvation being humbled in thier sins

ever done something and then realize “ I really regret doing that I feel terrible bout it “ this is a person being confronted with godly sorrow trying to lead them to repentance

a lot of times Christian’s don’t want to feel bad for the things they do wrong and they convince themselves it didn’t apply or didn’t count but in this mind repentance never comes only through acknolwedging the truth does godly sorrow come to the sinner and moves them through belief to repentance by the power of godly sorrow
 
Jul 7, 2022
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Almost Heaven West Virginia
#67
Hebrews 10 context is talking about animal sacrifice.

For the Hebrew believer, they were going back to Old Testament practices of sacrificing lambs, bulls and goats 🐐

If they sinned, those kind of sacrifices were no longer required, with Jesus as the ultimate lamb. The new covenant meant not doing those sacrifices, which were figures and types of Jesus.

So it isn't saying..there is no longer salvation for the believer, but for the Hebrew believers to go on to maturity in their faith by focusing on Jesus as the ultimate lamb.
Right, there is no sacrifice that can save besides the actual Lamb of God Who taketh away the sins of the world.
 
Jul 7, 2022
10,606
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Almost Heaven West Virginia
#68
it is not works it is a matter of the heart between God and the person how many sins must you repent of? that is the wrong wuestion rather you sohlud ask who is it that saves me from my sins and that is Jesus
he died so that you would not have to repent of every sin you have made you have a repentant heart and you are washed by the blood of the lamb so though you may sin at times in his eyes you are sinless.
I would like to simplify the discussion, break down the terms and context so we all understand perspectives.

Let's define what repentance/ repent means. I don't speak Greek and am not aware that anyone in our forum does, so we are a bunch of foreigners trying to understand a different language from dictionaries, study helps and context. I'm no Greek speaking linguist.

First, I looked at the Greek terms metanoia/ metanoéō.

When I look for terms that are translated "sin", I have no matches with repent. Meta is generally change and the common noun for knowledge is gnosis.
These make sense to me if I understand correctly we are talking about a change of mind or thought.


For some reason most preachers tack on the term .......OF SIN(S). I spent untold hours, days and months trying to figure out this mystery of translation.
Some of them act as if they know better than the king James translators, William Tyndale and Erasmus put together. I've approached it from an open mind and all I find is a lot of dogmatic dogma based upon generational and denominational biases.


One sincere reason I believe that you and I have been lied to us that the person Who first repented was Who?
The Lord Himself repented!
Genesis 6:6


6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Are we to assume as the pastors do who teach that repent means "turn from sins?"
Reason would conclude with that foolish misinterpretation that God is the sinner. That is blasphemous.
Certainly, the misinterpretation has a motive considering this is no mystery.
The fact of the matter is that it's either GRACE or WORKS.
Every religion in the world except Biblical Christianity teaches works.
The preachers who my pastor invited, most shared a gospel of works . When speaking of repentance, they would tack on ......"of your sins to be saved."


We know that's the first Person to repent was God.
Guess Who repented the most?
It was the Lord.


Is repentance defined as "turning from sins?"
An honest dictionary as well as an exhaustive word study leads me to know that in basic terminology it means to change one's mind or reconsider.
 

Pilgrimshope

Well-known member
Sep 2, 2020
14,661
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#69
when it doubt KJV! Most accurate by far.

NIV kinda sucks, but it's easy to read ,when it gets a little technical, so I usually read in the NIV first time through, a second itme NKJV and a third in KJV. Just my own way.
The original niv in 1981 (I bElieve somewhere around there ) before they started making it so fluid and te translations it again and again , is actually very accurate just as accurate as a kjv authorized or any other translation