Repent?

"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

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"REPENT'ANCE, n.

1. Sorrow for any thing done or said; the pain or grief which a person experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his own conduct.

2. In theology, the pain, regret or affliction which a person feels on account of his past conduct, because it exposes him to punishment. This sorrow proceeding merely from the fear of punishment, is called legal repentance, as being excited by the terrors of legal penalties, and it may exist without an amendment of life.

3. Real penitence; sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude towards a Being of infinite benevolence. This is called evangelical repentance, and is accompanied and followed by amendment of life.

Repentance is a change of mind, or a conversion from sin to God.

Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. 2Cor. 7. Matt. 3.

Repentance is the relinquishment of any practice, from conviction that it has offended God."

1828

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Too often, I feel, the word "REPENT" is thrown around. Repentance is NOT, as commonly thought in the mainstream, the act of turning away from sin, but rather repentance is what CAUSES the turning away from sin. The turning away and rejection of sin is the product of repentance, not the definition of it. Even the Lord was repented, but that was not from sin, but from sorrow.

Repentance is the sorrow, the grief, the conviction that comes from sin. Therefore, repentance can ONLY be spurred by the Holy Spirit, not man. We cannot make anyone feel sorry for their sin anymore than we can "make a horse drink," yet too often people cry out "REPENT! REPENT AND BE SAVED!"

While it is true that no one can be saved without being repentant of their sin, that repentance is not something that another person can inspire a man to feel.

The Spirit comes by faith, and faith by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Preach the gospel, minister to others, stand on the Word of God, but we should not be so proud as to tell others to repent. Repentance is not an action, it is a thing, a feeling. One can't DO repentance, one can only feel it to the point of breaking.

So, rather than telling people to repent, perhaps we should encourage them to seek the Lord instead. One thing is for sure, if they are truly seeking, they will surely find, and repentance will soon follow.