What does the Lord Jesus mean when He commands you to turn away from your sins? To turn away from your sins means to turn from one way to an entirely different way. To repent does not only mean to feel sorry because God found you doing bad things.
God’s Word says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Cor. 2:10). Sorrow and repentance are not the same thing. God’s kind of sorrow causes repentance which leads to salvation. When that happens, sorrow disappears, ends. If I am still sorry, then it proves that my sorrow is worldly sorrow which brings death.
To repent means you think differently about the way you live. You have lived only to do what you want to do. Therefore, you have done evil things and disobeyed God’s law (His commandments) continually. This is wrong. Because you have done evil things, God is angry with you and will punish you unless you leave your bad ways. To repent means to turn around from going in one direction to go in another direction. To repent is to turn away from bad ways to Jesus who died on the cross and rose again from the dead. It is not turning to good ways. It is turning to Jesus to be forgiven for bad ways. God’s Word says, “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21).
After turning to God from sin, there should be evidence that your repentance is real.
You must not live the way you used to live. Now you must no longer do the evil things you used to do. If you used to do many bad things, you must stop doing all of them. Stopping some of them is not enough. You must stop doing all of them.
Would it help you if you could have everything in the world, but after you die you would go to hell? No. Having lots of things or being rich will not help you go to heaven. If you gave away a lot of money or did a lot of good things, that would still not help you go to heaven. In order to go to heaven, you must stop doing bad things and obey the words of Jesus. When what you want and what Jesus wants you to do are not the same thing, then you must choose only to do what Jesus wants you to do. Jesus died for you because He loves you. What Jesus tells you to do will be only good things, because Jesus only does good things. You need never fear to give yourself to the Lord Jesus.
Sometimes your family or friends may want you to do something that would displease Jesus. If this happens, then you must not do what your family and friends want you to do. In everything you do, you must seek to obey the words of God. you once served yourself as master. Now you must serve Jesus as Master instead. This means that the things you do will not be the same as the things most people do. The things that you do will be the things that God wants His children to do.
You and I have disobeyed God’s commands. If we ask Jesus to forgive us for disobeying Him, He will forgive us. We must believe all the words of Jesus. If a man obeys God’s words, he will not go to the witchdoctor for help when his crops fail. Rather, he will pray to God and know that God will give him the things that he needs.
The Lord Jesus is a wonderful person. The Lord Jesus wants all people from all nations and tribes to obey His words. You must not say that because you have done so many bad things, you cannot come to Jesus. If you come to Jesus, He will receive you. He died on the cross because of the bad things you have done. This is the way that He showed that He loves you.
God’s Word says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Cor. 2:10). Sorrow and repentance are not the same thing. God’s kind of sorrow causes repentance which leads to salvation. When that happens, sorrow disappears, ends. If I am still sorry, then it proves that my sorrow is worldly sorrow which brings death.
To repent means you think differently about the way you live. You have lived only to do what you want to do. Therefore, you have done evil things and disobeyed God’s law (His commandments) continually. This is wrong. Because you have done evil things, God is angry with you and will punish you unless you leave your bad ways. To repent means to turn around from going in one direction to go in another direction. To repent is to turn away from bad ways to Jesus who died on the cross and rose again from the dead. It is not turning to good ways. It is turning to Jesus to be forgiven for bad ways. God’s Word says, “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21).
After turning to God from sin, there should be evidence that your repentance is real.
But keep declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. (Acts 26:20)Repentance is turning from bad actions to Jesus. After turning to Jesus, we must then do good things and not do bad things. Repenting is leaving these bad ways. Leaving your bad ways means you stop doing only what you want to do, and you begin doing what God wants you to do. You must not do things that displease God. God is greatly pleased when you seek to do only those things that will please Him. If we seek only to please God, He will have mercy on us.
This I say, therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. (Eph. 4:17-19)
You must not live the way you used to live. Now you must no longer do the evil things you used to do. If you used to do many bad things, you must stop doing all of them. Stopping some of them is not enough. You must stop doing all of them.
Would it help you if you could have everything in the world, but after you die you would go to hell? No. Having lots of things or being rich will not help you go to heaven. If you gave away a lot of money or did a lot of good things, that would still not help you go to heaven. In order to go to heaven, you must stop doing bad things and obey the words of Jesus. When what you want and what Jesus wants you to do are not the same thing, then you must choose only to do what Jesus wants you to do. Jesus died for you because He loves you. What Jesus tells you to do will be only good things, because Jesus only does good things. You need never fear to give yourself to the Lord Jesus.
Sometimes your family or friends may want you to do something that would displease Jesus. If this happens, then you must not do what your family and friends want you to do. In everything you do, you must seek to obey the words of God. you once served yourself as master. Now you must serve Jesus as Master instead. This means that the things you do will not be the same as the things most people do. The things that you do will be the things that God wants His children to do.
You and I have disobeyed God’s commands. If we ask Jesus to forgive us for disobeying Him, He will forgive us. We must believe all the words of Jesus. If a man obeys God’s words, he will not go to the witchdoctor for help when his crops fail. Rather, he will pray to God and know that God will give him the things that he needs.
The Lord Jesus is a wonderful person. The Lord Jesus wants all people from all nations and tribes to obey His words. You must not say that because you have done so many bad things, you cannot come to Jesus. If you come to Jesus, He will receive you. He died on the cross because of the bad things you have done. This is the way that He showed that He loves you.
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