Are you REALLY sorry?
Is an apology good enough for your sins?
True repentance and confession requires information, understanding, sorrow for sins, and acting upon that sorrow.
Most false conversions occur when people do not understand what is required for salvation, and are not instructed properly by the church, when they express interest.
They have no clue what sin really is, what harm and damage they have done, what sorrow for sins really is, and the pulpit message is only about the blessings of God.
Repentance becomes a vague regret of mistakes made in life, yet one is still drawn to the life they led.
The person feels apologetic, although they do not consider themselves a bad person, just someone who could use God’s help in their life to make it better on earth.
It does not take long for them to go back to what they were doing wrong, because they don’t see anything wrong to begin with.
An apology is not enough. A vague regret is not enough.
You have to be sincerely sorrowful, realize the evil in what you have done, and be convicted to never do it again.
You will make an effort to know what sin is, what behaviors are sin, and how to avoid them.
You will do a complete turn around in your life, give your heart to God, obey Him with all your heart, mind, and strength.
It will break your heart to disobey God now. You see the reality of sin as a horror to you, and do not even want to associate with those who live in it.
You will see every act of disobedience as crucifying Christ all over again. You will see your sins nailing Him back to the cross. Out of love, you cannot stand this thought. You could never do this to Him again. Your love for Jesus will rule your actions.
The Holy Spirit will guide you, not your flesh.
Not even negative circumstances, or the threat of death, will make you deny Christ as Savior and Lord, or motivate you to give up and go back to sin.
Self check:
Are you really saved? Be sure you have met these basic requirements. Make sure you have not been deceived into thinking you are saved, when you are not.
Be a true convert to Jesus, not a false one. Take the time to examine your life, and come up to God’s standards for holiness and commitment.
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Are you REALLY sorry? « Heaven Awaits said this on May 20, 2009 at 8:04 pm |
Well said, Marianne. Many looking at Christianity choose to compare themselves with others, and decide they at least measure up to them. We all fall short of the glory of God, and to use that as a measuring stick is folly. It would mean we are depending on our goodness, and not on what Jesus did for us on the cross.
I admit that my seeing my sin was not very deep at my first coming to Jesus, but in time, He made certain I knew how depraved I was. Fortunately, His grace at my naive early repentance was just the start. DavWms
Hi David,
I can identify with you. I just assumed I was a “good person.” I had no idea how far off I was.
Hi Marianne,
Your question is: ‘are you really sorry for your sins?’
When Nineveh felt sorry for their transgressions they sat in
SACKCLOTH AND ASHES!!!
I haven’t seen anyone yet in sackcloth and ashes.
So my answer to your question is:’NO!’
But I would suggest it a Godly way to repent now …
Before we are forced to sit in ashes wearing only rags!!
How great would it be to see a nation, an entire people
so sorry for their wicked ways
that they would kneel down in godly repentance in sackloth and ashes!
How great would it be to see a genuine people of God
humbling themselves before their Creator!
I suggest we do this …. while we still have some time.
Yes Abigail–we need to truly repent as a nation and especially as followers of the LORD. it is so easy to say sorry, w/out an real change or true hatred of sin. that is what true repentance of sin is, a deep loathing sorrowful hatred toward what offends God.
p.s.
And a question we should also all ask ourselves in honesty …
‘Would you sell the Lord for 30 pieces of silver???’
Hey, in regards to “Would you sell the Lord for 30 pices of silver” I know it’s easy for all of us to despise Judas, but we also need to realize that he represents all of us. Each one of our sins as trivial as it might seem did the exact same thing, and unfortunately, we will end up doing it again. Sin is a betrayal of the Lord’s love, it hurts him because it hurts us. Every time we sin we’re forcing him up on that cross because He loves us. Also, we need to remember to rely on him, we have to pray that He helps us to hate sin, and to realize it for what it really is and trust Him to make us truly sorry. Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place all our trust in you. <3
http://www.saintaquinas.com/mortal_sin.html
good point
Or $20.00? What about $40.00? How about $100.00?
What price is your Savior worth??
Until we know the answer to this question we do not value Him.
HE, THE LORD IS PRICELESS!!!!
Excellente!
Hi Marianne, i do agree with you and i like your blog about this.
Am i really sorry for my sins?? i think, sometimes i really sorry with my sins. I’m afraid that Jesus hates me because of my sins, and also He don’t wanna accept me.
People made me sad and angry, they said:’you’re nothing’, that’s the reason why i always feel that i’m nothing.
Marianne, my life really hard…
Hi Esther,
A beautiful name. Jesus does not hate you for your sins. He forgives you, if you are sorry. He died to take your punishment for sins, so you would not have to suffer.
He did this because he loves you. Just trust Him, and he will take care of you.
You are not “nothing.” You are very precious to Him. You were specially created by God to spend forever in heaven with him. There is a beautiful heaven waiting for you.
Remember that God make you, not people. His opinion of you is more important than what people say. In your heart, forgive people who are mean.
They do not have God’s love, and they are unhappy inside. So they hurt others because they have hurt in themselves.
So just be patient, and trust God for the love you need.
Thanks Marianne for your attention, it’s really helpful for me ..
I will remember that, and i’m waiting your other blog. I’m blessed by your blog, Have a great day dear!!! God Bless
dear marianne,
i have been sorry for all my sins and for the future sins that i may commit. I am just human. What is impt is that we sholdn’t make being “just a human” an excuse to commit future sins. Sorry is not enough, as the saying goes..” actions speaks louder than words. ” Sometimes i have this idea of not criticizing other religion but instead concentrate on mine and initiate peace amongst my neighbours irregardless of race and religion and for the rest of humanity to follow thru.
Regards,
miranda
Excellent article, it touches on the subject that should matter to all sincere Christians
God bless you, Esther. I wanna give you a hug and tell you I love you and you are special. People can be very cruel.
This is an excellent guide as to how to be truly sorry for your sins. I believe a person can’t expect to be saved unless he is truly sorry for his sins, both past, present and future. To be truly sorry one must truly love God – the way he expects us to. However, we are all imperfect finite human beings normally incapable of such love and goodness on our own. We have to ask God for his grace and mercy to be able to do this. To be able to love him – as he should be loved and do HIS will. By doing so we are almost guaranteeing a place in heaven for ourselves. It’s a constant struggle though, and we will always be tempted to sin by the flesh and the devil.
i agree with you, Jill. i would add, however, that we must look at love as a whole in its context with scripture. remember faith through grace alone with genuine repentance can give one eternal life. you said, “I believe a person can’t expect to be saved unless he is truly sorry for his sins, both past, present and future. To be truly sorry one must truly love God – the way he expects us to”. none of us will truly love him the way we are suspose to-that will take all of eternity. that would be saying that humans have the same capcity to love that God does and we know that wouldn’t be correct. true love of God that you mentioned is agape love and these are actions(note 1 corinthians 13:4-7) not feelings like the world thinks true love is. we know this would have to be a true statment b/c death bed conversions and the thief on the cross that got saved would all be in hell, b/c they never would have had a chance to ACT OUT God’s agape, but only show the worlds version of phileo and eros love in the greek. you can also note John 21:15-17 when Jesus was basically asking Peter if he apaped Him. even though Peter, said “yes, you know I love you,” he was really saying yes LORD you know i ‘phileo love’ you but not ‘agape love’. thats why Jesus asked him 3x b/c Peter was not getting it. so i would just say that according to the Word, a genuine repentant heart and faith in God aone in what he did through God the Son on the cross is the only way. to go a little further on that, personally, i have been working on my love walk in agape for 10 years, but the closer i get to Christ, the more the lack of love in my life seems to show in the brightness of his glory in all areas of my walk. b/c although true agape is attainable in all things, the odds of any saint truly reaching its full potential is slim to none in our fallen states. it will take me all eternity to try and grasp, let alone show it and do it the way God expects us to, but i never stop striving for perfection. i say since he is endless, we will never understand that love, but it will be very exhillerating growing in it throughout eternity. now it is true that in the book of James it says, “you say you have faith, great, I show you my faith by works,” which basically is proof positive to other christians that one is a genuine christian, but again as my point goes earlier, doesn’t mean that one can’t be saved without agape in their life, b/c we would have no conversion of the thief on the cross and millions of other “death beds”.
This is a beautiful song sung by Andrew Johnston
Latin English
Pie Jesu
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona eis requiem
Agnus Dei
Dona eis requiem sempiternam
Merciful Jesus
Who takes away the sins of the world
Grant them rest
Lamb of God
Grant them everlasting rest
beautiful song…inspiring holiness….
Correction: Actually I should have said it was a hymn not song.
my entire life ive been set apart, ive seen other times other places the future, the past. seen things in color that were filmed in black and white. been plagued by the spiritual relhm. A pastor from south africa, Henkey i think his name was henny henkey, said he saw a powerful calling in me, but said that it was not yet his place to aid me. i am not a normal human, i know that much, not spiritually any way.is it possible that i am a forsaken?
hi dante
I do not think most people are “normal.” Do not feel forsaken if you feel you are different somehow. We are each unique beings. We each have something special to offer.
It sounds like you have a creative imagination (seeing colors when others see black and white), and maybe you have an artistic gift to develop.
Do not worry about what others say. just go with what is inside of you, and let it be expressed.
No, i know this sounds abit out there but i rember the rebellion, the fall, when the two thirds were cast out. i wasnt on the side of the majority (in fact i recall removing baal myself with help), but was later sent to protect humans from them. i recall the race of giants that sprang from me, or what was me at the time. my wings were stripped from me an i was told that sence i enjoy the flesh so much that i was to stay in it until the final trumpet sounds…then i would be judged on all my lives as with the rest of the humans. i recall 6 different lives,but i know there are more. i pray often, but feel as if noone is listening to me. i repent, but im not sure that it does any good. i know how this must sound, but i beleive these words written, and it scares the crap out of me, that i may not get to go back home because i screwed up once. im just not sure.
dante sweetheart
Do you think you are a fallen angel? Where do these memories come from? Are you sure about them, or are they dreams?
My thoughts are that you should never give up hope.
I’m scared that when I die I’m going to hell,because I act so awful sometimes! I have alot of anger in me,I can’t seem to stop cussing so much & I sometime’s think & say horrible thing’s I regret later,and i’m afraid of what God think’s of me.I fear I’ve let Him down so many time’s.And a christian should definately not be this way!Iv’e prayed Sooo many times about help stopping with these issues but I keep on,.when I was a teenager I prayed to recieve Jesus,alng with the speaker praying & telling us how to pray to be saved,but didn’t really notice any major change.So I really hope my name is in the book of Life! sometimes I think I maybe need to have a near death experience or deliverance from a church,,or something to make me change my way’s,cause this anger I carry around is like a disease,& will destroy me,and I know God doesn’t want us that way.Is it the holy spirit speaking or angels when you pray & ask question’s,and a Bible verse pop’s into your mind? for instance,once I prayed saying”God,with all these different religions in the world and everyone is sure their’s is the true one.How can we know wich is the righ one?” and John 14:6 popped in there.That most definately must be my answer.And I love when that happen’s.it’s a rare & beautiful thing.I guess iv’e kinda fallen away,and I’m ashamed.For a while 2 mormon missionarries wer’e visiting wth me,teaching me their belief’s and trying to convert me & asking if I wanna be baptized into their church,but it just seemed wrong to me,& iv’e already been baptized.I could not agree with their belief’s,and sometime’s in their church teenager’s would get up on stage announcing to the audience”I know this church is true & blah blah…”they wer’e absoutely convinced.Almost done,don’t worry! sorry to write a short novel here..once while the mormon’s wer’e studying with me one of them said”oh yeah there’s alot of mistake’s in the Bible(don’t know how they know that!) and they alway’s said they use the k.j.v. because it’s the one translated fewest times thruout history.and I said well if you think there’s mistake’s in the Bible then there’s probably some in the book of mormon too,and he said(all smart-aleky)”not really).Oooh dthat made me mad.I felt like saying,”o.k. getout!”
hi Emily
True salvation is sincere repentance for your sins, turning away from them with all your strength, accepting forgiveness, and trusting in Jesus for what you cannot do.
It sounds like you are on the right path with repentance. You need to just follow through with the rest of it. Jesus will help you.
Since your anger is a troublesome issue with you, try to find someone trustworthy, and wise to talk to. Get to the root of your problem.
Usually, it is due to childhood disappointments or frustrations, and can end up in more unhappy experiences as adults, which make things worse. You have to learn to forgive the past, because the past is over.
Those who hurt you have gone on with their lives, and they feel fine and happy, while you are just punishing and hurting yourself by holding onto the anger.
Emily
You were right to doubt the Mormon missionaries, In fact, the way you stated it above, It is the Holy Spirit that leads you away from them and their teachings. It is the Holy Spirit which made you feel uneasy about them. You show repentence in saying that you are letting God down. Know this though, It is not God that leaves us, it is we who walk away from God when we live our lives with us in control. Submit to the will of God, Trust that he will lead you Through the Holy Spirit by his grace, And God will work his perfect work in you. In other words, stop trying to be Holy, and allow God to make you Holy. Leave your burden at the cross, and trust in the fact that Jesus has forgiven your sins already, and start living for him.
Forgiving others, then becomes a matter of looking at how Jesus forgives us.
The Holy Spirit is the one giving you the scripture
John 14:26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 15:26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
And the fact that you feel guilty over your cussing and anger is the Holy Spirit convicting you….that is good!!
We are human Emily. That is why we need Jesus and the Holy Spirit!
That is why G-d sent His son and why His son gives us His Holy Spirit 
Thankyou all for your wise,& helpful advise.I’m so glad I stumbled upon this very interesting website,with so many different topic’s.I could stay up all night reading if not careful!
What about handicapped people,with mental retardation,or autism..etc… that don’t understand about religion & accepting Jesus,cause of their condition..Do you think they would automatically inherit Heaven cause they are innocent & their mind’s aren’t the same?? I hope so.just wondering
G-d will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. G-d is not evil. The innocent have nothing to fear. It’s folks like us who should fear G-d’s rightious anger.
I think we are seeing a lot of it in the storms, and earthquakes these past few years.
Emily
God knows how people are born, and their afflictions. He would not hold them accountable for actions they did not understand. They are like children, and lack understanding. These people are protected by God.
Hey Emily,
Without a doubt, G-d has His hand on these “children” no matter how old they are!
I believe with all my heart that they are blessed to “see” their angels.
I have a son with Autism and he would often stare and laugh at “someone” that I obviously could not see. It was amazing to watch.
The scriptures talk about the angels of these children being the only angels who can see the face of G-d! Think about that statement! This is how much these “children” mean to Him!
Matthew 18:10″See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
I feel very blessed to have a son with Autism! And tho it may be odd for me as a mom to say this, but I have peace knowing that he is sealed and I don’t have to worry for him
someone said — are you sorry for your sins or sorry you got caught ?
“That the Holy Ghost comes to dwell with us in water baptism and salvation, and then dwells in us in a more intimate way in fire baptism, in which we receive special ministry gifts to serve God in humility.”
What happens if a person misuses the gift God gave them to serve in humility? Does this mean that He will take it back from the person? I wish I knew about this website earlier…
Also…if someone (like me) receives spiritual gifts and gets baptized into a cult and backslides does that mean God will take away these gifts and His spirit?
You may or may not be able to use your gifts if you are in sin.
God’s calling is, however, permanent.
If gifts are not working, then repent of the sins, and get back on track.
God forgives and restores.