# True repentance



## Blueridge Believer (Jan 22, 2008)

(Thomas Brooks, "The Crown and Glory of Christianity,
or, HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness", 1662)
True repentance is a daily turning of the soul further 
and further from sin—and a daily turning of the soul 
nearer and nearer to God.

True repentance includes . . .
a true sense of sin,
a deep sorrow for sin,
a hearty loathing of sin, and
a holy shame and blushing for sin.

To repent is to make . . .
a clean head and a clean heart; 
a clean lip and a clean life.

To repent is for a man to loathe himself, as well as his sin. 
Is this easy for man, who is so great a self-lover, and so 
great a self-exalter, and so great a self-admirer—to 
become a self-loather? To repent is to cross sinful self,
it is to walk contrary to sinful self, yes, it is to revenge 
a man's self upon himself.

True repentance lies in a daily dying to sin, and in a 
daily living to Him who lives forever.


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## JM (Jan 22, 2008)

To continue the thought...

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Weep and repent over your fallen nature. 

When you can say to the Lord: I do grieve that I have got a nature contrary to Thy nature. I have got a heart that will always be doing what is contrary to Thy heavenly precepts. Thy holy word. It is a fact whether we believe it or not, we have such a nature. There is no person here this morning who does not possess "an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God" (Heb. 3:12). It will allure you in that direction; it will turn your feet out of the way of peace; it will turn your mind away from the Lord Jesus; it will bring you to follow some vanity, as false teaching brought the Galatians away from the gospel. 

Being in such a condition you will find yourself mourning before God over your wicked nature. 

And this has a good effect upon us when we are favoured with it. It keeps us from boasting. It keeps us from thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. It makes us think according to the measure of faith which the Lord has bestowed upon us. Right thinking of self comes from divine teaching. Look then to this; let us in our own hearts, by the help of the Spirit of God regard this great matter of repentance not only at the beginning but all through our pilgrimage. *If we could tear out of our breasts this horrible thing sin, we should not need repentance, but as long as we have these two things, a wicked heart and wandering from the Lord, we shall need this sweet grace of repentance.* 

Blessed be God, our Lord Jesus Christ is exalted to give it, to give it whereby a heart of stone is made like wax; whereby a sinner who would justify himself says: I am a sinner, and I deserve all that God may send in a way of chastisement and infinitely more.

FAITH AND REPENTANCE, Preached At Galeed Chapel, Brighton, on Lord's day morning Sept.23rd, 1923 by J. K. POPHAM


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## JM (Jan 23, 2008)

More from Popham:

This repentance is like the scarlet thread that runs through every inch of rope that is made in the Royal Navy. It distinguishes a child of God all his days. _If you limit repentance to the beginning, then you would limit sinning to the beginning._ 

*Do you not sin?* 

Have you never contracted guilt since the Lord blessed you? 

Is there no evil heart of unbelief in you moving and tempting you to depart from the living God? 

Are there no wrong thoughts in you? 

Do you never say wrong words? 

Are you never in an evil disposition? 

Does no passion ever come and in a moment prevail against you? 

No child of God will say so of himself. He says, "Sin is mixed with all I do and think and say." Where that is the case, is there not a need of this sweet grace of repentance? And is this not a pure and most blessed and comfortable grace too, when some touch of mercy, some new influence of the Spirit of God comes upon you and you find yourself weeping before the Lord, saying to Him: *I HAVE SINNED*, I am not worthy to be called Thy son; I have tried Thee more than any other in Thy family, if child I am, but I turn to Thee.

This is what belongs to every child of God; and this does not contradict the Apostle's word in the epistle to the Hebrews, "Therefore," he says, "leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God" (Heb. 6:1). This is not contradicted because when you repent through the grace of the Holy Spirit; when you repented as it were, yesterday and perhaps this morning, and felt you loved that sweet grace of repentance; it was not laying again a new foundation; the old remains, and this is new. 

Said God to Israel: "If thou wilt return O Israel, return unto Me" (Jer. 4:1).

When you wonder, what a mercy it is to return again to the Lord! It is said in the prophecy of Hosea, of Israel under her constant backslidings, "yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the Lord." But when the child of God has sweet repentance in his heart he turns again toward the Lord. One of the sweetest mercies we can ever have in our souls is that pure evangelical repentance that flows freely from an exalted Saviour into the hearts of His children enabling them to sorrow after a godly sort for their sins, as did those in the church at Corinth. 

It is written of Peter who as a child of God, a disciple follower of Christ, and had blasphemously declared he knew nothing of the Lord Jesus, that when the Lord looked on him he went out and wept bitterly. 

David was reproved by Nathan and convinced, 
and said, *"I HAVE SINNED"* (2 Sam. 12:13).


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## Blueridge Believer (Jan 23, 2008)

When you were marching to hell!

(Thomas Watson, "The Mischief of Sin")

"Even though I was once a blasphemer and a 
persecutor and a violent man, I was shown
mercy." 1 Timothy 1:13 

Literally, "I was bemercied." Christians, why might not
you have been in the number of those who persist in 
sinning? Because God has bemiracled you with mercy!

See what cause you have to admire the stupendous 
goodness of God, who has wrought a change in you
—and checked you in your full career of sin! 

Christians, you who are vessels of election—were by 
nature as wicked as others—but God had compassion 
on you and plucked you as brands out of the fire! He 
stopped you in your course of sinning—when you 
were marching to hell! He turned you back to 
Him by sincere repentance. Oh, here is the banner 
of love displayed over you! 

Behold sovereign grace! Let your hearts melt in love 
to God. Admire His royal bounty. Set the crown of all 
your praises, upon the head of free grace! "By the 
grace of God I am what I am!" 1 Corinthians 15:10


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## GenRev1611 (Jan 23, 2008)

Although there are professing believers that do live their lives like atheists and live with very little or no repentance. There are those that are of the few that are tormented by the seeming lack of change and to the point of wondering if they are really repenting. Some that must be reminded that Christ is still enough for them, and in due time the change based on the Gospel is made manifest. Some are so overly tormented that they avoid the world in order to keep from falling. What would you say about such an individual?


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## JM (Jan 23, 2008)

GenRev1611 said:


> Although there are professing believers that do live their lives like atheists and live with very little or no repentance. There are those that are of the few that are tormented by the seeming lack of change and to the point of wondering if they are really repenting. Some that must be reminded that Christ is still enough for them, and in due time the change based on the Gospel is made manifest.



I found this helpful: The full assurance of gospel faith is a most comforting, soul-establishing, and God-glorifying grace; yet it must be acknowledged that faith is the gift of God, and all the household of faith are not at the height of this stature. I have known something of this grace for the last seventeen years, and it is well known that it has been sorely tried many ways; and, for my part, I believe it is the faith of God's elect that I am favoured with, for it hath prevailed with God times without number; and, agreeable to scripture, I find that "in quietness and in confidence is my strength," Isa. xxx. 15. But I cannot find that it is in my power to exercise this grace when I would, though I could wish it were always in exercise. Faith is a fruit of the Spirit; hence the Spirit is called, the Spirit of Faith; and if faith be a fruit of the Spirit, then the Spirit must be the life, power, and root of, faith; and this wind bloweth when and where it listeth. I cannot command the north wind to awake when I please; nor is the south in my power that it should blow on my garden at my pleasure, and cause the spices to flow at my command, Cant. iv. 16. This power rests entirely with God, who "hath dealt to every [believing] man the measure of faith," Rom. xii. 3: who alone has "the residue of the Spirit," Mal. ii. 15; and gives to his people, as need requires, a supply of the same, Phil. i. 19, which influences faith, and every other grace, as it pleaseth God, who is the sovereign disposer of every good and every perfect gift. I find, by daily experience, that the life, power, courage, activity, or exercise of faith, are far from being at my command; I can neither will or do any thing truly good, but as God works inclination and motion in me of his own good pleasure. I am therefore compelled to acknowledge, that from the Lord is my "fruit found," Hos. xlv. 8; and without a sensible union with Christ I can do nothing; though God, who knows my heart, knows that I would willingly spend and be spent in his service, and in the service of his people. [for context see link]



> Some are so overly tormented that they avoid the world in order to keep from falling. What would you say about such an individual?



Joseph Orton wrote: I merely look at this to show what a loss there is to a person professing the fear of God to be separate from the body of Christ - the Church of Christ is called His body, and separation therefrom cuts off from that vital influence. God alone knows how it is communicated; and He Himself tells us about it, and tells us what it is. He Himself it is who ordained this, and communicates the blessing; and He Himself tells us what the loss is that is sustained by a person being cut off or separated from the communion of the saints of God. There is a separation from the body, a separation of influence, a loss to that particular member, whatever that member may be, however insignificant in its own eyes, or in the eyes of others, the body is not perfect without it; and, being separated, it is like an incision or cutting off, when all vital sap ceases to flow to it. God tells us so, and He knows what loss we suffer - we may not see and feel it. - The Church: The Body of Christ, Delivered Lord's day Morning, November 6th, 1881


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