Standard For Repentance

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke
I'm on neither side. Think of me as a chap sitting on the fence, picking cherries from an overhanging tree.

You are probably against believing in the Son of God for eternal life. That is the side of the fence you feel comfortable on.

At best perhaps you are procrastinating to receive the Lord for your salvation. There is no neutrality. And playing "above it all" in objective neutrality is self deceiving.

Originally posted by @sonship

Why you are so intent to keep humans on the bottom rung of the ladder is beyond me.

It is somewhat beyond me why you would jump to this conclusion as to my motive.

On the contrary, the eternal purpose of God is to mass produce sons as Jesus Christ was the FIRST...born Son of [b]"many brothers".

If I have pointed out that goal o ...[text shortened]... d to God through Him, since He lives always to intercede for them." (Hebrews 7:25) [/b] [/quote][/b]

You want man to be 'lifted' by the divine. I want him to 'rise' of his own accord.

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke
You want man to be 'lifted' by the divine. I want him to 'rise' of his own accord.

One ROSE of His own accord - the Son of God, Who ROSE from the dead.

Get the point of the revelation of the New Testament.

Originally posted by @sonship
You are probably against believing in the Son of God for eternal life. That is the side of the fence you feel comfortable on.

At best perhaps you are procrastinating to receive the Lord for your salvation. There is no neutrality. And playing "above it all" in objective neutrality is self deceiving.

'At best perhaps you are procrastinating to receive the Lord for your salvation.'


Or perhaps it is you who are procrastinating in the realization that God doesn't exist?

Atheism isn't necessarily the lazy option. I have done a lot of active rejecting to get here.

In the gospel preached by Jesus during His ministry, Jesus echoes, illustrates and refers to concepts set forth in Ezekiel 18.

For example:
1) In Ezekiel 18 God says, " I will judge each of you according to your own ways".

In Matthew 16 Jesus says, "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. "

2) In Ezekiel 18, God says, " Repent and live"

In Luke 13, Jesus says, "unless you repent, you too will all perish"

3) In Ezekiel 18 God says:
"Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?..Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?".

In Luke 15:11-31 Jesus illustrates this in The Parable of the Lost Son. (Much to the chagrin of sonship)
In Luke 15:3-7 Jesus illustrates this in part in The Parable of the Lost Sheep
In Luke 15:8-10 Jesus illustrates this in part in The Parable of the Lost Coin
In Matthew 20:1-15 Jesus illustrates this in part in The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

4) In Ezekiel 18 God says that those who repent and no longer commit sin will "live" and. those who do not repent and continue to sin will "die".

In John 8 Jesus says:
"34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin."
31...If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. "
35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.
51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”

>>>Clearly concepts set forth in Ezekiel 18 are integral to the gospel preached by Jesus during His ministry. The gospel preached by Jesus during His ministry is consistent with the standard for repentance set by God in Ezekiel 18.

He who has ears, let him hear.

Truth is elegant in its simplicity. The teachings of Jesus are elegant in their simplicity.

Originally posted by @thinkofone
In the gospel preached by Jesus during His ministry, Jesus echoes, illustrates and refers to concepts set forth in Ezekiel 18.

For example:
1) In Ezekiel 18 God says, " I will judge each of you according to your own ways".

In Matthew 16 Jesus says, "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY ...[text shortened]...

Truth is elegant in its simplicity. The teachings of Jesus are elegant in their simplicity.

As you pointed out last week, “Gospel” means “good news”. What is this “good news” that Jesus was talking about?

Originally posted by @divegeester
You keep mentioning this “gospel” of Jesus Christ in your posts, the good news. What is this good news?

When Jesus said he was sent by God, do you believe him?

Bump for thinkofone

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke
You want man to be 'lifted' by the divine. I want him to 'rise' of his own accord.

SF gold!!

Originally posted by @ghost-of-a-duke
'At best perhaps you are procrastinating to receive the Lord for your salvation.'


Or perhaps it is you who are procrastinating in the realization that God doesn't exist?

Atheism isn't necessarily the lazy option. I have done a lot of active rejecting to get here.

Or perhaps it is you who are procrastinating in the realization that God doesn't exist?

The blind man might argue that the color Red does not exist.

The deaf man might argue that the Sound of a song does not exist.

God exists. But your "organ" for touching God, your human spirit is comatose, Your "organ" to substantiate God is deadened.

You may use your ear to see the color blue and fail. You are not using the right part of your being to substantiate color.

You may use your nose to hear piano music. You won't get it because you are not using the proper part of your being to substantiate the sound.

The outward evidence for a Creator of infinite wisdom and eternal power is there. But you have no fellowship on a personal and intimate level with God because part of your being is comatose, deadened, and impaired,

Your God substantiating, God contacting "organ" is deadened. Your own created humanity is short changed, and not functioning on full capacity.

Usually I expect a pushback from an atheist to this information to be:

"Force me to experience God. You have not yet forced me to believe in God."

or

"Well, if there is something wrong with my God touching ability then that must be the fault of God, not me."

Originally posted by @thinkofone

Repentance in the natural concept is self improvement for a better future. Repentance in the Gospel is a change of mind about the past.

illustration:

"Repent therefore from this wickedness of yours and beseech the Lord if perhaps the intent of your heart may be forgiven you." (Acts 8:22)

Simon a practicing magician heard the Gospel. He thought he could purchase the gift of the Holy Spirit with money. Peter warned him to repent. This was not instructions for him to do better in his behavior in the future. It was a call for Simon to change his THINKING from what it was in the past.

Formerly, Simon thought by spending a little money he could buy the Holy Spirit. For him to repent is not for him to decide he can buy it but with twice the amount of cash. Repentance is to change his whole concept, His view of the matter in his mind was off. He must repent by changing his thinking.

Repentance in the Gospel is to change the way one thinks about his past. Of course a changed life should be a by-product fo changed thinking.

But repentance is to deal with one's past.

You need to change your thinking about God's salvation.
You need to have repentance as to how you thought of obtaining God's salvation in the past. Repentance here is to have a different view.

Originally posted by @sonship
You need to change your thinking about God's salvation.

What makes you think that thinkofone believes that there is a “God”?

Originally posted by @thinkofone
In the gospel preached by Jesus during His ministry, Jesus echoes, illustrates and refers to concepts set forth in Ezekiel 18.

For example:
1) In Ezekiel 18 God says, " I will judge each of you according to your own ways".

In Matthew 16 Jesus says, "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY ...[text shortened]...

Truth is elegant in its simplicity. The teachings of Jesus are elegant in their simplicity.

In the gospel preached by Jesus during His ministry, Jesus echoes, illustrates and refers to concepts set forth in Ezekiel 18.

Your concept of repentance is to make one's self better that the improvement would merit God's salvation. This is not the repentance of the Gospel.

I will try to prove it to you.

For example:
1) In Ezekiel 18 God says, " I will judge each of you according to your own ways".

In Matthew 16 Jesus says, "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. "

But because you do not believe in the second coming of Christ the Son of God to judge, YOU have not repented. You have not had a change of mind.

How can you teach anyone to repent from the Gospel while you STILL regard Christ's coming as mythical?

2) In Ezekiel 18, God says, " Repent and live"

In Luke 13, Jesus says, "unless you repent, you too will all perish"

You have not repented of considering the Son of God as nothing more than a mere man who died, was buried and dissolved, You have not repented to believe in the Son of God.

Since you have not repented of the way you think about Christ, how can you teach anyone about repentance in the Gospel?

3) In Ezekiel 18 God says:
"Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?..Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?".

In Luke 15:11-31 Jesus illustrates this in The Parable of the Lost Son. (Much to the chagrin of sonship)

It is not to my chagrin at all. Nice wishful thinking but the parable wonderfully expresses Christ's thought on repentance.

You are like the older brother there who is mad that the lost son has been received by with such fanfare. He, the older brother, is bitter because he was a "good" boy working hard all the time.

This parable shows the contrast between the law keeping jealousy and resentment of God's grace and the loving Father's unconditional loving reception of the son "Just as he was."

"All these days I worked for you and you never gave me a fatted calf to make merry with my friends. I won't go into the celebration. Its not fair. I am out here ALWAYS working and ALWAYS faithful to you and ALWAYS being a dutiful son. And you so honor this dirty runaway with such fanfare. I DESERVE all this celebration."

The parable perfectly exposes the attitude of the law keeping Pharisees and their seething resentment of Jesus going to harlots, tax collectors, and other "low lives" with His gospel of grace.

The younger brothers' repentance was his change of mind about his past and returning to his father. He had it in his mind that he had to WORK to be worthy. The father fell on his neck and said he had been DEAD and was now ALIVE.

May the Lord have mercy on you to open your eyes.

It is definitely always right to strive to do the good and to eliminate bad habits from y our life. One should be serious about that.

I almost sympathize with the fellows who insist that works are very, very important and that, traditionally, too much of Christianity has not affirmed this and instead relied on the doctrine of faith alone.

But we can never go so far as to say that we are saved by works, or that another man is condemned by lack of works, because what would that mean for the people who do muster great contrition for their sins and who are, by many measures, great warriors of the Faith but had no good opportunities to do works, and were embroiled in other struggles.

I will respect the people iwho champion the concept of works because we do live in a time where the more common thing to do is to under appreciate this aspect of Christianity.

Originally posted by @philokalia
It is definitely always right to strive to do the good and to eliminate bad habits from y our life. One should be serious about that.

I almost sympathize with the fellows who insist that works are very, very important and that, traditionally, too much of Christianity has not affirmed this and instead relied on the doctrine of faith alone.

But we ...[text shortened]... in a time where the more common thing to do is to under appreciate this aspect of Christianity.

Nobody says anyone is saved by works.

All people are saved by Jesus Christ.

Jesus welcomes into his kingdom all who lives righteously and do good works and will cast out all who dont.

Originally posted by @thinkofone
It's out in my posting history. In fact I recently posted it in another thread for Suzianne, but she didn't respond. I've posted something similar a number of times. I'm sure you must have seen at least one of them. If you're really interested, send me a PM and I'll send you a link. I made the same offer to Suzianne, but never heard back. Evidently she w ...[text shortened]... ster. Remember him? At least KM was able to put together some substantive, though flawed, posts.

You keep saying that you "posted it in another thread" whether for my benefit or for others.

Since, as you claim, I did not respond, even after asking the question, then either it is because I did not see the answer, or I felt that you didn't actually respond or I felt your answer was a non-answer and so let it go for the moment.

So either point us at "that other thread" or re-post it here. Apparently I'm not the only one who missed it.