Matt.3:7-8,But when he,{John The Baptist]Saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing,He said to them; You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.In other words, prove you have repented! Show the proof! Any comments?
Matt.3:7-8,But when he,{John The Baptist]Saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing,He said to them; You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
In other words, prove you have repented! Show the proof! Any comments?
Being on your knees. (like you would when your afraid to be apart from God) The sin being the one thing to do it. Remembering that (drawing closer back to God) even though its is sometimes difficult to do. (like Peter did bitterly) I can tell when I am drifting from God and feel that small or large farness off (like a void somewhere)and their is a reason. (I get on my knees and silently work on making it right again) I know when it isnt right like you do with anyone else in your life. When you offend them in some way.GivenLife
The book of Luke gives a little more meaning to what John was saying,he told the crowds coming out to him for baptism....Luke 3:9,The ax is already to the root of the trees,{The root means the religious leaders and those in authority} AND EVERY TREE THAT DOES NOT PRODUCE GOOD FRUIT,WILL BE CUT DOWN AND THROWN INTO THE FIRE!
Verse 10, What should we do then? The crowd asked?
Verse 11, John answered,The man with two tunics should share with him who has none,And the man who has food should do the same,
Verse 12, Tax collectors also came to be baptised,Teacher they ask,what should we do?
Verse 13, Don't collect any more than you are required to,he told them,
Verse 14, Then some solders asked him, And what should we do?
John replied, Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely-Be conrtent with your pay! Why didn't John mention the Sabbath and Gods Holy days? Because in Jewish society keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days was accepted as a way of life Repentannce is a matter of the heart,Our thoughts!Even to do good when nobody knows about it,To take up the cross daily and follow Jesus,
What John the Baptist ws looking for was a sign of true repentance, meaning coming from the heart, but he new that the pharisees were just there to either fulfill some law or to be seen by the people. Tom them image was most important and John could see through them just like Jesus also could see their wayward hearts.
True repentance, is having deep remorse, realising you're a sinner and can do nothing without God, realising you need him.
And salvation only comes through true repentance, the sinners prayer can't save you, it's the motive of your heart that matters to God and that is what he sees, no matter what comes out of your mouth. So if the motive is right the repentance is real and accepted.
Thats the most important thing to God is our hearts that's why he never lets us go through trials just to test us, but to reveal to us what is in our hearts or to develope our character.
That's why God said about David "a man after my own heart", because he was real and had real repentance and new where to find comfort and help etc
The struggle that we have is that we have a sin-nature. :devil: :rocknroll:
I am not Lutheran, but I will mention that Luther said that "Because of what Jeremiah said about the human heart... It is, at times, hard to know if we have given a good and complete confession of sin. Only God knows" ( This is a loose quoting of Luther from my memeory.)
Sadly, too as Evangelicals we says a quick, flipant praayer of asking for forgiveness and fail to see sin in ourself.
