Ezekiel 33:14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; 15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. 16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
This passage of scripture teaches us the nature and signs of true repentance, as it comes to us as a gift from God. As human beings, we do not have it within ourselves to ever feel sorry for something we enjoyed doing, such as fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, so in order for us to experience real sorrow for sin, the gift of repentance must be given us by God. In the above passage, the prophet Ezekiel demonstrates quite vividly what takes place in the life of one who has experienced true repentance. In the case of a robber, he makes concrete efforts to restore that which was stolen, and he turns a new page by refusing to indulge in the former thefts which had marked his character. Let's read:
Luke 19:2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
If a man was driving on the interstate 95 heading to the everglades, when in fact he desired to go to Orlando, then as soon as he gets wind of his error, he will will look for the first u-turn and head north, if indeed he is sorry for making such a mistake. But never will he deliberately continue to go south, after being made aware of his mistake, if at all he his truly sorry for error.
Similarly, if a woman went to J.C Penny's, and whilst there she got carried away with the impulse of the moment, and bought an expensive pair of shoes that was way beyond her budget, when she reaches home and realizes what was done, she would return the items for a full refund, if indeed she is sorry for her mistake. But never will she keep them, whilst claiming to be sorry for overspending that which she did not have.
The current forms of repentance which are offered by the current pope do not call for a reversal of previous evils, but instead allow for a multitude of gifts in the form of good deeds, which are supposed to atone for wrongs that are never given up, but are treasured by the sinner, whilst a veneer of confession and repentance is permitted to cover up the gravest of sins. Thus we have vices being perpetuated in the pulpit and in society, all the while the claim of Christianity is being held by those who continue to walk contrary to God's revealed will.
Let us therefore not settle for the pseudo types of repentance that have become all too common in our day, but instead, let us call sin by its right name, wherever we have fallen, not making excuses for the flesh, nor blaming anyone or circumstances for our deeds, and God will respond by giving us genuine sorrow for sin, and also by cleansing us from all unrighteousness. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms to us again, the nature of true repentance, and it is the will of God that permanent change for the better be accomplished in us, through the renewing power of The Holy Spirit. Let's read:
2nd Corinthians 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner"... 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal".... "In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!