Repentance, it is much more

As a Christian, do you repent?

One of the important commandments Christ gave us and his prophets was the commandment to repent. It is the commandment that existed in the Old Testament, the New and remains as important today. Salvation cannot come to anyone unless he/she is committed to repentance and most should know this. One of the problems that prevails, after all these centuries, is if Christians clearly understand repentance.

How people believe and exercise repentance

The standard belief of repentance is to "right the wrong", forsaking a sin or transgression and always doing right. This interpretation of the act of repentance is correct, but human beings tend to naturally limit their understanding to the letter of the word rather than seek understanding of the spirit and life of the word. This limitation leads many into the belief that they do not need repentance so long as they believe they are doing right. Their days are as any day, working, family and all other worldly things. Any thought to the act of repentance only occurs when they think they have done something wrong. This prompts such comments as, "I do not need to repent...I have done no wrong.", which reveals a lack of understanding of the process God calls repentance. Many do not know or do not understand that the process of repentance is directed by God, where we are not authors of it, but willing obedient participants. Instead many think that they decide how and what to repent, and God is just the watcher. The latter is doing things our way, by our ideas, not by the Lord's ways, patterns, methods, wisdom and truths (Psalm 18:28-32 / Isaiah 55:8).

It is our human nature (1 Corinthians 2:14 /. Alma 26:21). to restrict ourselves to the letter of God's word and commandments, much like a rule book. This is the manner of the carnal mind. This carnal perception of repentance locks out the access to the Lord's higher salvation and places a heavy lid upon spiritual development, and at the least, greatly restricts the Lord's quickening & teaching Spirit. A Christian then believes there is no need for recompense when they think they follow the rule. This removes God's spirit of judgment (Isaiah 4:4 /. 2 Nephi 14:4). as to whether things are truly right or wrong. In short, many will carry on as a Christian life without seeking the Lord to teach them the spirit and life of the word. So long as they follow the rule, and nothing wrong seems to occur, nothing else needs doing.

This is the exclusionary factor so prevalent within the mind of natural man (that means all of us, Christian or not). This is using the rule (or commandment of God) to justify oneself as "right" or "clean", then exclude oneself from the spiritual responsibilities and process of repentance; "I do not need to repent because I have done no wrong". Look around you in the world. How many times have you seen someone in a position of authority that somehow excludes him/herself from the same rules you are to obey? These are the ways of the world, not the ways of God.

In the examples from Christ, he showed us he was not excluded from the process of repentance just because he was "righteous and sinless". Christ sought the will of the Father for instruction and guidance, suffered many persecutions and afflictions, endured temptations, baptized for the remittance of sin (as we should be), then established the saved state from sin by his death and spilling of his blood. Christ stood as "proxy" and bore our sins upon the cross, since he was the only purest one on the earth, in flesh and blood, to satisfy the payment of sin. Then, by that same process (in a contextually different manner) we are to follow that same pattern and example. Not once did Christ make claim that he did not need to partake of that process because he was sinless. He did not say, "I do not need to repent, for I have done no wrong", Jesus Christ followed and showed the manner of repentance because it was the way to remain clean in a corrupt world, to receive the Holy Spirit, and the way to the Father and his kingdom. As much as Jesus Christ was righteous and sinless, he was subject to the weaknesses of the flesh just as we are.

Despite the example set by Jesus Christ, the world, in its ways and wisdom, chose to take a limited perspective of repentance. From God's perspective, it is much more.

Exercising the limited belief of repentance (as described above), can easily lead to a separating oneself from the process of salvation and from the power and benefits of the atonement. This separation and limitation does not allow for further inner spiritual change, (Alma 5:13 / 3 Nephi 28:38 / Philippians 3:15,20,21), required for salvation, causing one's faith to become idle (D&C 42: 42 / D&C 75: 29 / Ecclesiastes 10:18). Faith is not just believing in Jesus Christ, it is living the example of Jesus Christ, which includes the partaking of this salvation process called repentance.

How can we see the importance of this process?

The Process of Repentance

A sin and transgression emanates from the manner of thought, intent, belief, perception, and emotion within us. These things that lead us to choose darkness and corruption instead of light and truth. Allow me to pose an example:

People tend to judge the outward appearances and fail to perceive the spiritual nature behind it. The "negative experience" was the raising of that person's weakness, a part of him/her that holds iniquity, sin or worldly falsehoods. Which ever it is, it brought conflict, discord, contention, upset, or a lack of peace and that is a sure sign of "weakness" within us ( Ether 12:27 ).

The issue the church member carried, blocked and hampered his/her ability to spiritually repent. This is an example of how worldly things within us can easily mislead us (Matthew 15:18). Instead of reacting as he/she did, the righteous way was to repent. Irrespective of who did wrong in that experience, the process of repentance is to overcome a weakness, and to build and test faith. To act from the weakness can easily lead to sin and further deepen any old wounds. Repentance, therefore, is not always to correct what wrong you did, but to address what is wrong within us. Christ knew this process very well, as he warned the Pharisee's to clean themselves within first. The principle Christ was teaching was to "change the heart", by way of repentance.

This example shows the manner of human existance. It reveals the nature of the natural man, and our weaknesses that exist within all of us, for we all have issues and fears about something. "There is none good" (Luke 18:19 ), said Christ, and this is true. All of us carry these inner things that defile us. What does "good" mean? It refers to the pure spiritual state of the Father. To have "no one as good", refers to the flesh and blood state. The same state Jesus Christ lived in to be on this earth. That is what he referred to as "none is good". Therefore, if Christ said that none was good, which included him, then there is certainly mucn more to repentance than people think.

From repentance, the Lord teaches his light and truth as he helps resolve our inner issues, so we can stop with the visions of personal crusades, and walk the path of humble service under the Lord. In the Lord's light and truth, any one of us is capable of becoming part of this process of repentance. The Spirit of the Lord will always assist those who faithfully partake of this process, but there is no true repentance without first coming to Christ through baptism, because it is only through baptism that we can bring fruits to repentance. ( Matthew 3:7-10 )

This earth is one of free will and choice. Where the Lord gives us the power to choose between good and evil, light and dark. Keeping this in mind will encourage any of us to lean more to patience and temperance, also knowing that there is a season (time) for all things, and all things in their place. (D&C 4:6 / 2 Peter 1:6).

Repentance is a process that requires much attention, patience, and enduring (D&C 20:29 / D&C 24:8 / Romans 12:12). When we come unto Christ, there is much within us to change. If we are to help people to proper repentance, we must realize that no one is like Christ in an instant. With the example above, we are to exercise ourselves with the attitude that repentance is a spiritual process that is over a lifetime. It is our individual responsibility to move into repentance. It is our responsibility, to see that the scriptures depict the process of repentance, which is "line by line and precept by precept" (D&C 98:12 / Isaiah 28:9-10).

In time, people will follow the commandments of the Lord properly, in spirit and in truth, which is how we also worship the Lord (Alma 34:38 / John 4:24 / John 14:6). Does that give reason or excuse for people to sin in the meantime? No it does not, for their actions will return to them, in its true spiritual nature, to experience and repent - again. Do you want that to happen, for that can cause a perpetual cycle, which is refilling the barrel with rotten apples, only having to clean it out again.

Yet, no one can repent and change everything that is within them in just one moment. This is why repentance is a continual process, one of development as is the learning process. This is an important note to make for yourself as you read this. For each moment we live in this world, be assured that the Lord's laws are always in effect. Failure to repent properly will result in bad "works" and sour reaping. The work from proper repentance will reap good sweet fruits, which will come in their season. (Galatians 5:2).

Put together the two precepts of God.

Repentance is part of what we sow and reap. We are to sow good spiritual changes within us, so we can cause good spiritual results. So what do we do? We are to do our utmost to be obedient, faithful, consistent in prayer and seek proper repentance in the manner God expects.

God knows what each of us need at each moment. In order to completely remove the iniquity from within us, God must prepare us. Our beliefs, manner of thought and perception are so intertwined within our inner psyche, that sudden removal, without preparation, can cause a mental collapse. This is akin to a house built with rotten wood. Take out its main supports without preparation, all else crumbles. This is why God tells us that he teaches and changes us line by line and precept by precept. To teach us, prepare us and build new supports within our own minds and hearts. Translated to the example, board by board. This is the meaning of working out our salvation (Philippians 2:12).

Even though people harbour sins and iniquities, proper repentance knows the presence of these things and uses them for the process of our salvation. Repentance does not demand that we be clean before we enter into the spiritual path which "works out our salvation". Salvation is allowing God to use what we carry to teach us his higher precepts, to understand the higher order of his kingdom (D&C 130:10), which grants us our place in his presence. Over time, between the person and God, there will be a clean removal of the inner natures that cause sins and subjuagate us to the flesh. If we repent and listen to the Lord. I assure you, that even if the sin is obvious by action, it is not obvious by intent and what fuels that intention from within needs removal (1 Corinthians 4:5). It is reason for the Lord to tell us to endure, be forthright in prayer and diligent.

(Note: others may say that 1 Corinthians 4:5  refers to the hidden things of the world. This is true, yet what promotes people to cause things to become hidden and what causes people, from within them, to produce such corruptness? The Lord deals with the inward nature, to which no man or women, alone, can stop. This is where the heart resides and all things of the heart, whether we know it or not, is all known to the Lord)

I say this with all conviction and serious intent. Are you the same way about your salvation? If so, please take a second look at these scriptures I listed above (see D&C 20:29, D&C 24:8, Romans 12:12 above). Look for words or phrases as, "enduring" or "endure in faith", "patient in afflictions", "thou shalt have many (refers to afflictions); but endure them," and even "continuing instant in prayer". Now ask yourself these important questions:

These questions help lead to the right answers, to properly exercise repentance, as part of worship to the Lord in spirit and in truth. With righteous questions, comes righteous reminders for ourselves to keep us humble before the Lord. We need to keep in mind,

No human being can do all this alone. This why the Lord asks us to seek his guidance and teaching. We are to go to the Lord to repent (which is to seek his teaching), then the Lord will show us what and how. As we are incapable of determining the process of repentance on our own, it is good to remember that it is always within the timing and method of the Lord, not in our personal idea of timing and ways. (Proverbs 3:5 / Jeremiah 1:16).

I would have never thought of repentance, in this way, until the Lord imparted many experiences, insights and personal revelations. The Lord knows, that people are limited in understanding, this is why he tells us that he will teach us by his Spirit, called the Holy Spirit (D&C 75:10 / John 14:26). The process of repentance is depicted in the words of the Lord when he stated that he will raise his faithful from a stone (Luke 3:8)

The limited belief of repentance, which is to right a wrong we did, is an incomplete interpretation and insufficent to fit as the word that is "spirit and life", as Christ stated (John 6:63). When people view repentance as only correcting a wrong, they will view others in that same manner and pattern, meaning to correct them. Correcting is not always leading, for correction at the wrong time is destructive and will lead to more problems. Correction without direction and support is what makes it destructive. Use an analogy in life to see this precept of proper correction.

Then so it is with how the Lord corrects us. By the experience of repentance from the Lord, he will correct and reprove when we are ready to bear it, but at all times the Lord leads by preparation and direction (Proverbs 16:1). Even when the Lord reproves in the scriptures, it is always with direction and support for that direction. As it is with the analogy, removing the weak beam at the wrong time will cause that part of the house to collapse or cause further damage. How many times have you seen this in life? Therefore; correction, chastening, and reproof by the Lord is always done in good timing.

The life of the word refers to how it lives (exists in life) and how it is experienced. Repentance refers to a learning process which includes many experiences of chastening, reproving and enduring in life. How else can we renew our minds and hearts to be unto the Lord in truth and in life? (Ephesians 4:18-23 / Titus 3:5) In short, you experience the wrong and the right within you, and within the context of your life. The spirit of the word; repentance, refers to the act of the heart. This means the wrong is passed through your heart, which refers to feeling what it is like and gaining a sense of it. This requires your belief, thoughts, and ideas to pass through, where the spiritual heart resides (preparation of the heart). This is the experiencing I mentioned, it is felt in the area of the chest and heart. Experiences lead by the Lord, instills life and spirit into our perceptions and understanding, which is above the letter of the word.

Have you experienced and felt the result of your anger imposed upon your child, when the anger is born of selfishness and pride?

Through this learning process called repentance, the Lord softens the hardened heart, to show us what we do not know or see, moving us out of the letter of word (2 Corinthians 3:6), into the spirit of the word which is life.

Amen
Mark Warbinek