by Lazarus1719 on 2007/7/24 4:46:53A repentant heart is a new heart. A new creature is one who repents and believes. It is not that you are born again and then repent, but it happens at all once when man yeilds his freewill to the Spirit of God. As soon as a man's heart repents and believes he is a born again, new creature. The one who repents is born again. And the one who is born again has repented. Regeneration/conversion is when a sinner repents and believes, when a sinner yeilds to the Spirit of Truth.It is not that you are regenerated and then after that get saved. Or that you get born again and then after that repent. But the one who is regenerated is saved. The one who is born again has repented. Regeneration/Conversion/New Birth/ are all discribing the same thing: when a sinner repents and believes from the heart as He is taught to do by the Holy Spirit. The one who repents and believes from the heart is regenerated/converted/born again.From my own experience, I first repented and believed, and the man I was after that was therefore a new creature, I was born again. The Spirit leading a sinner into repentance and faith is the birth procedure which results in a man being born again with a new heart. Regeneration/Conversion/New Birth all come about by the Spirit teaching man to repent and believe, and the man actually doing it.
I apologize if this sounds harsh but how could anyone truly know experientially whether they repented first or were born again first. I think the only relevant answers would have to come from Scripture for the ability of the creature to understand its own birth on the basis of experience is difficult for me to envision. I'm not aware of any Scripture that indicates that the born again process is something discernable in a moment in time other than the born again person experiencing a changed heart manifested in new behavior, desires, etc. If indeed someone goes from loving their sin to hating it as is required in repentence, then I suggest that something fundamental and miraculous has gone on at the heart level that is more supernatural than illumination of the truth. Trying to interpret scripture according to personal experience is shaky and probably ( but not always ) unreliable ground.
Abe_Juliot wrote:Thanks Jeannette for sharing that testimony. The sorrow that God wants us to have is not a condemnation sorrow. Rather it comes from a revelation of who God is (His holiness and goodness). It comes when we realize that it was Jesus who we sinned against... we are deeply grieved with tears... knowing that we have crucified the blessed Lord Jesus and it was Him who was crucified for our justification. We hear Him praying for us, " Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." ...and we hear His voice say our name, as he says to us, "why persecutest thou me?"Godly sorrow is an expression of Love to God. God I want to express my love to you by weeping over my sins against you. Amen!
roaringlamb wrote:Quote:i repented first and then received a new heart, and i im now continuing to repentAllow me to ask you, why did you repent, how did you know to repent?The new birth must precede repentance, or no man can see his need to repent. The heart before regenration is stone, lifeless, and unable to repent.I bring this up simply to show the great grace of our God in preparing our hearts, and renewing them to believe.
i repented first and then received a new heart, and i im now continuing to repent
_________________Aaron
