"For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."-2 Peter 2:20-22 NKJV

In so many cases, going back is slow. Few go back all at once! First, they long for “liberty”: they search the Word of God to find out what liberty they have, so they can live as close to the world as possible. Then slowly they go back to this sin and that sin. Finally, they no longer have a witness for Christ, but only an outward profession of faith. Sin doesn't bother them anymore. They neither hate it nor cry against it. They tell themselves that God no longer wants them to repent and hate sin. They think they’re in the way of life, yet sin doesn't bother them anymore! So they turn back to those sins from which they had once turned saying, “We now have liberty to walk in these ways!” But oh, my friends, this is not liberty, but license to do what you've always wanted to do, license to walk in sin without restraint! You've played with fire and your heart is now hardened by the deceitfulness of sin! (Heb 3:12) Again I warn you, beware of repentance that does not continue! If it is not true Biblical repentance, your heart will again be satisfied with the garbage of the world: “He feedeth on ashes; a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (Isa 44:20). So never forget: true repentance is perpetual. If you are truly converted, you will hate and forsake your sins for the rest of your life. And you will long to be holy, to be like Christ, and to please God. I ask, “Have you ever possessed the true Biblical repentance that God commands of all men?

(Excerpt from "Biblical Repentance, the Need of This Hour")

http://www.freechristianliterature.info/download-literature/l-r-shelton-j-r.html

_________________
Oracio

Yes I do feel that is the missing key in true repentance. We want our repentance to be for a while and not forever. Being determined to repent so that you will never have pleasure in that sin again is the nail in the coffin of repentance which people miss .... therefore we have Christianity littered with testimonies of half repentance. People saying sin cannot be overcome, and its not possible, or it doesn't work to bring you closer to God.
If you repent truly then you are digging deep foundations in which your house will stand the test of any storm. Christ will also put a mighty stumbling block in the way of temptation when Satan tries to tempt you back into this world.

_________________
David Keel

_________________
Oracio

What is the biblical definition of repentance?

Repentance comes from the Greek word Metanoia.

The English word Repentance means godly sorrow but Metanoia is something much more.

Godly sorrow is just one part of Metanoia repentance...

Metanoia isn't to just change your mind as some say. It is to have a complete reversal of your thinking in a certain direction and to make your mind and yourself go in the opposite direction.

https://citydesert.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/metanoia-%CE%BC%CE%B5%CF%84%E1%BC%80%CE%BD%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%B1/

_________________
David Keel

_________________
Oracio

There are also the Hebrew words related to repentance - "teshuvah", "shuv", "nacham". This website gives a pretty good overview of them:

http://bit.ly/1zPYSxI

I think both the Greek and Hebrew equivalents make clear that the essence of biblical repentance is "turning away from self and toward God" (quoting the above website).

Feeling regret or sorrow for sin in itself is not repentance. So long as there is no turning towards God, that's not biblical repentance but rather 'worldly sorrow' (as in 2 Cor 7:10) - something which is routinely seen among other religions and the secular world.

So the biblical definition of repentance is radically different to that which appear in dictionaries or used even in some Christian circles. After all, the greatest transgressions are not murder or adultery but unbelief in God (Matt 22:36-40).

And we don't clean ourselves up in order to turn to God - that's something we can never do. We turn to Jesus, who cleans us up and robes us in garments of righteousness (Luke 15:22). He's eager to do that - the question then becomes: will we allow Him?