10/15/11
"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," Matthew 4:17. "The kingdom of Heaven began when God Himself entered human history as a man. Today Jesus Christ reigns in the hearts of believers, but the kingdom of Heaven will not be fully realized until all evil in the world is judged and removed. Christ came to earth first as a suffering servant; He will come again as king & judge to rule victoriously over all the earth." (KJV Life Application Study Bible). Repent is to be sorrow for an action, but also involves the changing of the mind. It also includes turning one's life over to God completely. Putting on Christ involves repentance: we are to completely change our mind, turning from ourselves to God. Not only do we regret & are remorseful about what we have done, we also strive not to repeat the issue afterwards. In other words, you don't repeat the offense again, but listening to God, heeding His commands. John the Baptist tells us this as well in Matthew 3:2. We all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). However, we must not stay in this situation. If we have Christ, we are NOT conformed to this world; rather we are transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). Transformed means to change; renew means to make new again, restore, or make as new again. In other words, we don't live by the standards of the world. When we make a mistake, we repent & move on. Christians don't keep the old mind, but have been transformed by the renewing of their mind. If your mind is not renewed & you continue in the the same mess, you have not repented. Put on Christ = having true repentance, a true mind to do right.
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