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Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
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And I set my face unto the LORD God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments;
We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments.
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Can you identify all three elements of true repentance in these examples - a confession of, sorrow for, and turning from, sin to God?
God speaks clearly in His Word of: commands to sinners to repent from their sins, promises to those who do so, and warnings to those who do not. The following chart provides some examples.
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How does a proper understanding of repentance do away with the "easy-believism" ideas of simply "making a decision for God" or of "accepting Christ and then all is well"?
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SCRIPTURAL COMMANDS, PROMISES, AND WARNINGS REGARDING REPENTANCE
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1. Commands to repent
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Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of
Israel?
- Ezekiel 18:30-31
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Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
- Acts 3:19
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Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God.
- Joel 2:12-13a
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2. Promises to those who do
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The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
- Psalm 34:18
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Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him: and to our God, for He will
abundantly pardon.
- Isaiah 55:7
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If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- John 1:9
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3. Warnings to those who do not
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He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
- Proverbs 29:1
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But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against teh day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
- Romans 2:5
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Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
- Luke 10:13
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