To brings a person into right relationship with God requires the initial change of character, attitude and behavior, that is, conversion of heart. True conversion of heart involves turning away from evil deeds and false worship and turning toward serving and worship God in spirit and true. Only by true conversion of heart makes a person's entrance into a new genuine relationship with God.

Closely related to conversion are repentance. In a general sense, repentance means a change of mind, or a feeling of remorse or regret from past sin. But true repentance is a turning away from sin, disobedience, rebellion and turning back to God. True repentance leads to a fundamental change in a person's relationship to God.

In the Old Testament, the classic case of true repentance is that of king David. In the New Testament, the keynote of John the Baptist's preaching was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand." When Jesus began His ministry. Jesus took up John's preaching of the message of repentance, expanding the message to include the Good News of salvation.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness,
in your great tenderness wipe away my faults;
wash me clean of my guilt,
purify me from my sin.

For I am well aware of my faults,
I have my sin constantly in mind,
having sinned against none other than you,
having done what you regard as wrong.

You are just when you pass sentence on me,
blameless when you give judgement.
You know I was born guilty,
a sinner from the moment of conception.

Yet, since you love sincerity of heart,
teach me the secrets of wisdom.
Purify me with hyssop until I am clean;
wash me until I am wither than snow.

Instill some joy and gladness into me,
let the bones you have crushed rejoice again.
Hide your face from my sins,
wipe out all my guilt.

God, create a clean heart in me,
put into me a new and constant spirit,
do not banish me from your presence,
do not deprive me of your holy spirit.

Be my saviour again, renew my joy,
keep my spirit steady and willing;
and I shall teach transgressors the way to you,
and to you the sinners will return.

Save me from death, God my saviour,
and my tongue will acclaim your righteousness;
Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will speak out your praise. - Psalms 51:1-15 -

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand." But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit. - Matt. 3:2,8; 4:17

After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. "The time has come" he said, "and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News." - Mark 1:14-15 -

They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. - Luke 13:3,5 -

Mankind was created without sin, morally upright and inclined to do good. But sin entered in human experience when Eve and Adam violated the direct command of God. "Then Yahweh God gave the man this admonition, 'You may eat indeed of all the trees in the garden. Nevertheless of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you are not to eat, for on the day you eat of it you shall most surely die.'" - Gen. 2:16-17 -

Sin involves the denial of the living God from whom human beings draw their life and existence; the consequence of this revolt is 'death' and the torment of 'hell.' Death is the ultimate penalty imposed by God for sin. Sin is a real and positive evil. Sin is more than unwise, inexpedient, calamitous behavior that produces sorrow and distress. In another word, it is rebellion against God's commandments. Sin is thus the faithless rebellion of the creatures against the just authority of his/her Creator. For this reason, breaking God's commandments at any point involves transgression at every point. Sin is actually a contradiction to the holiness of God, whose image mankind bears.

That is why you must not let sin reign in your mortal bodies or command your obedience to bodily passions, why you must not let any part of your body turn into an unholy weapon fighting on the side of sin; you should, instead, offer yourselves to God, and consider yourselves dead men brought back to life; you should make every part of your body into a weapon fighting on the side of God; and then sin will no longer dominate your life, since you are living by grace and not by law.

Does the fact that we are living by grace and not by law mean that we are free to sin? Of course not. You know that if you agree to serve and obey a master you become his slaves. You cannot be slaves of sin that leads to death and at the same time slaves of obedience that leads to righteousness. You were once slaves of sin, but thanks God you submitted without reservation to the creed you were taught. You may have been freed from the slavery of sin, but only to become 'slaves' of righteousness. If I may use human terms to help your natural weakness: as once you put your bodies at the service of vice and immorality, so now you must put them at the service of righteousness for your sanctification.

When you were slaves of sin, you felt no obligation to righteousness, and what did you get from this? Nothing but experiences that now make you blush, since that sort of behaviour ends in death. Now, however, you have set free from sin, you have been made slaves of God, and you get a reward leading to your sanctification and ending in eternal life. For the wage paid by sin is death; the present given by God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Rom. 6:12-23 -

Thus, there is a need for regeneration or born again, that is, the spiritual change brought about in a person's life by an act of God. In regeneration a person's sinful nature is changed and he/she is enabled to respond to God in faith and love. The need in regeneration or born again grows out of humanity's sinfulness. It is brought about through God's initiative. God sees and works in human heart. Therefore, regeneration or born again is an act of God through the Holy Spirit, resulting in resurrection from sin to a new life in Christ Jesus.

And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here. It is all God's work. - 2 Cor. 5:17

- The Christian's Spiritual Life -

The reason, therefore, why those who are in Christ Jesus are not condemned, is that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. God has done what the Law, because of our unspiritual nature, was unable to do. God dealt with sin by sending his own Son in a body as physical as any sinful body, and in that body God condemned sin. He did this in order that the Law's just demands might be satisfied in us, who behave not as our unspiritual nature but as the spirit dictates.

The unspiritual are interested only in what is unspiritual, but the spiritual are interested in spiritual things. It is death to limit oneself to what is unspiritual; life and peace can only come with concern for the spiritual. That is because to limit oneself to what is unspiritual is to be at enmity with God: such a limitation never could and never does submit to God's law. People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

So then, my brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live. - Rom. 8:1-13 -

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Faith . Hope . Love - Welcome donation. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-25 -