Counsel of Spiritual Life

Counsel #3 — Repentance

Picture: Counsel #3 — Repentance CSL 21.1

What if you don’t feel particularly sorry for your sins? Remember that deep repentance is a gift of God. It is beyond our own power to accomplish. Pray continually for heaven’s gift of full repentance, a realization of who and what you really are apart from Jesus. True repentance is both sorrow for sin and turning away from it.^[18] Repentance restores us to relationship with Christ and gives us a sense of God’s personal presence. But don’t wait to come to Jesus until you have received His gift of repentance and sorrow for sin (see Matthew 11:28)! Come to Him just as you are, and He will win you back to Himself. CSL 21.2

“The Lord is…. not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 NKJV CSL 21.3

“When the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the depth and sacredness of God’s holy law…. He sees the love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy of purity; he longs to be cleansed and to be restored to communion with heaven.” Ellen White in Steps to Christ, p. 24 CSL 21.4

Reflect: How is genuine repentance different from “I’m sorry I got caught” repentance? CSL 21.5