repentance required

John Stott says that in following the Redeemer the forsaking of sin … “can in no circumstances be bypassed. Repentance and faith belong together. [True faith always leads to genuine repentance.] Moreover, repentance is a definite turn from every thought, word, deed and habit which is known to be wrong. It is not sufficient to feel pangs of remorse or to make some kind of apology to God. Fundamentally, repentance is a matter neither of emotion nor of speech. It is an inward change of mind and attitude towards sin which leads to a change of behavior. There can be no compromise here. There may be sins in our lives which we do not think we ever could renounce; but we must be willing to let them go as we cry to God for deliverance from them.” ~ John Stott, Basic Christianity (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1959), 112.

HT:BEW

Technorati Tags: sin