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Larry Hughes · #9 (**permalink**) 06-24-2007, 07:11 PM

Bill,

I agree with you for what it is worth, (sides and issues aside) because more often than not the ‘psychology’ behind it is not biblical at all, that is the true way in which a person uses it. First, repent is far too often used as a cheap out and often a hidden ad hominem, and I am not thinking of any particular cases here just in general. Second, “repent” is more often than not a legal cry rather than to the mercy of God cry. God clearly grants and gives repentance by the power of His word, it is not “engendered” up from within, like something akin to a pagan practicing witch craft in attempting to move a cup across the table, lot’s of sweat and inner consternation but in the end utterly nothing (faith is often falsely viewed this way). Repentance is too a gift just as faith is and this gift comes from God’s Word alone, not the urgings of other men nor engendered from within. Thus, often such calls become a “hidden” repent unto ‘my law over your law’ as a way to heaven. Third, when “called for” in debate it’s most often a misuse of “repentance”. For a man must be laid broken by God’s Word alone, like the prodigal AFTER his father already forgives him and gives him his cloak, ring and full restoration in spite of his great sin. This and this alone is true sorrow over sin in true passive contrition wrought about by the mercy of God and not the deluded false attrition too many understand as repentance. That is a true heart broken sorrow for one’s doing, not fear of punishment or hope of reward (false repentance). Fourth, it becomes an “upper hand” cry. One may in fact be correct doctrinally but false in that doctrines reality. It is correct according to the doctrines of science that on earth gravity causes all things to fall back to earth. That’s correct over an opposing doctrine that denies this. But you would not call a man to ‘repent’ from his doctrine and to that doctrine just BECAUSE ‘you are right’ and he is wrong. That would be arrogance and pride. You would desire to call him to the right doctrine because the meaning of it is life giving and moving him from the danger of death to life. There’s a difference in “being doctrinally correct” and why a doctrine is in fact true. No one receives life because they move away from where they were (repentance) and toward a more correct position intellectually, they receive life because “HERE” is life in and of itself. You can be working your way to heaven with every doctrine in line. That is the exertion of the power of the mind to reach perfection or “reach up to heaven”, one of the three towers of Babel constructs, some call it intellectual speculation.

Blessings,

Larry