Special Tests for Special Purposes – Part 9

Repentance means a sincere turning away, in both mind and heart, from self to God. In a Biblical context, repentance is recognizing that our sin is offensive to God.

Definition of Believe: To expect or hope with confidence; to trust. When there is any sin our lives, any kind of faith that does not proceed out of repentance is a humanistic counterfeit. It does not produce the results that proceed from genuine faith. A simple illustration of true repentance is making a U-turn in a vehicle. You recognize that you have not been living the right way. You must stop and make U-turn and after that you proceed in the opposite direction. If you do not end up travelling in the opposite direction, you have not truly repented.

According to Romans 10:9 there are two essential conditions for salvation: to believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead; to confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord. When you confess Jesus as Lord, you give Him unreserved control over your whole life - your time, your money, your talents, your priorities and your relationships. You cannot hold anything back. If Jesus is not Lord of all – someone has said then He is not Lord at all.