You don’t always get what you asked for, right?
- You ask for truly organic… do you want human waste fertilizer used on your lettuce? What a crock!
- You ask for and expect true love. But how do you feel when your boyfriend runs around on you? Where’s the truth in that “I love you” of his?
- The love of your life says he is so sorry, and will stop seeing Jane… but then you find her in your bed with him. Where’s the sincerity in his apology? Would you accept that apology?
We can understand truth and sincerity. We know why we absolutely hate it when truth and sincerity are missing:
- We expect truth in advertising – true organic when we buy it.
- We expect a promise of love – to be true and sincere. Where is the “love” when your love is betraying you with another?
- We expect an apology – to be sincere and result in different behavior.
The same is true with God. He hates it, absolutely, when we relate to Him without truth and sincerity.
If I pray to Jesus, but fail to make His ways – my ways, then how true was my “confession” and my promise to follow Him? How sincere was my “repentance”? How true? How sincere? I’d say: not at all! It’s not honest, not sincere – at all.
Do you say, “I am a person of faith”? What faith do you actually follow? Faith without resultant action that evidences that faith – is a fake faith, dead faith, useless – not real. Jesus does not save people of dead faith.
We can understand that the claim of “truly organic” was a fraud, a bunch of hooey. Ditto with the “true love” the boyfriend claimed. What about your fidelity to Jesus? 1
Repenting involves yielding your will to God with sincerity and truth.
11 But we believe that we are saved through the [precious, undeserved] grace of the Lord Jesus [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life], in just the same way as they are.” – Acts 15:verse 11
2 God does not say
- “Give me your phoney baloney worthless words from your insincere heart …and I will forgive you.”
- “Just say the words …and do whatever you want.”
- “Do whatever your evil heart wants to do …and then come back to me and say some insincere words about sinning …and I will forgive you.”
You probably saw the 1972 graphic movie, The Godfather, by Francis Ford Coppola. The story is replete with horrible villains constantly running back to the sanctuary to “confess their wrongdoings” (“Bless me Father for I have sinned”)… and quickly returning to their job of killing, maiming and terrorizing.
Where was any true and sincere repentance? And yet, they “believed” and had faith that God would forgive them. What a crock!
God is not fooled. He knows my thoughts and the intent of my heart.
Acts 15:verse 8
“And God, who knows and understands the heart, testified to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith [in Jesus]. 10 Now then, why are you testing God by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to endure?
11 But we believe that we are saved through the [precious, undeserved] grace of the Lord Jesus [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life], in just the same way as they are.”
Being born again does not mean you never sin again. But there is surely evidence of a sincere desire to follow Him with all that you are.
Repenting is: yielding your will to God in sincerity and truth
“Salvation is all about the penalty of sin, and what God requires of us to be made free of the penalty. It’s not about how much you’ve sinned, or how much you sin after salvation. God requires sincerity and truth.
The faker, false inside his soul, was never born again and has yet to yield the knee. Still lost and broken, the faker “christian” is a hollow suit, not who he claims to be.
His issue is not “sin” or “sins”. The issue for all who birthed from a womb, is: yielding your will to God in sincerity and truth. (Galatians 6:7-8; 1 Corinthians 5:8)
God wants all of me, not some fraction. And fakers fake, giving fractions. At least the transparent Godless sinner is honest about being a sinner! The faker is, well, the biggest loser in the end… because he/she “thought” they were just fine.” – From the OMGjesus article: Before a good cup a’ Joe
If we have been sincere and truthful in our repentance with God, then our life will surely show it.
– From the OMGjesus article: God Is Asking You To Repent
“…do this well,
fearless in your struggle,
keeping a firm grip
on your faith
and
on yourself.
After all,
this is a fight we’re in….”
– 1 Timothy 1:15-20 MSG
FOR MORE:
Was there sincerity in your repentance? Was there truth? Is there fidelity to Jesus in your faith?
Approach God with a true and sincere heart
Does saying a “sinners prayer” save one from going to hell?
Who You Are In Christ This is the evidence of a sincere desire to follow Him with all that you are.
Acts 15:verse 8
“And God,
who knows and understands the heart,
testified to them,
giving them the Holy Spirit,
just as He also did to us;
9 and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith [in Jesus]. 10 Now then, why are you testing God by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to endure?
11 But we believe that we are saved through the [precious, undeserved] grace of the Lord Jesus [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life], in just the same way as they are.”
Footnotes
- fidelity: faithfulness …demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support.
- Sincerity: Acts 2:46; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 2 Corinthians 1:12; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 2 Corinthians 8:8; Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22.
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