For the past several months, I’ve contemplated a lot on the ideas of sin, repentance, absolution, and forgiveness.
I had a long, personal narrative written, but after hindsight, I’ve decided to omit the majority of it from publication. I do, however, have one testimony to etch into the web:
In the Testimony of John, Jesus tells the adulterous woman “Go, and sin no more.” Jesus made it clear in his teachings that true repentance comes not only from asking forgiveness, but from denying the sin and returning to God.
The New Testament uses the Greek metanoia, meaning “to think differently after,” or in other words, to turn in thought. Modern Christianity understands this to mean a recognition of sin, an understanding of why it’s wrong, then a change of mind that naturally incurs a change in action and conduct. The only way to true repentance is acknowleding your sin, asking forgiveness of God (and any other affected parties), and then turning from that sin, thus to “Go, and sin no more.”
Merely apologizing for wronging someone then continuing to live your life without the proper change is not true repentance. It is a lie and a mockery of God.
