Subject: Phony Repentance |
Bible Note: Thank you, Azure. Your study on repentance is welcome, as I have a continual struggle with this subject. -Even though our gracious Lord's Word is very clear. Even though my studies are concise, yet lacking. I have been studying this awesome forum for some time now and find all posters blessedly informed as well as interesting. Please let me share with you some parallel views of mine as well as some supporting passages Come, and let us return to the Lord, Heavenly Father, enable us to return to the worship of You alone, away from our societal influences through "Hollywood propaganda" and "workplace ethics", and strengthen us, to keep from truckling our standards in order to smooze with the politically correct crowd. Now I believe, yet consistently fail practices ordained in God's Word, that after every transgression we must repent, with a heart-felt promise to return completely to Him. Not for our benefit, but entirely for His glory Please allow me to paraphrase a story out of Jeremiah: Beginning with 18:1, The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying, "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will announce My words to you." Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. -But when the potter was throwing the clay upon the wheel, Lets just say he was creating a vessel, to be used to fill with whatever he desired. But, as he came upon a flaw in the clay, a cinder, if you will, if he continued, it would scrape against his hand, and ruin his artwork. The only option would be to pluck out the offending piece. Then start over, after pounding down the clay into a new lump, a formless lump that is ready to begin being fashioned into the vessel that exists in this persistent potter's mind. But, this is key: If the clay has become hardened, or too hard for the potter to rework, then it becomes un-usable (as a medium) towards the finished product. The only thing left for the potter to do is throw the hard clay into the field where the pieces are broken into shards, and useful for nothing much more than pavement, and being trampled underfoot. This is revealed further into Isaiah, see 19:10-11 .Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury. And in verse 15, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words. |