Repentance (Rick Renner)
Repentance (Rick Renner)
RICK RENNER
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King
James Version of the Bible.
Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version of the
Bible © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible: New
International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House. All rights reserved.
Repentance:
What It Is, What It Isn’t, and How To Do It
ISBN: 978-1-68031-201-0
Copyright © 2017 by Rick Renner
8316 E. 73rd St.
Tulsa, OK 74133
— Hebrews 6:1,2
CONTENTS
Introduction
1 What Is Repentance?
2 The Right Kind of Pain
3 What Is Godly Sorrow?
4 The Difference Between Remorse, Guilt, Regret, and Repentance
5 Repentance — An Elementary Principle
Prayer of Salvation
Scriptures on Repentance for Prayer
INTRODUCTION
Rick Renner
1
WHAT IS REPENTANCE?
1
Charlotte Elliott, “Just As I Am,” The Christian Remembrancer Pocket Book (Poetry, 1835).
2
THE RIGHT KIND OF PAIN
Now when they heard this, they were pricked to their heart,
and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them,
Repent….
— Acts 2:37,38
It’s amazing to realize that many Christians today don’t understand the
spiritual truths we just discussed in the last four chapters.
What would you think of a full-grown adult who never got serious
about learning his ABCs and therefore had to keep repeating the first grade
over and over again? Imagine that 50 or so years have passed since that
person first entered grade school. As he nears his sixtieth birthday, there he
still sits at a tiny little desk in a room full of young first-graders.
Would you find that to be a normal situation?
Strange as that scenario may seem, it happens all the time in the
Christian community. Many believers who have known the Lord for years
have remained at the level of spiritual immaturity they were at as baby
Christians. They never applied themselves or got serious about their
spiritual growth; thus, they perpetually remain spiritually immature.
Although these Christians have been saved for many years, they are still
sitting in “beginners’ class” in Sunday school with children, figuratively
speaking. They should be much further along in their spiritual growth, but
because they were never diligent about their walk with God, they just keep
repeating the basics over and over again.
In Hebrews 6:1 and 2, the writer of Hebrews listed what is referred to as
“the principles of the doctrines of Christ.”
When Jesus Christ comes into your life, you are immediately
emancipated — totally set free from the bondage of sin! If you have never
received Jesus as your personal Savior, it is time to experience this new life
for yourself. The first step to freedom is simple. Just pray this prayer from
your heart:
Lord, I can never adequately thank You for all You did for me on the
Cross. I am so undeserving, Jesus, but You came and gave Your life
for me anyway. I repent for rejecting You, and I turn away from my
life of rebellion and sin right now. I turn to You and receive You as
my Savior, and I ask You to wash away my sin and make me
completely new in You by Your precious blood. I thank You from the
depths of my heart for doing what no one else could do for me. Had
it not been for Your willingness to lay down Your life for me, I would
be eternally lost.
Thank You, Jesus, that I am now redeemed by Your blood. On the
Cross, You bore my sin, my sickness, my pain, my lack of peace, and
my suffering. Your blood has removed my sin, washed me whiter
than snow, and given me rightstanding with the Father. I have no
need to be ashamed of my past sins because I am now a new
creature in You. Old things have passed away, and all things have
become new because I am in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Because of You, Jesus, today I am forgiven; I am filled with peace;
and I am a joint-heir with You! Satan no longer has a right to lay
any claim on me. From a grateful heart, I will faithfully serve You
the rest of my days!
If you prayed this prayer from your heart, something amazing has
happened to you. No longer a servant to sin, you are now a servant of
Almighty God. The evil spirits that once exacted every ounce of your being
and required your all-inclusive servitude no longer possess the authorization
to control you or dictate your destiny!
As a result of your decision to turn your life over to Jesus Christ, your
eternal home has been decided forever. Heaven will now be your permanent
address for all eternity.
God’s Spirit has moved into your own human spirit, and you have
become the “temple of God” (1 Corinthians 6:19). What a miracle! To think
that God, by His Spirit, now lives inside you!
Now you have a new Lord and Master, and His name is Jesus. From this
moment on, the Spirit of God will work in you and supernaturally energize
you to fulfill God’s will for your life. Everything will change for you as you
yield to His leadership in your life — and it’s all going to change for the
best!
SCRIPTURES ON REPENTANCE FOR PRAYER
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray
and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles
7:14 NIV).
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he
is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he
relents from sending calamity (Joel 2:13 NIV).
…“Return to me,” declares the Lord Almighty, “and I will return to you,”
says the Lord Almighty (Zechariah 1:3 NIV).
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses
and renounces them finds mercy (Proverbs 28:13 NIV).
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8 NIV).
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17 NIV).
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that
times of refreshing may come from the Lord (Acts 3:19 NIV).
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all
men everywhere to repent (Acts ١٧:٣٠ NKJV).
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.
Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone
to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9 NIV).
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 NIV).
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you
sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:8 NIV).
…You have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s
sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that
you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have
fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and
remove your lampstand from its place — unless you repent (Revelation 2:3-
5 NKJV).
Reference Book List
1. How To Use New Testament Greek Study Aids by Walter Jerry Clark
(Loizeaux Brothers).
2. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible by James H. Strong.
3. The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament by George Ricker Berry
(Baker Book House).
4. The Englishman’s Greek Concordance of the New Testament by George
Wigram (Hendrickson).
5. New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament by Joseph
Thayer (Hendrickson).
6. The Expanded Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words by
W. E. Vine (Bethany).
7. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (DNTT); Colin
Brown, editor (Zondervan).
8. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT) by Geoffrey
Bromiley; Gephard Kittle, editor (Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
9. The New Analytical Greek Lexicon; Wesley Perschbacher, editor
(Hendrickson).
10. The Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament by Fritz Rienecker and
Cleon Rogers (Zondervan).
11. Word Studies in the Greek New Testament by Kenneth Wuest, 4 Volumes
(Eerdmans).
12. New Testament Words by William Barclay (Westminster Press).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MOSCOW OFFICE:
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Email: partner@rickrenner.ru
Website: www.ignc.org
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+371 67802150
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01001, Ukraine, Kiev
+38 (044) 451-8115
Email: partner@rickrenner.ru
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Box 7, 266 Banbury Road
Oxford OX2 7DL, England 44
+44 (0) 1865 355509
Email: europe@renner.org
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