Some people are saying, "I am so thankful for the gift of repentance." Many are seeking to be worthy through their good own works, but the law requires perfection. When they cannot reach that perfection, some fall back on the "gift of repentance" idea.
It is similar to having a bad neighbor. Suppose your neighbor steals from you and a week later apologizes and returns your property. The next week he steals from you again and again apologizes. Every week you find him stealing and apologizing. Soon you would start to believe that your neighbor is insincere and his apologies mean nothing. If your neighbor declares, "I am so thankful for the gift of apologizing", you are not going to take him seriously.
On the other hand, you would believe your neighbor was sincere if he apologized for stealing from you, never stole from you again and was a great neighbor for the next 30 years. The need for daily repentance highlights a person's daily failure. True repentance involves forsaking the sin.
So where does real worthiness come from? 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Why do many ignore this truth? Romans 10:3 states, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
Here is the question: Are we focused on ourselves or on Christ? Are our eyes on our good works and many acts of repentance or are we focused on Christ and his work on our behalf. We all must repent, but are we looking to Christ for salvation or are we looking to ourselves for salvation? God saves in God's way which is through Christ Jesus. We cannot save ourselves with even our best efforts.
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