As repentance from sin and baptism for the remission of sins happens before being given the gift of the Holy Ghost, I must disagree.The conditions that you mentioned sound very much like fruit of the Holy Spirit of Almighty God.
Why do you disregard what Peter said in Acts 2:38 ?
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
"Turn from" is also listed in the definitions of "repent".Let's look for the Scriptural answers to these three questions.
Our first step is to visit the linguistic definition.
- What is repentance?
- Who controls repentance?
- How does a person repent
Let us dig into the word "repent" which means "think differently afterwards". After we believers are born from above by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3), and in like manner given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). The Greek word metanoeó is the English word "repent" in Matthew 4:17. Let us obtain the definition of "repent".
My repentance was "FROM" sin.
What was your "FROM" ?
If you used a Strong's Concordance, you would see that the definition of repentance includes "turn from".Repent: think differently afterwards
metanoéō (from 3326 /metá, "changed after being with" and 3539 /noiéō, "think") – properly, "think differently after," "after a change of mind"; to repent (literally, "think differently afterwards")(def from 3340. metanoeó HELPS Word-studies section).
I can't trust any version of the bible that has needed three updates in 50 years.The word "repent" does not mean "I change my mind" as asserted by too many people. Try reciting the words of Lord Jesus, where He is commanding the people in Matthew 4:17, except, first, replace the word "repent" with "I change my mind", then, second, replace the word "repent" with "think differently afterwards". God does not change (Malachi 3:6), so this One True God Jesus commands repent.
Godly sorrow brings "thinking differently afterward" leading to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10), so God's power generates this sorrow within believers hence God calls it "Godly sorrow" thus illuminating and magnifying sin (Romans 5:20).
FIRST BIBLICAL CiTATION FOR REPENTANCE - A DEEP EXAMINATION
Here is the Christian teaching of 2 Corinthians 7:8-10. The passage (from the NASB which explicitly states that the NASB translators add bracketed words for clarity - so I have no problem removing the bracketed words from the NASB - but this is verbatim from the NASB):
Where was the Holy Spirit on the first year?
The Apostle wrote "the sorrow that is according to God produces thinking differently afterward without regret" (2 Corinthians 7:10).
I've had to omit some of your post to make it fit the allotted space (10,000 characters)
It is written..."For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." (2 Cor 7:10)If it is forced on us, how can it be repented of ?
It is our choice on whether or not to repent of sin.
As the "wrath of God" isn't due until the end of the earth, your point is mistaken.SCRIPTURAL CITATIONS ABOUT THE SOURCE OF REPENTANCE
Jesus reveals that God imparts the revelation of the Truth (John 14:6) into believer's thoughts causing believers to "think different after" being saved from the wrath of God.
Yes, God gave Jews and Gentiles the gift of repentance...to be used or tossed aside.THE THREE QUESTIONS ANSWERED
God grants repentance into people, as it is written; on the other hand, there is complete absence and silence in scripture for repentance as a work conjured up by man nor by man's "free will" nor "choice" nor "ability".
God grants repentance, and God acts for God's glory! Praise be to the Living God!
Why would He command something that God will, according to your doctrine, do anyway?The Fountain of Living Water, Jesus Christ, says the following about Belief/Faith "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (John 6:29) which means "every Christian's faith/belief in Jesus" equals "the work of God".
AND Paul is in accord with Jesus' words for Paul wrote to the Ephesians "by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His work, created in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:8-10) which means that no person manipulates his or her own belief/faith in Jesus because Paul wrote "that not of yourselves".
AND Peter is in accord with Jesus' words for Peter declared "God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:8-9) which means God imparts belief/faith to cleanse believer's hearts.
SO, clearly, Jesus' words in John 6:29 state for us believers to believe in Jesus whom the Father has sent is exclusively granted by/of/through God.
"But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). Charity is a form of love.
Let's look at charity as a form of love. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another" (John 13:34).
Certainly not the works of the Law that Paul wrote against.AND John is in accord with Jesus' words for he wrote "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God" (1 John 4:7, see the phrase "love is from God" meaning God is the source of true love).
AND John expands with his writing of "God is Love, and the one who abides in Love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 John 4:16, see the phrase "one who abides in Love" is equivocated with "one who abides" "in God" which extends from God's exclusivity with "God is Love").
SO, clearly, Jesus' words in John 13:34 states that the love, true love (John 3:33), the very righteous love, the Godly love within us children of God, this love is exclusively by/of/through God.
The selfish "love" of unsaved people has reward on full here on earth (Matthew 6:2-4) - they brag about "their" deeds such as "look at what I gave to so-and-so", but the selfless love imparted by God into believers has glory for God such as "I give this to you in the Name of Jesus" and/or "Jesus had me give such-and-such".
Here you point out actions/deeds/works/fruit.
A person is saved by faith alone - not saved by works - truly saved by belief, yet works are the evidence of being saved.
God made it all available to me.By God's grace for God's glory, believer's good deeds, even coming to Christ, is caused by God for Jesus the Word of God says "he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God" (John 3:21).
AND Paul is in accord with Jesus' words for he wrote to the Philippians "being filled with the fruit of righteousness that [is] by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:11)
SO, clearly, Jesus' words in John 3:21 state actions/deeds/works/fruit in we believers is exclusively by/of/through God.
Basically, everything you wrote about is caused by God.
He did not force me to convert, and He is not responsible for the non-conversion of others, as your doctrine would seem to espouse.