THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUE VS FALSE REPENTANCE

When people continue to live in sin after they have repented for sin indicates what their true freewill wants as they simply do not truly want to change from their sin. Many take God’s grace for granted as they believe they can continue to live a sin filled life and not have any consequences for it. That is not true.

Habitual sin will have consequences and then God’s grace will eventually run out.

Judas stole money from Jesus when they had people make donations to their ministry as they ministered throughout.

“But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.””
‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭4‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Judas eventually betrayed Jesus to have him killed but later had remorse for betraying Jesus but he did not repent and change. Many Christians have remorse for their sin but never change. They want you to feel sorry for them. This is false repentance. God’s grace gives us time to repent and change before we die but eventually time will run out. Judas ultimately gave his silver back but hanged himself. His time ran out before he repented.

“Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

False repentance is when you say you want to change over and over but never actually stop the sin and change. Over 50% of pastors engage in looking at porn and masturbating allowing lust to rule their lives regularly. They know they are sinning and some may try to repent but until they truly want to change and stop lusting, looking at porn and masturbating they are simply lying to everyone.

We also see this very commonly amongst people with the Jezebel spirit in marriages who are emotionally abusive in their marriage. They may occasionally say they want to change but often put the cause of their behavior on their victimized spouse. So they play a game acting like they want to change but inside have no intentions of changing or getting delivered. True repentance is when you know you are grieving the Lord and you then turn from the sin and face Him and walk towards the Lord and turn your back on your sin and leave it in the past with the evidence of the fruit of the spirit.

“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:20-23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:15-23‬ ‭NKJV

‬ “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:26-31‬ ‭ NKJV‬‬

True repentance of turning away from habitual sin occurs when we are able to forgive all who have ever hurt us, get our soul wounds healed, repent for our pride and sin and then walking in the fruit of the spirit, humility and sexual purity.

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭26‬ ‭NKJV

‬‬“For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬