Repentance
(Jim Elliff)
The believer in Christ is a lifelong repenter. He begins with repentance, and ends with repentance.
Repentance is a change of mind regarding sin and God--an inward turning from sin to God.
Repentance is hating what you once loved, and loving what you once hated; exchanging irresistible sin for an irresistible Christ.
The religious man often deceives himself in his repentance. The deceived repenter would be a worse sinner if he could, but society holds him back.
He aspires to a 'Heaven' of light-hearted ease and recreation--and extended vacation; but a 'Heaven of holiness' would be Hell to such a man.
Yet God is holy, and God is in Heaven. He cannot be blamed for sending the unholy man to Hell despite his most articulate profession.
"Without holiness no one will see the Lord!" Hebrews 12:14