BENEFITS OF REPENTANCE
To repent is to express sincere regret
for one’ wrong-doing.
A repentant person blames himself
not others for his aberrations. He realizes that he has violated some rule
which was punishable and promises not to repeat it. He seeks forgiveness as a regretful person.
The English poet Alexander Pope
(1688-1744) said: To err is human; to
forgive, divine.
According another famous quote: True
repentance is a deep, heartfelt conviction of wrongdoing that involves a change
of mind and heart, leading to a fundamental transformation of one’ life and
action. It entails sorrow for sin, takes responsibility for one’s actions, a
hatred for a sin, and a commitment to
turn away from sinful behaviour towards a God-honouring or righteous way of
life.
To deny forgiveness to a truly
remorseful person and to think of revengeful action is not an admirable choice. The
Roman poet Juvenal (born around AD 55) said: Revenge is the abject pleasure of
an abject mind.
The American lawyer and politician James Murray Mason (1708-1871)said : A spirit of
revenge is the very spirit of the devil; than which nothing makes a man more
like him, and nothing can be more opposite to the temper Christianity was
designed to promote. If your revenge is not satisfied , it will give you
torment now; if it be, it will give you greater hereafter, None is a greater self-tormentor
than a malicious and revengeful man, who turns the poison of his own temper in
upon himself.
We should agree with the English
divine Robert South (1634-1716) who said: Repentance hath a purifying power,
and every tear is of a cleansing virtue; but these potential clouds must be
still kept reappearing; one shower will not suffice; for repentance is not one
single action, but a course.
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G.R.Kanwal
17 September 2025
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