Repentance is the Christian Life

John 1:8-9 is the Christian life.  If we way we have no sin, there is no truth in us but if we confess our sins to God, He will not only forgive but also cleanse the forgiven Christian from their unrighteousness.  Like it or not, sanctification is never instantaneous, the repentance of one's sin during salvation is not perfect and it's still growing.

With this video of Paul David Washer, I really admire how he preaches against false conversion but also gives a guarantee to true converts.  There are many times true believers can doubt their salvation so it's best to tell them, "Look, you repented, you'r bearing fruit.  Just because your flesh is not 100% nailed to the cross doesn't mean you're not saved.  You experience church discipline every time you foul up and you do good works because you love God.  Your repentance is being perfected.  It's not just the start, you repentance is still continuing.  Struggling with sin is a healthy sign.  Being enslaved by sin is not."  In one of Tim Conway's sermons, he makes a difference between struggling with sin and being enslaved with sin.  One assurance you're saved is that you hate sin and even if you're not yet perfect, you feel the process of perfection daily in the Christian life.

Repentance means a change of mind and doesn't the Bible tell us in Romans 12:1-3 that Christians are called for the renewing of one's mind?  Since repentance in the Greek is metanoneia or a change of mind which begets a change in purpose, doesn't repentance of sin result to repentance from sin?  This renewing of the mind is a daily part of the Christian walk.  The mind of the Christian is not just renewed once but daily.  This is daily repentance.  Anybody who thinks repentance is just a one time affair and salvation from sin is just a one time affair needs to think.  True salvation saved the person, saves the person and will save the person.  True repentance of sin continues in repentance from one's sins.  Submission to Christ's Lordship at the moment of salvation continues in further submission in the process of sanctification.

There's no reason for any true Christian to believe that true Christians don't grow in repentance.  If they are having works meet for repentance then that repentance must be growing.  If the Christian continues to do good wasn't it because that repentance is perfected?  This has nothing to do with their individual efforts but the whole reality that Titus 2:11-14 says God's grace is greater than the sin of the believer.  That truth is so comforting that the Christian can rejoice they have power against sin by the grace of God.