1207 悔改
因为依着神的意思忧愁，就生出没有后悔的懊悔来，以致得救。但世俗的忧愁，是叫人死。《哥林多后书7:10》
知罪自责，可用以下话语最好来描述：
我的罪，我的罪，我的救主啊，
它们落在祢身上，是多么悲痛啊！
知罪自责是发生在人身上最不寻常的事情之一，那是认识神的开始。耶稣基督说，当圣灵来的时候，圣灵会使人知罪自责（见约翰福音 16:8）。当圣灵激发一个人的良知，将他带到神面前时，困扰他的不是这个人与他人的关系，而是他与神的关系——「我向你犯罪，唯独得罪了你，在你眼前行了这恶…」（诗篇 51:4）。知罪认罪、赦免和圣洁的奇妙之处是如此交织在一起，以至于只有蒙赦免的人才是真正圣洁的。他通过与从前的所是相反，因着神的恩典，证明自己得赦免。悔改总是让人带到这一点说「我犯了罪」；神在他生命中做工最明显的标志，就是他说了这些话，并且是真心实意的认罪。任何不及于此的，那就只不过是对自己犯下愚蠢错误的悔恨，是自我厌恶而产生的反射行为。
进入神的国，是藉着剧烈、突然痛苦的悔改，与人类体面的「善良」相碰撞；然后，产生这些挣扎的圣灵开始在人的生命中形成神的儿子（见加拉太书 4:19）。这种新生命将在有意识的悔改中显现，随后是无意识的圣洁，而不是反过来。基督教的基础是悔改。严格地说，一个人不能自己选择悔改——悔改是神的恩赐。古代清教徒过去常常祈求「眼泪的礼物」。如果你停止理解悔改的价值，你就允许自己继续在罪中。检视自己，看看你是否忘记了如何真正地悔改。
来自章伯斯的智慧
如果你没有过信仰生活，要谨防对信仰生活做出任何裁决。《不知往何处去》
1207 Repentance
Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation… —2 Corinthians 7:10
Conviction of sin is best described in the words:
My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall.
Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with others that bothers him but his relationship with God— “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight…” (Psalm 51:4). The wonders of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven person who is truly holy. He proves he is forgiven by being the opposite of what he was previously, by the grace of God. Repentance always brings a person to the point of saying, “I have sinned.” The surest sign that God is at work in his life is when he says that and means it. Anything less is simply sorrow for having made foolish mistakes— a reflex action caused by self-disgust.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through the sharp, sudden pains of repentance colliding with man’s respectable “goodness.” Then the Holy Spirit, who produces these struggles, begins the formation of the Son of God in the person’s life (see Galatians 4:19). This new life will reveal itself in conscious repentance followed by unconscious holiness, never the other way around. The foundation of Christianity is repentance. Strictly speaking, a person cannot repent when he chooses— repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” If you ever cease to understand the value of repentance, you allow yourself to remain in sin. Examine yourself to see if you have forgotten how to be truly repentant.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Beware of pronouncing any verdict on the life of faith if you are not living it. —Not Knowing Whither, 900 R