1207 悔改
因為依着神的意思憂愁，就生出沒有後悔的懊悔來，以致得救。但世俗的憂愁，是叫人死。《哥林多後書7:10》
知罪自責，可用以下話語最好來描述：
我的罪，我的罪，我的救主啊，
它們落在禰身上，是多麼悲痛啊！
知罪自責是發生在人身上最不尋常的事情之一，那是認識神的開始。耶穌基督說，當聖靈來的時候，聖靈會使人知罪自責（見約翰福音 16:8）。當聖靈激發一個人的良知，將他帶到神面前時，困擾他的不是這個人與他人的關係，而是他與神的關係——「我向你犯罪，唯獨得罪了你，在你眼前行了這惡…」（詩篇 51:4）。知罪認罪、赦免和聖潔的奇妙之處是如此交織在一起，以至於只有蒙赦免的人才是真正聖潔的。他通過與從前的所是相反，因着神的恩典，證明自己得赦免。悔改總是讓人帶到這一點說「我犯了罪」；神在他生命中做工最明顯的標誌，就是他說了這些話，並且是真心實意的認罪。任何不及於此的，那就只不過是對自己犯下愚蠢錯誤的悔恨，是自我厭惡而產生的反射行為。
進入神的國，是藉着劇烈、突然痛苦的悔改，與人類體面的「善良」相碰撞；然後，產生這些掙扎的聖靈開始在人的生命中形成神的兒子（見加拉太書 4:19）。這種新生命將在有意識的悔改中顯現，隨後是無意識的聖潔，而不是反過來。基督教的基礎是悔改。嚴格地說，一個人不能自己選擇悔改——悔改是神的恩賜。古代清教徒過去常常祈求「眼淚的禮物」。如果你停止理解悔改的價值，你就允許自己繼續在罪中。檢視自己，看看你是否忘記了如何真正地悔改。
來自章伯斯的智慧
如果你沒有過信仰生活，要謹防對信仰生活做出任何裁決。《不知往何處去》
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