Repentance is not just confessing of sin and turning from our sinful life, it requires bearing fruit that repentance has happen. My life must show after repentance that I have repented, otherwise repentance didn't truely happen.
Most of us confess, and turn away from our sinful life, as should be done:
Pro 28:13 (NHEB) says: 'He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.'
But, where is the fruit? How does your life now, after repenting, shows that you have repented?
Mat 3:6 (NHEB) 'and they were baptized by him ( John) in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.
3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
3:8 Therefore bring forth fruit worthy of repentance,'
Mat 3:8 (NET) 'Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance,'
Repentance must be proven, it must show.
There is this story in Luke 11:24-26 about this man that was freed from the possession of demons. However, after the demons wondered around looking for another person to possess, and finding none, returned to the same man and found him all free and cleaned up. So they call some more demons and promptly took up residence again.
Forsaking our sinful live is not enough, we must produce fruit/proof that we repented. To do that, we must replace that life we once lived with Christ's life. Otherwise, not knowing how to now live, we will revert back to what we are use to, and it will be worse than before.
It is Christ that saved us and died for us, we must therefore now learn how to live His way. That is the only way we can produce fruit/proof of our repentance.
Being religious like the Pharisees is missing the mark completely. Making rules and guidelines for ourselves is also missing it.
We must learn from Christ Himself.
Who are you following to learn how to live a repentant life daily? Doctrine? Manuals? Rules?
Let us follow Christ.
