Путь ко Христу. Елена Уайт - Глава 3. Покаяние - текст песни, слова, перевод, видео

How can a person enter into a faithful relationship with God? [23] How can a sinner become righteous? Only through Christ can we be brought into harmony with God, His holiness, but how can we come to Christ? Many are asking the same question that troubled the people on the day of Pentecost, when, realizing their sin, they asked, “What should we do?” The first word in Peter's answer was “repent” (Acts 2:37). Another time, not long after this, he said, “Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19).

Repentance implies contrition for the sin committed and abandonment of it. We will not give up sin if we do not realize its harmfulness; Until our hearts turn away from it, there will be no real change in our lives.

Many do not understand the true nature of repentance. People regret the sin they have committed and even outwardly change their behavior because they are afraid that they will have to suffer for their wrong actions. But this is not repentance in the biblical sense. They mourn the consequences of sin, not the sin itself. Such was Esau's sadness when he realized that he had lost his birthright forever. Balaam, fearful of the angel who stood in his way with a drawn sword, admitted his guilt so as not to lose his life: but he did not feel genuine repentance for sin, aversion to evil. He did not change his intentions. Judas Iscariot, having betrayed his Lord, exclaimed: “I have sinned, I betrayed innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4).[24]

A terrible feeling of doom and fear of impending judgment forced him to make this confession. He was afraid of the consequences of his action, but in the depths of his soul he did not lament or regret that he had betrayed the immaculate Son of God and “denied the Holy One of Israel.” The Egyptian Pharaoh, when faced with the judgments of God, admitted his sin in order to avoid further suffering, but as soon as the plagues stopped, he continued to behave defiantly towards God. All these people mourned the consequences of sin, but not the sin itself.

When the heart submits to the influence of the Spirit of God, the sinner's conscience is awakened and he begins to understand the depth and holiness of the law of God, which is the basis of Divine rule in heaven and on earth. The light that “enlightens every man who comes into the world” illuminates the recesses of the soul and reveals what is hidden in darkness (John 1:9). The sinner begins to understand his guilt with his mind and heart. He recognizes the righteousness of the Lord and feels fear that with his vices and impurity he is in the presence of the One who knows all the secrets of the human soul. He sees the love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy of purity. He longs for purification and change in order to enter and communicate with Heaven.

David's prayer after his fall is an example of true sorrow for sin. His repentance was sincere and deep. He did not try to mitigate his guilt and did not pray in order to avoid the punishment impending upon him.[25] David understood the enormity of his crime and the depravity of his soul, he felt disgust at his sin. He prayed not only for forgiveness, but also for cleansing of his heart. He longed to experience the joy of a holy life, to restore harmony and communion with God. Look in what words coming from the depths of his heart he expresses his experience: “Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered! Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile” (Psalm 32:1-2) .

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy and according to the multitude of Your compassions blot out my iniquities... For I am aware of my iniquities, and my sin is always before me... Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter snow... Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Thy presence and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation and strengthen me with the sovereign Spirit... Deliver me from blood. O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will praise Your righteousness" (Ps. 51:3-16).

It is impossible to perform such repentance on your own; it can only be obtained from