PARADOXICAL

Introduction: From the last three talks, we discussed that God loves us unconditionally. After the Fall, God devised a plan of saving us through His son, Jesus Christ. To be saved, we must respond to God’s offer of salvation, and this is realized through the gifts of repentance and faith.

This talk is about going back to God through repentance and faith (pagsisisi at pananampalataya). Yes, the two come together because we can’t repent if we don’t believe we are forgiven.

What is repentance? Pagsisisi, from the Greek word metanoia (changing one’s mind).

Why repent? Because our first parents sinned and we inherited their sinfulness. Our Lord Jesus Christ made up for their mistake (by becoming the new Adam), but we must do the same by doing our part. We need to choose to repent and believe in him to be saved.

Why? Is Jesus’ sacrifice not complete yet? No. It’s because God respects our free will. He granted us the power to say yes or no.

What is not repentance?

We are afraid of repentance, so let’s first clarify what it is not.

1. It is not feeling rotten about ourselves. (We can be remorseful of the consequences of our sin yet are not sorry for the sin.)

2. It is not just getting rid of the desire to sin. (We can’t completely get rid of our fallen nature.

Repentance doesn’t mean we will never sin again, but it should mean we sin less and less.) 3. Repentance is not just about feelings. It is feelings plus decision. It means change of heart and mind that leads to action. It is change from within. (Eph 4:22-24)

List of sins we must avoid, in repentance. See. Gal. 5: 19-21.

1. Sexual sins – premarital sex, extramarital sex, necking, petting, masturbation, homosexual acts, pornography. Sex is for married people only, for unitive and procreative purposes. Hindi hobby ang sex. The Bible is very strict with sex because sex is sacred. Eph 5: 3.

2. Horoscope, superstition, spiritista, kulam, fung shui, non-Christian religions. Gal 5:20. God is a jealous God. If you’re in love with someone, you’re jealous. Pinoys are segurista – may Sto. Nino ma, may Buddha at feng shui pa.

3. Drug abuse – drunkenness, etc.

4. Stealing – corruption, cheating, bribery, which are cause of poverty

5. Cursing, slander, gossip, lying – The easiest way to sin is through the tongue. The tongue is small but terrible. It says praise God, alleluia, then tells green jokes, curses, gossip, etc.

Tip: Go to a Catholic bookstore for a more complete list of sins.

(Insert here a personal sharing or testimony of the past sins you have repented for.)

Why must we obey God? It’s not just because He said so. It’s because He wants to protect us. Rules are there to protect, not to restrict. Ex.: If we don’t obey God, we get sex diseases, accidents, court cases, loss of friends, etc. God wants us to have a good life! He is hurt if we are hurt.
Sin is separation from God. God suffers.

The four steps to repentance

1. Be honest – Don’t call cheating sharing, gossip sharing, getting drunk relaxation, porn art. Don’t be afraid. God loves us for who we are, even with our darkest sin. Alam naman nya lahat! Kita ka naman ng lahat ng santo as anghel sa langit.

2. Be humble – We can’t change on our own. We need God’s grace.

3. Renounce sin – Exert an effort to leave behind a life of sin. Burn bad reading materials, lucky charms, feng shui. Stop green jokes. Etc. Because we each have our own special weaknesses, change doesn’t happen overnight.

4. Confess - Why go to confession when you know you’ll sin again? Going to confession doesn’t mean you won’t sin again or be tempted again, but it should mean you have lesser and lesser sins and God sees your effort. The benefits of confession are: grace, accountability, peace of mind.

(Insert here a sharing of your experience of confession.)

What is faith? Faith is form the Greek word pistis, meaning to entrust, meaning no anxiety, only sincere and genuine surrender.

1. Repentance is not complete without faith. Why? Because it requires faith to believe that God has forgiven us and that He’ll give us the grace to carry on.

2. Faith is the belief that Jesus never lies! In Mt 14, Jesus walked on water, and the apostles’ faith in Jesus made them step out on water.

3. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see. (Heb 11:1)

4. But faith is about a catalog of Jesus’ promises, not our own wish list. We often confuse these two: what God wants versus what we want.

What are God’s promises if we repent and believe? There are three: Eternal life (Jn 3:16), salvation (Acts 16:31), and forgiveness (Eph 1:7-8).

Important : Forgive yourself! Believe that God has forgiven you in confession.

Closing prayer: What are you going through right now? Sickness? No money? Problems in school/at work? Family problems? Misunderstanding? Unforgiveness? Disappointed with friends? Believe that Jesus will deliver you from it, but in His own time.