New-Church Messenger
%e NEW-CHURCH MESSENGER Forgiveness Whoever wishes to be saved must confess his sins and repent. To confess sins is to know what things are evils, to see them in oneself, to acknowledge them, to admit one's guilt, and to condemn one self on account of them. This, when done be fore God, is confessing one's sins. To repent is, after having thus confessed one's sins and in humility of heart implored remission (or forgiveness), to desist from them, and to lead a new life in accordance with the precepts of charity and faith. Declaring in only a general way that one is a sinner, and admitting guilt for all sins, with out carrying out self-examination, that is with out seeing one's own individual sins, is making confession, but it is not the confession that is of repentance. The man who does no more than this, has not arrived at a knowledge of his own particular evils, and so he continues to lead the same life as before. He who is living the life of charity and faith, daily carries out repentance, reflects upon, what the evils are, to which he is prone, ac knowledges them, is on his guard against them, and implores the Lord for help: for of himself a man is continually falling, but by the Lord he is being continually lifted up and led to good. (The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, 159-163) April 14, 1956 Guilt and Forgiveness THE PARTIAL LIST PRINCIPAL FOREIGN NEW-CHURCH OF CHURCHES MISSIONS MESSENGER BALTIMORE, MO.
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