“Repenteth in the Sincerity of His Heart”
True repentance entails more than sorrow for sin, more than disgust for the offense, and more than fear of social ostracism. It consists of a knowledge that one has offended his God, has set at naught divine counsel, has strayed from the strait and narrow path. When a person repents in the sincerity of his soul, he does all in his or her power to make amends; is eager to receive whatever judgment the Lord and his earthly servants feel should be meted out; and pays whatever price is necessary to return to full fellowship. The sinner in no way seeks to set the terms of the probation or to temper the justice or punishment required by the sin. His heart is an open book. There is no sham, no hypocrisy, no duplicity.
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