Ideas about the Kingdom of the Heavens around us and the unity of believers in Christ within it
Judas demonstrates the difference between worldly remorse and true repentance. Judas was truly remorseful after he saw Jesus would die because of his betrayal, and he tried to fix things himself. When that failed, he hanged himself. He was remorseful, but never repented of doing things his own way.
In the Lord’s Prayer and the parallel teaching about mercy, Jesus tells us that we are to ask God to release us from the consequences or resulting debts of our sins as we release others from the debts we imagine they owe us. While praying, we are to show mercy upon the flaws (paráptōmata) that led them to sin, because the Father will show us mercy in the same measure.
James 5:16 occurs in a context dealing with sick Christians and healing. In that context, it teaches that we are to agree with each other about the character flaws in our lives that lead to discrete sins, and pray for each other that these flaws–and the whole person–will be healed. This sensible reading is supported by the Byzantine New Testament text tradition, which is to be preferred for this verse.
A God who Speaks, Confession and Repentance, Confession of Sin, Forgiveness and Unforgiveness, God Speaks to Us, God's purpose for us, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, Reconciliation, Repentance, Repentance in community, Restoration of God's Image, Restoration of our Relationships, Through others, Through the church, To live in unity
Confession of sin is expression of our full agreement with God about the evil within us that produces acts of disobedience. It is NOT the recitation of a detailed list of wrong acts, which we admit we did but for which we deflect responsibility to God or others. True confession is the beginning of reconciliation and restoration.
Idols are gods we think we can manipulate to give us our own way, individually, corporately or nationally, through service, sacrifices and offerings. The true God cannot be so manipulated, but we can convert even the true God into an idol in our own minds by supposing that he can be.
As the parable of the two sons in Matthew 21:28-32 shows, repentance is merely changing our minds so that we start to do what the Father asks. Repentance does not require remorse, payment of a penalty, or even in all cases a spoken apology, and the forgiveness that it produces cannot be sold.
Only beggars qualify to enter the Kingdom of the heavens around us, where God is king and his power supplies. The self-sufficient are disqualified by their own inability to fully trust in God while trusting in themselves.
Even a very respectable denomination’s or church organization’s determination that a teaching is “heresy” cannot be taken, without examination, as absolute truth for two reasons. First, a deliberately divisive person’s–a true “heretic’s”– motives are selfish rather than doctrinal and usually well-hidden behind doctrine. Second, such people sometimes take control of even respectable denominations.
Because the truth remains true even if no one believes it, it does not depend on human power relationships. Therefore, it is not safe to label people “heretics” because they disagree with us concerning doctrines that were imposed on our ancestors by right of conquest or that disagree with teachings honored by political leadership or majorities today.
“Heresy” cannot be determined by calling anything that goes in a different direction that specific leaders a heresy, because leaders are sometimes wrong. Peter is an example, though he repented when rebuked for his divisiveness in Antioch.