What are the 7 fruits of repentance and how do you know you have them? This is the question you may be having as you are reading this.
If you want to know if your repentance is genuine, this article is for you. By the end of it, you will know if you are truly saved.
That said, let’s look at the 7 fruits that will show your repentance is real and help you determine if you are truly saved and on your way to heaven.
7 Fruits Of Repentance You Need To Have.
Here are the 7 marks of real repentance that every repentant and genuinely born-again Christian shows when they become saved.
- Godly Sorrow.
- Willing To Forsake One’s Sins.
- New Life & New Birth.
- Eternal Life.
- New Heart.
- Baptism.
- New Desire For Righteousness.
1. Godly Sorrow.
Godly sorrow is one of the most important fruits that will show that your repentance is genuine which will lead you to salvation and the forgiveness of your sins (2 Corinthian 7:10).
By definition, godly sorrow simply means feeling sorry and remorseful for your sinful actions and deeds against God because you now realize that sin hurts God.
It’s this godly sorrow of your sins that will want you to repent and turn away from your sins once and for all because you will now realize that you don’t want to offend the Lord Jesus Christ as sin is offensive to Him.
Without godly sorrow for your sins, true repentance that leads to salvation and eternal life cannot occur as this still shows that you’re still in love with your sinful lifestyle and have no intention of turning away from it.
The reason why there are so many false converts nowadays in churches is that the people who go to the altar call for repentance are not truly sorry for their sins.
It’s quite amazing that even some people laugh when they go to the altar call to repent when they must be weeping and feeling remorseful for their evil deeds.
And such people can never have real repentance in their lives unless they change their attitude and become serious with God they are offending with their sins.
Have godly sorrow if you want to be truly saved as real salvation only comes through godly sorrow that leads to repentance.
2. Willing To Forsake One’s Sins.
If you are truly repentant in your heart, you will be willing to forsake your former sinful life to start now following righteousness and holiness instead.
No longer will your past sinful lifestyle be as appealing and attractive anymore as it was when you were not saved. Living a life of holiness that is above sin is what will become appealing to you now.
Remember, the bible in Proverbs 28:13 states that it’s the one who is willing to repent, confess, and forsake their sins that will receive mercy and pardon for their sins.
Sadly, most people only repent but aren’t willing to forsake the old sinful lifestyle that is just leading them to eternal damnation in hellfire as sin only brings death to one’s life (Romans 6:23).
Such people haven’t yet experienced the saving faith of our Lord Jesus Christ as they are not truly pertinent to their sins which is why they return to their old vomit just a few minutes after denouncing them on the altar call in church.
God’s forgiveness of one’s sins will only be made available to those who are willing to turn away from their sins because this is what real repentance is all about.
You can’t say you have genuine repentance in your life if you are still in love with your sins because if you have truly repented, you will bring forth the fruits of repentance that John the Baptist talks about in Matthew 3:8.
3. New Life & New Birth.
Genuine repentance always comes with new birth and a new life one inherits at salvation when one truly repents of their sins.
This new life and new birth in Christ is made possible by the transforming and renewing power of the Holy Spirit that regenerates one’s life to conform to the image of Jesus Christ.
You can’t talk about real repentance without having this new life and birth in Christ Jesus because having a new life is what being born again is all about.
It’s this new birth in Christ that will now make you want to follow after righteousness and holiness of which without, no one will see the Lord or make it for heaven (Hebrews 12:14).
The Bible also says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that if any man is in Christ is a new creature and the old things have passed away and all things have become new.
Implying that as a new creation in Christ, you will have a new life characterized by holiness and righteousness and you will no longer live your old life of sin.
If you have truly repented of your sins, you will have this new life in Christ that makes you want to live godly in this present evil world by God’s grace that’ll help you deny all forms of ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2:11).
Check: 13 Traits Of The New Nature Of Christ Truly Saved Christians Have.
4. Eternal Life.
Eternal life is by far the most vital benefit you will have if you have truly repented of your sins as without it, you won’t spend eternity with God and the redeemed saints in heaven.
It’s the most precious gift you have as a saved person in your arsenal and nothing in this world can equal its value because eternal life makes you come alive in Christ.
True repentance can’t be without eternal life and if that’s the case then it is fake and a signal that you are not genuinely saved yet with real salvation that always produces genuine fruits of repentance.
If repentance had no eternal life, then it would be futile and useless because in that case, it wouldn’t save you from God’s wrath to come.
Since real repentance always leads to salvation and then eternal life, it, therefore, follows that every truly repentant sinner has eternal life obtained after the forgiveness of their sins at salvation.
So, if you claim to be saved, ensure that you have this eternal life because, without it, you will be eternally doomed in hellfire with the devil and his angels forever.
If you don’t have this eternal life in your life, then you need to closely and carefully examine your Christian life to ensure that you haven’t missed the mark because if you do dear, it’s game over.
Check: What Is Eternal Life? And How You Can Have It Now.
5. New Heart.
If you have truly repented of your former sinful lifestyle and left it behind, you will have a new heart that will desire holiness and hate the sins you once loved like no man’s business.
Having a new heart, in this case, means that you now have a new Christ-like heart that will make you want to follow after righteousness and live a holy life that is free from sin.
The Lord in Ezekiel 36:26 promises to give us a new heart and a new spirit that will make us love and serve Him as well as cleanse us from all the idols that hinder us from serving Him with all our hearts.
It’s this new heart the Lord promises to give us after truly repenting and confessing our sins that will enable us to live godly in this present evil world by eschewing all evil appearances and worldly lusts (2 Thess 5:17-19).
Naturally, we all have sinful and wicked hearts that make us do bad things we know we must not do due to the sinful nature we inherited from our first parents when they fell from grace by eating the forbidden fruit.
But after genuine repentance that leads to salvation and thereby eternal life, Jesus will give you a new heart that will be pure and hate sin.
Instead of desiring sin, you will now desire righteousness only and no longer walk according to your former sinful lusts of the flesh.
If your repentance is fake, you won’t have this new heart that will make you hate sin and live a life of holiness and purity of heart which without, you won’t ever see God or go to heaven.
Check: 5 Traits Of A New Heart Of Flesh Only True Believers Have.
6. Baptism.
It’s just a matter of fact that you will want to be baptized to be filled with the Holy Ghost after getting saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the author of our salvation.
Even God’s word says in Acts 2:38 that true repentance is always followed by baptism in the Holy Spirit that helps us live victorious Christian lives that are above sin.
Without the Holy Spirit that is obtained by baptism in water, you will struggle big time in your Christian life in overcoming evil.
While baptism alone doesn’t save one from sin contrary to what some believe, it signifies that you are now alive in Christ and dead to sin or the old nature that made you sin in the first place.
And this is why you must be baptized after you have obtained mercy and forgiveness of your sins so that you can show to the world that you are now a disciple of Christ.
Secondly, baptism is a commandment from our Lord Jesus Christ as He was baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist.
If you aren’t willing to be baptized after repenting of your sins, then something is wrong about your repentance that you need to critically examine to see if you are truly saved.
7. New Desire For Righteousness.
Lastly, wanting to follow after righteousness is another vital sign that will manifest if your repentance is genuine and not a fluke.
And this new desire to live a holy life and hate all manner of evil that you once loved will be because of the new heart the Lord has given you at salvation.
If you don’t have this desire to follow after righteousness, then you have not truly repented of your sins or experienced the new birth in Christ to help you live a godly life of holiness.
It’s one of the most important signs that will show if you are truly born again. If you are not saved, you won’t desire to live a holy life, and evil in this case will be more appealing to you.
Sadly, most people claim to be saved but are still in love with their evil ways of unrighteousness but these people are just deceiving themselves, unfortunately.
But if you are truly born again, you will hate and detest the sins you once loved in your old sinful life and shun them at all costs.
Instead, you will now dedicate your life to living godly in this present evil world which is possible by God’s grace that is more than sufficient for you to do so. Just say no sin, dear.
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Conclusion.
These are all the seven frutis of repentance you need to know to help you know if your repentance is genuine or fake.
If you aren’t exhibiting the above fruits, it clearly shows you aren’t truly saved yet, and all you must do is come to the Lord in true repentance today to be saved.
In closing, if you found this post useful, kindly share it with others so that they can benefit as well just as you have. Thanks and stay blessed.
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