When repenting what happens?
The Westminster Shorter Catechism has an excellent definition of repentance in Question 87: " Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin , and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ , doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience." In the heat of the Christian life, however, that definition may seem more theoretical than practical, not particularly helpful when seeking to live a life of repentance (See the first of Martin Luther's 95 Theses : When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, " Repent " (Mt 4:17), He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.) We recognize that repentance is a grace. That is, it is a gift from God. It is not something we work up for ourselves. It is not turning over a new leaf. It is a turning away from sin and a turning to God that is fueled, as it were, by the Spirit of God at work with...