Fruit of Repentance

Here is one more short post on repentance. You can find the first two here and here. What are some signs that our repentance is bearing Spirit wrought fruit? Or to broaden it out a bit, how do I know I am growing in holiness?

Our love for Jesus is increasing. Jesus and His work become more glorious to us as time passes (Philippians 3:8).

Our hunger for God's Word is growing (Psalm 19:10, I Peter 2:1-2).

We begin to hate sin because it is sin. We don't hate it because of the consequences. We don't hate it because of how it makes us feel. We hate it because it is sin against the God who loved us and gave His Son for us.

We long to be rebuked by those who are righteous and love us (Psalm 141:5).

We look beyond our sinful actions to the sinful desires that produce the action (Matthew 12:34-35).

The fruit of the Spirit is growing in us (Galatians 5:22-26).

We are quicker to forgive (Matthew 18:22-35) and slower to take offense (I Peter 4:8).

We are quicker to ask forgiveness when we have sinned (Matthew 5:23-25).

We are increasingly free from seeking the approval of men and following the traditions of men (Galatians 5:1 Colossians 2:18-23). Our freedom in Christ is becoming more and more a reality.

We are striving to serve those around us (Mark 10:45), especially those closest to us, such as wives, husbands, children, and fellow Christians in our churches (Galatians 6:9-10).

We love God's people. We love the church. We love to worship with them, fellowship with them, give to them, pray for them, pray with them, weep with them, and rejoice with them (Psalm 122:1). There is no increasing love for Christ without also seeing an increase in our love for His sheep.

There is a noticeable increase in joy and gratitude (Philippians 3:1, 4:4, Colossians 3:17, I Thessalonians 5:16). We become more and more thankful for God's grace, for the forgiveness of our sins, for Jesus, for the Spirit, for the Scriptures, for the world God has made, for the Church. I am convinced this is one of the key signs a man is leading a life of repentance. Without gratitude and joy I am not convinced that a man is leading a life of repentance.