Continual Repentance

September 17th, 2025
by John Thweatt

Perhaps the greatest help in fighting to take every thought captive is what Luther called an exercise in continual repentance. JI Packer said, in Rediscovering Holiness,

“Putting it in new covenant terms, we are to recognize that we are required in all circumstances to be honest, godly, single-minded, energetic, passionate persons who behave at all times in a Jesus-like way, with hearts aflame, heads cool, and all our wits about us. Total righteousness is called for, expressing total devotion and commitment. We are assured that nothing less will do.” (page 123)

The battle for thought-by-thought holiness comes from the tenacious attitude expressed above. How many diets ended because we convinced ourselves that one cookie wouldn’t hurt? My problem is one cookie always seems to lead to one pack! If I am going to be like Christ, I must seek total righteousness and that will mean training myself for righteousness.

Think about Gollum in the Lord of the Rings…what did the ring do to him? The very thing that was destroying him became his “precious.” Satan seeks to steal our lives by convincing us that the very thing that kills us is to be treasured and held on to.

Remember John Owen’s words, “Always be killing sin or it will be killing you.”