2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

It would seem from this verse that the source of grief is more important than the repentance itself. 

International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia

Repentance:

re-pen’-tans:

I. OLD TESTAMENT TERMS

1. To Repent-“to Pant,” “to Sigh”

2. To Repent-“to Turn” or “Return”

II. NEW TESTAMENT TERMS

1. Repent-“to Care,” “Be Concerned”

2. Repent-“to Change the Mind”

3. Repent-“to Turn Over,” “to Turn Upon,” “to Turn Unto”

III. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ELEMENTS

1. The Intellectual Element

2. The Emotional Element

3. The Volitional Element

How can we simplify something that our educators have made so complicated?

How can we believe we have grieved God if we do not believe there is a God that cares about each of us as individuals?

Can someone who does not believe there is a God repent?

Perhaps but the purpose behind repentance is salvation and without God there is no salvation.

John 1:1-5 English Standard Version

The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Footnotes

1. John 1:4 Or was not any thing made. That which has been made was life in him

I cannot speak for anyone else. My witness is mine alone.

God revealed Himself to be God to me one Sunday in the Cape Neddick Baptist Church.

I did not know there were other denominations.

I didn’t know about footnotes.

I didn’t know what I did not know.

All I knew was that I had been changed by God and that I did not change on my own.

I believe that God exists but I did not know what that meant for me in this new life. I did not know this “new life” was in Christ Jesus.

My parents did not teach me anything spiritual. They let me choose what I wanted to believe even though I had no idea what to believe.

Decades later, after a life of sin, my father died. In my grief I repented of the life I lived away from him because I was ashamed

The moment I did God spoke to me for the first time. He said “What is stopping you from starting over right now?”

I knew this was God and I knew the answer. “Nothing.”

So I went home, picked up my bible and began reading the gospel of John. Why?

I remembered that John wrote that Jesus loved him best.

I did not know the Holy Spirit had brought that remembrance of scripture to my mind.

I don’t expect anyone else to have my experience. I just hope you believe in my sincerity in sharing my journey that began decades before I repented of the life I lived without God’s direction. That began with repentance. Does that sound familiar?