gwehrenb{at}bellsouth.net wrote:
> I am a newbie here and would like someone to tackle the job of
> describing to me the difference in these terms. Could you use simple
> examples?
> I appreciate any who spends some time on this post.

- Remorse is feeling sorry that one did something, which may or may not
involve something external.

- Repentance or repenting, is externalizing this remorse (or sorrow),
and performing some external action to show this (may be verbal, may be
something else). God repented he had made mankind by sending the Flood,
for instance.

- Atonement is like restitution or repayment... if you offend someone,
for example, atonement is making things right, which may involve an
apology, or some kind of physical restitution, depending upon the
offense.

To use the example of sin... say I perform a certain sin, let's say
lying to my brother.

-If I were remorseful, I might feel bad about it (guilt), but I may do
nothing about it, and my brother is none the wiser.

-Were I to repent of this sin, I would tell him what I did. He may or
may not forgive me.

- If I were to atone for my sin (the lie) I might do something to "make
it right" (attempt to fix some problem for him that was caused by my
lie, or perform some action to help him in some way, sacrificing my
time, my pride, my money, etc...). This would be like providing
restitution, or payment for my offense.

To use the example of human sin against God:

- I may feel bad, or remorseful, that I did something, but I don't do
anything about it, and I may keep doing it. I may never ask for
forgiveness (i.e., repent).

- Were I to repent of this sin, I would seek forgiveness to God whom I
offended (prayer... now this is _sincere_ repentance, it is no use
trying to fool God, who knows what is in men's hearts)

- Atonement, well, there is nothing that a human being can do to atone
for sin. In the old days, the death of another (animal sacrifice)
provided a covering for sin, but this was a shadow of things to come.
Jesus Christ provided the ultimate atonement to God for us and our sin
by his death on the cross. All we have to do is repent.

-

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