In Sunday sermons, churchgoers in general don’t hear much about repentance. It’s not a popular topic. Yet the Bible (and Jesus) has much to say about it. This is about repenting and repentance.
What does it mean to repent? The Greek verb translated “repent” in the LXX Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT) is met-an-o-éh-o, Strongs g3340. It occurs 33 times in the NT. Repent means to change one’s mind (for the better), or to turn. Webster’s Dictionary: Repent “To turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life; to feel regret or contrition, to change one’s mind.”
What is repentance? The Greek noun translated “repentance” is met-án-oy-ah, g3341. It occurs 24 times in the NT. Repentance means a change of mind by one who repents; the action of sincere regret or remorse. Webster’s Dictionary: Repentance “The process of repenting, especially for misdeeds or moral shortcomings.” Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary “To turn from evil and turn to the good.”
To begin, here’s two passages about repent from the OT book of Jeremiah. The Lord said of treacherous Judah in Je.8:6 LXX. “There is no man that repents [g3340] of his wickedness.” Wickedness is to be repented of, but the Judah of Jeremiah’s day didn’t have a change of heart for it. The Lord declared in Je.18:7-10 LXX, “If that nation turns from their evils, then I will repent [g3340] of the evil I thought to do to them….But if they do evil things before Me, and don’t hearken to My voice, then I will repent [g3340] of the good things which I spoke to do for them.” If they turned from their wickedness, God would change His mind (repent) and relent from doing them bad…but also vice versa.
Man is to repent of…sin. Some verses from the NT which show we’re to repent (g3340) of sin: Lk.15:10, 17:3-4; Ac.2:38, 3:19, 8:22; 2Co.12:21; Re.2:21, 9:20-21.
Some NT verses which show that repentance (g3341) is from sin: Mt.9:13; Mk.1:4, 2:17; Lk.3:3, 5:32, 15:7. Also, 2Ti.2:25 shows that God gives us repentance (g3341) as the ability to change our mind in regards to acknowledging His truth. He.6:1 & Re.2:22 indicate repentance (g3341) from dead works.
Quoting several of the above verses: Jesus said in Lk.17:3-4, “If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him”. (Repentance is a prerequisite for forgiveness.) Peter admonished Simon the Samaritan in Ac.8:22, “Repent of this your wickedness”. In 2Co.12:21, Paul said he would “Mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented”. Jesus spoke about the Thyatíran church in Re.2:21. “She does not want to repent of her immorality.” Immorality is sin. Re.9:21 “They did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their immorality, or their thefts.” Those acts are all sins. Mankind is to repent (g3340) of sins!
In Mk.1:4, John the Baptizer “Came into the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentance [g3341] for the forgiveness of sins”. In Lk.3:3, Jesus “Came into the district around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance [g3341] for the forgiveness of sin”. Jesus and John both preached repentance from sin. Jesus said in Mt.9:13 KJV, “I Am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. There’s no admonition for a repentance from righteousness. Repentance (g3341) is from sin!
Again, repentance involves a change of mind or change of heart. But 1Ki.11:1-9 shows King Solomon changed/turned for the worse. Because he was so wise, maybe he thought he didn’t need to heed God?
2Ki.21:1-11 King Manasséh did worse than ungodly gentile nations! But eventually he changed for the better. And God responded favorably to even evil Manasseh’s sincere change of heart (2Ch.33:10-19)!
Jnh.3:3-10 the gentile Ninevites in Assyria repented at the preaching of Jonah (cf. Lk.11:32). But their change for the better wasn’t lasting. Approximately 100 years later they returned to wickedness. (The book of Nahúm then foretells Nineveh’s coming ruin. Nineveh fell to Babylon in 612 BC.)
How is “sin” defined? In the Bible are found at least 5 definitions or descriptions of sin:
1) 1Jn.3:4 sin = lawlessness, or the transgression of the law (KJV). The OT is said to contain 600 laws, and the NT 1,000 commands. Which ones are still applicable in today’s world? A basic rule of thumb is…all God’s written (moral) principles and precepts apply, unless He has rendered them obsolete over time. In the words of Jesus, Mt.4:4, “It is written”. Jesus was referring to the written OT.
2) Ja.4:17 sin = Knowing we should do a good act we’re capable of doing, but not following through and performing it. “He that knows to do good, but does it not is sin.” Sins of omission, that is.
3) 1Jn.5:17 sin = “All unrighteousness is sin.” Not meeting God’s justness/justice (within the confines of one’s national laws) or moral standards. Ps.119:172 “All Thy commandments are righteousness.” Unrighteousness is disobedience to God’s right principles.
4) Ro.14:23b sin = “Whatever is not of faith is sin.” The righteous or just live by faith (Ro.1:17). Our conscience becomes educated as to what thoughts, words, actions constitute sin. We shouldn’t defile our conscience! (Avoiding the appearance of evil helps keep a pure conscience, 1Th.5:22.)
5) Pr.24:9 sin = The thought of foolishness/folly. Our thoughts can be sin, before they become words or actions. Jesus said in Mt.15:19, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts…” Thoughts should be pure.
Those are 5 scriptural definitions, if you will, of “sin”. To be repented of.
{Sidelight: I won’t delineate or discuss various categories of wrong: sin, trespass, transgression, crime, iniquity, wickedness, evil, etc. John H. Walton The Lost World of Adam and Eve, p.154 “It is important to recognize that there are categories of evil, and not all of them are connected to sin (e.g. what is called ‘natural evil’). We should, for example, differentiate between experiential evil (discomfort resulting from non-order and/or disorder on all levels), personal evil (anti-social behavior that causes suffering in others), punitive consequence (discomfort resulting from actions by God or rulers designed to punish or discourage personal evil and/or the perpetuation of disorder), and sin (ritual/moral impropriety that damages relationship with deity). Most people use ‘sin’ or ‘evil’ interchangeably to refer to any or all of these….The problem of evil is a larger discussion than the problem of sin that people face.” This topic won’t philosophically discuss the broad concept of evil, but simply refers to various wrongs as…sin.}
Sin can be any thoughts we dwell on, any words we speak, or anything we do that is contrary to God’s word/principles and His revealed will for our individual lives! Any wrongs and anything outside of God’s will for us as individuals.
Our interpretation of laws can influence which thoughts/actions of ourselves or others we view as sin. The Lord gave Levitical rituals and observances to ancient Israel for their culture. Gentile peoples such as Abraham, Eskimos, Pygmies, Amazon River tribesmen, don’t know Levitical tállit fringe (Nu.15:38), or téfillin box customs (De.11:18, Mt.23:5), e.g. Such unawareness isn’t sin. The Levitical priesthood is obsolete. Dress customs among peoples differ. Most customs of dress don’t need repentance.
Churches or sects shouldn’t erect an oral law or man-made traditional fence around God’s written laws/precepts, and then pharisaically masquerade that God Himself said it. That’s adding to His word.
{{Sidelight: In matters where your government isn’t adhering to God’s principles & justice, we aren’t to take His law/precepts into our own individual hands…no personal vengeance (Ps.94:1, Ro.12:19). We don’t personally avenge govt neglect or ignorance. see “Governmental Loyalty for Christians”.}}
Supposedly, the rabbis placed Jews into three moral categories: the righteous (his merits exceed his sins), the intermediates (half and half), the sinners (his sins exceed his merits). ref Carl Schwartz The Scattered Nation and Jewish Christian Magazine, p.226. Most Jews were considered intermediates?
Who has sinned? Ro.3:9b, 23 “All have sinned.” Both Jews and gentiles. Sin separates one from God. What is the result of sin? Ro.6:23 “The payment of sin is death.” Spiritual death. (see “Life and Death – For Saints”.) Animal lifeblood was a temporary covering for sin (ref Le.16, e.g.).
But the ultimate remedy for sin is forgiveness through Jesus’ shed blood (He only never sinned). Ac.5:30-31 “He [Jesus] is the one God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Forgiveness is given by God to those whom He grants the ability to repent. We can’t come to repentance of and by ourselves. The Lord is so gracious!
Ro.2:4 “The goodness of God leads you to repentance.” Even the desire to repent is initially from God, not of ourselves. Mankind is unable to repent solely through our own initiative or human nature.
Also, confessing our sins is of prime importance. 1Jn.1:9-10 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins.” Again, sin separates us from God. Is.59:2 “Your iniquities have separated you from your God.” We can’t hide our sins from the Lord. God is greater than our hearts, and He knows our conscience (1Jn.3:20). Unconfessed sin won’t remove this separation and obtain God’s blessings. However, upon confession and repentance, Father God will wash away those sins forever on account of Jesus’ lifeblood. As we’ve seen, God offers forgiveness after repentance.
One must change his/her mind and conduct in regards to sin, and think differently. Actions begin with thoughts, and words. We are to confess our misuse of the tongue (ref Ja.3:1-ff.)
In a word…repentance means ‘change’. Change from a life of sin and unbelief. It may involve a gradual process of a 180° turnaround! Spiritually it’s the turning from darkness to light. However, we may not immediately overcome old wrong habits that are deeply ingrained.
As we began to recognize God’s hand in our lives, He caused us to see the need to repent and be baptized. Peter proclaimed in Ac.2:38, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”. Repentance precedes baptism.
Lasting change from some sins may be difficult, but can be accomplished through the gift of God’s Holy Spirit (HS) indwelling us. Peter proclaimed at Solomon’s porch of the temple in Ac.3:19, “Repent, and turn back [to God], that your sins may be wiped away; in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”. Repent, and come into God’s Presence!
Again, it involves a change of mind or heart. The Lord God promised to provide believers with a new or exchanged heart. Ezk.36:26-27 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh. I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” The HS enables us to cease continuing to live disobediently with sinful habits as a way of life. (see “Two Covenants – Heart of the Matter”.)
John the Baptizer admonished the Jewish leaders in Mt.3:5-8. “Bring forth fruit befitting of repentance.” In other words, start living a changed life as evidence of repentance…talk can be cheap. Jesus proclaimed to Galileans in His first (red-letter) words of the book of Mark, Mk.1:15. “The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel.” Repentance and belief are prerequisites for salvation.
Jesus warned in Lk.13:2-5, “Repent [g3340] or you will all likewise perish”. Jesus is serious about repentance! Time and chance, to an extent, and God’s judgments happens to humans. Yet the Lord gives protection and deliverance to His repentant saints (e.g. 2Th.3:3, Ps.91:7, 34:19, 1Co.10:13).
Repentance is offered to gentiles too! Paul said in Ac.17:30, “All everywhere should repent”. (cf. Ac.20:21.) Ac.26:20 Paul declared to those in Damascus, Jerusalem, Judea, and to gentiles that “They should repent and turn to God, performing works appropriate for repentance”. Prove it by good works.
Re.2:5, 16, 21, 3:3, 19 Jesus reprimanded five of the seven churches in Asia Minor to further repent (g3340)! Repentance should be ongoing for a Christian, as we become aware of any sin in our life.
2Co.7:9-10 two kinds of sorrow are evident here. First, sorrow we feel regarding our sin against God. Second, sorrow we got caught. Feeling regret over past wrong thoughts, words and conduct is part of it. Yet we’re not always able to fully change habits immediately. (cf. Ec.11:9 we change from wrong acts of youth.)
Ezk.18:1-20 shows that a son doesn’t bear responsibility for his father’s sin, and vice versa. Everyone is responsible for their own actions. v.21-32 God doesn’t take pleasure in the death of the wicked. Yet…v.26-27 “A righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies because of it. When a wicked man turns away from his wickedness, and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life.” Their lasting decision for habitual living determined their fate.
He.6:4-6 is a fearsome concept about those who were made partakers of the HS, but later fell away to become disqualified or castaways (cf. Ezk.18:24, 1Co.9:27). One who returns to living a life of sin with an ‘I don’t care’ attitude! The writer to the Hebrews indicates that such a person cannot repent.
Saul/Paul had been responsible for the death of others in his past…a past murderer, in a sense! In our struggles, weaknesses, and failures, we can take heart from his experiences. Paul struggled against sin, Ro.7:14-25. The sin to which he refers wasn’t habitual crime. It was occasional sins, coveting, wrong thoughts. Perhaps most men wrongly covet or idolize something in this material world? We shouldn’t dwell on wrong thoughts that occur. 2Co.10:5 “Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” We’re to strive to govern our thoughts and be obedient. (see “Coveting – Wrong and Right Desire”.)
We’re to root-out sin, coveting, and bad habits when the HS shows us our wrongs, in the light of God’s word. Jesus said in Re.3:19, “Those whom I love I reprove and discipline”. The Lord lovingly chastises us for our good so we’ll repent, though His affliction is unpleasant at the time (He.12:6, Ps.119:75).
However, sincere differences of opinion, or dogmatic or ‘oral law’ disagreements between believers may not actually constitute sin. We’re all growing in understanding and in the knowledge of Christ. Peter wrote, 2Pe.3:18 “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”.
Victorious faith can be ours! (cf. 2Ti.4:7-8). Let’s continue to fight the good fight of faith to overcome an evil world of sin (e.g. Ro.12:21), obeying God’s righteous principles. (see “Abraham Obeyed Which Commandments?” and “Genesis Principles Predate Moses ”.) Also discerning and doing His will for us as individuals. To not grow weary in well-doing (Ga.6:9). Our diligence is necessary.
Concluding…Lk.15:11-24 is Jesus’ heartwarming parable about the prodigal son, whom his earthly father honored. It reflects how our heavenly Father takes joy in His repentant children who change for the good!
God mercifully grants us awareness of our sins, so we can change…repent. We examine our lives (2Co.13:5) and make any needed godly corrections. And we are renewed (Col.3:9-10). Jesus proclaimed in Lk.15:10, “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents”. Heaven rejoices in the repentant individual who changes for the good!
Bible Topic Exposition 