Featured The meaning of Repentance

The simplest way I can understand "repent" is to understand it in the light of "faith". When I was a sinner, I believed that I had to practice sin to live a fulfilled life. When I repented of my "sin," I stopped believing that I had to pursue a life of sin to have a fulfilled life and instead, I changed what I trusted in. I now believed that to have a fulfilled life I had to allow Jesus to be my Lord. I changed my belief from trusting in "my sinful desires" to having Faith in having a fulfilled life by striving to live my life according to the Word of God, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

That is the best way to describe it for me to understand.

Now the Scriptures to back that up include the story of the Rich Young Ruler, Hebrews Chapter 11, Psalm 51. , and others. . .

 

Here's the meaning of the English word, and I think it expresses the concept wholly:

c. 1300, repenten, "be grieved over one's past and seek forgiveness; feel such regret for sins, crimes, or omissions as produces amendment of life," from Old French repentir (11c.), from re-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see re-), + Vulgar Latin *penitire "to regret," from Latin poenitire "make sorry," from poena (see penal).

The distinction between regret (q.v.) and repent is made in many modern languages, but the differentiation is not present in older periods. To repent is to regret so deeply as to change the mind or course of conduct in consequence and develop new mental and spiritual habits. Also from c. 1300 in Middle English and after in an impersonal reflexive sense, especially as (it) repenteth (me, him, etc.).

repent | Etymology, origin and meaning of repent by etymonline​

 

What did Jesus Christ, the Highest Authority on all that the Holy Bible Teaches, mean when He says at the start of His earthly Ministry,

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14)

Matthew records Jesus as saying,

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (4:17)

In Luke’s Gospel, chapter 13, verses 1-5, again Jesus says;

“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

There are some, especially from the “reformed” Christians, who reject what the Lord Jesus Christ here very clearly Teaches, that true Biblical “repentance” is not merely changing ones mind on what they though about the God of the Holy Bible, or Jesus Christ; but, that “repentance from sins” is also included. Which is a deep sorrow for sins committed against the God of the Bible, and a willingness to change and turn around and live a life that is worthy of salvation. This was the message preached in the New Testament, By John the Baptist, “And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Luke 3:3), and which Jesus Christ continued to Preach. There is no evidence in the New Testament, that what Jesus Christ Preached on repentance, was any different to what John the Baptist said.

In the Gospel of Matthew 11:20-24, (and other Gospels), Jesus says to those who refused to “repent”, after He had Preached the Gospel:

“Then He began to denounce the cities where most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

The phrase “sackcloth and ashes” signifies extreme sorrow for sins, as we read in Jonah 3:6-9, what the Apostle Pauls calls, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death." (2 Cor. 7:10)

“The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

And in verse 10 we read, “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”

The same of the tax collector in Luke 18:13, “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’”

Yet there are some who actually mock what the Bible Teaches on “Repentance for the forgiveness of sins”, as though it is a strange Teaching and somehow a “work” that is to “merit” our salvation! Such is the deception of the devil, whereby he has caused some of “the elect” to be fooled that what the Word of God actually Teaches, is not true!

Again the Teachings of Jesus Christ, at the close of His earthly Ministry, when He Commissioned His Disciples to go into all the world, “and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His Name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47)

This was followed by the Disciples, like the Apostle Peter in his first “sermon”, where we read in Acts 2:37-38:

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”

When those who were convicted (cut to the heart) by God the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Gospel by Peter, they said to them “what shall we DO”. Peter did not say to them, “you have to do nothing, simply believe”. No! He clearly tells them to REPENT FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS. Which is what John the Baptist taught, and Jesus Christ.

Sinners are asking this same question “what shall we DO”, and all Christians have a duty to tell them exactly what Jesus Christ, God Incarnate Commanded that we tell them: REPENT FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS, and “BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL”. This is the ONLY Message for the salvation of lost sinners, to reduce this to no repentance and only faith, is to preach half the Gospel Message, and “another gospel”, which really cannot save any lost souls!

Sadly, there are those who are more concerned about their warped “theology”, who will nonetheless still reject the Teachings of the Holy Bible, and try to argue against what Jesus Christ and the Bible actually says!

 

John Calvin

Even though we have taught in part how to possess Christ, and how through it we enjoy his benefits, this would still remain obscure if we did not add an explanation of the effects we feel. With good reason, the sum of the gospel is held to consist in repentance and the forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47; Acts 5:31). Any discussion of faith, therefore, that omitted these two topics would be barren and mutilated and well–nigh useless…Surely no one can embrace the grace of the gospel without betaking himself from the errors of his past life into the right way, and applying his whole effort to the practice of repentance. Can true repentance stand apart from faith? Not at all. But even though they cannot be separated, they ought to be distinguished (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion. Found in The Library of Christian Classics (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), Volume XIX, Book III, Chapters 1, 5, pp. 592-593, 597).

Thomas Watson

Repentance is of such importance that there is no being saved without it…It is a great duty incumbent upon Christians solemnly to repent and turn unto God…That religion which is not built upon this foundation must needs fall to the ground. Repentance is a grace required under the gospel. Some think it legal; but the first sermon that Christ preached, indeed, the first word of his sermon, was ‘Repent’ (Matt. 4.17). And his farewell that he left when he was going to ascend was that ‘repentance should be preached in his name’ (Luke 22.47)…Repentance is not arbitrary. It is not left to our choice whether or not we will repent, but it is an indispensable command. God has enacted a law in the High Court of heaven that no sinner shall be saved except the repenting sinner, and he will not break his own law. Some bless themselves that they have a stock of knowledge, but what is knowledge good for without repentance? It is better to mortify one sin than to understand all mysteries. Impure speculatists do but resemble Satan transformed into an angel of light. Learning and a bad heart is like a fair face with a cancer in the breast. Knowledge without repentance will be but a torch to light men to hell (Thomas Watson, The Doctrine of Repentance (Edinburgh: Banner, 1987), pp. 12–13, 59, 77).

Louis Berkhof

There is no doubt that, logically, repentance and the knowledge of sin precedes the faith that yields to Christ in trusting love (Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1939), p. 492).

John Murray

The question has been discussed: which is prior, faith or repentance? It is an unnecessary question and the insistence that one is prior to the other is futile. There is no priority. The faith that is unto salvation is a penitent faith and the repentance that is unto life is a believing repentance…It is impossible to disentangle faith and repentance. Saving faith is permeated with repentance and repentance is permeated with faith (John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955), p. 113).

The Westminster Confession of Faith

Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace, the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every minister of the gospel, as well as that of faith in Christ. By it a sinner, out of sight and sense, not only of danger, but also of filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary to the holy nature and righteous law of God, and upon the apprehension of his mercy in Christ to such as are penitent, so grieves for and hates his sins, as to turn from them all unto God, purposing and endeavoring to walk with him in all the ways of his commandments (The Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XV, Sections I and II. Cited in A.A. Hodge, The Confession of Faith (Edinburgh: Banner, 1958), p. 210).

Robert Dabney

The manner in which faith and repentance are coupled together in Scripture plainly shows that, as faith is implicitly present in repentance, so repentance is implicitly in faith. But if so, this gives to faith the active character. Mark i:15; Matt. xxi.32; 2 Tim. ii:25 c (R.L. Dabney, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980), pp. 606-607).

John DeWitt

Repentance is the first conscious step in a person’s experience of the divine grace, the entrance for all believers into life, hope, and salvation…Repentance—the repentance of which the Scriptures speak as a godly sorrow, the repentance which is unto life—is not only a persuasion of sinfulness, but it is also, and very distinctly, a turning from sin…Everywhere the Word of God reminds us that repentance is not simply honesty with oneself, or even the open confession of one’s sins; it must also lead to a forsaking of them. If it does not do that, if it is only the fear of punishment and of hell, only a trembling before the just judgment of God, without at the same time the purposing to turn away from sin and to undertake a new obedience to God, then it is not repentance at all (John Richard deWitt, Amazing Love (Edinburgh: Banner, 1981), pp. 66, 74-76).

Charles Hodge

Hence it is that repentance is the burden of evangelical preaching…Repentance…is the great, immediate, and pressing duty of all who hear the gospel. They are called upon to forsake their sins, and return unto God through Jesus Christ. The neglect of this duty is the rejection of salvation. For, as we have seen, unless we repent we must perish…Though repentance is a duty, it is no less the gift of God (Charles Hodge, The Way of Life (Edinburgh: Banner, 1959), pp. 153, 166-169.

Arthur Pink

In repentance sin is the thing to be repented of and sin is a transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). And the first and chief thing required by the law is supreme love to God. Therefore, the lack of supreme love to God, the heart’s disaffection for His character and rebellion against Him (Rom. 8:7) is our great wickedness, of which we have to repent.
What is sin? Sin is saying…I disallow His (God’s) right to govern me…I am going to be lord of myself. Sin is rebellion against the Majesty of heaven…The language of every sinner’s heart is, I care not what God requires, I am going to have my own way. I care not what be God’s claims upon me, I refuse to submit to His authority…The Lord Jesus taught and constantly pressed the same truth. His call was ‘Repent ye and believe the gospel’ (Mark 1:15). The gospel cannot be savingly believed until there is genuine repentance.
When the gospel first comes to the sinner it finds him in a state of apostasy from God, both as sovereign Ruler and as our supreme good, neither obeying and glorifying Him, nor enjoying and finding satisfaction in Him. Hence the demand for ‘repentance toward God’ before ‘faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Acts 20:21). True repentance toward God removes this dissatisfaction of our minds and hearts toward Him, under both these characters. In saving repentance the whole soul turns to Him and says: I have been a disloyal and rebellious creature. I have scorned Thy high authority and most rightful law. I will live no longer thus. I desire and determine with all my might to serve and obey Thee as my only Lord. I subject myself unto Thee, to submit to Thy will…Repentance…is the perception that God has the right to rule and govern me, and of my refusal to submit unto Him…As the Holy Spirit sets before me the loveliness of the divine character, as I am enabled to discern the exalted excellency of God, then I begin to perceive that to which He is justly entitled, namely, the homage of my heart, the unrestricted love of my soul, the complete surrender of my whole being unto Him.
Many are the scriptures which set forth this truth, that there must be a forsaking of sin before God will pardon offenders…He must be crowned Lord of all or He will not be Lord at all. There must be the complete heart renunciation of all that stands in competition with Him. He will brook no rival…Thus repentance is the negative side of conversion. Conversion is a whole–hearted turning unto God, but there cannot be a turning unto, without a turning from. Sin must be forsaken ere we draw nigh unto the Holy One. As it is written, ‘Ye turned to God from idols to serve (live for) the living and true God’ (1 Thes. 1:9) (A.W. Pink, The Doctrine of Salvation (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1975), pp.45, 49-53, 56, 58, 60, 79).

 

Westminster Confessions of Faith:

“I. Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace, the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every minister of the Gospel, as well as that of faith in Christ.

II. By it, a sinner, out of the sight and sense not only of the danger, but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, as contrary to the holy nature, and righteous law of God; and upon the apprehension of His mercy in Christ to such as are penitent, so grieves for, and hates his sins, as to turn from them all unto God, purposing and endeavouring to walk with Him in all the ways of His commandments.

III. Although repentance is not to be rested in, as any satisfaction for sin, or any cause of the pardon thereof, which is the act of God's free grace in Christ, yet it is of such necessity to all sinners, that none may expect pardon without it.

IV. As there is no sin so small, but it deserves damnation; so there is no sin so great, that it can bring damnation upon those who truly repent.

V. Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every man's duty to endeavor to repent of his particular sins, particularly.

VI. As every man is bound to make private confession of his sins to God, praying for the pardon thereof; upon which, and the forsaking of them, he shall find mercy; so he that scandelizeth his brother, or the Church of Christ, ought to be willing, by a private or public confession and sorrow for his sin, to declare his repentance to those that are offended; who are thereupon to be reconciled to him, and in love to receive him.

1689 Baptist Confession:

Chapter 15: Of Repentance Unto Life and Salvation
1. Such of the elect as are converted at riper years, having sometime lived in the state of nature, and therein served divers lusts and pleasures, God in their effectual calling giveth them repentance unto life. ( Titus 3:2-5 )

2. Whereas there is none that doth good and sinneth not, and the best of men may, through the power and deceitfulness of their corruption dwelling in them, with the prevalency of temptation, fall into great sins and provocations; God hath, in the covenant of grace, mercifully provided that believers so sinning and falling be renewed through repentance unto salvation. ( Ecclesiastes 7:20; Luke 22:31, 32 )

3. This saving repentance is an evangelical grace, whereby a person, being by the Holy Spirit made sensible of the manifold evils of his sin, doth, by faith in Christ, humble himself for it with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrency, praying for pardon and strength of grace, with a purpose and endeavour, by supplies of the Spirit, to walk before God unto all well-pleasing in all things. ( Zechariah 12:10; Acts 11:18; Ezekiel 36:31; 2 Corinthians 7:11; Psalms 119:6; Psalms 119:128 )

4. As repentance is to be continued through the whole course of our lives, upon the account of the body of death, and the motions thereof, so it is every man's duty to repent of his particular known sins particularly. ( Luke 19:8; 1 Timothy 1:13, 15 )

5. Such is the provision which God hath made through Christ in the covenant of grace for the preservation of believers unto salvation; that although there is no sin so small but it deserves damnation; yet there is no sin so great that it shall bring damnation on them that repent; which makes the constant preaching of repentance necessary ( Romans 6:23; Isaiah 1:16-18 Isaiah 55:7)

The Second Helvetic Confession:

CHAPTER XIV
Of Repentance and the Conversion of Man

The doctrine of repentance is joined with the Gospel. For so has the Lord said in the Gospel: “Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in my name to all nations” (Luke 24:47).

WHAT IS REPENTANCE? By repentance we understand (1) the recovery of a right mind in sinful man awakened by the Word of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit, and received by true faith, by which the sinner immediately acknowledges his innate corruption and all his sins accused by the Word of God; and (2) grieves for them from his heart, and not only bewails and frankly confesses them before God with a feeling of shame, but also (3) with indignation abominates them; and (4) now zealously considers the amendment of his ways and constantly strives for innocence and virtue in which conscientiously to exercise himself all the rest of his life.

TRUE REPENTANCE IS CONVERSION TO GOD. And this is true repentance, namely, a sincere turning to God and all good, and earnest turning away from the devil and all evil.

1. REPENTANCE IS A GIFT OF GOD. Now we expressly say that this repentance is a sheer gift of God and not a work of our strength. For the apostle commands a faithful minister diligently to instruct those who oppose the truth, if “God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth” (II Tim. 2:25).

2. LAMENTS SINS COMMITTED. Now that sinful woman who washed the feet of the Lord with her tears, and Peter who wept bitterly and bewailed his denial of the Lord (Luke 7:38; 22:62) show clearly how the mind of a penitent man ought to be seriously lamenting the sins he has committed.

3. CONFESSES SINS TO GOD. Moreover, the prodigal son and the publican in the Gospel, when compared with the Pharisee, present us with the most suitable pattern of how our sins are to be confessed to God. The former said: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:8 ff.). And the latter, not daring to raise his eyes to heaven, beat his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (ch. 18:13). And we do not doubt that they were accepted by God into grace. For the apostle John says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (I John 1:9 f.).

Heidelberg Catechism:

Lord’s Day 33
Q & A 88
Q. What is involved
in genuine repentance or conversion?

A. Two things:

the dying-away of the old self,
and the rising-to-life of the new.1

1 Rom. 6:1-11; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:5-10

Q & A 89
Q. What is the dying-away of the old self?

A. To be genuinely sorry for sin
and more and more to hate
and run away from it.1

1 Ps. 51:3-4, 17; Joel 2:12-13; Rom. 8:12-13; 2 Cor. 7:10

 

Well done post. Thank you for doing the work to get it together and I agree with you. I don't understand though your statement above as the guys you quote later on are from the "reformed camp". You should quote some guys from the reformed camp that reduce repentance to merely changing one's mind. I would really like to know because I always put that statement into the Free Grace camp and they are free willers.

 

"Doesn't the context of the verse or passage determine the meaning of the word repentance?"

Answer: Nope

Now a source language word (say the Greek "metanoia") may have more than one meaning, but the context only allows choosing one of the historic meanings, not going outside the historic meanings and claiming a new one due to "context." That is how liberals rewrite the text to make it conform to false doctrine.

The idea is God sets before us an open door, and we are able to choose life or death, to keep heading in the mental direction we were on, or change course to one following God's will. Some claim the idea is God compels us to change course via "irresistible grace" but others (me included) say God invites us to repent and put our faith and devotion in God and His Christ. And that choice is so commonly available, Jesus said the fields are white for harvest.

 

I am not against "Reformed" theologians, if they say what the Bible says. I am against some of the teachings that they have, especailly on salvation, which I believe to be in error, and against the Bible

 

I don't know why you feel the need to take a sideswipe at Reformed Christians on this matter. The Reformed Confessions are perfectly clear on the subject.
1689 Confession XV:3. This saving repentance is an evangelical grace, whereby a person being by the Holy Spirit made sensible of the manifold evils of his sin, doth, by Faith in Christ, humble himself for it, with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrency [sic], praying for pardon and strength of grace, with a purpose and endeavour by supplies of the Spirit, to walk before God unto well-pleasing in all things.
Even when we disagree with one another strongly we can try not to misrepresent each other.

 

There are Reformed people on BB and elsewhere, who reject repentance as a requirement for salvation

 

Well, if that's the case, they are not Reformed then.

 

They are misguided

 

Reject repentance as being a pre-requirement before God can save. Yes.
Reject repentance as a required evidence of God's saving work. No.
This is the distinction you cannot grasp.

 

Correct, repentance, and also faith, are evidences of the new birth, not the cause.

 

You're misunderstanding sbg's position. He makes repentance to be a pre-requirement before God can save anyone. Therefore, sbg requires a human to, by his godless human will, repent...before God can ever extend grace.
This is precisely why I refer to him as sbw. His idea of repentance is entirely started by a human, not by God.

 

repentance from sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, are requirements for the salvation of all sinners. No one can be saved without either FIRST.

 

You are quite correct that repentance, like faith, is a gift of God.. That does not alter the fact that no one will be saved who does not repent. @SavedByGrace seems to be claiming that some folk here believe that there will be people in heaven who have never repented of their sins.

 

I am NOT, What I am saying, is what the Bible Teaches, that a sinner must REPENT and BELIEVE in the Gospel, BEFORE they can be saved, born-again, become a Child of God. Repentance from sins is not AFTER salvation!

 

this is also error!