What Is (and Isn’t) Repentance?

At the core of Jesus’ life and teaching was a message: “Repent and believe the Gospel.” Those were Jesus’ first recorded words in the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 1:14-15: After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵“The time has come,” He said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

(You could also look at Acts 20:17-21 for an example of Paul also summarizing this message.)

Jesus is “proclaiming the good news of God” by telling people: ‘It’s time, the Kingdom of God is here. Repent and believe the good news.’

But that, to me, begs a question: What does it mean to repent? If it’s the case that God’s central message involves two primary components for people to act out (repent and believe), then boy, it sure seems important that we rightly understand what it means to “repent”. (There might be another article on what it means to “believe”, but that’s beyond the scope of this article.)

Defining Our Terms

Repent
The Greek New Testament word that is commonly translated as “repent” is metanoeō. This verb means “to change one’s mind”. It is to change how you think about something.

Repentance
The Greek New Testament word that is commonly translated as “repentance” is metanoia. This is the noun form of the previous word metanoeō. This word means “a change of one’s mind.”

For both these words, repent and repentance, the primary thing that is being communicated is a mental change, a change of thought or ideation.

I’ve often heard people teach that repentance is “turning and going the other way”. That’s not quite correct; rather, that’s the outcome of all true repentance. Repentance, “a change of one’s mind” is first the realization that “Oh, I’m doing the wrong thing! I’m being selfish or hard-hearted or swayed by pride. I shouldn’t do that.”

It’s that “ah-ha” moment, that revelation. That is what “repentance” technically means.

But, that revelation, if true, will be acted out. You will “turn and go the other way” as the next logical step of repentance.

I’d like to provide a somewhat silly, but hopefully helpful, analogy: If you had a friend who was complaining about being hungry, and you told him “Just go get a sandwich”, getting the knowledge of the solution (“go get a sandwich”) won’t solve his problem. He needs to eat it for it to do him any good! Similarly, getting a new knowledge about something you’re doing wrong won’t do you any good if you don’t live it out.

So, the Christian concept of repentance always entails both a “lightbulb” moment, (“Oh, I shouldn’t do this!”), and then also an application of that realization by responding and going in a different direction.

This might seem nit-picky, but I think there are important implications here. If we incorrectly understand repentance as *just* “turning and going the other way”, then we would be forced to conclude that you can unintentionally repent. You could change what you’re doing without realizing it was wrong. (IE, someone could be planning to lie to their boss, and then when talking with their boss panic and admit the truth; that’s not repentance, that’s just incompetent sinning.)

That doesn’t line up with the biblical concept of repentance. Real repentance necessarily includes both 1) an understanding that something is wrong, and then 2) doing something about it.

Which is to say, real Christian repentance always involves intentionally turning towards God.

“Did I/You/She/He/They Really Repent?”

I’ve known a number of sincere brothers and sisters in Christ who I believe wrongly understand repentance. I’ve heard sermons and had people tell me that real repentance means you don’t need to repent again. (This is a common teaching in Mormonism – which isn’t Christianity – as well. Spencer W. Kimball, a former President of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints once remarked, “True repentance does not permit repetition.”) Which means:

If a man has really repented of his sex addiction, he’ll never look at porn again.
If an alcoholic has really repented of their drunkenness, they’ll never get drunk again.
If a gossip has really repented, they’ll never again tell salacious stories during a lunch with friends.

Why do these people think that’s how repentance works? Well, they look at certain New Testament accounts of repentance. For example:

Paul forever stopped persecuting Christians. (See Acts 26:9-20, Galatians 1:13)
Peter forever stopped denying being Jesus’ disciple. (See Luke 22:54-62, Acts 4:18-20, 1 Peter 3:14-15)
Zacchaeus went from being a tax collector (a greedy traitor who profits by harming other Jews and working for the hated occupying Roman army, eww) to a disciple of Jesus! He didn’t go back to being a tax collector, he was done with that. (See Luke 19:1-10)

And these are really good examples of a lifelong repentance! Lifelong repentance can and does happen, in the Bible and in the lives of the people of God.

But, I think that claim, that real repentance means that you’re never going to succumb again to the sin over which you’re repenting, necessarily leads to some troubling implications. And those implications lead me to a couple of questions.

First question: “UH-OH. Am I not really a Christian?” I would worry that I’ve never really repented of anything! I’m still screwed up and working on things. I’ve “repented” of being harsh towards my wife, but I still can be cranky or have a bad tone at times! Did that mean I didn’t really repent?

Second question: “Has anyone ever really repented of ‘hard’ sins?” I mean, sure, a murder can repent of murder and never kill anyone again, but has anyone ever really repented of selfishness? Or not being kind and gentle with people who annoy us? Has anyone ever really repented of pride? (Side note, have you noticed that people who claim to be completely humble generally come off as quite arrogant and self-promoting?)

What spouse has ever said “I wasn’t a good husband or wife by doing X, I’m sorry” and then has been a perfect spouse from that point forward?

We could also consider that there are sins of commission (doing the wrong thing) as well as sins of omission (not doing the right thing.) All of God’s people are called to love God with all their heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). Have you ever met someone who was always loving God fully (other than Jesus)? If this way of thinking is correct, you’ve never met someone who has repented of a lack of love towards God.

Now, please understand: I’m not trying to make excuses! I think obedience and our own moral decisions truly do matter. (See Statement of Belief, point 3.) But it seems like I personally am in big trouble, and also I’ve never seen “real” Christian repentance in anyone I know, if this understanding of repentance is correct.

Jesus Offers a Word of Hope

Fortunately for all of us, Jesus weighs in on this topic in Luke 17. Listen to Jesus’ words:

Luke 17:1-4: Jesus said to His disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

Do you see it? Even if someone sins against you, then repents, then sins again, then repents again, over and over, Jesus still says “you must forgive him”.

I don’t think God is commanding us to extend more forgiveness or grace to others than He does to us. If you come to Him with sincere repentance, He won’t reject that!

How Do We Live Repentance Out?

Repentance is a matter of the present tense. Real repentance has to do with how you are currently responding to your current conviction. You can really repent, and still struggle.

Is that the goal? Does God intend for us to be people who feel free to sin because we can just keep temporarily repenting?

Of course not. Let’s look at Romans 6:

Romans 6:15-18: What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Repentance isn’t what frees us to sin. Repentance is what frees us from sin. Repentance is the process by which God transforms us from “slaves to sin” into “slaves to righteousness”.

Biblical repentance is how we respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s look at the words of Paul in Galatians 5 (emphasis added):

Galatians 5:13-26: You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

It seems to me that repentance is how we keep in step with the Spirit (verse 25). When we receive a revelation, an understanding of “oh, I’m doing the wrong thing, I’m out of alignment with God”, we then respond by seeking to get back into step with Him! Whether that’s realizing that we’re being harsh, or that the information we’re sharing is actually more based in gossip than concern, or that our primary motivation for piety is impressing other people rather than pleasing God, or whatever the revelation is, when that realization comes, we do something about it.

That’s what repentance is: To act differently when we realize we’re not doing, or have previously done, is wrong, or haven’t been doing right.

Will you get it right, for the rest of your life, after you act out that realization? Probably not! (If you do, please come and disciple me, because I don’t!)

But repentance doesn’t necessitate being perfectly aligned with God in the future, or for the rest of your life. Repentance has to do with becoming realigned with God right now.

Similarly, repentance isn’t just feeling bad. It’s easy to realize you’ve done the wrong thing, and feel shame or regret without ever turning to God. Repentance isn’t just having a negative emotion over your wrongdoing, it’s taking that emotion of guilt or shame, and the sin that caused that, to God in confession and contrition.

I think that’s what Paul is getting at in 2 Corinthians 7.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10: “…yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

Godly grief points you to God. Worldly grief is remorse that doesn’t point you towards God, and things that don’t lead towards God lead towards death.

Peter and Judas

I’ve written elsewhere a more in-depth look at this (link) but for now, let’s just take notice of a key insight: Both Peter and Judas betrayed Jesus in the last week of His life. Both sought absolution from their priest for their failure. Peter was successful, because he sought out the correct source of forgiveness. Judas wasn’t successful because he didn’t turn to the only One who could offer him forgiveness.

They both regretted their actions. Judas felt bad, tried to find forgiveness through a spiritual leadership that Jesus was dismantling, and then hanged himself in guilt and grief. (See Matthew 27:1-10.) What a tragedy!

Contrastingly, Peter had tremendous guilt and remorse over denying Jesus’ role in his life (Peter “wept bitterly” in Luke 22:62). But he knew how to turn to God with his guilt; he ran to Jesus’ tomb on hearing the report of His resurrection (Luke 24:12), and also jumped out of his fishing boat when he saw the resurrected Jesus on the shore (John 21:7). Peter couldn’t wait to repent by coming back to Jesus.

Let’s go back to our silly analogy above about your friend who is hungry, and you tell them to get a sandwich. Following that same line of thinking, both Peter and Judas were hungry and knew they needed a sandwich. They were aware they had a problem, and knew they needed to fix that problem.

But only Peter actually ate the sandwich.

If both Peter and Judas are examples of real guilt over sin, I sure would rather imitate Peter’s response to that guilt than Judas’.

A Summation of our Findings: Repentance Definitely is, and Definitely isn’t:

When I try to think through a certain topic or verse, it often helps me to think of two things:

A) What do I definitely know is true about this? or, what must this mean?
B) What do I definitely know is not true about this? or, what must this not mean?

This lets me set a boundary line on a topic. It lets me begin to understand the spectrum of truly Christian belief on an issue, so that I can know if I’m outside of those boundaries, I must be getting something wrong.

So, let’s review what we’ve observed about repentance so far.

Genuine, biblical, Christian repentance definitely is:

A new understanding: “Oh, I’m doing the wrong thing.”
An active response to that conviction or new understanding.
A real turning to God. It isn’t lip service or a mechanical exchange. And it isn’t wallowing in self-condemnation, as Judas did. Rather, it’s running to Jesus like Peter did.
Done now. Saying “I’ll repent later” means you are not currently repenting.
- (This is obvious when you think about it, but it’s easy to not think about when you’re fixated on that tempting sin!)

Genuine, biblical, Christian repentance definitely isn’t:

An insincere response (See Matthew 15:8-9).
An abuse of grace or freedom to sin.
“False repentance” if the person repenting isn’t perfect on that matter for the rest of their life.

Reflection

What about you? What are areas in your life that are in need of repentance? Are you walking in the peace of being in lockstep with the Holy Spirit, or are there things that need to be confessed to God and then done differently?

Repentance isn’t a burden, it’s a gift of God. Press into it, today!

(Oh, and feel free to let me know if there’s a section to which I should add, or change, or re-explain. It takes a village to raise a child, and apparently also for me to write a good article…)

TR Hartley