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The Bible gives us five requirements that we must meet to be saved: believe, repent, confess, be baptized, and endure to the end. In the last unit, we discussed what and how to believe. Now, it’s time to move on to the next requirement: repentance. What does it mean to repent?
Luke 13:3
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Acts 2:37-38
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 3:19
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
The word repent is translated from the Greek word metanoeó (repent) or metanoia (repentance). It comes from the Greek words meta, meaning “after” or “change,” and noeō, meaning “to understand, to ponder, to think about.”
The Greek word epistrephō, which means “to turn around,” is translated into English as “converted.” Thus, Acts 3:19 tells us to change our minds and turn around.
While I generally avoid diving into Greek and Hebrew meanings, as it’s often sufficient to know the English translation, I’ve included them here because modern definitions of “repent” can differ. Today, we often define repentance as “feeling or expressing sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrongdoing or sin.” However, I want to clarify its original meaning to avoid confusion.
Even with our modern definition, repentance still requires a change of mind. In changing our mind, we are effectively turning our thinking around.
Repent: Turning to God
The real question we must ask ourselves is: what are we supposed to turn toward and away from?
Mark 1:15
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Acts 19:4
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
Acts 20:21
21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 26:20
20 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
The Bible instructs us to change our minds and believe the gospel. We are to believe in Jesus and turn toward Him. But what does that look like?
Repent: Turning Away from Sins
You may have noticed something else in Acts 26:20: “Do works meet for repentance.” The word “meet” means “right.” In other words, it says to do works that are appropriate for someone who has changed their mind. So, how should a person who has turned to God act?
In the last unit, we established that belief alone is not enough. Even the devils believe. So, it isn’t sufficient to simply turn from unbelief to belief. What is it that the devils lack? They have not turned to live for God.
Let’s think logically about this for a moment. We know we are to turn to God. But what does that mean we are turning away from?
Ezekiel 14:6
6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
Ezekiel 18:30
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
Luke 5:32
32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Acts 8:22
22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
2 Corinthians 12:21
21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
Revelation 2:21
21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
The answer is clear: sin. We are to turn from our sins. You cannot turn to God without simultaneously turning away from sin—they are in opposite directions!
I’ll illustrate it with a conversation I once had with someone. I told them the Bible says we must repent of our sins. They disagreed, saying, “The Bible does not say that. It only says we must repent of unbelief.”
As an example, they said, “What if I hated my husband and was having an affair? Just because I repent of the affair, it doesn’t mean I have turned back to my husband. It just means I am not having the affair anymore.”
This is true, but let me ask this question: Can you turn back to your husband while still having the affair? You can indeed repent of sin and still not turn toward God. But you cannot turn toward God without repenting of sin.
Now, let me ask you this: Where were you when you were separated from God? You were in sin. Does God dwell in sin? No, of course not. So, if you want to be with God, you must change your mind to believe and turn away from your sins.
Is That a Works-Based Salvation
“OK, but isn’t that a works-based salvation?” No, not at all. We discussed this in the last unit, but it bears repeating. Let’s go over this one more time.
Consider a husband who loves his wife. He wants to spend as much time with her as possible, but he also enjoys hanging out with his friends. It’s the weekend, and he has a choice to make.
He chooses to spend time with his wife. Did he make that choice to earn her love, or did he make it because he loves her?
Imagine if his wife’s car breaks down on the way home and she calls him for a ride. Instead of dropping what he is doing to help, he rolls his eyes, tells her she should have planned better, and leaves her stranded. Would you call that loving? Of course not.
Repenting of our sins is not a works-based salvation. I love God; therefore, I do the things that please Him. My goal is to please Him because I love Him more than my sin! It is not a “works-based salvation”—it is a love-based salvation.
That said, as a husband myself I have my own faults. But I try to be better because I love my wife. This is how it works with God. We are not perfect. We still have our faults. We still fall into the trap of sin at times. But He forgives us.
Why does He forgive us? Because He loves us and knows our hearts. He knows whether we sin because we hate Him or because we are human and made of dirt. That’s probably the best way to think about why we sin as Christians.
We’ll talk more about why we still sin in a future unit. For now, let’s continue learning about the requirements for salvation. In our next unit, we will discuss confession.
Continue To Unit 3:5 – Confession of Faith OR
Return To Christianity 101 Unit 3 – Repentance and Salvation
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