CHAPTER Repentance

We observed in chapter 5 that the opening word of Jesus’ first public sermon was “Repent” (Matt. 4:17). That clarion call to repentance was a ringing theme throughout His entire earthly ministry. It was how Jesus Himself described His objective: “to call… sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). He stood boldly before the stiff-necked multitudes and proclaimed, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (13:3, 5).

It’s not fashionable in the twenty-first century to preach a gospel that demands repentance. But from His first message to His last, Jesus’ theme was calling sinners to repentance—and this meant not only that they gained a new perspective on who He was, but also that they turned from sin and self to follow Him. The message He commands us to preach is the same: “repentance for forgiveness of sins” (Luke 24:47).

What Is Repentance?

Repentance is a critical element of conversion, but do not dismiss it as simply another word for believing. The Greek word for “repentance” is metanoia, from meta, “after,” and noeō, “to understand.” Literally it means “afterthought” or “change of mind,” but biblically its meaning does not stop there. As metanoia is used in the New Testament, it always speaks of a change of purpose, and specifically a turning from sin. In the sense Jesus used it, repentance calls for a repudiation of the old life and a turning to God for salvation.

Such a change of purpose is what Paul had in mind when he described the repentance of the Thessalonians: “You turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9). Note three elements of repentance: a turning to God, a turning from evil, and the intent to serve God. No change of mind can be called true repentance if it does not include all three elements. The simple but often overlooked fact is that a true change of mind will necessarily result in a change of behavior.

Repentance is not merely shame or sorrow for sin, although genuine repentance always involves an element of remorse. It is a redirection of the human will, a purposeful decision to forsake all unrighteousness and pursue righteousness instead.

Nor is repentance merely a human work. It is, like every element of redemption, a sovereignly bestowed gift of God. The early church, recognizing the authenticity of Cornelius’s conversion, concluded, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life” (Acts 11:18; cf. 5:31). Paul wrote to Timothy that he should gently correct those who oppose the truth, “if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:25). If God is the One who grants repentance, it cannot be viewed as a human work.

Above all, repentance is not a pre-salvation attempt to set one’s life in order. The call to repentance is not a command to make sin right before turning to Christ in faith. Rather, it is a command to recognize one’s lawlessness and hate it, to turn one’s back on it and flee to Christ, embracing Him with wholehearted devotion. True repentance involves self-reproach, contrition, and rueful shame. Repentance is a fruit of godly sorrow over one’s sin (2 Cor. 7:10). By definition it’s incompatible with a hardened heart.

Repentance is not simply a mental activity; genuine repentance involves the intellect, emotions, and will. Intellectually, repentance begins with a recognition of sin-the understanding that we are sinners, that our sin is an affront to a holy God, and more precisely, that we are personally responsible for our own guilt. The repentance that leads to salvation must also include a recognition of who Christ is along with some understanding of His right to govern people’s lives.

Emotionally, genuine repentance often accompanies an overwhelming sense of sorrow. This sorrow in and of itself is not repentance; one can be sorry or ashamed without being truly repentant. Judas, for example, felt remorse (Matt. 27:3), but he was not repentant. The rich young ruler went away sorrowful (19:22), but he was not repentant. Nevertheless, sorrow can lead to genuine repentance. Second Corinthians 7:10 says, “The sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret.” It is difficult to imagine a true repentance that does not include at least an element of contrition-not sorrow for getting caught; not sadness because of the consequences; but a sense of anguish at having sinned against God. In the Old Testament, repentance was often shown with sackcloth and ashes, the symbols of mourning (cf. Job 42:6; Jonah 3:5-6).

Volitionally, repentance involves a change of direction, a transformation of the will. Far from being only a change of mind, it constitutes a willingness-more accurately, a determination to abandon stubborn disobedience and surrender the will to Christ. As such, genuine repentance will inevitably result in a change of behavior. The behavior change is not itself repentance, but it is the fruit repentance will certainly bear. Where there is no observable difference in conduct, there can be no confidence that repentance has taken place (Matt. 3:8; cf. 1 John 2:3-6; 3:17).

Real repentance alters one’s fundamental character. It is not a one-time act. The repentance that takes place at conversion begins a progressive, lifelong process of confession (1 John 1:9). This active, continuous attitude of repentance produces the poverty of spirit, mourning, and meekness Jesus spoke of in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-6). It is a mark of every true believer.

The Fruits of Repentance

When Jesus preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17), those who heard Him understood the message. With their rich heritage in Old Testament and rabbinical teaching, His hearers would not have been confused about the meaning of repentance. They knew He was calling for far more than simply a change of mind or a new perspective on who He was. Repentance to them meant a complete surrender of their will and an inevitable change of behavior—a new way of life, not just a different opinion. They realized He was calling them to admit their sin and turn from it, to be converted, to turn around, to forsake their sin and selfishness and follow Him instead.

After all, the Jewish concept of repentance was well developed. The rabbis held that Isaiah 1:16-17 described nine activities related to repentance: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless; defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Note carefully the progression: beginning internally with a cleansing, repentance then manifests itself in attitudes and actions.

The Old Testament was filled with rich truth about repentance. Ezekiel 33:18-19, for example, says, “When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, then he shall die in it. But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them.” Second Chronicles 7:14 is a familiar prescription for repentance: “[If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Isaiah 55:6-7 gives the Old Testament invitation to salvation, and repentance is a key element: “Seek the while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Jonah 3:10 says, “When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.”

Look carefully at that verse from Jonah. How did God evaluate the Ninevites’ repentance? By their deeds. It was not that He read their thoughts or heard their prayers, though an omniscient God certainly could have seen the reality of their repentance that way. But He looked for righteous works. John the Baptist also demanded to see good deeds as proof of repentance. He preached the message of repentance even before Jesus began His ministry (cf. Matt. 3:1-2). Scripture records that when the religious hypocrites came to John for baptism, “He said to them, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance’” (Matt. 3:7–8).

What a greeting! It was a far cry from saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, here are our esteemed leaders.” We do not know why they had come for baptism, but obviously their motives were wrong. Perhaps they were trying to gain favor with the people or be associated with John’s popularity. Whatever their reasons, they had not really repented, and John refused their overture. He condemned them instead as religious phonies.

Why was John so harsh? Because these hypocrites were poisoning a whole nation with their fatal deception. Nothing about their behavior indicated that they had truly repented. There is a critical lesson here: if repentance is genuine, we can expect it to produce observable results. What are the fruits of repentance? That is the question the tax-gatherers asked John the Baptist (Luke 3:10). His answer to them was, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to” (v. 13). To some soldiers who asked the same question, his response was, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages” (v. 14).

In other words, there must be a sincere change in one’s lifestyle. A person who has genuinely repented will begin to mortify sinful desires and seek to live righteously. Along with a change of mind and attitude, true repentance will begin to produce a change in conduct.

Radical change was also what the apostle Paul considered proof of repentance. Note how he described his ministry to King Agrippa: “I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring… to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:19-20). That true believers will show their repentance with righteous behavior was obviously a crucial element of Paul’s message.

The Gospel and Repentance

Repentance has always been the foundation of the New Testament call to salvation. When Peter gave the gospel invitation at Pentecost, in the first public evangelism of the post-resurrection era, repentance was at the heart of it: “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).

No message that eliminates repentance can properly be called the gospel, for sinners cannot come to Jesus Christ apart from a radical change of heart, mind, and will. That demands a spiritual crisis leading to a complete turnaround and ultimately a wholesale transformation. It is the only kind of conversion Scripture recognizes.

In Matthew 21:28-31 Jesus used a parable to illustrate the hypocrisy of a profession of faith without repentance:

“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”

You may wonder why Jesus did not include a third son who said, “I will” and kept his word. Perhaps it is because this story characterizes humanity, and we all fall short (cf. Rom. 3:23). Thus Jesus could describe only two kinds of religious people: those who pretend to be obedient but are actually rebels, and those who begin as rebels but repent.

Jesus told the parable for the benefit of the Pharisees, who did not view themselves as sinful and disobedient. When He asked them which son did the will of his father, they correctly answered, “The first” (Matt. 21:31). In admitting that, they condemned themselves for their own hypocrisy.

How Jesus’ rebuke must have stung them! “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you” (v. 31). The Pharisees lived under the delusion that God approved of them because they made a great show of their religion. The problem was that it was only a show. They were like the son who said he would obey but did not. Their claim that they loved God and kept His law amounted to nothing. Those Pharisees were like many today who say they believe in Jesus but refuse to obey Him. Their profession of faith is hollow. Unless they repent, they will perish.

Tax collectors and prostitutes have an easier time than Pharisees getting into the kingdom because they are more likely to recognize their sin and repent of it. Even the worst of sins will not keep a sinner out of heaven if he or she repents. On the other hand, even the most impressive Pharisee who shelters his sin and refuses to acknowledge or repent of it will find himself shut out of the kingdom. There is no salvation apart from the repentance that renounces sin.

There are many today who hear the truth of Christ and immediately respond as did the son who said he would obey but did not. Their positive response to Jesus will not save them. The fruit of their lives shows they have never truly repented.

On the other hand, there are many who turn their backs on sin, unbelief, and disobedience, and embrace Christ with a faith that obeys. Theirs is true repentance, manifested by the righteousness it produces. They are the truly righteous (1 Peter 4:18).