Repentance
Acts 26:20
20but shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judæa, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent(G3340) and turn(G1994) to God, and do works meet for repentance(G3341).
3340 metano’eo, ww = usually translated as to repent
3341 me’tanoia, zn vr = usually translated as repentance
1994 epi’strepho, ww = translated as to turn
1995 epistro’phe, zn vr = translated as turning
The New Testament uses two terms related to repentance (noun) or to repent (verb). Most commonly used in the New Testament is the Greek word ‘metanoia’, which means to change one’s mind, to turn away from something. Less commonly used is the term ‘epistrophe’. This has more of a connotation of turning towards, and is often found in combination with the word ‘to or toward’. By the way, the verb ‘epistrepho’ is simply used to indicate turning back. The call to repentance, as Jesus puts it, is generally called ‘metanoia’. The first time is in Matthew 4:17:
17From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Repentance is given in the New Testament as the main condition for receiving the salvation offered to us. It is directly related to the coming Kingdom of Heaven or Kingdom of God. The Kingdom represents the new life in Christ that is ours when we obediently submit to this new King, Jesus Christ. The result is forgiveness of sins and new life, but also rebirth, a new creation. In Peter’s first sermon in Acts 2, it is given in combination with baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ. Two more scriptures:
Luke 24:47
47and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts 2:38
38Then 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.
Turning from what?
So what should I repent of? The Bible gives us a number of things to turn away from. We need to repent of sin, disobedience and dead works (Hebrews 6:1).
– Sin has to do with things we do that are not in accordance with, but contrary to, God’s purpose and His will or law.
– Disobedience is the failure to do things that God has specifically commanded us to do.
– Dead works are when we do things that are not on God’s commission, where it is only our own desires that are at stake, thus disobeying God and His commandment.
Who needs to repent?
Everybody!!! Everyone!!!
In Romans 3:23, Paul points out that all men sin..
23for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
So this applies not only to people who have fallen into all kinds of “crap” like alcohol, drugs and prostitution, but especially to people who have fallen into a kind of self-willed religiosity, i.e. “pious” people.
There was always a great struggle between Jesus and the Pharisees, and between the Church of Jesus Christ with the Gospel and the orthodox Jews with their insistence on circumcision and keeping the Law of Moses.
– The struggle between Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes is widely reported in the Gospels.
– The early church’s struggle with Jewish culture is discussed at length in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. There are also references to that struggle in Romans and Colossians.
Jesus’ call to repentance therefore applies to everyone..
Characteristics of the repentance
Repentance is not only something that happens inwardly, but also something that can be measured by a change in behaviour. Thieves stop stealing, alcoholics stop drinking, greedy people become generous. Perhaps most difficult of all, pious people start to become real in simple practical obedience to God in matters that count, by starting to love their neighbour above all else. We find the latter especially in taking care of widows and orphans, in looking after the poor of the world.
Result of repentance
The result of authentic repentance is therefore a changed life, as evidenced by a change in behaviour.
James 1:27
27Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
The Old Testament
There are a number of specific passages in the Old Testament that refer to repentance. Jesus, of course, did not come in a vacuum, but rather brought his preaching to people who were used to reading the Old Testament, so when Jesus tells them to repent, they hear it from their perspective. I would like to quote some of these references to make a few things clear about the concept of ‘repentance’.
Deuteronomy 30:1-3 ; vs.10
1And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2and shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3that then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
10if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
Repentance is therefore not only a matter of the heart, but must also lead to a change in behaviour. This call to repentance applied to the people of Israel when God would have driven them out of the Promised Land. Only if they repented wholeheartedly would there be a way back and could there be any mention of God bringing them back from the midst of the nations.
Isaiah 55:1-7
1Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. 5Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
6Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55 is following Isaiah 53 in which we are confronted with “the Lamb that was slain,” an image of Jesus and the cross. Isaiah 55 contains the invitation to receive the grace that comes with Jesus’ atoning work on the cross. On the one hand, it is completely free, it costs nothing, and yet we are invited to repent. True repentance in this context consists of two things: a change in the way we think, we have to change our mindset, and because we have gone the wrong way, we have to go a completely opposite direction. So repentance involves a total change that involves everything. What is striking is that the invitation comes first, God is ready to accept us as we are. However, we must receive this invitation with a humble and willing heart, which leads to repentance.
Ezekiel 18:21-32
21But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
24But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. 25Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? 26When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. 27Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 29Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? 30Therefore 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. 31Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 32For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye
In this chapter, too, repentance is described as complete and all-encompassing, up to and including the renewal of our hearts and minds. Repentance here is not a one-off thing that covers the entire load, as if once you have repented it is just a piece of cake, as if that one decision at that one moment in your life determines everything. So in this passage we are warned against a kind of reverse repentance that could take place at a later date, with the result that earlier decisions are no longer taken into account, and so you no longer have any part in the forgiveness that is the result of the earlier repentance. Similarly, if you were to extend this to the New Covenant, in which we have become partakers of God’s grace through faith, then if we stopped holding on later in time and ended up in disobedience, we could eventually lose our salvation. True repentance, then, is a decision that is ongoing and continuing in all facets of life. Jesus says in Matthew 24:13:
13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
So, when we repent, it is an all-encompassing decision, one that is not only made in that specific moment, but one that has lasting effects, all the way to the end. In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7, Jesus speaks not only of a narrow gate but also of a narrow way. The narrow gate could be seen as the initial repentance, the narrow way as the ongoing process that follows.
Lately I have been hearing the statement that repentance is desirable but not necessary to be saved, that all that is necessary is that you change your mind about who Jesus is and then accept Him as your Saviour and Redeemer. How you go on living your life is not essential, because it is ‘not of works’. Repentance is then apparently seen as a kind of work, compared to the circumcision that Paul agitates against in Galatians. You can only come to this conclusion if you separate Paul’s teaching from that of the other apostles and Jesus himself. Whatever we claim must be consistent with the whole of Scripture, Old and New Testament.
Psalm 119:160a
