Faith & Salvation
What is repentance?
Short Answer
Repentance is a change of mind and heart that turns a person from sin and self-rule toward God. It involves recognizing sin as God sees it and embracing Christ by faith. Repentance is more than feeling sorry or promising improvement. It is a decisive reorientation toward God that naturally produces growing obedience and a changed direction in life.
Repentance is one of the first words Jesus preached, and one of the most misunderstood.
Most people hear it and think of guilt.
Repentance is not primarily about feeling. It is about turning.
Repentance is not the same as regret
You can be genuinely sorry and change nothing.
Sorry you were caught. Sorry for the consequences. Sorry about the person you have become.
Scripture draws a hard line between the two.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
One sorrow leads somewhere. The other only circles.
It begins with seeing sin as God sees it
Repentance starts with agreement.
Not excusing it. Not comparing it favorably to someone else's. Not calling it a personality trait or a season or a struggle.
Naming it what God names it.
Then it turns
The word itself means a change of mind that produces a change of direction.
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 prodigal son did not merely feel terrible in the far country.
He got up and went home.
It is not a one-time event
There is a repentance that turns a person to Christ for the first time.
There is also the ordinary, repeated repentance of a Christian who sins and comes back.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Coming back often is not a sign that repentance failed. It is what a living relationship looks like.
It is not self-improvement
Repentance is not a resolution.
You are not turning over a new leaf. You are turning toward a Person.
So what is repentance?
Seeing sin as God sees it.
Agreeing with Him about it.
Turning from it.
Turning toward Him.
Regret changes how you feel. Repentance changes where you are going.
Bottom line
Repentance is a change of mind and heart that turns from sin and self-rule toward God, embracing Christ by faith. Regret on its own changes nothing; repentance changes direction.
Continue Exploring
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