Why are We Studying Repentance?

Because Repentance is an essential part of salvation. We are commanded to repent:

Mark 1:15b repent ye, and believe the gospel.

2 Pet 3:9 The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Luke 13:3b except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Acts 2:38 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 3:19a Repent ye therefore, and be converted,

What is Repentance?

There are actually two different words in the Greek used for Repentance in the New Testament. To truly repent we must fulfill both meanings. They are:

Metamellomai - to feel regret; to care afterwards; to be sorry for.

Metanaeo - to think differently, to change one's mind, purpose, or opinion, to make an "about face" and walk a different direction.

Understanding the two different words helps to clarify some scriptural passages. For example, in I Corinthians 7:8-10 Paul is writing about a letter that he had written the church earlier and says that he did not repent but yet repented. Paul did not have a change of mind about what he said in the letter (metanaeo) but did regret that he had to write the letter (metamellomai).

Matt 27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

Judas Iscariot, after that he had betrayed Jesus, "repented" (metamellomai). He felt sorry for what he had done. But Judas never "repented" (metanaeo) and changed the direction of destruction and instead went and hanged himself, taking his own life. Many people feel sorry after they sin against God, but just feeling sorry for your sin afterwards or "being caught" is not in itself true repentance. It must be accompanied with a desire to change one's mind, action, and direction.

2 Cor 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Paul said that godly sorrow brings repentance (metanaeo) to salvation not to be repented (metamellomai) of. When you repent God's way, it brings a change in direction and living of which you will not be ashamed or regret! It is obvious that "godly sorrow" is more than just saying "I'm sorry."

Examples of Repentance:

Jacob - In Genesis 35, Jacob and his house went back to the Bethel (the house of God) and repented before God. Jacob and his household did three things to repent:

1. Put away strange gods from among them. They removed everything from their lives that separated them from the true God.

2. Cleansed themselves. This representative of how we must cleanse ourselves by putting off the filthiness of the flesh and spirit (II Corinthians 7:1). We do this by obeying the Word of God (Psalms 119:9).

3. Changed their garments. We must not stop at repentance but do everything that God has commanded us for salvation and lay aside our garments of sin so that we can put on the garment of salvation (Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 3:18; 7:14; I Peter 5:5).

The City of Ninevah - In the book of Jonah, God sent the prophet Jonah to preach to this city that it would be destroyed unless they repented. God did spare the city because the city truly repented because they:

1. Fasted - They went without food for three days

2. Turned from their wickedness - "Metanaeo" repentance.

3. They turned from violence - They stopped trying to save themselves and began to trust in God and His Word.

The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar - In Daniel chapter 4:27, the prophet Daniel instructed the king on how to truly repent. He told Nebuchadnezzar to:

1. Break off thy sins by righteousness - Replace your sins by doing right.

2. Break off thy iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Nebuchadnezzar was repenting of pride, therefore true repentance included outwardly doing the opposite of what he was inwardly repenting of.

3. It may be a lengthening of thy tranquility. In other words, if he truly repented and continued in that repentance, God would spare him.

The Prophet Isaiah's Instructions - In Isaiah 55:6-7, the prophet gives us excellent insight into true repentance:

1. Seek the Lord and call on him - repentance must be made to the Lord and must be verbal.

2. Let the wicked forsake his way - the person's actions should agree with their verbal commitment to God.

3. Let the unrighteous forsake his thoughts - the person must think differently and change their opinions to match the Word of God.

4. Let him return to the Lord - If a person does, verse 7 says that God will "abundantly pardon."

The Corinth Church - In II Corinthians 7:9-11, Paul mentioned seven positive changes that were noticeable in their lives as a result of their true repentance:

1. Carefulness - A watchfulness lest they fall back into the same traps of sinning.

2. Clearing - The removal of guilt from their minds.

3. Indignation - A hatred of sin and their old lifestyle.

4. Fear - A Godly fear of hurting God through sinning and the results of living in a life of sin.

5. Vehement Desire - A tremendous desire to live holy according to the Word of God.

6. Zeal - They were zealous in working for God and the church.

7. Revenge - Used here in the sense of giving justice or "selling out to God" with the same fervency as they once sold themselves to sin.

Restitution in Repentance

Restitution means to restore what has been taken or damaged. It is largely a forgotten part of repentance but one that is absolutely essential and is always a characteristic of Godly repentance. Notice the following scriptures:

Matt 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

Luke 3:8a Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,

Acts 26:20b that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

The words "meet" or "worthy" mean "suitable, proper, fitting appropriate, and becoming." When we truly repent, we must restore what is appropriate for what we have done wrong. In some things there is absolutely nothing that we can do, but many times, we can make things right or at least attempt to make things better. For example, when a thief truly repents, they should, if possible, return what they stole. If you repent of a lie, you should apologize also to the ones to whom you lied and tell them the truth. If your sin hurt somebody else, then you should first ask God to forgive you and then ask that person to also forgive you. If the sin is directly against God, then no physical restitution is necessary.

Parables of Repentance

There are three main parables of Jesus which teach on repentance.

1. Parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32)

2. Parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7)

3. Parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32)

A Summary of Repentance

From all of these examples and the scriptures that we have studied, we can learn that godly repentance has four essential parts:

1. A person must make a change of direction from a lifestyle of sin and turn from sin in their mind and actions.

2. A person must have an attitude of regret to the sin of their past and develop a hatred toward the things that they used to do that were not pleasing to God.

3. A person must sincerely call out to God for help and trust in and repent to God. Only God can forgive and truly make a change in our life. It is to God alone that we are to confess our sins.

4. A person must make restitution for what they have done in an applicable manner if possible.

Repentance for the Saved

Repentance does not complete the work of salvation in your life, but is only one of the first steps. You must continue on into Water Baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38). Even after a person has been baptized and received the Holy Ghost, they will stumble and even sin. We must repent of our sins even then. When we do, God will forgive us. John was writing to baptized and spirit-filled believers when he wrote:

I Jn 1:7-10 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

There is power in repentance!