Repentance

μετάνοια

שׁוּב

Turning from sin to God with a changed mind.

REPENT'ANCE

1. Sorrow for any thing done or said; the pain or grief which a person experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his own conduct.

In Scripture, repentance is a turning: a change of mind and heart about sin and about God that shows itself in a change of direction. The prophets called Israel to it again and again: "Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions" (Ezekiel 18:30); "let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him" (Isaiah 55:7).

Jesus began his preaching with the same call: "repent ye, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). The apostles preached it too — "Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19) — and Paul summed up his message as "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). Repentance and faith belong together: one turns from sin, the other turns to Christ.

Webster's first sense is sorrow for what our conduct has cost. Scripture is careful to separate sorrow from repentance: "godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death" (2 Corinthians 7:10). Regret over consequences is not yet repentance; repentance turns toward God.

It is more than a feeling or an outward show — "rend your heart, and not your garments" (Joel 2:13) — and it bears fruit in a changed life: "doing works worthy of repentance" (Acts 26:20). Yet it is not a way of earning God's favor. It is his kindness that draws people to it — "the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance" (Romans 2:4) — and it is spoken of as his gift: "Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life" (Acts 11:18). When a sinner turns, heaven rejoices (Luke 15:7).

In the ASV, repent and repentance are mostly New Testament words, heard most in Acts, Luke and Revelation. In the Old Testament the idea is usually carried by shuv, the common verb turn or return, used when the prophets call the people to turn back to God (Ezekiel 33:11; Hosea 14:1).

Where the ASV Old Testament does say repent, it translates a different verb (nacham), meaning to be sorry, to relent, or to change one's course — and it is mostly said of God. "God repented of the evil which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not" (Jonah 3:10) means that he relented from a threatened judgment, not that he had done wrong; elsewhere Scripture insists that God is not a man "that he should repent" (Numbers 23:19). In the New Testament, metanoia literally suggests a change of mind, but its use covers the whole turn of a person back to God.

Terms

• repent
• repentance

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord Jehovah. Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

The prophet's call is to turn from every transgression.

and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

Repentance is a torn heart, not a torn garment — and God is gracious to those who turn.

let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Forsaking the old way and returning to a God who pardons abundantly.

and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe in the gospel.

Jesus' first preaching joins repentance with belief in the gospel.

I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance.

Heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents.

Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;

Repenting and turning again, so that sins are blotted out.

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentance.

For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Godly sorrow leads to repentance; worldly sorrow leads to death.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God's patience gives room for all to come to repentance.

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