What Is Repentance?

Would you like to hear a little good news for a change? How about this: Every mistake you ever made, every wrong thing you ever did, will be forgotten—never again remembered. It is possible! But there's a condition. First, you must repent.

Will you repent so your mistakes can be erased?

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Would you like to hear a little good news for a change? How about this: Every mistake you ever made, every wrong thing you ever did, will be forgotten—never again remembered. It is possible! But there's a condition. First, you must repent. Now stay with me. Don't go away. That is also part of the good news—you can repent!

That's right. The best news you can hear is that a way exists to escape the eternal-death penalty all humans are under. Jesus Christ gave His life for you so that through repentance and forgiveness of sin you can lead a happier, more fulfilled, blessed life now and forever.

Repentance is an integral part of the gospel message, God's good news for mankind. Repentance is not a doom-and-gloom concept; it is one of the greatest gifts and blessings that can be bestowed on anyone.

Let's look closely at this subject so we can understand our need to repent, see how repentance works in our lives and value it for the blessing it is.

Discussion: Must all people repent? Why? What does it mean to repent? How does this affect you?

• Does everyone need to repent? (1 John 1:8-10 [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.

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Note: Everyone sins and needs to be cleansed (forgiven) of doing so. Confessing that fact, and acknowledging our wrong ways before God, flow from repentant thinking.

• We should begin by understanding that each human has his own perspective on life, and it is riddled with error (Proverbs 14:12There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
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Note: Even Israel, the nation God directly led for centuries, insisted on following its own ways. Why? (Psalm 81:11-13 [11] But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
[12] So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
[13] Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

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• How do our ways invariably end? (Romans 6:23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
See All...; Luke 13:1-5 [1] There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
[2] And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
[3] I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
[4] Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
[5] I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

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Note: God doesn't want His children to suffer the penalties for sin (2 Timothy 3:4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
See All...). His ways are a gift that leads to fulfilled lives and ultimately to eternal life.

• Why aren't our ways God's ways? (Isaiah 55:8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
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• So what are we to do? (Isaiah 55:6-8 [6] Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
[7] Let 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.
[8] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

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Note: It is said that the thought is the father of the deed. God shows us it is not just our actions that are wrong; it is our thinking. The very core of our thinking differs from His. We must overhaul a self-centered thinking process that leads to sin.

• What does the Bible say about our natural, human way of thinking? (Romans 8:7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
See All..., Jeremiah 17:9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
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• Our not being subject to the law of God leads to what? What is sin? (1 John 3:4Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
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• Why must man repent of sin? (Isaiah 59:1Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
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Note: Sin separates us from God, even as the father of sin, Satan, separated himself from God (Isaiah 14:12-15 [12] How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
[13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
[14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
[15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

See All...; Ezekiel 28:12-15 [12] Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
[13] Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
[14] Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
[15] Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

See All...). Because of the influence of Satan, mankind's habitual response is to move away from God's laws.

Discussion: For one to repent, then, and move in the direction of doing God's will, what kind of change must take place? (1 Peter 4:1Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
See All..., 2; Ephesians 4:17-24 [17] This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
[18] Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
[19] Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
[20] But ye have not so learned Christ;
[21] If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
[22] That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
[23] And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
[24] And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

See All...; Romans 12:1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
See All..., 2).

Note: The Greek word matanoeo, translated "repent," means to change the mind or think differently. Turning to God necessitates a change in the mind, a recognition and rejection of selfwill and a choice to embrace God's will.

• Isn't that change of thinking the work God promised He would perform under the new covenant? (Hebrews 8:10-12 [10] For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
[11] And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
[12] For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

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Discussion: Psalm 119 beautifully shows how harmony with God's thinking profoundly changes one's heart and enriches one's life. Let's notice how repentance is connected with this psalm's message of love for God's law and way of life.

• Does repentance lead to our experiencing richer blessings in our lives? (Psalm 119:1(ALEPH.) Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
See All..., 2, 14-16, 21, 24, 72, 97-100, 104, 165).

Note: Turning to God brings blessings from Him, because His ways produce fulfilled, happy and abundant lives in us, through our developing soundness of mind, understanding and wisdom. The world's ways produce unfulfilled, shallow lives, through people choosing the way of sin.

• Does repentance imply seeking God's law, commandments and statutes? (Psalm 119:2-5 [2] Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
[3] They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
[4] Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
[5] O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

See All..., 9-11, 18, 26-32, 47-48, 155).

• Does repentance require our turning from our way to God's way? (Psalm 119:26-29 [26] I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
[27] Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
[28] My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
[29] Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.

See All..., 37, 59, 67, 71, 133, 134, 169, 170, 173-176).

Further study: As you read this psalm, note the ways our blessings are directly related to our following God's ways. Also consider that, to experience such blessings, we must first turn from our own ways (Proverbs 16:7When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
See All..., 8:32-34; Job 42:1-6 [1] Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
[2] I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
[3] Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
[4] Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
[5] I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
[6] Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

See All..., 12- 17; Isaiah 58:13If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
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Discussion: When Christ came, He expanded the thoughts of Psalm 119. How did He incorporate repentance into the gospel message?

• Listening to the gospel is inspiring, but acting on it is life changing. What action is necessary? (Mark 1:1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
See All..., 14, 15).

• Immediately after His resurrection, what message did Jesus Christ command should be preached to the world? (Luke 24:36And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
See All..., 44-47).

Note: Jesus died so each of us individually, through repentance, could be forgiven of sin. This message is nothing short of great news!

• But what is required before sins can be forgiven? (Acts 3:19Repent 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;
See All..., 25-26).

Note: God's Word stresses that repentance is necessary before one can be forgiven. Some say that "repent" means simply to repent of not having accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, and does not refer to a change in lifestyle. However, they overlook the fact that "be converted" means to turn to God, transforming our lifestyle and behavior. God commands that we both repent and be converted (Acts 3:19Repent 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;
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• What else does Scripture say about this? (1 John 2:1-6 [1] My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
[2] And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
[3] And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
[4] He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
[5] But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
[6] He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

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Note: It is clear that repentance is turning from sin. To turn from our ways to God's ways is to turn to Jesus Christ as our Savior and accept His authority over our lives. It is only through Him that we can receive remission of sins.

• Since it is unnatural for humans, under the sway of Satan, to be subject to God's spiritual laws, is the natural mind of man even able to comprehend these concepts? (1 Corinthians 2:11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
See All..., 14).

• How, then, can one come to a right relationship with God? (John 6:44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
See All..., 45, 63; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14 [9] But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
[10] But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
[11] For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
[12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
[13] Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
[14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

See All...; Romans 2:4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
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Note: Until God, through His Spirit, begins to work in one's life, the natural human mind cannot know His ways. Repentance is unnatural to humans, and the process can begin in our lives only when God's Spirit works with us so we can see and accept His ways. In His patience and goodness, He leads us to repentance. To God goes all the credit, "that no flesh should glory in His presence" (1 Corinthians 1:29That no flesh should glory in his presence.
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• What is God's attitude concerning a sinner coming to repentance? (Luke 15:10Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
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Note: The very angels rejoice when we acknowledge our transgressions and turn to God. Jesus Christ said, "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
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• What remains, then, for us to be able to permanently receive the working of God's Spirit in our lives? (Acts 2:38Then 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.
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Note: To have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, we must repent of our ways, desire to be forgiven of all sins and be baptized. Baptism symbolizes commitment to the lifelong process of obeying God and overcoming sin. To make that commitment possible, God gives His Holy Spirit, which will guide us, help us rid our lives of destructive ways of thinking and behavior, and help us grow in the blessings of His way of life. That we can repent is indeed incredibly good news from God.

Does God promise to no longer remember the sins of one who repents, is baptized and receives the Holy Spirit? (Hebrews 10:17And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
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