CCC #3: Repentance
The Corrupt Christian Concepts Series
(All quoted scripture is the BSB translation unless otherwise noted.)
NOTE: After a conversation with a dear brother about repentance, we were essentially in agreement; however, he pointed out something that made me think further about the topic. This caused me to go back and review this article.
I stand by the essentials of what I wrote in this article and I am not going to change it. My articles have improved along they way, as they should, but that does not mean I need to rewrite every time I take issue if the data is still good. The main issues are a matter of formatting and emphasis. Thus, there is an emphasis I would like to emphasize, LOL, in advance of anyone reading or re-reading this article. I did mention this several times in the article, but I'm not sure I was clear enough.
All Unbelief in Christ is Sin
So, let me clarify: ALL UNBELIEF IN CHRIST IS SIN. Thus, when you repent for salvation you are changing your mind from unbelief in Christ to belief in Him. Thus, you are technically moving from the sin of unbelief to the good action of belief. Unbelief is the basis of all active sin. Thus, in that sense, repentance is about the sin of unbelief. In scripture, this is the main focus of repentance. And even when other sins are in focus, unbelief is the root of them. “Whatever is not of faith is sin.” However, as you will see if you read the article, the sin of unbelief is only implied with repentance. Rarely is the word ‘sin’ directly tied to repentance in scripture. You would never realize this when you listen to most teaching on repentance - and that is my point.
But, as my dear friend pointed out, repentance in scripture is always associated with the Trinity and aligning our thinking with God's. Sin is basically defined by thinking, attitudes, and actions that do not reflect God's way. Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When you believe lies, it is automatically sin, because it is not of Christ who is Truth. This is another big reason we need salvation by grace. As humans, it is impossible to fully know truth. Growth is discovering God's truth, believing it, and trusting it. Repentance = growth.
Turning From a List of Sinful Activities is not Repentance
As I emphasize if you read the article, the corruption of the repentance concept is that most teaching on repentance does not focus on the “change of mind” or moving from believing lies to believing truth as it should. Most teaching focuses on “turning from” a particular list of actions or activities - i.e. activities that would be considered ‘sinning’. When scripture references ‘repentance’ for salvation or forgiveness of sins, it is not these types of ‘sinning’ in focus. It is always the sin of “unbelief in Christ” or other beliefs that hinder faith in Him. However, in my 40+ years of listening to teaching on repentance, belief is rarely, if ever, the emphasis - despite the meaning of repentance in the Greek.
As you will see if you read the article, in scripture there are relatively few ties of repentance with these types of sinful activities and they are always for believers - not for salvation. The only sin that prevents salvation is the sin of unbelief. The sin of unbelief is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. That is the only focus of repentance for salvation - not any other sinful activities. You may have stupid beliefs about some sinful practices and still recognize your need for Christ and His life. This is the faith that saves, regardless of your views on sinful activities. Truly this is only logical since genuinely turning from any other sin requires the life of Christ within. A spiritually dead person can turn from a thousand sins and yet remain dead. Changing your mind about Christ and what He offers is what matters.
Repentance is a Lifelong Pursuit
As usual, there is a works or legalistic mindset at work here. This is the basis for nearly every corrupt concept out in the religious world. Can you see how this is really quite stupid? We can never believe 100% correctly, thus we can never stop sinning and act perfectly. If that is our goal, either for salvation or growth, then we will always fail. The Truth is a person: Jesus Christ. Because we have faith in Him, we don't need to worry about our beliefs being perfect. Frankly, we don't need to worry about our sinning at all. Only in the sense that it is hurting us and others - we reap what we sow. This is why repentance and believing truth is a lifelong pursuit.
This is my focus when discussing the corruption of the concept of repentance. When we make it about stopping our lists of sins, it corrupts the real meaning. While true repentance may lead to stopping of sins, the stopping of those sins is not repentance in and of itself. The only sin you are stopping when repenting is the sin of unbelief or wrong beliefs. This is the pre-cursor to the gift of faith. Faith is a gift of God, but we must change our mind about God's gifts to receive it. As Christ says, the only work of God is to believe in Christ. (John 6:28-29)
I hope that clears this up a bit. Certainly, repentance is changing your beliefs. That is the definition. However, in scripture this change of mind is focused on Christ. If you don't believe Christ is God, or that He resurrected from the dead, or that He is able to give you His life and thus ‘save’ you, then you are still in your sins and remaining in the sin of unbelief. Thus, you must repent towards Christ for salvation.
However, changing your mind about your other sins and sinning is a life long process. And even then, it is never about your sins. If your eyes and mind are fixed by faith on Christ, you will not be sinning. That should be our focus. But, I do cover this in the article, so I will leave you to it. Thank you for letting me clarify.
Repentance is a Believer’s Lifestyle
I want to make abundantly clear that I don't think repentance itself is a corrupt concept - far from it. I believe repentance is an absolutely essential daily practice of a believer.
I also believe scripture indicates repentance is necessary for salvation. Every human needs repentance.
However, I differ from many on the primary object of repentance, both for the believer and unbeliever, but we will get to that in a bit.
I just want to make clear that both of the above ideas are scriptural.
However, there are ways repentance has been presented and ideas surrounding repentance that have little to no basis in scripture.
I believe this happens for many reasons, but as with all corrupt ideas, it often flows from a fleshly mindset where we have a tendency to simply go with tradition and accept “credentialed authority” without question.
I fear this “expert worship" mentality is prevalent today, both in general society and the church. The gospel was never intended to require someone to explain it to us other than normal brothers and sisters sharing their life with Christ.
You might say, well what about Paul? I dare say that the man who called himself the chief of sinners would have considered himself as normal as anyone.
And it is clear he considered his 'credentials' as a highly educated Pharisee to be dung.
If we are not careful, we can easily go back to the pre-reformation era where a priest or other 'expert' is needed to explain scripture.
Let us not forget one of the great promises of the new covenant: “No longer will each one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest.” Hebrews 8:11
The Bereans were mentioned in scripture for a reason - to inspire us to question all and dig into scripture ourselves. And if something doesn't make sense, then figure out why.
It is so easy just to go along to get along and not rock the boat. Just accept teaching and never inspect it carefully to see if it is truth. To take scripture at face value and never dig deeper.
I was a victim of this mentality for many years.
That is the impetus for my writing. To investigate these concepts and see if they line up with scripture and hence line up with the truth.
A skeptical approach to all teaching is healthy - including my own.
Why Do We Lose the Meaning?
Often we lose the scriptural meaning because concepts simply become trite phrases, even for those who are teachers of scriptures.
I mean consider how many times you have heard the phrase “repent of your sins” compared to how many in depth studies of repentance you have encountered.
Scripture was never intended to be a 'meme'.
Thus, we hear a term like repentance and automatically associate it with what we think it is, without considering if that thinking is valid.
Then the ideas about repentance get passed along as a replacement for the true meaning of repentance. Sometimes through generations.
And no one stops to put their hand up and say, like the Princess Bride made famous, ”I don't think that word means what you think it means.”
Or if they do, we belittle or ignore them. I mean, who do they think they are to question all of this consensus? Of course, the Pharisees felt much the same way about Christ.
Christ was the ultimate consensus questioner. And they hated Him for it (among many other things.)
It reminds me of the old story about the wife and the roast. Her daughter asked her one day why she cut the end off of the roast. She was like, “I'm not sure honey, your grandmother did it.”
Next time the daughter saw her grandmother, she asked why. And her response was that her mother did it.
Finally she asked her great grandmother. And she said, “Well, my pan was too small for most roasts, so I had to cut them so they would fit.”
So, you can see how bad, incorrect, or useless ideas can be passed along without questioning and the original purpose is lost.
Thankfully the matriarch was still alive to ask about the roast. And similarly, we still have scripture so we can investigate repentance.
What Is Repentance?
Let's look at the following word study:
3340 metanoéō (from 3326 /metá, "changed after being with" and 3539 /noiéō, "think") – properly, "think differently after," "after a change of mind"; to repent (literally, "think differently afterwards"). Copyright 2021 Discovery Bible.
The Greek word translated repent or repentance means to “change your mind” or “think differently”. That's it. That's the entire meaning.
Consider carefully your beliefs about repentance. Does this line up with your idea of repentance? Can you begin to see how this concept can be corrupted?
Every human repents every day. If you go to the coffee shop determined to get a latte, and then you decide to get a pour over, you have repented.
Now, of course, in scripture what you change your mind about is much more consequential than a cup of coffee or what clothes to wear!
Obviously. Duh.
However, that doesn't change the meaning of repentance in scripture. It still only means “to think differently.”
English Dictionary: Repentance
Perhaps where we have gone wrong is we are basing our idea of repentance on the English dictionary, rather than scripture.
A quick Google search turned up the following Oxford Languages dictionary definition:
“Feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin.”
But, based in the scriptural meaning above, does this really get at the true meaning?
I would say not. Regret or remorse over sin is expressed in scripture as…regret or sorrow over sin. Not repentance.
While repentance may cause or engender the remorse over sin, it is a separate process entirely.
Repentance of Sin?
Sometimes an idea gets corrupt because one aspect of it, perhaps even a minor aspect, becomes all encompassing as part of the meaning.
Sin has become that for repentance. It is rare to hear the term repentance come up in Christian circles without hearing it attached to sin.
The dictionary meaning above is proof that even for institutionally secular references, sin is attached to the meaning of repentance.
The caricature of the street preacher on the corner screaming “turn or burn” plays off of this singular connection of sin with repent.
As we have already seen, repentance doesn't mean “turn from” anything. So, this phrase “turn from sin” being attached to repentance is tenuous.
In case you think I am spouting blasphemy and want to stop reading, just hear me out. I'm not saying turning from sin is not important.
Nor am I saying a healthy regret over sin is not important. Paul expresses both of these as important actions.
They just aren't repentance; to define them as repentance destroys the power of repentance.
Repentance As the Root
If you think sinning is A-OK, then you need to change your mind and think differently. And if this change of mind is legitimate, it should mean that you “turn from” the sin you “used to” think is OK and stop doing it.
However, while turning from sin can be a legitimate result of true repentance, they are not the same thing. To only associate repentance with sin greatly weakens it's power.
Further, you can “turn from sin” as an action that is not attached to repentance at all. People turn from sin all the time, even unbelievers.
For the Pharisees, turning from 'sin' (and 'sinners'), even running from it, (and them), in horror, was a regular practice. They were quite proud of how they “turned from” sin.
Yet, this was not connected at all to a change of mind. It was all outward showmanship, not flowing from an attitude or mindset of repentance.
And this shows how making repentance about “turning from sin” corrupts the idea even beyond changing the meaning.
If you think that turning from sin is all that is called for, then the power by which you turn is irrelevant.
Thus, you may turn from it for a period using flesh power, only to turn back to it once the flesh power fails.
I have been in this cycle before, and I see it demonstrated often in the church.
Stories of church leaders who get caught in something and 'repent', only to be caught again a year later demonstrate this.
True repentance is a much more powerful concept. It gets at the reason or root of why you think you want to sin in the first place: your mindset.
The object of all repentance is the mind - changing your thinking.
God full well knows that if He can get you to think differently - based on truth - then your actions will follow.
Put another way: you can turn from sin without repentance, but you cannot truly repent without it enabling you to turn from sin.
Is Repentance From Sin Required for Salvation?
Ok, I will warn you, I'm about to poke some of you perhaps even more than I already have. The term “sacred cows” comes from somewhere. And this idea could easily be a sacred cow for many.
However you define repentance, the idea that repentance from sin is required for salvation is nearly universal in Christendom.
To suggest otherwise can truly upset some people. Some have made an entire identity trying to convince folks to turn from sin and reform their behavior.
Let me just make clear again: repentance itself is required for salvation.
Every unbeliever has some mindset preventing their salvation that needs to change. If they did not, then they would be saved.
However, the object of that repentance is as varied as humanity itself. There could be many different mindsets that prevent someone from believing the gospel.
Again, making it only about sin limits the power of repentance, for both believers and unbelievers.
It frightens me to think how many people might think that their own behavior reform is somehow saving them. It's the New Year's resolution ‘gospel’.
Yet, anyone who teaches “turning from sin for salvation” is subtly suggesting that behavior reform is what saves people, whether they realize it or not.
And that is why it is so important to know what scripture actually says about a topic, not just the 'common' knowledge, especially one as important as repentance.
But enough of what I think…what does scripture say. That is always the measure of truth.
Repentance of Sin in Scripture
I just wrote an article about using scripture intended for unbelievers as a prescription for believers. In this case, the opposite is done.
Most of the scripture that associates repentance with sin is not for salvation; yet, somehow the idea that unbelievers must repent of sin for salvation is rampant.
I will list every scripture in the new testament where the object of repentance is sin. The length of the list (or lack of it) may surprise you.
Luke 15:1-10 (I will explain below why this should not be on this list, but it does mention 'sinner' so I am including it.)
Luke 17:3-4; Acts 8:22; 2 Corinthians 7:9-10; 12:21; Revelation 2:21-22; 9:20; 16:11.
That's all I could find where sin itself is either directly the object of repentance or at least implied. Roughly 10 times out of the nearly 60 uses of the word repentance or about 15 percent of the time.
And only one of these seems to have salvation in view. That is a really small reference scale, considering how tied together sin and repentance are in most teaching.
Please check yourself:
https://biblehub.com/greek/strongs_3340.htm
https://biblehub.com/greek/strongs_3341.htm
That is hardly a high enough percentage so that sin should literally be in the dictionary as a component of repentance!
And further, with a few exceptions that I will argue are not related to salvation, the rest of these are written to believers, not unbelievers!
Unbelievers DO Need to Repent
Yes, there are many passages saying unbelievers should repent and turn to God, but the object of the repentance is not mentioned. Because for every person it is different.
Only the person (and God) knows what their core belief systems are. We cannot write a “repentance prescription” that fits every person. And Scripture doesn't do that.
Could a person need to change their mind about sin to be saved? Of course. I believe 1 John was written in part to people like this. But I will get to that in my next article about confession.
(By the way, repentance and confession are closely tied together. But repentance comes first, so I am addressing it first.)
Repentance of sin specifically, much less “turning from sin” as a misinterpretation of repentance, does not seem to be indicated by scripture as a necessity for salvation.
The Reason Why It Is Not
Without Christ's help and His power within, we cannot truly say no to sin. It is the grace of God that teaches us to say no to sin and live upright lives (Titus 2:12).
That is why repentance of sin is written to believers in scripture. Because they have Christ, and thus have the power within to change their mind about sin and allow resurrection power to enable them to stop.
However, the idea came from somewhere, and most likely from twisting scripture. So, let's look at some of those passages and see if they oppose my thought process.
Parable of the Lost Sheep/Coin
In Luke 15:1-10 (I won't quote for space sake, but please read on your own), the Pharisees and scribes complained that Christ welcomed sinners and ate with them.
Note: sinners was their term, not His.
In response, Christ tells two parables, the lost sheep and the lost coin. Both parables end with similar statements:
Luke 15:10 - “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”
One might conclude that since this person was identified as a 'sinner', then what he was repenting of was sin. But this is faulty reasoning.
The sinner is the one doing the repenting. Christ is using the Pharisees own word to identify the person purposefully. This in no way presents the object of the repentance as sin. That is still an open concept.
Of course, the Pharisees were categorizing certain people as sinners, in contrast to themselves, but obviously we know they needed to repent too.
Identifying someone as a sinner is separate from what they are changing their mind about.
Yes, repentance is needed to turn a sinner into a saint, but it the person doing the repenting being identified in this passage, not what is being repented of.
None of the people in the audience, 'sinners' and Pharisees alike, were getting into the kingdom, yet. They all needed to repent.
But that is specifically why this passage does not indicate what is being repented of. It is simply saying that all sinners need to repent to enter the kingdom of God.
And that includes every human, even the Pharisees. And in the end, that was Christ's point.
Jezebel
There is much controversy among scholars over the reference to Jezebel in Revelation 2:21-22.
Was this an actual person? Was it a licentious teaching in the church and the old testament Jezebel was being used as a symbol of this teaching?
No one quite knows, though the passage seems to indicate an actual person. However, this is Revelation, so we must take care in extracting doctrine from it.
(One example is that one of the Jezebel 'sins' listed is “eating food sacrificed to idols”. However Paul indicates in multiple places that this is not a sin in and of itself.
There is definitely more going on here than meets the eye. But figuring out Revelation is not my purpose today.)
Verse 21 is a verse that combines repentance with sin: “Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.”
Now, my first point is that salvation is not specifically in view here. Christ is concerned about the health of the church, and ridding it of an unhealthy influence.
We also cannot say for certain if this person is a believer or not. I believe she is not; much like my CCC #1, I believe this is a false teacher. The fact Christ references her teaching as the “deep things of Satan” seems pretty conclusive.
However, either way, this repentance from immorality is for the protection of the church, not salvation. Christ is saying, unless this person changes their mind about teaching the “deep things of Satan” in the church, get rid of them.
Kick them out - this is plain common sense. If someone is teaching “immorality is good”, it doesn't matter if they are a believer or not, at a minimum, they should not be teaching in the church.
Thus, no one can use this passage to teach repentance from sin for salvation.
However, it is a clear indication that if anyone in the church is claiming “sin is OK”, and actively teaching and influencing people, then put a stop to it.
Revelation 2 is not the first or only place to say this.
Simon the Sorcerer
In Acts 8:22, Peter indicates that Simon the Sorcerer needs to “repent of his wickedness” in order for the Lord to forgive him.
This is the only scripture I can find that directly indicates an unbeliever repent of their sin for salvation (forgiveness).
However, this is a very special case, and again I don't believe this calls for a universal doctrine of repentance of sin for salvation.
Was Simon saved?
Some say Simon was saved, and the passage does have some interesting language. Verse 13 says, “Simon himself believed and was baptized”.
But later in the passage it was revealed that no one in this group who “believed and were baptized” had “received the Holy Spirit”.
What happened to cause this discrepancy is a mystery for another time. I have my opinion, but maybe we will never know. Acts can be tricky since it is history not necessarily doctrine.
To be clear though, Romans 8:9b puts it: “And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”
This is a cut and dry case that these people heard the gospel - were in some process of believing it - but they had not experienced the new birth yet.
They did not have the Spirit yet - hence they were unbelievers. Peter also says Simon has a wicked heart, and that does not describe a believer.
Hence Simon is still an unbeliever - of that I am convinced - even though it doesn't help my arguments today.
In the story, Simon wants to pay money to have the power to give the Spirit. (Essentially, he wants to have the power to save people.) He completely misunderstood the gospel. He thought that the Apostles had that power.
However, they were only instruments and the 'laying on of hands' was purely symbolic. Without faith in the heart of the person, salvation would not come even if Paul himself laid on hands.
When Peter recognized what Simon was asking, he called it 'wickedness'. Until Simon changed his mind and understood that only God had the power to save, then he was lost.
Yet, this is not the sense in which I have heard “turn from sin” for salvation taught. Turning from sin is not usually restricted to only the sin of unbelief.
If that was the case, there would be no issue. Changing your mind is essentially turning from believing a lie to believing truth. But in most teaching, turning from sin is meant as all sin, not just unbelief.
Much like the book of Hebrews emphasizes, the refusal to change your mind itself is a sin. And yes, that is a change of mind we must all have for salvation to occur.
Refusing to repent is clearly a sin, and it is one we must turn from in order to be saved. I will never argue against that.
However, this passage still does not confer universal sin as an object of repentance from salvation. It only shows that we can have a mindset about sin that needs to change.
And again, seeing unbelief as a sin we must turn from, to belief, is not a bad definition. Maybe confusing, but not bad.
If that is honestly what people mean, then perhaps this article did not need to be written. But either way, it is always good to clarify truth.
Repentance from Sin for Salvation Conclusion
Honestly, in all of my study of repentance over the last few years, I am baffled at how the idea of turning from generic sin for salvation came to be and was perpetuated.
Perhaps it is still a remnant of the power of pre-reformation Catholicism? Is it just that we cannot let go of the fleshly idea that we must 'earn'?
There is definitely an element of “works salvation” involved in this idea, especially by defining it as “turn from sin”. However, I simply cannot find much scriptural support for it.
Again, there are many different mindsets that prevent faith in Christ, some related to sin, some not.
And again, if you define the “lack of repentance” or “lack of faith” itself as the sin to turn from, I have no issue with that.
As an unbeliever, you may think your sins are too big. You hate them, you try to stop, but you can't. You don't need to change your mind about stopping sinning, you need to change your mind about the power of Christ.
As we will see later, it is repentance towards Christ that is the vast majority of scriptural references for repentance, not sin.
Once again, making it about only sin, and not Christ, makes it about us again, and not Christ. This seems to be a consistent theme in what corrupts these concepts. We love to make it all about us.
Other References to Sin
There are a few other references in scripture that mention sin and repentance in the same passage and are intended for unbelievers.
However, once again, sin is not the direct object of the repentance. Here are a few examples:
Acts 2:38 - “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 3:19 - “Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,”
In both of these verses, it is not sin that is the object of the repentance. No object is mentioned directly. The result is mentioned however: the “forgiveness of sin” or “wiping away”.
Again, as I have stated, repentance is necessary and essential for the forgiveness of sin or salvation.
However we must read what scripture actually says and hesitate to “read into” it what it doesn't actually say.
In neither of these verses does it say “repent of sin” to be forgiven of sin. It just says 'repent'.
Much like the rest of the passages on repentance, there is a dearth of anything tying repentance from sin to salvation.
However, while the direct object of the repentance is not always sin, as we will find out next, there is something that is always the object of repentance.
Repent Towards Christ (or God)
As I have mentioned, one of the main harms in making repentance solely about sin is the tendency for humans to then have a mindset of “works salvation”.
If somehow salvation or the quality of your salvation is tied to how well you turned from sin, or are turning from sin, then your assurance will be based in your performance, not Christ.
This is putting the cart before the horse.
Thankfully, as usual, a proper interpretation of scripture belies this concept. In nearly every instruction to unbelievers concerning scripture, the object is either implicitly or explicitly about Christ and the gospel.
The gospel concept of repentance means that you change your mind about Christ. Even this can be quite different for each person.
Ultimately the goal of pre-salvation repentance is to recognize the resurrected Christ as Lord of all with the power to save.
If the focus of repentance is Christ and the gospel, then it does not need to be focused on sin. Changing your mind about sin, and turning from it, is the fruit of changing your mind about Christ and turning to Him for salvation.
And this is why scripture emphasizes one over the other. But let's take a look…
Change Your Mind about Christ
Let's take a look at Christ's words Himself in Mark 1:14-15:
“14-After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God. 15-“The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!””
Except for some paraphrases where men erroneously put “of sin” in there (looking at you NLT), Christ just says 'repent'. No sin is added.
However, the flip side of the repentance is telling. The result of changing your mind is you “believe the gospel”. Hmm.
This begs the question, what mindset prevents people from believing the gospel?
(And yes, again, I admit not believing the gospel is the ultimate sin, so turning from that specific sin is necessary for salvation.)
As I have mentioned, that is an open-ended question with many answers. Possibly as many nuanced answers as there are people.
One thing is clear, there were many in Christ's audience who would reject the good news because they thought with the Torah and Judaism, they already had the best news.
Since they thought that their Judaistic religion would save them, they needed to repent about that belief, recognize that their religion was useless to get them into the kingdom of God, and believe the good news of Christ.
Lots of religions have a message of “turn from sin”. Only one belief system has the message of “change your mind and turn to Christ.” And that is what makes Christianity unique.
A Couple More Examples
In Acts 19, Paul ran into some acolytes of John the Baptist. John was well known for proclaiming, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”
Note: yet again, repent does not have an object. John does not say “Repent of your sins, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”
Thankfully, in Acts 19, Paul clarifies this for us. The acolytes of John were not saved. Paul teaches them the gospel and during this he makes the following statement in verse 4:
“Paul explained: “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus.””
Note that Paul defines the repentance John was preaching and baptizing in the name of. Like Christ in Mark 1, John's repentance was to believe in Jesus. John and Christ taught the same repentance.
Paul testifies similarly concerning repentance in Acts 20:21 - “testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Once again, the object of the change of mind is God and the result is faith in Christ. This has nothing to do whatsoever with sin other than it results in once for all forgiveness of sin.
However, as I have alluded to, true repentance that results in salvation has a huge impact on sin for a person. The power of Christ does that to people.
Deeds Worthy of Repentance
Perhaps another reason sin is tied to repentance is a verse like Acts 26:20 -
“First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.”
Paul is testifying before King Agrippa and it is a fascinating revelation of the gospel. As first glance, it might seems Paul is indicating that behavior is a part of repentance.
Yet, that is not what Paul says. He once again confirms that the repentance is about God, the turning is to God, and the 'deeds' are a result of those two things.
This verse is a direct confirmation of my message in this article. True repentance precedes the deeds! Again, deeds are a result of, not the definition of, repentance.
Once you turn to Christ and He births you into a new creation, only then can you turn from sin and perform the deeds worthy of the gospel.
The word 'perform' here can also mean 'practice', and I prefer that usage here. And the word 'worthy' can mean 'suitable', which I also prefer.
What Paul is saying is that the result of true repentance; whereby we are birthed into God's family, and given a new spirit connected to God's Spirit; is that we will now begin to practice deeds that suit our new self.
We see Paul explain this later in Colossian 3:9-10 - “9-Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices, 10-and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
Notice that “taking off the old self and putting on the new” is in the past tense. This happened at salvation. This is not a daily action.
Later Paul talks about clothing yourself in actions that fit your new self. This is the same process he was describing in Acts 26.
True repentance results in the new self; and the new self should result in deeds that suit or fit.
Note: the renewal that is occurring is in knowledge. We are not getting 'holier', but the knowledge of our gifted holiness is increasing. Growing in knowledge is the daily practice.
And when you gain new knowledge of truth, and then change your mind, that is repentance! It is so powerful.
This is why we are 'practicing' deeds that are 'suitable'. We are not perfect at this yet, we are growing in grace and knowledge, and the results are a natural flow of deeds that represent our new identity in Christ.
But while these deeds match our repentance, they are not repentance itself. Repentance is a mindset whereby our thinking truly changes.
This thinking leads to trusting and dependency on Christ. The trust and dependency leads to reliance on His power within us. And it is His power that then enables the deeds.
We trust Him initially for salvation, and then that trust continues to grow as we learn how good He really is, how much He loves us, and about all He has gifted us.
But, having a mindset that circumvents the scriptural order of things by making repentance all about the deeds can block or limit the trust in Christ as we become self focused.
And that is never the purpose of repentance.
Repentance For Believers
The definition of repentance doesn't change for believers. It is still a change of mind. It is still believing differently. And the main focus is still trusting Christ and the gospel.
However, the emphasis and results are slightly different. Rather than obtaining salvation initially, there is a continuing element to it whereby we learn to walk in the resurrection power we obtained at salvation.
The substantial difference is unlike salvation, a believer is not gaining anything by repentance. Repentance is simply the tool by which they use what they already have been given.
I would suggest it is the primary method by which we grow and mature. Repentance should be in the daily mindset and practice of all believers, all the time.
It is a joyful practice whereby we allow the Spirit to renew our minds. It is the mechanism by which we grow in grace and knowledge of Christ.
Let Go of Old; Embrace the New
You cannot gain knowledge without learning. And you cannot learn without letting go of that which you thought you knew, and taking hold of the new thing you have now learned.
What I have just described is repentance. It is a willingness to let go of the old and embrace the new.
This is quite directly illustrated in the book of Hebrews where the author is pleading with his fellow Hebrews to let go of the old covenant and embrace the new covenant.
In Hebrews 6:1 he calls the “repentance from dead works” an elementary element of the new covenant gospel. These were the dead works of Judaism and the temple. They were dead because they would never bring life.
The Hebrews needed to change their mind that these works could bring life. And as believers, changing our minds is a vital daily practice that enables us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling.
Repentance of Sin for Believers
Have you seen the 'demotivation' posters? Like the one of a ship graveyard that says something like, “Maybe your entire life's purpose has been as a warning to others.”
We may chuckle, but I think of this poster every time I read about the Corinthians. This church truly acts as a warning of what not to do.
The level of immaturity and boneheadedness in this church was remarkable. It is truly an example of what not to do as a spiritual community and as an individual believer.
I mean, Corinth was a pagan city full of licentiousness and immorality. And Paul says even the pagans thought some of the stuff the church was doing was gross.
Among their many problems, they had a mindset that because they were saved by grace, because they were fully forgiven, then how they acted didn't matter.
Let me be clear - the grace of God and His forgiveness doesn't run out. As I emphasized in my last article, He doesn't abort His children for bad behavior.
However, sin stinks, it hurts people, and it hurts yourself. To think that just because you won't be punished by God in the last judgment you can sin without consequence is wrong and stupid.
It is clearly a mindset that needs to change. The Corinthians needed to repent or change their mind. Paul addresses this in 2 Corinthians 12:21 -
“I am afraid that when I come again, my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of their acts of impurity, sexual immorality, and debauchery.”
This is one of the very few places in scripture where repentance and acts of sin are directly connected. And there is a good reason and purpose for it. The Corinthian mindset towards sin needed to change.
Thus, it was appropriate for Paul to address their need to repent. Their mindset was “all things are lawful so why not just give into the flesh”.
This is why Paul had to write, twice, that yes, all things are lawful. They were not under the Law. However, some things are not beneficial. Some things are harmful, addictive, and control you.
God loves you and doesn't want you to give into the flesh and harm yourself and others. Christ paid a great price to set you free from sin. You must set your mind on that freedom.
If you, or anyone, is like the Corinthians, and simply thinks that sin or an addiction is not hurting anything and God has me covered, so I can keep hurting myself and others, then clearly you need to repent of that sin.
Change your mind about your sinning. It is the healthy thing to do.
But if you are struggling with a sin or addiction, and you don't think it is good, and you are fighting it with limited success, then you may not need to repent of the sin, but something else.
Repentance as a Tool for Change
Again, the reason I have such a problem with the corruption of repentance is because it can ruin it's power to enable trust in Christ's work within us.
By solely focusing on sin, we can easily miss all the other healthy gospel mindsets that repentance can help us to accept.
In Revelation 2, John writes Jesus' words to the church at Ephesus. Apparently they were really good at rooting our false teachers. However, something was lost in the process.
They “abandoned their first love.” And Christ implores them to repent of this.
They lost the main purpose of their work in Christ. They were zealous for proper doctrine, but in the application of it, the end result was not love.
How often have we seen this in churches and individuals. There is amazing zeal and dedication to doctrine and doing good. But the harsh spirit and lack of joy just turn people off.
I have found myself having to repent of this very thing and still do. I know the truth that if only people would believe better things, scriptural things, their lives would improve.
Yet, some are not ready to hear it. And sometimes in my sincere passion for truth I lose sight of the person themselves that I am trying to reach.
And ultimately, that is not love.
Repentance In “Real Life”
My main goal today is to help take away the religious fog surrounding repentance. A true scriptural view of any topic does this.
One of the subtle enemy schemes is to keep us focused on sin. When we are focused on sin, we are not focused on Christ and the gospel.
Again, if your mindset is that harmful sinning is just fine - I'm covered by grace, nothing to see here - then you absolutely need to change your mind, or repent, about sin.
However, I would bet a nice steak dinner that not many of you reading this today believe this. That was certainly not me, even in some of the biggest struggles of my past.
My issue was not that I thought sin was good, I just couldn't seem to figure out how to stop. I was utterly miserable inside. I didn't need to change my mind about sin, I needed to change my mind about the solution.
I had been taught that the answer to sin was rules, regulation, discipline, accountibility, and hard work. Just stop doing it, many would say, as they continue to struggle with something else.
(It's always easy to ignore your own struggles while giving stern advice to others about a struggle you don't have!)
The fact was, I needed to repent of the mindset that rules, regulations, discipline, accountibility, and hard work are the answer to sinning.
You see, while that sounds really religious and holy, it's not. Because it is not the gospel answer for sin. It's a subtle substitute for the true gospel answer. It is religion's answer, not the gospel.
The gospel answer for sin is Christ's finished work demonstrated through the new covenant and making us new creations. It is setting our mind on new creation realities. It is hearing and believing what God says about our identity and sin.
When you do that, everything else falls into place.
Setting the Mind is Hard - Repentance is Really Hard
But setting your mind on truth is no easy task. First off, just knowing the truth is really hard with all the crap being spewed around, both by the world and the church, frankly.
And then, once you truly understand scripture and the gospel in some small way, then you have the hard work of believing it. Setting aside your old mindsets and beliefs and believing the truth.
Hmm…I have just described repentance!
Can you see why the enemy wants to make repentance only about sin? This literally hollows out the concept and make it nearly meaningless to the every day walk of a believer.
The epistles reference repentance quite often in diverse ways. “Renewing of the mind” is repentance. “Setting your mind” is repentance. “Letting this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus” is repentance.
Repentance is literally the starting point of your daily Christian walk. Whether you have sinned or not. Don't wait until you have sinned to repent!
Repentance is the main tool that will help to keep you from sinning in the first place.
How much better it would be, if we never had to “turn from” sin, because we never gave into temptation in the first place!
And that, my friends, is what the power of true scriptural repentance can do.
Not because the action itself has power, but because it enables you to tap into the new creation power you have been gifted by Christ through the Holy Spirit.
And the main goal of the enemy for a believer is to keep you from tapping into that power. To make you weak and ineffective, focused on yourself and your sin, not Christ's power within.
Quick Believer Example
Above I have an example of an unbeliever who thinks their sins are too big for Christ so they don't come to Him for salvation. Or they think they must turn from their sins on their own first.
When scripture calls for repentance to be saved, these are two examples of the change of mind needed.
Again, ironic that many people's idea of repentance as turning from sin is actually a mindset that needs to be repented! The enemy schemes are truly subtle and deceptive.
However, what about a believer? What are a couple of examples of something we should change out mind about?
Honestly, my entire publication is about repentance. It is about seeing ways we need to think differently about the gospel. But here are a couple of examples.
Repent About Repentance!
One is much like an unbeliever: repent of your idea of repentance. If you think repentance is turning from sin, then change your mind and think scripturally.
I promise, if you learn to repent the gospel way, you won’t have to stress over turning from sin. It will just happen. You cannot have your eyes on Christ, reflecting Him and His character, and sin at the same time.
Of course, now you have to believe you truly have His character residing within you. Are you convinced you do? If not, then repent of that unbelief.
1 Corinthians 2:15-16 - “15-The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment. 16-“For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
Romans 5:5 - “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”
Romans 6:17-18 - “17-But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18-and after being freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness.” (NASB)
Hebrews 10:16 - “This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.”
Repentance is not just reading the above verses. It is believing them and letting them change your mind and in the process, change your walk.
As a believer, every single word in those verses is about you and it is true. It is a fact. But you can easily read them, hear what God says about you as a new creation in Christ, and then look at yourself and your performance, and think, “Nah, can't be true.”
Those tempting thoughts come, “Look at you, those verses cannot be true of you. Those are only the “super Christians” that are really “sold out for God”. You’re a miserable wretch - a failure. Those cannot be true of you.”
And boom. If you do not repent, if you give into those thoughts, then continued failure is in your future. Only by repenting and believing the truth can you move forward and walk well.
Ephesians 5:8 - “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,”
You cannot walk as a child of light unless you believe you are light. And for most of us, believing that requires repentance. Do you feel like light? Do you act like light all the time?
Maybe not, but God says you are. So, repent and believe Him.
I could go on and on, example after example, but literally repentance takes a lifetime or more. My feeble struggles to account for the ideas I have repented of and still need to are a drop in the bucket.
However, don't be discouraged, this is the gospel plan. If the new covenant gospel expected us to have it all together, it wouldn’t be the gospel and it wouldn't be new.
It would be the same old dung religion has been shoveling out for centuries. But, we have something better!
So, embrace repentance. Use it. It is a gift from God. It will change your life. But only if your thinking about it is based in scriptural truth.
I hope and pray this article has done a tiny bit to help with that.
Repentance Conclusion
So, what have we learned in this article?
Repentance means changing your mind or belief
Repentance does not mean turning from general sin, though it could and should result in it
Unless you are referring to not changing your mind or repenting as the exclusive sin to turn from, that is scriptural
Repentance directed exclusively at generic sin is not a requirement in scripture for salvation
Repentance towards Christ is always a requirement of salvation
Repentance towards sin may be necessary if your mindset is that sin is “ok” for any reason or that sin is not an issue
Repentance is a powerful daily tool in the life and walk of a believer
Anytime you gain a better understanding of the gospel and believe it to the point where it changes your mind, that is repentance
I no longer find these 'coincidences' ironic. I get a daily email from the ministries of Ed Elliot called daily spiritual coffee. While I was writing this, one came in about repentance. I would like to copy it here as a finish to my conclusion. Enjoy.
Ed Elliot Spiritual Coffee email, January 17th, 2023:
““What Did Jesus Mean by “Repent and Believe”?
“And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
There is probably no word in the Bible that causes more confusion than the word “repent.” The misunderstanding of this powerful and life-changing concept has caused people to reject God’s grace and power, instead of embracing it. It has caused some people to question their salvation, and others have fallen into a performance-based Christianity, living lives of spiritual frustration.
Jesus told a group of Jews who believed righteousness/salvation could be obtained by keeping the law to repent. Their belief system was based on their performance, and Jesus told them to repent and believe the gospel. The gospel is all about the free gift of grace and righteousness that is received by faith. The repentance that is required isn’t what is commonly associated with the word “repent” the turning from sin. Jesus told them to repent or change their minds about how they think righteousness is obtained.
The word “repent” by definition simply means a change of mind. Some will emphasize it also means a change of heart that leads to a change of behavior. The problem with that view is the emphasis on “behavior change,” instead of grace-based change can put people under pressure to try and change themselves, instead of allowing the grace of God to bring about that transformation. Thus, people resist God’s grace because they feel the pressure to prove they are saved by how they act. This is a slippery slope because it can be so subtle in its deception from performance to a grace-based belief system where true change happens by God’s Spirit, not human effort.
Jesus knew better than anyone that the way you change people’s lives is to change what they believe in their hearts. Repentance is God’s way of renewing our minds to change that establishes our hearts, so our lifestyles, align with God’s Word.
When religious people equate repentance to turning from sin, instead of turning to God, they will never experience true freedom from sin. This is so because they were taught to turn from sin in their own strength, whereas, in turning to God, He uses His power to set them free from sin. Turning from sin is much easier when God sets you free from it than it is if you are resisting sin with your own efforts.
“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:18).”