What Is True Repentance?

“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” – Acts 2:37,38 KJV

What shall we do? This is the basic question we must ask in the twenty-first century church if Jesus tarries. What shall we do? It is not enough to be sorry for our sin. What shall we do? That question had a real ring of desperation in it. What shall we do? It is like the Philippian jailer who asked, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30)

What shall we do about the Lordship of Jesus Christ? He is either Lord or liar, and our eternal destiny hinges upon what we believe about this fact.

Peter answered their question with a pointed reply by saying, “repent” (Acts 2:38). He told his hearers what they ought to do. He did not give them several multiple-choice options. He was pointed. In a word he replied, “repent.” What shall we do? Repent.

There is an important question to be asked at this point: What is repentance?

1. First, what is repentance? Let’s look at what repentance is not. Repentance is not remorse. It is not simply being sorry for your sin. Remorse may lead to repentance, but remorse is not repentance. The rich, young ruler went away very sorrowful when Jesus explained the demands of discipleship. He was remorseful, but he did not repent. Many people have substituted remorse for repentance.

2. Repentance is not regret. That is, it is not merely wishing some sinful deed, word, or action had not occurred. Pontius Pilate ceremonially took a basin of water and washed his hands, regretting his evil deed, but he did not repent. Many of you have substituted regret for repentance and have tragically fooled yourselves in the process.

3. Repentance is not resolve. You cannot substitute resolve for repentance. Genuine repentance is characterized by you saying to yourself and God, “I never want to displease you Lord again. I am so sorry for my sins. I am leaving that old life behind me. I don’t want to be the same. I want to be changed by the Holy Spirit. Through the years, I have heard many people make resolves that they have never followed. They bargained with the Lord, “O, Lord, if you just get me out of this mess, I’ll do whatever You want. I’ll follow wherever you lead. Lord, just help me.” And the Lord does help them. They get out of their jam. They go on living as they did before, making a mockery out of God, ignoring Him, and never looking back to those resolutions, because they were not accompanied by real repentance and doing an about-face from sin. A mere resolution will not suffice.

4. Repentance is not reform. Sometimes reformation even involves restitution. It was so with Judas Iscariot. After betraying our Lord, he grabbed the thirty pieces of silver, returned to the temple and threw it at those who had paid the price of betrayal. Judas reformed, but unfortunately, he did not repent. Many of you today have substituted reform for repentance. Peter did not preach on the Day of Pentecost and say, “Reform.” Nor did he say, “Resolve.” Nor did he say, “Regret.” Nor did he say, “Have remorse.” His message was a pointed call for repentance.

So, what is repentance? Is repentance turning from every sin as some people preach today? If so, then who has repented? When you came to Christ, did you turn from every sin you had ever committed? What is repentance? The word repent is the Greek word metanoia, which in its original language is defined a s a change of mind. It is to change one’s way of thinking about salvation. Repentance makes you love what you once hated and hate what you once loved. The bad things you used to love, you no longer desired and the things I never thought I would like became the things I love to do. It is a change of mind.

It was the message of the forerunner John the Baptist: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2). And Matthew 3:7-8 says, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them; You nest of snakes. Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Let’s face it. I doubt if John the Baptist could make it as a pastor in most churches today. He preached without fear or favor. He laid the ax to the tree. He did not care who it offended, if God laid the message on his heart.

John the Baptist denounced Herod for adultery. He referred to his listeners as vipers and snakes. How long would a preacher last, if he called his listeners snakes?

It was also the message of the apostles. “They went out and preached that people should repent” (Mark 6:12). They went out and preached. What did they preach? Prosperity? Successful living? What? They went out and preached that people should repent.

What was the message of the Bible? Was it positive thinking, with all sorts of trinkets for reminders? Was it concentrated ministries on the home, ministries on finance, or selected other “professional ministries”? When we read the Book of Acts, we find none of these in the early church. Why? Their message was “repent.”

This is what accounts for a happy home when a husband and wife repent. We can fill out workbooks until we are blue in the face and sit before videotaped seminars until we can sit no longer, but I believe what the church severely needs today is the message of repentance. When a person genuinely repents, he or she will put one’s home in order….

Repentance is a change of mind. Repentance involves a change of your mind about yourself, a change of your mind about sin, and a change of your mind about salvation. The battle is in the mind. Each of us will repent when we change our minds, and in changing our minds, our hearts will be changed. This change of mind will cause us to regret our deed and blame ourselves for it, take responsibility for the deed, and resolve to set our face toward the Lord Jesus Christ…

God’s amazing grace is offered freely through His goodness and mercy. He guides and leads the unconverted person toward repentance, God, faith, and our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 21:20). Can’t we understand that it is the goodness of God which allows us to hear the gospel and that this is what leads us to repentance? Peter stood up and shouted, “Repent!”

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