If repenting is required in order to be saved, justified and sanctified, it might be good to know exactly what it means. How is it defined? Well, that will depend on which church brand you do business with. Some will tell you one thing while others communicate something quite different. But most will be quite vague and not very specific. If repentance is based on a change of behavior, how does one know when they have fully succeeded? Does one "repent" before or after believing in Jesus?
When Jesus arrived on the ministry scene, He told some Jewish people to repent and believe the gospel. Repent from what? These folks were attempting to live by the ultimate blueprint when it came to behavior and works (the Mosaic law). To repent means to have a change of mind, nothing more. Jesus is announcing they should reconsider that path and look to some good news they would ultimately find in Him. And what is that? An eternal redemption providing God's righteousness as a gift, bringing an inheritance leading them to a place of perfection—apart from what they do.
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words repent, repenting, and repentance? When someone from ChurchLand says people need to repent, they are usually communicating that the person who sins needs to stop sinning. But the messenger stating this hasn't stopped ... in spite of whatever sin reduction they may boast. So where does that leave them if God requires humans to stop committing sinful actions? Of course, a change in behavior and avoiding sin is going to be beneficial in multiple ways. But repentance goes much deeper than that. New Covenant repentance simply means to have a change of mind or to think differently (than we previously thought).
In addition, we who have crossed over from legalistic mindsets into a better understanding of the gospel of grace may have a hard time changing our minds about various doctrinal beliefs about the Bible or what it contains. Sure, it was easy to declare we moved from works to faith and from religious law to grace. But when we've been teaching or proclaiming things for a while under the banner of "grace people," it's easier for some to double-down rather than to allow God's Spirit to reveal new perspectives that we previously missed. We'll never stop learning ... and it will free us from feeling the need to be right all the time.
If repentance is based upon changes in behavior or if it specifically means to turn from sin, how can someone know they have truly reached a place where they can be defined as one who has attained the required plateau of having repented? Turning from sinful behavior is good advice, but when religion includes it in the context of repenting, things get a bit vague and uncertain as to whether that means reducing your sin count or eliminating sin altogether ... and leaves people in a place where they wonder if they are right with God—unaware that God is no longer counting sins against them.
A works-based religious system touts a message that believers are broken people who are in constant need to be fixed and that it's our responsibility to accomplish this. Let's repent by changing our thinking—realizing God no longer sees us in Christ as "sinners" but as children who have been gifted with righteousness through an inheritance. We have the life of God and His Spirit abiding within as holy and perfected people. We can begin living from this reality and experience it in the here and now.
John stood in the middle of a river calling for Jewish people to repent—because the kingdom of heaven was at hand—and to be cleansed with water. Although there is no record of the Pharisees being baptized by John, they also were not surprised or shocked by such a cleansing ritual where people would confess their sins ... which was common under the law. However, they were curious as to the motivation and purpose of this one who came from the priestly tribe. The old priests didn't go to the people, the people went to the priest.
After John's arrest, Jesus would go out among the Jewish people saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” But exactly what was it that Jesus was calling for these people to do when He said to repent—these who were under the Mosaic law? If we assume His intent was to get them to stop sinning, He could have simply stated to work harder at keeping the law they were trying to live up to (but constantly failed at doing). Yet we know the law never resulted in reducing sin, but increasing it.
As we've done many times on the podcast over the years, we'll review the meaning of the word repent or repentance from the Greek and provide some specific consistency within the context. To repent is a good thing, but empty religion has defined it in a way that makes it impossible for people to do and only leads to a sin consciousness which Jesus came to free people from.
We grace renegades often get accused of not talking about repentance enough. That’s really not accurate, but what comes to mind when you hear the word repent? If you’ve spent at least a few weeks in a church building, most likely you’ve been under the assumption that to repent means to stop sinning and start living a better and improved moral standard. That’s great advice, but is this the core of what repentance is supposed to be about? We revisit the meaning of repentance in the Greek and how this ties into what Jesus was trying to get the Jewish people to do when He told them to “repent and believe the good news.”
The gospel isn’t about attaining right-standing with God through what we do … or what the Jewish people were attempting to do by the works of the law. Repentance involves a change of mind by realizing the more excellent ministry of the New Covenant—which ended a religious merit system—and to begin trusting in what Jesus did to bring us to a place of righteousness and perfection.
Reducing the occurrence of sinful actions in our lives will be beneficial for us in this life on planet earth. However, empty religion has mistakenly defined repentance as “turning from sin” which causes people to flip the gospel inside out ... leaving people in a place of self-effort, fear and often results in condemnation. Repenting isn’t about behavior modification—anyone can do this whether they are saved or not.
Authentic repentance brings a change of mind, causing us to realize we can’t do anything to merit eternal life or God’s righteousness, forgiveness, sanctification, acceptance, etc. The “turning” that is often referenced is meant to be a departure from our works and efforts … to belief or faith in the work of Jesus. We don’t “do” anything to receive this.
Christians are bombarded with repentance missiles from all kinds of Bible teaching which varies by definition from one pulpit to the next. And yet the writer of Hebrews admonished believers to avoid the constant practice of feeling obligated to repeatedly lay down the same foundation of repentance from dead works. Feeling the need to “get right with God again” because of poor choices is not how repentance is defined.
This mindset has left people wallowing in a works-based doctrine and in a state of sin consciousness which Jesus came to deliver people from. Believers are gifted with God’s righteousness, and Jesus doesn’t call the righteous to repent, but rather those identified as sinners who are still born in Adam with a sin condition they are trying to fix through their own efforts — instead of trusting in the work of Christ by faith.
The religious business has sold repentance as a behavioral change which results in sinning less. This places people into a sin consciousness which Jesus came to deliver people from.
It will lead towards a works-based religion, as well-meaning people vigorously strive to have their bad outweigh their good, thereby somehow making themselves more acceptable to God.
In the Greek language, this is not how repentance is defined, and it’s our discussion on this week’s program.
When you hear the word repent, what comes to mind? Do you think it means to stop sinning and improve behavior? Perhaps you've been told it means to be sorry for your sins and seek a renewed forgiveness from God. You may assume it involves changing what you do. Did you notice all of the above puts the responsibility on you and depends on your ability? Our response to God should not be based on our ability to perform in a way that is "moral" enough to gain acceptance from Him. Repentance is to have a change of mind. In what way should our thinking be changed? That's our discussion this week.
Repent! Think you know what it means? Think again. Jesus began His ministry by telling the Jewish people to "repent and believe the good news." Who were these folks? They were people under the Old Covenant who constantly worked, struggled and strived to follow hundreds of religious rules and commands on a daily basis. This "old-time religion" where people worked to establish their own righteousness was not good news. Repentance is not an attempt to avoid sin and behave properly, but rather it's a call to think and have a change of mind. A renewing of the mind about God and how He would deal with sin through a new covenant and the blood of His son, Jesus Christ.
