Many people think that repentance and remorse are the same thing. They wrongly believe that repentance is some sort of spiritual “fire insurance policy or get-out-of-jail-free card” that allows them to admit fault, ask for forgiveness, and then go right back into the same sin filled life again. The truth is what must be seen is personal change and transformation, not just remorse, regret, and sorrow.
What does it actually mean to repent? The word repent is a very important word found all throughout scripture. The first instances where this word is used in the New Testament are in Matthew 3:2 and Matthew 4:17 by John the Baptist and Jesus, respectively. John the Baptist proclaimed, “…Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). John’s ministry was literally launched with that one word repent!
Jesus also began His ministry by calling His listeners to repent. In Matthew 4:17 Jesus commenced His preaching ministry when He said, “…Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Like John the Baptist, Jesus knew that the only way to enter the Kingdom of God was through repentance.
Then in Acts 2:38, Peter hits the seen preaching the same call to repentance. Just as John the Baptist and Jesus had called on men and women to repent, so Peter told his audience to repent!
Peter understood that repentance is the birth canal through which someone is born again. It is the only way to truly be delivered from the kingdom of darkness and to emerge spiritually reborn and filled with the Holy Spirit!
The word repent used by John the Baptist, Jesus, and Peter is the Greek word “metanoeo (met-an-o-eh’-o). It is a compound of the words “meta” and “noieo”. The word meta means to turn, and the word “noieo” refers to the mind. When these two words are compounded, the new word describes in its most basic sense a change of mind or a complete conversion. The word metanoeo reflects a turn, a change of direction, a new course, and a completely altered behavior and view of life.
This Greek word is used to denote a complete, radical, total change. It means a decision to completely change one’s thoughts, behavior, and actions or to entirely turn around in the way one is thinking, believing, or living. The word repent in the New Testament gives the image of a person changing from top to bottom, a total transformation wholly affecting every part of a person’s life.
Something important to understand is the word “noieo” contained in this definition of repentance. As we just saw above this is the Greek word for the mind. This means that the decision to repent lies in the mind, not in the emotions. This is not the same as a fleeting sorrow for past actions; rather, it is a solid, intellectual decision to turn about-face, take a new direction, and revise the pattern of one’s life.
Emotions may accompany repentance, but they are not required in order to repent. True repentance is a mental choice to leave what is displeasing to God, and to turn toward Him with all of one’s heart and mind in order to follow Jesus.
The Greek word “metanoeo” denotes a change of mind that has accompanying actions. Repentance is not the mere acceptance of a new philosophy or new idea. It is a conversion to truth so deep that it results in a total life change. If there is no transformation, change of behavior, or change of desire in a person who claims to have repented, it is doubtful that true repentance ever occurred, no matter what the person claims. Real repentance begins with a decision to make a complete turn and to change, but its proof can be witnessed as a person’s outward conduct consistently complies with that decision.
The truth is there is nothing anyone can do prior to coming to Jesus. He truly calls us to “come as we are.” However, the Lord does not expect us to remain the way we are. He expects change, and that is what repentance is all about.
Repentance is not a onetime thing, it is a vital part of the lifestyle of a serious believer. We repent to begin our relationship with Jesus, and as we grow in our walk with Him, the Holy Spirit will continue to reveal things in our lives that need to change. In the book of Revelation we see Jesus tell five of the seven churches to repent (Rev. 2:5, 2:16, 2:21-22, 3:3, 3:15-19). When He opens our eyes to those things that are displeasing to Him, we must be willing to repent, to make an intelligent decision to adjust our thinking and behavior to conform to Jesus’ ways.
Have you ever felt sorrow because of a sin you committed that grieved the heart of God? Did you allow that godly sorrow to do its full work in you and produce a desire to change within your heart, resulting in a change in your character, behavior, and lifestyle? Or did you merely brush off that sorrow and thereby resist the Lord’s dealings with you and His grace to help you mature and grow?
If we will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and listen to His voice, we will hear Him speak to us when we do something that grieves the heart of God. Right then, we have a choice: We can harden our hearts and turn a deaf ear to the Holy Spirit, or we can allow the Him to deal deeply with us and produce a desire in us to never transgress in that particular way again. Jesus is willing to work in us and with us, but we must have hearts that want to positively respond to His dealings.
Take some time to evaluate how the Holy Spirit has been trying to deal with you. Can you honestly say that you’ve allowed a godly sorrow to have its full effect in you, thereby producing a strong desire to change and never fail in the same way again? Regardless of what you have done, Jesus offers forgiveness, and He will give you the strength needed to enact powerful, permanent change in your life if your heart is truly repentant. It’s up to you!
So what is the difference between guilt, remorse, regret, and repentance?
- Guilt is a prison that will keep you perpetually bound and unchanged
- Remorse enslaves you in sorrow that engulfs you emotionally and leaves you feeling sad, depressed, hopeless, and unchanged
- Regret is self-pity that is focused more on your own personal loss than on the pain or loss you caused to others or to the heart of God, and it leaves you unchanged
- Repentance is a heartfelt, quality decision to change. And when genuine repentance occurs in the heart and mind, you can be sure the Holy Spirit will release His power to effect change in your life and lead you to freedom!
I encourage you to set aside time to commune with the Holy Spirit about these personal matters. Give Him permission to take you on a tour behind into the rooms of your soul. Let Him shine the light into those dark rooms and help you see what you need to in order to mature into all God has created you to be.
Are there any areas in your life in which you have felt guilty, remorseful, or regretful, but unchanged? Could it be that you’ve never really made a firm decision to change, and that’s why you’ve had no enduring victory in those areas of your life?
If you’ve confused tears with repentance, now you know that you don’t have to depend on your emotions to repent. If Jesus is dealing with you about something that needs to change in your life, you can repent right now at this very moment, regardless of what you do or do not feel.
Repentance Scriptures:
Job 42:6
“Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”
Proverbs 28:13
“He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”
Ezekiel 18:30
“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin”
Joel 2:13
“So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”
Zechariah 1:3
“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.”
Matthew 3:8
“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,”
Matthew 4:17
“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Mark 1:15
“and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Luke 13:3
“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish”
Acts 3:19
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”
2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”