What Does Repentance Mean?

To repent is to turn around: to stop going your own way and turn back to God. It involves a change of mind, a change of heart and, over time, a change of direction. It is not the same as feeling terrible about yourself.

Jesus began His public ministry with this message: “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Repentance and good news belong together. Here is why.

What the word means

The Greek word most often translated “repent” in the New Testament is metanoia — literally a change of mind. In the Old Testament, the common Hebrew word means to turn or return. Put together, the picture is someone who realises they are walking the wrong way and turns around to walk toward God.

What repentance is not

It is not self-punishment. Feeling awful does not pay for anything; Jesus already paid. It is not perfection, as if you must clean yourself up before God will have you. It is not a one-time event that you never need again; Christians keep turning back to God throughout their lives.

Paul distinguished between godly sorrow, which leads to repentance and life, and worldly sorrow, which only leads to despair. Real repentance moves toward God, not just away from guilt.

What it looks like

Honesty: calling sin what it is instead of excusing it. Confession: telling God — and sometimes another person — the truth. The Bible promises that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us.

Change: turning from the thing you have confessed, with God's help. Sometimes that means making things right with someone you have hurt. Zacchaeus, the dishonest tax collector, met Jesus and immediately promised to repay those he had cheated four times over.

Why repentance is good news

Repentance is an invitation, not a threat. Jesus told the story of a son who wasted his father's money, came to his senses and headed home — and of a father who ran down the road to meet him. That is what God is like toward everyone who turns back.

Jesus said there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine who think they need no repentance.

Repent and believe

Repentance and faith are two sides of the same turn: turning from sin and turning to Jesus. You cannot do one without the other. Many people express both in a simple prayer, at an altar call or on their own. If that is where you are, the next steps are the same as for anyone who says yes: tell someone, start reading the Bible, find a church, and talk to a pastor about baptism.