QUESTION:
WHAT IS TRUE REPENTANCE?
ANSWER:
Repentance is a heartfelt decision to return to God, turning away from a life of ignoring Him and acknowledging Him once again as Lord.
“The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt.” — Psalm 14:2–3
Among the most misunderstood words in Christianity is the word “repentance.” For many, the moment they hear the word, they immediately associate it with a demand for behavioral change: “Repent of your sins and live a righteous life.” But is that truly the biblical definition of repentance?
This article aims to clarify what repentance really means according to Scripture. It is not just a call to abandon sinful acts, but a divine invitation to return to the God we have ignored. It is not about perfecting ourselves, but about acknowledging the One who alone can make us whole.
A Call to Return to God
The Meaning of Metanoia
The New Testament word for repentance is the Greek word metanoia, which literally means “a change of mind.” But this is not merely changing one’s mind about behavior; it is a radical reorientation of the heart and mind toward God Himself. It is about recognizing that we have been living independently from God—ignoring Him, rejecting His rule, and trusting in ourselves or in lesser things. Repentance is the decision to stop going our own way and to return to the Lord.
The Root of Sin: Ignoring God
Sin is not merely the breaking of moral rules—it is the result of turning away from God.
In Psalm 14:2, God is portrayed as looking down from heaven to see if anyone is seeking Him. The verdict? “They have all turned aside.” That’s the essence of sin—living a life that does not seek God.
This is confirmed in Romans 3:11, “There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.”
When people stop seeking God, sin becomes inevitable. A life apart from God naturally produces unrighteousness. Therefore, repentance—real, biblical repentance—is about fixing the root of the problem: our separation from God, not just the symptoms of that separation.
Repentance Is a Decision
Repentance is not about achieving sinless perfection. It is not even about doing good works. It is a decision. A heartfelt, deliberate, conscious decision to return to God—to stop ignoring Him, to stop pretending we can do life without Him, and to acknowledge Him as Lord and God once again.
This is why metanoia is a change of mind—not a change of works. The works may change later as a result, but that is not the focus of the call to repent.
Abraham: A Righteous Man by Faith, Not by Works
Consider Abraham. He wasn’t a sinless man. He lied to protect himself, he doubted God’s promises at times, and he acted out of fear. Yet the Bible says:
“And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” — Genesis 15:6
Abraham’s righteousness did not come from righteous acts, but from acknowledging God—from responding in faith to God’s revelation. He made God his God. That is the heart of repentance.
Jesus’ Call to Repentance
When Jesus began His public ministry, His message was simple:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” — Matthew 4:17
This was not a moralistic command to stop sinning. If anything, the people He was addressing were outwardly religious—fasting, tithing, praying in public. But their hearts were far from God. So Jesus’ call to repentance was a call to return to God—to stop going through the motions and to truly acknowledge the Lord as King.
He echoed the same in Luke 13:3 and 13:5:
“Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
It’s not that they were doing more wicked things than others; it’s that they, too, were separated from God and needed to return.
Repentance Is Not a Call to Self-Righteousness
This is where so many modern messages go wrong. People hear, “Repent of your sins and live a righteous life,” and they equate repentance with personal holiness. But that is misleading.
If we could produce righteousness by our own efforts, there would be no need for the cross. Jesus did not die just to make bad people good—He died to bring dead people to life. The gospel is not about self-improvement, it is about restoration to God. And repentance is the first step of that restoration.
The Pharisees: Righteous by Behavior, But Far from God
In Jesus’ day, no one outperformed the Pharisees in religious behavior. They fasted, tithed, prayed, avoided obvious sins—and yet Jesus said:
“Woe to you… hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones.” — Matthew 23:27
Why? Because although they looked righteous, they were not seeking God. Their hearts were full of pride and self-reliance. They honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him (Matthew 15:8).
Repentance, then, is not about becoming a Pharisee. It is about becoming like the tax collector who cried out:
“God, be merciful to me a sinner!” — Luke 18:13
Jesus said that man, and not the Pharisee, went home justified.
Repentance Precedes Righteousness
We must also understand that righteous living follows repentance, not the other way around. When we return to God, He begins the work of transformation in us. As we walk with Him, He changes our desires, shapes our thinking, and helps us overcome sin. But we cannot expect fruit before we are rooted in Him.
This is why the message of the apostles was always consistent:
- “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” — Acts 3:19
- “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” — Acts 17:30
- “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” — Acts 2:38
The call is always to repent first—to come back to God—and then He will do the cleansing.
Final Thought:
Let us make this truth clear and bold:
Repentance is not a call to be sinless. It is a call to return to God.
It is not a call to behavior modification but a call to spiritual restoration.
It is not about achieving righteousness through effort, but about acknowledging the God who alone can declare us righteous.
When we repent, we are not saying, “I will live perfectly.” We are saying, “I will no longer ignore God. I will come back to Him. I will make Him my Lord.” And from that decision—true repentance—comes a transformed life, empowered by grace.
Let no one confuse the message: God is not calling us to religion, but to relationship. And that begins with repentance—a decision to come home.
“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” – Acts 17:30-31
Take a moment to reflect on your life. Is God still far from you? Have you been ignoring Him, living as if He’s not there, or simply walking through life without Him? If so, this is your time. Right now, make that decision to return to God. He is waiting, not with condemnation, but with open arms. Come back to the One who made you, who loves you, and who wants you to walk with Him.
For your next step, see: “What is the Prayer of Acceptance?”
