What Is Repentance?

In our studies in Judges last week, we saw the first detailed account of Israel “crying out to the LORD.” The confession of sin, the plea for deliverance, and the change of behavior (putting away its idols) all seemed to point to true repentance on Israel’s part. But whether or not the nation’s repentance was real on that occasion, we can say beyond doubt that Israel needed to repent, for it had become deeply involved in sin. The concept of repentance is stressed throughout both the Old and New Testaments as a requirement for those who would come to God and as a duty for His people. To get a better grip on this key Biblical idea, we will pause in our studies in Judges to spend this week working through some of the concepts covered in Dr. R.C. Sproul’s teaching series titled Repentance.

Our first task is to define repentance. The word is used frequently in the New Testament to translate the Greek word metanoia, which is the noun form of the word metanoeo. The prefix used here, meta, can mean “with,” “beside,” or “after.” The root, noeo, is the verb form of nous, the Greek word for “mind.” Metanoeo, therefore, literally means “to think afterward”; it indicates a significant change of mind with respect to behavior and carries the idea of “ruing” or regretting. The picture of repentance that emerges is of a mental assessment coupled with an emotional response. Repentance, therefore, is a decision to change one’s behavior because of sorrow and grief for having acted in a certain way.

So, is repentance something we simply decide to do? Yes and no. It does involve action on our part, but the Scriptures are clear that God must act first. Biblical repentance, being a turning from sin to God, is a key element of saving faith (Acts 3:19). And the Bible leaves no doubt that faith is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). In His mercy, He makes people who are helplessly dead in trespasses and sins spiritually alive, so that they then are able to repent of their sin and trust Christ as their Savior and Lord. It is God who gives repentance to people upon their conversion, as the Scriptures make plain (Acts 5:31, 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25). From that point, repentance continues as a duty for the Christian, as the Holy Spirit works with the believer to bring him or her to conviction of sins and sinfulness.