When you hear the word Repent, what thoughts come to mind? Perhaps you envision a stern preacher, standing behind a pulpit, pointing his finger at the congregation, appealing to them to beg for God’s forgiveness. Maybe the preacher had been reminding his listener’s of how unworthy and sinful they are, and how badly they need to get their lives right with God. In my own experiences, the only time the word Repent is brought up in church is during a “salvation message”, and it seems to be directed predominately towards either the unsaved or the backslidden. So in our modern day church repentance has become synonymous with asking for forgiveness. And although that is certainly part of it, as we will see, that is far from the end of the process.

Today I want us to look at the term Repentance, not as it applies to the unsaved, but as it applies to those of us who are Christians. When we truly understand this term, we can begin to see how it has a direct impact on our walk with Christ.

It is helpful to trace terminology back to the original language, in this case the original Greek, in order to develop a fuller understanding of the terms. English truly is a rather simple language, and often times the full meaning of a term can not be conveyed in one word. So bear with me for a moment as we look at three Greek terms that are commonly translated as Repent or Repentance. Each of these definitions come from the Easton’s Bible Dictionary.

The first term is Metamelomai which means change of mind, such as to produce regret or even remorse on account of sin, but not necessarily a change of heart. This word is used with reference to the repentance of Judas in Matthew 27:3. This is a Mental Repentance, meaning that we recognize that what we have done is wrong on an intellectual level, but it hasn’t really impacted us spiritually or emotionally. It is much like being sorry that we got caught, but with no intention of stopping the behavior. I am reminded of young children who get caught misbehaving. They are quick to apologize, and although that apology may very well be sincere, they are quite likely to repeat the behavior again just as soon as the parent is out of the room.

The second term is Metanoco which means to change one’s mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge. Here we see a progression from Metamelomai. This type of repentance is leading to a change in our lives, based on new knowledge. How many of us have ever said “If I would have known then what I know now”? As we mature, in life and in our Christian Journey, we begin to see things differently, we learn more about how we should live our life, and hopefully we put this new knowledge into practice. While this is certainly a much deeper Repentance than simply being sorry, it is still relying on our minds. This new level of knowledge has caused us to change our behavior. This is good, but it is still not, in my opinion, the True Repentance that we are seeking.

The third term that I want to look at is Metanoia which means true repentance, a change of mind and purpose and life to which remission of sin is promised. Can you see the difference? This type of repentance hits us so deeply that not only our mind is changed, but our purpose and our life! It is going far beyond simple human knowledge and impacting us at our very core. This, my friends, is true repentance, and it is very powerful. It is the gateway to forgiveness and becoming more like Christ.

Strong’s adds one more definition that is fitting. “To change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins.” It is not enough for us to say we are sorry. That it is far from the end result of true repentance. When we truly repent of something we abhor our previous behavior and turn away from it completely. Certainly this applies to an unsaved person that is first coming to Christ, but what I am interested in here is how this applies to us as we continue to walk with Him.

You see, repentance isn’t a one and done proposition. It isn’t something that “other people” need to do. It is something that you and I, as Christians, need to recognize as necessary in our own life, in the further development of our efforts to become more like Christ.

When you were first saved, you were certainly forgiven, but were you Christ like at that point? I’m sure you’d agree that you weren’t, and neither was I, by any stretch! Becoming like Christ, emulating Him, is a life long journey. Along the way we are going to come face to face with things in our lives that are wrong, that are blocking our growth, that we must remove in order to continue our journey. We as Christians will have many times in our own lives that we must Repent!

In Acts 17:30 we hear “He commands all people everywhere to repent.” (NIV). All people everywhere. This can not be limited to just the unsaved, it must include you and I as well. It must include those of us who are striving to live our lives by following Christ.

Repent is not a bad word, in fact it should be a term that we learn to embrace, because it brings with is such amazing power. We should rejoice when we are confronted with things in our lives that we need to change, because it is one sure sign that we are on the right path, that Jesus is still working with us for our betterment. Quite frankly, it’s when we don’t feel that need to Repent and change that we should begin to worry. If we aren’t feeling that quickening of the Holy Spirit in our lives, then there’s a very good chance that whether we realize it or not we’ve gotten off of the path of transformation that we have been called to walk.

In a rather succinct format, Easton’s provides a few steps of repentance that apply perfectly to us as Christians, and I want to look at those for a few minutes.

An appreciation of God’s mercy in Christ. When we come to true repentance we must have a full apprehension of the mercy of God. God is loving and patient. He knows that as humans we are going to struggle along this path, and He knows that we are going to make mistakes. But He is a just God, and although He loves us, He must correct us so that we can continue to grow in holiness. The key word here is Mercy. Far too often I think the Church uses Repentance as a threat, a means of making us feel unworthy and guilty. I certainly won’t argue that we aren’t those things, but see where the emphasis is placed here. It’s placed on the mercy of God! He is waiting to hear our plea’s, to forgive us of any wrongdoing, and to assist us in correcting things in our lives. We just have to understand that and allow it to happen!

1. An actual hatred of sin and turning from it to God. This is Easton’s second step, and it is so applicable to our lives. This is the end result of true repentance. It goes far beyond “I’m Sorry”. This, by pure definition, must lead to a changing of our heart, mind and lives. We must reach a point where that particular thing in our life is repulsive to us. So repulsive that we turn away from it completely, and in so doing, we turn to God. What that “thing” is will vary from believer to believer depending on where each of us are in our journey with Christ. Regardless of what the hindrance is in your life right now, know that it can be overcome!
2. A persistent endeavor after a holy life in a walking with God in the way of His commandments. This last step that Easton’s provides sums up what our very purpose of life as Christian’s should be all about. A persistent endeavor! The life that we as Christians are called to live, rather are commanded to live, is NOT an easy one! If anyone ever told you it was, they were mistaken! We are expected to be set apart, to be different, and different is generally not easy. We are commanded to “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness”. What the world says is important, what it tempts us with, what it says we must obtain are all false. We must be ever persistent in our endeavor to follow God!

In my research I came across a sermon by Mike Hullah that really made me think. In this message he included three rewards that come from repentance, and I want to close by looking at two of them.

   1. Repentance brings Refreshing. He begins by referencing Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” What a wonderful promise! Many of us need a refreshing in our own lives. Perhaps life has just become stagnant and we feel like we aren’t progressing in our Christian walk. Maybe there is something significant going on in your life that is causing you angst and worry. What is the key to refreshing? Repentance! Maybe it is time to take a look at your life and see if there is something blocking your walk, something that is preventing you from fully experiencing the presence and impact of God in your life. If there is, be courageous enough to face it, and know that with His help you can overcome it!

    2. Repentance brings Restoration. Earlier in this sermon, the writer has a phrase that is so on point that I’m just going to quote him directly. “The sinner must repent before they receive salvation. The saved must practice repentance if they are to enjoy unbroken fellowship with God.” Think about that for a moment, and let it sink in. Now, ask yourself a question. How is my relationship with God right now? Just like any relationship, there are various levels of “connectedness” when it comes to our relationship with God. Married couples may be able to relate to this the easiest. There are times in any marriage where things are absolutely perfect. You are in harmony with each other, you are each putting time and energy into the relationship, and you feel so connected that the two are truly one. But there are other times when life gets in the way, and that connection weakens. It doesn’t break, it doesn’t mean that you don’t love each other, it simply means that something has gotten in the way. The same holds true in our relationship with God. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that His love never fails. But if we are honest with ourselves, we also know that there are times when our connection isn’t as strong. Guess what? That is completely on us! Our connection with God requires our time, energy and attention, just like any relationship here on Earth. If you aren’t feeling that perfect connection in your life right now, what do you need to do to restore it? You guessed it! You need to find out what is hindering that connection, with His help and guidance, and then repent of it, turn away from it, and let your relationship with Him be restored!

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