Repentance is
the God-given change of mind and heart
that turns a person away from sin
and toward God.
It involves a sincere recognition of sin,
genuine sorrow over it,
and a decisive turning from it
to trust and obey the Lord.
Repentance is an essential part
of the gospel response
and is closely joined with saving faith.
In the New Testament, the primary Greek word for repentance is metanoia, which literally means a change of mind. This change of mind is not merely intellectual; it produces a change of direction in life.
True repentance includes:
Repentance and faith are two sides of the same response to the gospel. One cannot truly turn to Christ without turning from sin, and one cannot truly turn from sin without turning to Christ.
Repentance was central to the message of both Jesus and the early church:
God “commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).
Repentance is not only the initial response to the gospel but also an ongoing mark of the Christian life. Believers continue to confess and turn from sin as the Holy Spirit convicts them (1 John 1:9). A lifestyle of repentance is evidence of genuine conversion and spiritual health.
Repentance is a gift of God’s grace as well as a human responsibility. No one can truly repent apart from the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, yet every person is commanded to repent. True repentance produces visible fruit in a changed life. It is not a work that earns salvation, but it is the necessary response of a heart that has been awakened to the goodness and holiness of God and the mercy offered in Jesus Christ.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.