Repentance
By Glendol McClure

Repentance is said to be one of God's most difficult commands--it involves man's will! God commanded repentance (Acts 17:30). The subject and principles of repentance are often mentioned throughout the Bible. The word repent, with its many different forms, is found in the Bible more than 100 times. In every age, God has commanded that men repent in order to be acceptable to Him. The people who lived before the flood refused to repent, and they perished (Genesis 7:23). The Prophets taught repentance (Isaiah 1:16; Jonah 3:8-10). John the Baptist taught the Jews of his day to repent (Matthew 3:1-2). Jesus taught repentance (Matthew 4:17) and emphasized that those who do not repent will perish eternally (Luke 13:3,5). In this short article, we will consider the following:

The Definition of Repentance

Repentance is defined as, "The change of the mind of those who have begun to abhor their errors and misdeeds, and have determined to enter upon a better course of life, so that it embraces both recognition of sin and sorrow for it and hearty amendment, the tokens and effects of which are good deeds ... " (Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon, pg. 406).

What Repentance Is Not

As we consider Thayer's definition, it is important to understand and consider what repentance is and is not, because there is much confusion surrounding this subject.

  1. Repentance is not just sorrow. It is not just shedding tears while sitting on the front pew after coming forward to confess sins and wrongs committed, or to render obedience to the gospel.

  2. Repentance is not just regret. Many people regret the evil they have done, or they regret that they were caught in the act of sinning. Some prisoners regret that they were caught, but have no regret for the crime they committed.

  3. Repentance is not just reformation. Many who have reformed their lives in many good ways have not repented. The Bible teaches that Godly sorrow produces repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10; cf. Acts 26:20).

  4. Repentance is not just fear. Being fearful does not guarantee obedience to God's commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

  5. Repentance is not just praying a prayer. Many people who have prayed for forgiveness have not repented. Prayer is of no avail if the one praying is impenitent (Acts 8:33; Psalm 15:29; Proverbs 28:9).

  6. Repentance is not just conviction. Many Bible characters who had conviction were commanded to repent (Acts 2:8) By this time, you may be asking, "What, then, is repentance?" It is ALL of these. They're ALL required. A Person must have Godly sorrow. He must regret that he sinned against God and others who may suffer the consequences of his sins. He must reform his life and follow God's will. He must fear and respect God, and he must exhibit that fear and respect by doing all things according to Divine-not human-authority. He must earnestly pray to God for forgiveness and guidance and seek His grace and mercy by obeying the gospel. He must be convicted, smitten in heart and mind, and humbled to do God's will-not his own.

The Fruits of Repentance and Applications

Now that we have a better understanding of repentance--what it is and what it is not-let us consider the fruits that, in God's eyes, are necessary for true repentance (cf. Matthew 3: 8; Acts 20:26).

  1. Restitution is a fruit of repentance. Wherever possible, the one who repents must make restitution. If a man stole a car, he must give it back. If he committed murder, he cannot restore the lives of those he murdered, but he must pay the penalty--up to and including punishment by death-for those murders (Genesis 9:5-6).

  2. Separation is a fruit of repentance. One must separate himself from sinful things. Paul commanded the Romans to cease serving sin. Said he, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." (Romans 6:11-13) An alcoholic cannot continue to drink alcohol. A homosexual cannot continue in the depravity of homosexuality, even though he and his partner may love each other and be married according to the laws of the land. Likewise, a married couple cannot remain in an adulterous marriage and be pleasing to God; they must separate and dissolve the marriage, even though they love each other (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Hebrews 13:4).

  3. Confession is a fruit of repentance. One must confess his sins and admit that he is a sinner. Saul, David, Judas, and other Bible characters did (1 Samuel 15:24; 2 Samuel 12:13; Matthew 27:4; cf. Exodus 9:27; Numbers 22:34; Joshua 7:20; Luke 15:18,21). The apostles commanded Christians to confess their sins (James 5:16; 1 John 1:9).

  4. Resolve is a fruit of repentance. One must resolve in his heart to turn away from sin and cease practicing it. This involves the individual's will. He demonstrates this fruit by taking the right course of action. For example, in the parable of the two sons, the first son said that he would not go and work in his father's vineyard, "but afterward repented, and went" to work in his father's vineyard (Matthew 21:28-31). True repentance demands that we resolve to follow the Father's will, not our own.

  5. Contrition is a fruit of repentance. Contrition is the expression of deep sorrow for sinning against God. The psalmist David wrote, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psalm 51:7) I believe David said this as he remembered and described his sorrow for committing adultery with Bathsheba-a sin against God (2 Samuel 11-12; cf. Genesis 39:7-9).

We could mention and discuss other fruits of repentance, but space does not permit.

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier, there is much misunderstanding and confusion regarding the fact that God requires repentance. True repentance (that which results in having God's forgiveness) must be on God's terms, not ours. The only way to truly repent is to follow God's commands and bring forth "meet" or worthy (acceptable to God) fruits, as the Bible teaches (Matthew 3:8; Acts 20:26; 2 Corinthians 7:8-11).

Remember Paul's words, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30,31)

Brother McClure has given us an excellent article concerning the basics of repentance. While this can rightly be called a first-principles subject, it is also a subject that many brethren in the church misunderstand. Please allow me to explain.

For decades, we have been discussing and debating the subject of marriage, divorce and remarriage (henceforth referred to as MDR). I'm convinced that many of the wrong conclusions and false positions (at last count, there were more than 16) that many hold concerning MDR would disappear overnight if we truly understood what God demands in the way of repentance.

Repentance is turning away from the wrongful action with the resolve to conduct one's life in a different way. We cannot return to the old way of life and say we have repented. We seem to understand the following situations:

Why is it we can see perfectly that God requires these actions of those who are practicing and committing the associated sins; but we are unable to see that those who are in adulterous marriages have to CEASE the adultery. They can't just ask for forgiveness and continue living in adultery. Repentance demands the same thing from adulterers that it requires of other sinners-CEASE sinning and change the lifestyle! If not, why not? (KMG)


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