What is repentance?
Question 7051
Repentance is one of the most misunderstood concepts in Christianity today, yet it’s absolutely central to the Gospel message. The confusion often comes from our modern understanding of the word versus what Scripture actually teaches. Is repentance merely feeling sorry for sin? Must we turn from all our sins before God will save us? Or is there something deeper at the heart of biblical repentance?
The Biblical Meaning of Repentance
The Greek word for repentance is μετάνοια (metanoia), which literally means “a change of mind.” It’s composed of two parts: μετά (meta) meaning “after” or “change,” and νοῦς (nous) meaning “mind” or “understanding.” So at its core, biblical repentance is a change of mind about something.
Now here’s where we need to be careful. Repentance is not the same as remorse or feeling sorry. Judas felt remorse after betraying Jesus—he was sorry enough to hang himself—but he never repented in the biblical sense. Paul makes this distinction crystal clear: “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Repentance for Salvation
When it comes to salvation, repentance means a change of mind about who Jesus is and what He’s done. It’s recognising that you’re a sinner in need of a Saviour and turning to Jesus in faith, believing He died for your sins and rose again. You can’t separate repentance from faith—they’re two sides of the same coin. When you truly change your mind about Jesus, you place your faith in Him.
Think about it practically. When someone comes to Jesus, what’s happened? They’ve changed their mind about their condition before God. They once thought they were good enough or that they could save themselves through good works. Now they’ve changed their mind—they see themselves as sinners who need the righteousness of Jesus. That’s repentance.
Acts 20:21 shows us this beautifully when Paul describes his ministry: “testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice he doesn’t say “repentance from sins” here—it’s repentance toward God and faith in Jesus. The focus is on changing your mind about God and putting your trust in Jesus.
The thief on the cross is a perfect example. Did he have time to turn from all his sins and clean up his life? No. But he changed his mind about who Jesus was. He went from mocking Jesus to recognising Him as Lord and asking to be remembered in His kingdom. That change of mind, combined with faith in Jesus, saved him that very day (Luke 23:39-43).
What Repentance Is Not
This is crucial: repentance for salvation is not turning from your sins as a requirement to be saved. If that were the case, none of us could be saved because we’d never turn from all our sins completely. We’d still be sinning even after we’re saved. As John himself wrote, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
Some people teach what’s called “Lordship Salvation”—that you must commit to turn from all known sins and make Jesus Lord of every area of your life before you can be saved. But that’s adding works to grace. It’s saying Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t quite enough—you need to contribute something by cleaning yourself up first. But Scripture tells us we’re saved by grace through faith, not by our performance or promises to do better: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Look at the order in Scripture. We’re saved first, then we’re called to live holy lives. Romans 12:1 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” Notice the word “therefore”—Paul is speaking to people who are already saved, already brothers, asking them to now live differently because of the mercies they’ve already received.
Repentance After Salvation
Now, once you’re saved, there’s absolutely a call to repentance when you sin. This is different from repentance for salvation. As believers, when we sin, we need to change our minds about that sin—to agree with God that it was wrong and turn from it. This doesn’t affect our salvation, but it does affect our fellowship with God and our usefulness in His service.
When Peter told the crowd in Acts 2:38 to “Repent and be baptised,” he was speaking to Jews who had just realised they’d crucified their Messiah. They needed to change their minds about Jesus. When Peter later told Simon the sorcerer to “Repent of this wickedness” in Acts 8:22, he was telling a believer to turn from sin that was hindering his walk with God.
The letters to the seven churches in Revelation are full of calls to repentance, and these are churches—believers. Jesus calls them to change their minds about various sins and return to their first love (Revelation 2:5, 16, 21-22; 3:3, 19). This is about restoration of fellowship, not about losing salvation.
The Role of Godly Sorrow
While repentance isn’t just feeling bad, genuine repentance does involve what Paul calls “godly grief.” This is being sorry for the right reason—not just sorry you got caught or sorry about the consequences, but sorry because you’ve sinned against a holy God who loves you.
David’s prayer in Psalm 51 after his sin with Bathsheba shows us this: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4). Yes, he’d sinned against Bathsheba, against Uriah, against the nation. But ultimately, all sin is against God. That’s godly sorrow—seeing sin as God sees it and being grieved over it.
This kind of sorrow produces a desire to turn from that sin. Not because you’re trying to earn salvation or keep salvation, but because you love the One you’ve offended. It’s like when you hurt someone you love—you naturally want to stop doing what’s hurting them.
Common Misconceptions
Let’s clear up some confusion. Some passages seem to suggest you must forsake all sins to be saved. Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” But we need to understand this in context. This is talking about an attitude of heart—not hiding your sin but being willing to confess it. It’s not saying you must successfully forsake every sin before God will forgive you.
Similarly, when Jesus says in Luke 13:3, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish,” He’s not adding a works requirement to salvation. He’s saying unless you change your mind about your need for Him, you can’t be saved. The tax collector in Luke 18 didn’t promise to turn from all his sins—he simply cried out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” And Jesus said he went home justified (Luke 18:13-14).
Practical Application for Sharing the Gospel
So what does this mean for sharing the Gospel? When we’re talking to someone about Jesus, we’re calling them to change their minds about who He is and what He’s done. We’re not giving them a list of sins to clean up first. We’re pointing them to the Saviour who died for sinners.
Yes, we need to help them see they’re sinners. They need to change their minds about their standing before God. But we’re not saying, “Turn from your sins and then Jesus will save you.” We’re saying, “Trust Jesus as your Saviour because you can’t save yourself.”
And for believers? When you sin, repent. Change your mind about that sin. Agree with God that it was wrong. Turn from it. Not to maintain your salvation—that’s already secure—but to maintain fellowship with your heavenly Father and to be useful in His service.
Conclusion
The beauty of the Gospel is this: Jesus didn’t come for people who had it all together. He came for sinners. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He came while we were still sinners. And when we change our minds about who He is and trust Him, He saves us completely—not because we promised to do better, but because He’s done it all.
Salvation isn’t about how well you can perform or how many sins you can quit before God will accept you. It’s about what Jesus has already done. Change your mind about that, believe it, and you’re saved forever. Then live for Him out of gratitude, not to earn what He’s already freely given.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
