What is REPENTANCE really?

[complete]

Matt 3:2; "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Even before Jesus started preaching, John the Baptist preached repentance.

Matt 4:17; From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Matt 11:20; Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.
Mark 1:15; and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
Mark 6:12; They went out and preached that men should repent.
Luke 13:3; "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Luke 13:5; "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

These last two verses seem to say that unless you repent... you will perish. Everyone dies, even Christians die physical deaths, but that's not the kind of perish Jesus is talking about here.

But the question here is... what is repentance? What does it mean to repent? The Bible uses the word "repent" two different ways.

Luke 17:4; "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."

If someone comes to you and says... "I repent", you should forgive them. Repent? repent of what? Repent of "sin". It says here even if they "sin" against you seven times.

Acts 2:38; Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Peter says the same thing as Jesus. "Repent" ( and be baptized ) so your sins will be forgiven. Your "sins". Repent of your sin.

Acts 3:19; "Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
Acts 8:22; "Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.

Repent ( of your sin ) so that your sins will be wiped away. Repent ( of your wickedness ) so that God will forgive you.

Rev 2:21; 'I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.

Immorality, sin, iniquity. Jesus is saying the same thing He says in Luke 13:3-5; you have to repent ( of immorality ) or else....

Rev 9:20; The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;
Rev 9:21; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

A few more examples... "did not repent". Repent of what? demon worship, idol worship, murder, sorcery, immorality ( sexual sins ) and thieving ( stealing ).

So most of the time the word "repent" in used, it's in the context of sin.
Repent doesn't mean "change your mind" and it doesn't mean "not want to sin". There are millions of people who "don't want to" sin, but they never stop living how they are living. They keep right on sinning
even though they don't want to. That is NOT repentance. Repentance mean "stop". Stop sinning.

I'm not saying you have to be perfect. But you cannot choose to sin. You cannot "practice" sin. ( doing it all the time ).

Subject Heading:- 'What is Repentance really?'

Hello @B-A-C,

* Repentance is to turn around and walk that way no longer.

'This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you,
that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
(1 John 1:5-10)

In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[complete]

Subject Heading:- 'What is Repentance really?'

@vhusley​

* In Joel 2:12-14 we have repentance in 'deed', if not in word:-

'Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to Me with all your heart,
and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God:
for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, ... ... ... '
(Joel 2:12-13a)

* There is no call to repentance to Israel until we come to the New Testament. There, the call of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2) and the call of the Lord (Matt. 4:17) is because, 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand'.

* One of the reasons for the performing of miracles was to bring about this repentance (Matt:11:21; 12:41).

* On the day of Pentecost, Peter called upon Israel to repent (Acts 2:38), and assured them that upon their repentance the Saviour would return, and the promises made to the fathers would be fulfilled (Acts 3:19-26).

* John the baptist baptized with water 'unto repentance' (Matt. 3:11), and Peter declared that the Lord Jesus Christ had been exalted as Prince and Saviour to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins (Acts 4:31).

* In Romans 2, it is the Jew who is accused of 'Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance' and the passage speaks of their 'impenitent heart' (Romans 2:4-5).

----------------------------

* Paul, when summing up his ministry before the Ephesian elders, who had come to see him on his way to Jerusalem in Acts 20 said in verse 21:- 'Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ' (Acts 20:21);

* and in Acts 26:20 before Agrippa, he shows how he had been 'obedient to the heavenly vision', which took place on the Damascus Road by preaching first to the Jew and then the Gentile:- 'That they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance'.

* Paul, in 2 Timothy 2:25, shows that deliverance from the bondage of error is connected with repentance unto the acknowledging of the truth: but it is interesting that repentance (re. those that oppose themselves) was to be sought of God, as something He must 'give' them; it appears it was not within their power to do apart from divine intervention.

'And the servant of the Lord must not strive;
but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;
if God peradventure will give them repentance
to the acknowledging of the truth;
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil,
who are taken captive by him at his will.'
(2 Timothy 2:24-26)

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[B-A-C]

There is no call to repentance to Israel until we come to the New Testament.

Hmmm... I'm pretty sure I can show this easily, but for sake of argument, lets say this is true.
That leaves the Gentiles in the Old Testament, what about them?

Jonah 3:2; "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you."
Jonah 3:3; So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk.
Jonah 3:4; Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown."
Jonah 3:5; Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.
Jonah 3:6; When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.
Jonah 3:7; He issued a proclamation and it said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water.
Jonah 3:8; "But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands.
Jonah 3:9; "Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish."
Jonah 3:10; When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

As for the Jews...

2Chron 7:13; "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,
2Chron 7:14; and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Ezek 18:21; "But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
Ezek 18:22; "All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live.
Ezek 18:23; "Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?

2Kings 17:13; Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets."

I think I can come up with several more...

 

[B-A-C]

* Repentance is to turn around and walk that way no longer.

Hmmm... walk what way? Can you be more specific? I'm walking north, does it mean start walking south? Or maybe I'm walking East, does it mean start walking West?
Maybe I'm going up the hill, does it mean go down the hill?

Or does it mean, I was sinning. I need to quit sinning.

 

[complete]

Hmmm... I'm pretty sure I can show this easily, but for sake of argument, lets say this is true.
That leaves the Gentiles in the Old Testament, what about them?

Jonah 3:2; "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you."
Jonah 3:3; So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' walk.
Jonah 3:4; Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown."
Jonah 3:5; Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.
Jonah 3:6; When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes.
Jonah 3:7; He issued a proclamation and it said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water.
Jonah 3:8; "But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands.
Jonah 3:9; "Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish."
Jonah 3:10; When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

As for the Jews...

2Chron 7:13; "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,
2Chron 7:14; and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Ezek 18:21; "But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
Ezek 18:22; "All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live.
Ezek 18:23; "Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?

2Kings 17:13; Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets."

I think I can come up with several more...

Hello @B-A-C,

'In those days came John the Baptist,
preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
And saying, "Repent ye:
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
(Mat, 3:1-2)

'From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say,
'Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
(Mat.4:17)

* This is something completely new.

 

[complete]

Hmmm... walk what way? Can you be more specific? I'm walking north, does it mean start walking south? Or maybe I'm walking East, does it mean start walking West?
Maybe I'm going up the hill, does it mean go down the hill?

Or does it mean, I was sinning. I need to quit sinning.

Hello @B-A-C,

Please don't enter into mockery.

In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[B-A-C]

Please don't enter into mockery.

No mockery, serious question.

 

[B-A-C]

* This is something completely new.

New word, same concept. Turning from wickedness, turn from sin.

 

[twcstp]

Repentance, again, is choosing the light over the dark.

Isaiah:
King James Bible
For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

genesis:
3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

The life of a man is the light of righteousness that is in him, and the death of him is in his darkness.

John 3:19
New King James Version
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Isaiah has much more written on this subject, but this is the brunt of it.