Here is a study I did for a discipleship course:
Repentance is the act in which one turns away (repents) from his sin; and then by faith he walks toward a relationship which is built upon his belief in his being forgiven through the work of Jesus Christ on Calvary.
In
Acts 20:21, Paul is quoted as saying that he was, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Where he mentions faith and repentance, is he saying that they are two things totally distinct and different? Or are they somehow one in the same?
The reason why the question is important is that both great Reformers, Martin Luther and John Calvin, taught that sola fide ("faith alone") was all that was necessary for salvation. They taught that repentance was only needed to bring one into a more harmonious relationship with the Lord. Yet that is not the testimony of the biblical witness. There we find that repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin. This can be more easily seen in the following examples:
Matthew 3:2
(2) And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 4:17
(17) From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mark 1:15
(15) And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Mark 6:12
(12) And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
Luke 13:3
(3) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Acts 2:38
(38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 3:19
(19) Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Acts 17:30
(30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Revelation 2:5
(5) Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Revelation 3:19
(19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
VOCABULARY
Repentance is a religious term that denotes a redirection of a person's mind, will and actions as indicated in the Greek word metanoia-a change of mind. (Webster's Third New International Dictionary)
Repentance is both sorrow for sin and the act of turning away from it. (Encyclopedia Americana, Edition 1983, Vol. 21, pg. 495)
The turning from sin is emphatically a matter of conduct, but it is also a matter of the heart. (Dictionary of the Bible, by James Hastings, Vol. IV, pg. 225)
Repentance in the ethico-religious sense is turning away from sin and back to God. (Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, Edition 1962, Vol. IV, pg. 33)
The Jews believed that repentance caused the Messiah to draw nigh. John the Baptist, a Jew, was sent as the forerunner to the Messiah, Jesus. What was John’s message? Repentance! Jesus’ message paralleled John’s. He taught: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (
Mark 1:15).
Rabbi Eli'ezer is credited with saying: "Repent one day before you die." Being confused his students asked: "Does anyone know on what day he will die?" Eli'ezer responded: "Then he should certainly repent today lest he die tomorrow. Thus one will be in constant repentance" (See Avot 2:11). Eli’ezar’s words are not referring to repenting over and over again about the same sins. He is talking about men and women focusing daily on their mortality through open communication with God. Such interaction can turn a believer away from their sin and toward a walk toward Christlikeness. Without doubt, such repentance was occurring over 2,000 years ago on the Day of Pentecost. The Jews there were looking for Jesus’ promised arrival. They knew for them to draw near to Him, they must first turn (repent) toward Him and then—by faith—move forward into His presence.
REPENTANCE BY FAITH
The commandments of God fall into three categories. These are described as follows:
The first are the
Mishpatim. These are literally translated judgments which are ethical or moral laws. We can easily understand them as they are part of our moral and civil disciplines. They include scriptures such as: thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not lie; etc...
The second type is called
Edos. These are literally translated witnesses. They are a “witness" because they are commands that relate to rituals and festivals. These teach us important truths from their types and shadows. A good example of this would be Jesus being the Passover lamb, or His death happening on Passover. Through the study of the Edos commands of Passover we could better understand what significance these occurrences would have for us.
The third type is known as the
Chukim. These are literally translated decrees. These “Chukim/Decree” commandments are hard for us to understand because they don’t always make sense to our minds since they do not seem to have a logical reason as to why we must obey them. Yet we should obey them because God commands us to. The Children of Israel understood this to be true. That is why they responded to the giving of God’s commands by saying, “All that God says, we will do and we will obey.” (
Exodus 24:7) The word “obey” is the Hebrew word “Shema.” Shema literally means to hear, listen, or obey. (See
Deuteronomy 6:4) This is why repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and receiving the Holy Ghost is of FAITH! Even though we don't see it by sight, or understand it by our intellect, we are still commanded by the Lord to obey. Obedience doesn’t always come from understanding thereby causing it to be through faith.
The Apostle John echoed this when he made this statement about how we show our love to God.
1 John 5:3
(3) For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
STORYA salesman was new to his territory and wasn’t too sure of the directions to his next appointment. He decided to ask the client he was with if he knew the folks and where they lived. The man said, “Well sure I know them. You go a spell down the road and you will see a house with a red pick-up truck and an old black dog. When you see them you need to turn at the next road to the right. Then they would be the next house you see.” The salesman was really confused now and asked, “What if the truck and dog aren’t there?” The man replied, “Well, you’d still turn right at that road.”
This funny story helps us see that when seeking direction in truth, what matters it is not what you see or feel, but what the reality of that truth is according to its unchanging given facts! Biblical truth is the same; for it refers to an unchanging noun—Jesus Christ! He said our obedience to His Word is how He gauges our love for Him. This obedience does not originate from what we see or feel, nor is it decided by a popular poll; but it comes from Jesus’ Word and is enacted in our active obedience to that Word. God isn’t affected by men’s ideas or feelings, and neither is His Word!
God said that a turning, returning, or a conversion is necessary for entrance into the kingdom of God.
Matthew 18:3
(3) And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 13:3
(3) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Repentance is a turning away from our sin, disobedience, and rebellion and a turning back to God and His ways.
Matthew 9:13
(13) But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
In a more general sense, repentance is to change one’s mind.
Genesis 6:6-7
(6) And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
(7) And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
It's a feeling of remorse or regret for past conduct.
Matthew 27:3
(3) Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
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