Theme · theological
Repentance
The Hebrew word for repentance means to turn around — a complete reversal of direction. When Israel sins, the prophets cry out for repentance, and when the people turn, God relents from judgment. Joel pleads, 'Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD.' John the Baptist preaches repentance as preparation for the Messiah. Jesus begins his public ministry with the same call: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Peter at Pentecost commands, 'Repent and be baptized.' Paul tells the Athenians that God now commands all people everywhere to repent. Repentance is not merely regret but a reorientation of the whole self toward God.
Related doctrines
Passages expressing this theme
- 1Sam 7:3 — And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the
- 1Thess 1:9 — For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
- 2Chr 7:14 — If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal
- 2Chr 30:9 — For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gra
- 2Chr 33:12 — And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,
- 2Chr 34:27 — Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and did
- 2Cor 7:10 — For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
- 2Cor 7:11 — For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement des
- 2Kgs 22:19 — Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desola
- 2Pet 2:20 — For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them
- 2Pet 2:21 — For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
- 2Pet 3:9 — The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
- 2Sam 12:13 — And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
- 2Tim 2:25 — In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
- Acts 2:37 — Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
- Acts 2:38 — 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 2:40 — And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
- Acts 3:19 — 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 3:26 — Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
- Acts 5:31 — Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
- Acts 8:21 — Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
- Acts 8:22 — Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
- Acts 11:18 — When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
- Acts 14:15 — And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and
- Acts 17:30 — And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
The Church Fathers on Repentance
Repentance, then, means life, since it is preferred to death. You must, as a sinner like myself—yes, and a lesser one than I, for I recognize my eminence in evil—lay hold on it and grip it fast, as one who is shipwrecked holds to a plank of salvation. It will buoy you up when you are plunged into a sea of sin and…
Someone who repents is troubled by the fear that he might sin again. But a person who knows that he has been deformed by sin longs to reform himself. One who knows that he is being rebuked for his own good begins to experience a zeal for bringing good works to completion.
Look down upon these persons who have bended the neck of their soul and body to Thee; for Thou desirest not the death of a sinner, but his repentance, that he turn from his wicked way, and live. Thou who didst accept the repentance of the Ninevites, who willest that all men be saved, and come to the acknowledgment…
For to every one who has turned to God in truth and with a whole heart, the doors are open, and the thrice-glad Father receives his truly repentant child. And true repentance is to be no longer bound in the same sins for which he denounced death against himself, but to eradicate them completely from the soul. For on…
So all past sins are forgiven people on conversion; but for the rest of this life there are certain grave and deadly sins, from which one can be released only by the most vehement and distressing humbling of the heart and contrition of spirit and the pain of repentance. These are forgiven through the keys of the…
Pardon is ready and easy: only repent of evil deeds, not only what they just did, but all of them, and turn to the new life. Confess Jesus, whom they formerly denied, as king and ruler of the universe.