The word repent appears over 65 times in Holy Scripture. Repentance is a biblical concept that is imbedded deeply in the pages of the Bible. Today, let us take a brief survey of the New Testament teaching on this subject.
First, let’s define the term. Repentance means “to change the mind.”1 When the word appears, especially in the New Testament, this meaning is applied and understood from the text. We change our direction, our thoughts, and our beliefs when we repent. Once we were faithless. Now we accept the truth and believe the truth by faith. It is a total reordering of the life and mind.
Repentance is required for salvation. Jesus told His followers that “unless you repent, you will all perish.” (Luke 13:3) Salvation demands that we abandon our old way of life and our sin and place our complete trust in Christ. While we may state this concept differently depending on the context, the message is clear. There is no eternal life without repentance.
We will continue to struggle with sin as long as we are on this planet. Repentance that leads to salvation does not lead to automatic sinlessness in this life. However, the truly repentant Believer will not continue in sin and will seek cleansing from the God. (1 John 1) The Christian cannot be happy in sin as their desires have been changed and reoriented towards the thing of God.
Repentance redirects the way we live and treat others. A repentant person will seek to act righteously and think Godly thoughts. Simply put, if there is no change in thought or behavior, there is no repentance and no salvation.
What about you? Have you turned from your sin? Have you repented and trusted Christ for the forgiveness of your sin? Turn away from your sin and self and trust in Christ today!
Tony French
mrtonyfrench 