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Dictionary of Biblical Words
:
This
is connected
with
remission
in
Mark 1:4
4
John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. (Mark 1:4)
,
Luke 3:3; 24:47
3
And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; (Luke 3:3)
47
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47)
,
Acts 5:31
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 5:31)
. It means an “after mind;” it is
the
turning of the mind or
heart
from oneself to
God
.
Repentance
unto
life
is equivalent to
conversion
(Comp. Acta 11:18 and 15:3). True belief in
Christ
involves repentance hence, although the former is mentioned over a hundred
times
in
the
gospel
book
of the
Bible
(
John 20:31
31
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31)
), repentance is never
named
.
Concise Bible Dictionary
:
The idea conveyed in this term is of great importance from the fact of its application not only to
man
but to
God
, showing how God, in His government of the
earth
, is pleased to express His own sense of events taking place upon it. This does not clash with His omniscience. There are two senses in which repentance on the part of God is spoken of.
1.
As to His own
creation
or appointment of objects that fail to answer to His
glory
. He repented that He had made man on the earth, and that He had set up
Saul
as king of
Israel
(
Gen. 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. (Genesis 6:6‑7)
;
1 Sam. 15:11,35
11
It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night. (1 Samuel 15:11)
35
And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel. (1 Samuel 15:35)
).
2.
As to
punishment
which He has threatened, or
blessing
He has promised. When Israel turned from their evil ways and sought God, He often repented of the punishment He had meditated (
2 Sam. 24:16
16
And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite. (2 Samuel 24:16)
). On the other hand, the promises to bless Israel when in the land were made conditionally on their obedience, so that God would, if they did evil, turn from or repent of the
good
that He had said He would do, either to Israel or in fact to any nation (
Jer. 18:8-10
8
If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
9
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
10
If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. (Jeremiah 18:8‑10)
). He would alter the order of His dealings towards them, and as to Israel He said, “I am weary with repenting” (
Jer. 15:6
6
Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting. (Jeremiah 15:6)
). In all this the responsibility of man is concerned, as well as the
divine
government.
But the
unconditional promises
of God, as made to
Abraham
,
Isaac
, and
Jacob
, are not subject to repentance. “The
gifts
and
calling
of God are without repentance” (
Rom. 11:29
29
For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29)
). “God is not a man that he should lie; neither
the
son
of man that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it?” (
Num. 23:19
19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)
;
1 Sam. 15:29
29
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. (1 Samuel 15:29)
;
Mal. 3:6
6
For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6)
). And this must hold good in regard to every purpose of His will.
As regards man, repentance is the necessary precursor of his experience of
grace
on the part of God. Two motives for repentance are presented in
scripture
: the goodness of God which
leads
to repentance (
Rom. 2:4
4
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4)
); and coming
judgment
, on account of which God now commands all men to repent (
Acts 17:30-31
30
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:30‑31)
); but it is distinctly of His grace and for His glory that this
door
of return to Him is granted (
Acts 11:18
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 11:18)
) in that He has approached man in grace and by His
glad tidings
, consequent on His
righteousness
having been secured in the
death
of Christ. Hence God’s
testimony
is “repentance toward God, and
faith
toward our
Lord
Jesus
Christ” (
Acts 20:21
21
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21)
).
Repentance has been described as “a change of mind Godward that leads to a judgment of self and one’s acts” (
1 Kings 8:47
47
Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; (1 Kings 8:47)
;
Ezek. 14:6
6
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. (Ezekiel 14:6)
;
Matt. 3:2
2
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:2)
;
Matt. 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. (Matthew 9:13)
;
Luke 15:7
7
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:7)
;
Acts 20:21
21
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21)
;
2 Cor. 7:9-10
9
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (2 Corinthians 7:9‑10)
; etc.). This would not be possible but for the thought of
mercy
in God. It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance (
Rom. 2:4
4
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4)
).
Repentance is also spoken of as a change of thought and action where there is no evil to repent of (
2 Cor. 7:8
8
For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. (2 Corinthians 7:8)
).
From Anstey’s
Doctrinal Definitions
:
Repentance
is to
have
a changed mind
about
a wrong
course
that we have been on, and to have passed our
judgment
on it. J. N. Darby's
Translation
footnote on
Matthew 3:8
8
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: (Matthew 3:8)
says, "Repentance denotes
the
moral judgment of the
soul
upon
all
the past, upon all that is in the
flesh
before
God
. It includes, but goes further than a changed mind." The
Concise Bible Dictionary
states, "Repentance has been described as 'a change of mind Godward that leads to a judgment of self and one's acts" (p. 658).
Confession
is an
act
,
but repentance is a
process
that should carry on throughout the
believer
's
life
after he is saved.
Luke 15:7
7
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:7)
says,
"I say unto you, that thus
there
shall be
joy
in
heaven
for
one repenting sinner."
Note: it doesn’t say, "repented," but
"repenting"
—thus indicating that it is something that should continue on in a believer’s life. In fact, if we were to cease repenting about a wrong thing or a wrong course that we have been on, we would no longer be holding our judgment upon it, and thus turning back to it in
heart
.
This
does not mean that we are to go around moping and
live
in sorrow for wrongs that we have done, but rather, to go on our way rejoicing, holding a changed mind and a conviction of judgment against that particular thing or course. In
2 Corinthians 7:10,
10
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
we have the principle of repentance stated. The Corinthians' repentance was
"never to be repented of."
That is,
they
were not to change their mind about their repentance, because in doing so they would be going back to their wrongs. Thus, the older we get and the longer we have been on the
Christian
path, the deeper our hatred should be of the sins that we have committed—but we are not to be occupied
with
those things; the believer’s normal occupation is
Christ
and His interests.
Repentance is produced in men by
“the goodness of God”
touching their hearts
(
Rom. 2:4
4
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4)
). When the prodigal
son
thought on the goodness of his
father
, it led
him
to change his mind about his father, and to pass judgment on himself (
Luke 15:17-19
17
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19
And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. (Luke 15:17‑19)
). Unfortunately, repentance is a word that has lost its Scriptural meaning in the minds of
many
today.
Some
of the confusion has resulted from the bad
teaching
that has been in the Christian
profession
for years. Some examples are:
• Repentance is not penance.
Penance is the effort of
man
to atone for his wrongs.
• Repentance is not confession.
Some mistakenly think that if they apologize for some wrong done, that they are repenting. However, it’s possible to
make
a confession, and not be truly repentant.
• Repentance is not
reformation
.
Reformation has more to do with an outward change, the turning over of a
new
leaf in an attempt to supplant bad habits with good ones. Although those things will
spring
from repentance, they are not repentance. God is not asking us to make
solemn
promises that we don’t have the
power
to
keep
.
• Repentance is not penitence.
Penitence is sorrow for
sin
. This
might
result in repentance, but sorrow itself is not repentance.
Repentance should be seen in the sinner who comes to Christ for
salvation
, and it should
also
be seen in a failing believer who gets restored to the
Lord
(
Acts 20:21
21
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21)
;
Rev. 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 2:5)
etc.). The KJV says that
Judas
“repented,”
but it should say that he was
“filled with remorse.”
He was not repentant. True repentance has its fruits. These are tell-
tale
signs
that a
person
will manifest.
John
the
Baptist
stated this to the unrepentant Pharisees who came to him. He said,
“
Bring
forth therefore fruits
meet
[worthy] of repentance”
(
Matt. 3:8
8
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: (Matthew 3:8)
).
Naomi
illustrates the marks of true repentance.
She made a clean
break
with her former life in
Moab
. The goodness of God had worked in her heart when she heard that He had given His people
bread
. The result was that
“she went forth out of the
place
where she was”
(
Ruth 1:6-7
6
Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.
7
Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. (Ruth 1:6‑7)
).
She got back to the point of her departure (
Ruth 1:19
19
So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? (Ruth 1:19)
). She went to “Bethlehem,” the very place from which she and her
husband
had
come
when they lived in the land of
Israel
. This illustrates the need of getting
down
to the root of our failure and judging it.
She manifested a
spirit
of genuine brokenness and humility. She said, “Call me not Naomi, call me
Mara
.” Mara means
“
bitter
.”
Thus, she indicated a bitterness of soul concerning her course (
Ruth 1:20
20
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. (Ruth 1:20)
;
Psa. 51:17
17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalm 51:17)
).
She justified God in all that He had allowed to happen to her (
Ruth 1:20
20
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. (Ruth 1:20)
).
She made a frank confession of her wrong. She said, “I went out ... ” (
Ruth 1:21
21
I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? (Ruth 1:21)
). She didn’t blame her husband or anybody else.
She gave full credit to the Lord for her restoration. She said, “The LORD hath brought me home again” (
Ruth 1:21
21
I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? (Ruth 1:21)
;
Psa. 23:3
3
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (Psalm 23:3)
).
She wanted to be among the Lord’s people (
Ruth 1:22
22
So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. (Ruth 1:22)
).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scripture
indicates that God Himself repents, but not, of course, in the same way in which failing men do. Since repentance means to have a changed mind, God
can
and does change His mind from
time
to time. But with God, repentance never has to do with passing judgment on Himself, because He never does anything wrong.
When it comes to God’s
purposes,
He never repents (
Num. 23:19
19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)
;
1 Sam. 15:29
29
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. (1 Samuel 15:29)
). But as to His
ways
with men, He does
repent
(
Gen. 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. (Genesis 6:6‑7)
;
1 Sam. 15:11
11
It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night. (1 Samuel 15:11)
). Oftentimes God’s repentance is in connection with, and contingent upon, man’s repentance. When God sees true repentance with men on whom He has pronounced a judgment, He may repent of it, and not execute the judgment (
Ex. 32:14
14
And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. (Exodus 32:14)
;
Judg. 2:18
18
And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. (Judges 2:18)
;
1 Chron. 21:15
15
And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. (1 Chronicles 21:15)
;
Psa. 90:13; 106:44-45
13
Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. (Psalm 90:13)
44
Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:
45
And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies. (Psalm 106:44‑45)
;
Jer. 18:8
8
If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. (Jeremiah 18:8)
;
Joel 2:13
13
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, and repenteth him of the evil. (Joel 2:13)
;
Jonah 3:9-10
9
Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. (Jonah 3:9‑10)
). Such is the
mercy
of God.
Related Books and Articles:
Subject Three: Repentance
From:
Bible Questions And Answers On Twelve Basic Subjects
By:
Harold Primrose Barker
Narrator:
Jonathan Councell
Duration:
16min
Show More Sources
Bible Dialogs.: Repentance
From:
Simple Testimony: Volume 20
Bible Dialogs.: Repentance
From:
Bible Dialogs and Answers to Correspondents
Have I Repented Enough?
From:
Bread Cast Upon the Waters: 16 Title Set
By:
Charles Stanley
Narrator:
Ivona Gentwo
Duration:
4min
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Have I Repented Enough?
From:
Gospel Light: Volume 2 (1912)
Repentance
From:
Young Christian: Volume 16, 1926
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Repentance
From:
Things New and Old: Volume 15
Repentance
From:
Christian Truth: Volume 17
Show More Sources
Repentance
From:
Words of Truth: Volume 8
Repentance and Restoration: January 2007
Forty Days: 5. Repentance and Forgiveness
From:
Collected Writings
By:
Frederick George Patterson
Narrator:
Ivona Gentwo
Duration:
24min
Show More Sources
Forty Days of Nineveh, The
From:
Words of Faith: Volume 1
On Repentance
From:
Collected Writings of J.N. Darby: Doctrinal 3
By:
John Nelson Darby
Narrator:
Mike Genone
Duration:
16min
Call: 1-630-543-1441
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, … rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
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