What Is Repentance?

SCRIPTURE: Acts 3:19 and 26

REPENTANCE COMMANDED: 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"

REPENTANCE DEFINED: 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."

PROPOSITION: to use this text and others to show what repentance is and also to show that it is a gracious gift given by God when a person comes to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

1. What is Repentance?

Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of heart that leads to a change in actions.

This change of heart and mind involves both an inward turning from the darkness of sin and an inward turning to Christ who is the light of the world.

Acts 26:18 "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

John 8:12 "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Acts 20:21 "Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."

Mark 1:15 "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

2. How is repentance defined in the scripture?

Repentance in the scripture is defined as a turning from all sin.

Ezekiel 18:30 "..."Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin."

1 Thessalonians 1:9 "...ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;"

Ezekiel 14:6 "...Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations."

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."

3. Is repentance works? or a free gift from God?

The scripture teaches that repentance is a gracious free gift of God, and not works as some have erroneously and foolishly concluded.

Acts 5:31 "...for to GIVE repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."

2 Timothy 2:25 "...if God peradventure will GIVE them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;"

Acts 11:18 "...Then hath God also to the Gentiles GRANTED repentance unto life."

4. Does the book ofJonah teach that repentance is a works based salvation, as some would have us believe?

NO! An inward transformation can only lead to an outward manifestation, Jonah 3:5 "the people of Nineveh believed God" and God (gave) "give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;" 2 Timothy 2:25, and because repentance was given unto them, Jonah 3:10 "they turned from their evil way". if the repentance of the ninevites was a works based salvation as many would teach, why was God pleased with their repentance? God is never pleased with a works based salvation, but Christ was so pleased with their repentance he said they would rise in the judgement with that generation and condemn those who repented not, the only way this could be true is if the Ninevites were saved by grace.

Luke 11:32 "The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here."

When God gives repentance the change of heart is so great that there are works that follow, these Works have nothing to do with our Salvation they are just an Evidence of it. Jonah 3:10 "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."

quoting Jonah 3:10 to prove that repentance is works Salvation is like quoting John 6:28 and 29 to prove that believing is a work.

John 6:28-29 "Then said they unto him, What shall WE DO, that we might WORK the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the WORK of God, that ye BELIEVE on him whom he hath sent." John 6:28-29 Doesn't teach works anymore than Jonah 3:10 teaches that the ninevites were saved by works salvation.

5. There are portions of scripture that tell us that God repented does this mean that God changes his mind as some would have us believe?

No, God never changes his mind he lives in the eternal present and is "the same yesterday and today and forever" but the great omniscient God will at times change his course of action and God has the Sovereign right to do this. The scripture makes it very clear that God will not repent in the same way as a man because God is not a sinner.