“Repent,” urged Peter, “and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit” (Acts 2:38 ). These divinely inspired words,
spoken on the Day of Pentecost, the annual holy day that
became the “birthday” of the New Testament church,
show that repentance is the first prerequisite for
receiving the Holy Spirit. “Repent” was the first
command issued on the day the church was “born,” the
first word used to answer the all-important question,
“Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (2:37).




FACT #1: REPENTANCE IS A CHANGE OF MIND AND
BEHAVIOR.
To repent means to change , or “have a change of mind.”
W.E. Vine states, “In the N.T. the subject [repentance]
chiefly has reference to repentance from sin, and this
change of mind involves both a turning from sin and a
turning to God” (An Expository Dictionary of New
Testament Words , p. 953). This change of mind is a
change of attitude and mental perspective, which results
in a change in behavior. It means turning from the way
of life that is contrary to God’s law, and turning to the
way of life that is defined by God’s law, which consists
chiefly of the Ten Commandments, but includes other
commandments, statutes, and judgments, as well.
Repentance means to surrender one’s life—one’s whole
being, both mind and body—to God’s will as expressed
in His revealed Word.



FACT #2: THE CALL TO REPENTANCE IS AT THE
HEART OF THE KINGDOM MESSAGE.
As mentioned previously, John the Baptist, the divinely
chosen herald of Christ’s first coming, came preaching a
message of repentance: “Repent,” he urged, “for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2 ). Jesus, too,
called for repentance: “From that time Jesus began to
preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand’” (Matthew 4:17 ). The apostle Paul went to the
Jews and Greeks alike “preaching the kingdom of God,” a
message of “repentance toward God and faith toward our
Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21 , 25 ).
Notice how, in each case, the call for repentance is
linked to the message of the Kingdom of God. Note also
that the statements above are summaries of the things
John, Jesus, and Paul preached. This is most revealing. It
tells us that the call to repentance is at the heart and
core of the Kingdom message.
Jesus touched on many important subjects in His famous
“Sermon on the Mount,” and illustrated truths about the
Kingdom of God through scores of parables. Yet,
interestingly, Matthew summarizes Jesus’ preaching
ministry with a single line: “Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand.” In truth, all that Jesus taught relates
to repentance and the Kingdom in one way or another.



FACT #3: THE MESSAGE OF REPENTANCE IS
ESSENTIAL TO THE GREAT COMMISSION.
Since the message Jesus commands His followers to take
to the world is the message He brought, this fact is
closely related to the previous one. The “great
commission” Christ left for His disciples is summarized
in Matthew 28:18–20 :
And Jesus came and spoke to them [the eleven disciples—
verse 16], saying, “All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of
all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I
am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The Son (Jesus) has “all authority…in heaven and earth.”
He acquired His authority from His Father , and exercises
His authority on earth through the ministries of Spirit-
filled disciples (precisely the reason Jesus mentions
“Father…Son…Holy Spirit” here). In other words, though
Jesus is now bodily absent, His work continues through
His disciples. He is spiritually present with them; and
through them, He continues calling for repentance in
preparation for the Kingdom of God .
Jesus says “that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47 ). The message of “repentance
and remission of sins” began to be proclaimed in
Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, when Peter preached
a powerful message showing that Jesus was the promised
Messiah, and concluded with, “ Repent , and let every one
of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 ).




FACT #4: GOD COMMANDS REPENTANCE.
Some “hyper-Calvinists” seem to believe that salvation is
solely a matter of God’s sovereign will, completely aside
from human free will. Heavy emphasis is placed on
predestination, unconditional election, and irresistible
grace. Human cooperation—including repentance and
obedience—in the salvation process is considered a
conditioned response, an action of divine grace alone.
This means that the salvation God offers is not, in the
true sense of the term, an “offer.” Though He commands
all to repent, and punishes those who do not, ultimately
casting them into a lake of fire, only those select few
conditioned by divine grace will repent—only they can
repent—and it’s not a matter of free choice. Those who
repent choose repentance because they are incapable of
resisting divine grace.
Such a soteriology reduces God’s command to repent to
so many empty words. What is a “command” if there is
no option to obey or disobey? Are we to suppose that
God’s command to repent is devoid of options?
In “Fact #5” below we will see that repentance is indeed
a gift of God, but this does not mean that the offer of
salvation does not involve a real choice with real
options.


FACT #5: REPENTANCE IS A GIFT OF GOD.
This is not a contradiction. God commands repentance;
yet, repentance is a gift of God. If a “gift” is forced on
someone, it is not a gift at all! The same is true of the gift
of repentance. God doesn’t force anyone to repent; He
simply makes the opportunity to repent available. This is
the sense in which repentance as a gift should be
understood.
God exalted Jesus “to His right hand to be Prince and
Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of
sins” (Acts5:31 ). When certain Jewish Christians
witnessed the conversion of Cornelius and his household,
“they glorified God, saying, ‘Then God has also granted to
the Gentiles repentance to life’” (Acts 11:18 ). Paul hopes
that, through Timothy’s efforts in correcting certain
offenders, “God perhaps will grant them repentance , so
that they may know the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25 ).
But how does the process work? Through what means
does God “grant them repentance”? God, through His
Spirit, leads a person to an awareness of both sin and
righteousness, thus enabling Him to “hear” the command
to repent. Jesus promised that, after His departure, the
Holy Spirit would come and “ convict the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because
they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go
to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment,
because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16:8–11 ).
The Spirit convicts the world of sin and righteousness
through the church’s preaching of the good news.
God often uses the circumstances of day-to-day life in
bestowing upon us the gift of repentance. The gift may
come through the positive Christian example of a
neighbor, or from reading a booklet on an intriguing
biblical topic, or from watching the Armor of God
television program, or from a chain of events spanning
many weeks or months, or even years. Shocking events
in the news, such as the terrorist attack of September 11,
2001, may be the catalyst that enables a person to
receive God’s gift of repentance. On the other hand,
positive events, such as people coming together to help
relieve the suffering of others, may have an awakening
effect through which God can bestow the gift of
repentance. God can and does use the events of life—
ordinary and extraordinary—to awaken people to their
need of repentance.




FACT #6: REPENTANCE IS THE FRUIT OF GODLY
SORROW.
The apostle Paul says that “godly sorrow produces
repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but
the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians
7:10 ). Godly sorrow is contrition motivated by a love for
God. Such sorrow, says Paul, produces repentance. It is
not the totality of repentance; it serves as a first step in
the process of repentance, or change in attitude and
behavior. The “sorrow of the world,” on the other hand,
is nothing more than self-pity. It “produces death”
because it is self-centered rather than God -centered.
Contrition is important, but genuine repentance cannot
be measured by how many tears a person sheds or how
much time he has spent whimpering and sobbing while
curled in the fetal position. Repentance involves deep
feelings, but is not in itself a mere visceral response. As
discussed above, it is a God-centered CHANGE of heart
and mind. It is a choice , not a whim. It is based on love ,
not mere hurt feelings or self-pity. It is conviction and
commitment, not an emotional state into which (or out of
which) a person helplessly falls. The fruits of repentance
do not flow naturally from a wellspring of tingling
sensations or warm fuzzy feelings; they are actions
requiring deliberate choices .
Confession of sins
John writes, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we
have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is
not in us” (1 John 1:8–10 ).
A major key to true repentance is confession.
Unfortunately, our confession is often limited by what
we are willing to admit. We humans have the uncanny
ability of mentally revising past events, deceiving
ourselves into believing that past sins were somehow less
than sinful. We dupe ourselves into thinking that deadly
sins are mere “weaknesses.” We hide our motives, not
only from others, but also from ourselves. Somehow,
we're able to shove our true motives into the darkened
recesses of our minds, and pretend that certain of our
past sinful actions were prompted by good intentions.



FACT #7: REPENTANCE IS THE FRUIT OF GOD’S
GOODNESS.
Perhaps most of us associate repentance with fear of
what might happen to us if we do not repent. That’s a
healthy fear, and those who live immorally should be
fearful. But fear of punishment or condemnation is not
the only factor that may lead a person to repentance.
Paul asks, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness,
forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the
goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4 ).
Similarly, Peter says, “The Lord is not slack concerning
His promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should
perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter
3:9 ).
God’s goodness is expressed in His patience with us.
From the finite human point of view, God is “slow” in
delivering His promises; but what we call “slowness” is
really God’s patience with us. His desire is that we come
to repentance, and He patiently gives us every
opportunity to do so.
Most people do not commit to a life of obedience to God’s
law as soon as they come to a knowledge of the truth; it
usually takes time— years , in some cases. Fortunate for
us, God is merciful, rich in kindness and patience—He is
good! When we do finally repent and surrender our lives
to Him, He most graciously, and without hesitation,
pardons our transgressions.



FACT #8: REPENTANCE IS NECESSARY FOR
SALVATION.
This statement may seem redundant for those who have
read all the material up to this point, but it needs stating
for the simple reason that some people, zealously
opposing the notion of salvation by “works,” tend to
underemphasize (or fail to emphasize at all) the
necessity of repentance. If they do talk about repentance,
they prefer to speak of it as something that God causes
altogether, but not as something requiring our
cooperation with God. They believe that when we speak
of repentance as something we do in cooperation with
the divine will, we are attributing salvation to our own
efforts, which is tantamount to teaching “salvation by
works.”
Paul never said that salvation does not involve our
cooperation with God. When he condemned the notion of
justification by “works of the law,” he was specifically
addressing the Judaizers, who wanted to require non-
Jewish converts to perform certain ritualistic acts that
God never required of them. His point was that there is
nothing a person can do to cause God to owe him
salvation. That’s not to say, however, that human
cooperation, which involves the human ability of making
free choices, is not involved in the process of salvation.
Scripture is clear in pointing out that your decision of
whether to repent while the window of opportunity is
open to you has everlasting repercussions. Therefore, we
should not hesitate to say that your decision to repent is
an absolute requirement for salvation.
As stated previously, “repentance from dead works” is
the first of the foundational doctrines listed in Hebrews
6:1–2 . “Dead works” are, as the New International
Version indicates, “acts that lead to death.” To repent of
such acts is to stop committing them. To stop doing one
thing means to start doing the opposite. If this change of
direction can be described as “works,” then, in that
sense, “works” are required for salvation! That still does
not mean, however, that you have done something to
cause God to owe you salvation. Salvation is a free gift of
God, and repentance is a condition for receiving the free
gift.



FACT #9: REPENTANCE IS INSEPARABLE FROM
“SAVING FAITH.”
When a Philippian jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to
be saved?” Paul and Silas gave him the answer: “ Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and
your household” (Acts 16:30–31 ). In Mark’s version of
the “great commission,” Jesus says, “Go into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes
and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not
believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15–16 ). When an
Ethiopian eunuch asked, “What hinders me from being
baptized?” Philip replied, “If you believe with all your
heart, you may” (Acts 8:36–37 ). When the Samaritans
“ believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the
kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men
and women were baptized” (Acts 8:12 ).
Candidates for Christian baptism need only “believe.”
But what does that mean? What kind of “belief” is
required for salvation, and what does it have to do with
repentance?
Saving faith
Can faith that produces no works save a person? James
addresses this very question in his short epistle:
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has
faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a
brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and
one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and
filled,” but you do not give them the things which are
needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith
by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone
will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me
your faith without your works, and I will show you my
faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You
do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do
you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without
works is dead? (James 2:14–20 ).



FACT #10: REPENTANCE DOESN’T END WITH INITIAL
CONVERSION.
Perhaps many of us think of repentance as a one-time act
—something we do at the beginning of our walk with
Christ. But there’s more to it than that. There is an
initial repentance, but it is important to realize that
repentance is also a process . It involves continuous
introspection, frequent exposure to the Word of God,
regular prayer, and perhaps occasional fasting. Perhaps
the word that best describes repentance as a way of life
is growth —a continuous chain of changes leading to
maturity.
Repentance as a process is more than an occasional act
of contrition—though that is definitely a part of it. It is
also a God-centered state of mind that influences every
aspect of one’s life. It is sharpened through paying
attention to the “nudging” of the Holy Spirit, which
always directs one along the path established by God’s
law; it is dulled through neglecting the Spirit’s convicting
presence.
Leaving the sphere of the Spirit’s influence is a serious
matter. James was speaking to Christians who had lapsed
into worldliness when he wrote:
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to
you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your
hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep!
Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to
gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He
will lift you up (James 4:7–10 ).
Christ’s admonitions to the seven churches of Asia Minor
are filled with urgent warnings to repent and turn away
from practices that conflict with God’s will (Revelation 2
and 3). Paul called upon the church at Corinth to
discontinue fellowship with an immoral church member
until he had repented of his sinful activity (1 Corinthians
5:1–5 ). “Your glorying is not good,” Paul said. “Do you
not know that a little leaven leavens the whole
lump?” (verse 6). Paul was calling for both individual
and communal repentance.
As stated above, repentance involves a state of mind, a
disposition. More than a one-time act , it is a life of
obedience that involves continual changes—spiritual
growth—and a continuous desire to do the will of God,
not merely for the purpose of reaping the rewards of
obedience, but because it is right in the sight of God.


#baron18

source. www.cgi.org/ten-facts-you-should-know-about-repentance/

#fact 11.

Repentance begins when people need something from God, maybe job, success in academics, admission, and they usually gets back to their sins when they achieve that.