Repent and believe the gospel. This is the command given for anyone to become a follower of Jesus. I want to break down both of those points into two separate writings but today we will focus on repentance. I especially wanted to start with this part because I think this is something the vast majority of Christians misunderstand. Let’s take a look at what exactly repentance is, and how you know if you’ve truly repented.
“Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.”
Acts 8:22
What is repentance?
To understand repentance, we need to start with the source text. Since the Bible wasn’t written in English, studying the original words that were used will give you a better understanding. The Greek word used for repentance is μετάνοια or metanoia. Merriam-Webster defines metanoia as “a transformative change of heart, especially a spiritual conversion”1.
This may seem a bit different than what you’ve heard before. As Christians, we don’t clearly define the word, but we treat it as if repenting means to apologize. So it is not a one-time thing, it is a daily prayer that you need to pray every time you sin. However, when I see the Greek definition, it looks like repentance is done very rarely, maybe even just one time. I’ve even heard Christians say that if you die while sinning or die before you have a chance to repent to God, you will go to hell. If that were the case there would be a lot devout of Christians in hell simply because they died before their daily repentance prayer. Repentance isn’t “I am sorry”. In Pastor John Bevere’s words, “Repentance is when I say I’m breaking up with all the things that drove the nails in my Lord’s hands”.
How do I know if I have repented?
To know if you’ve repented I have to talk about what it means to be a Christian. Being Christian does not mean that you are now perfect and will never make another mistake. It means that you are acknowledging we are sinful, wicked, and deserve hellfire if not for the grace of God. So you will still sin after giving your life to Christ. The difference is how you feel about it after. An important thing to note is that Jesus didn’t come to emphasize the evil acts that people could see you doing, He often examined the unseen thoughts and feelings of people. This is why the true definition of repentance aligns better with that idea. It is not about what you say to God after you sin, it is about your heart after you sin.
When speaking to Christians, a question you may hear is, “Can I sin and then just repent afterward?”. You can just feel the answer is no, but it is hard to know why. With the definition of metanoia, that is the reason why. If you feel good about your sin and just think that God is foolish enough to accept your sorry, you may want to think about who you are praying to.
I pray this brings more clarity to what true repentance is. Repenting the right way could be the wedge separating you from God. I pray that the wedge is removed for all of you and that you share this truth with those who do not have the same understanding.
- “Metanoia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metanoia. Accessed 25 Feb. 2024. ↩︎
