Repentance
Overview
Repentance is the God-ordained turning of the human heart away from sin and back toward the LORD — encompassing both outward change of conduct and inward transformation of will. It is among the most persistent demands of Scripture, from the wilderness wanderings to the apostolic kerygma.
Canonical Development
In the Old Testament the call to repentance is carried by the Hebrew word shub (“turn, return”), sounded incessantly by the prophets: “Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” (Ezek. 33:11). Joel crystallizes it: “rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God” (Joel 2:13). Nineveh’s Repentance stands as the supreme OT exemplar — an entire city from king to cattle turns at a prophet’s cry. John the Baptist opens the New Testament era demanding “a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Luke 3:3), and Jesus takes up the same note from his first public word: “Repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The Prodigal Son parable makes repentance pictorial — “he came to himself” and returned to the father — while Peter’s Pentecost sermon makes it sacramental: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you” (Acts 2:38). Paul’s second letter to Corinth adds the inward dimension: “godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of” (2 Cor. 7:10).
Key Anchors
- Nineveh’s Repentance - the city of Nineveh turns at Jonah’s preaching; the LORD relents
- Godly Sorrow and Repentance - Paul’s distinction between worldly grief and saving metanoia
- The Prodigal Son - the lost son “came to himself,” returned, and was restored by the father
- Pentecost and the Birth of the Church - Peter’s call to repentance draws three thousand converts
- Locust Plague and Lament - Joel’s corporate lament that precedes his call to return to the LORD
Key Books
Notes
Repentance in Scripture is never mere remorse but a comprehensive reorientation — intellectual (knowing the error), emotional (grieving it), and volitional (turning from it). The NT term metanoia (“change of mind”) and the OT shub (“turn/return”) together capture both the inward renewal and the outward change of direction that genuine repentance requires.