Bible Discussion Thread

What does god word repent mean?

Hi Paul. 'Repent' in the Bible is from the Greek word, Metanoeo, which essentially means, 'changing one's mind or direction'. So when someone repents of having offended a person by word or deed, it means that he is sorry for his actions & determines in his mind to no longer offend in that way; he wants to take on a new path, not only towards that person but also towards not committing that offence again.

When we see it in the biblical view, repentance towards God can be one of two types: a simple sorrow (or, even a show of sorrow) for committing a sin yet without any desire to deal with that sin; and secondly, a deep sorrow, brought about by the Holy Spirit's conviction upon that person. In Matthew 3:7-10, we read of some religious leaders coming to John the Baptist to be baptized. They might have come because of the hype of the moment or even a sense of adding to their attempt to please God. But John questioned their motives, saying that their hearts weren't right & their coming was hypocritical & not to demonstrate repentance.

Whereas the repentance that Jesus & the apostles spoke of is the true understanding of repentance: of a change of heart & mind towards sin, turning away from it & turning to God. Only after Jesus' Death & Resurrection & the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell men, did men pre & post-Cross, receive a conviction of their sin & urging to turn away from anything that brought eternal damnation. Luke 13:1-5; John 16:7-11; Acts 2:36-39; Acts 3:19. So today, when one truly repents, he acknowledges that he is a sinner, having offended God by his carnal lifestyle & rejection of God; then under the moving of the Holy Spirit, he can do nothing but fall at the Cross of Christ in sorrow & seek forgiveness only through Jesus' Sacrifice. When that heart has truly turned away from the 'old' & now cleaving unto the Lord, God forgives - forgiving completely - sending His Holy Spirit to indwell him & give him new life, a new joy & a new hope.