 What does repentance mean? In the previous video I explained the problem with the repentance of your sins to be saved Gospel message. Mainly that there are many verses in the Bible that say repent but don't go on to say of your sins. So we need to understand what repentance actually means. Now we could go to the dictionary but the problem is with the dictionary is that it's based on how we use words in language and so unfortunately religious dogma on this issue has tainted how repentance is defined in the dictionary. So we're just going to stick to the Bible and allow the Bible to tell us what it means. So we want to understand the core word repent and remove this silly man-made context of your sins after it. What does the word repent mean? So repent is a verb and that will include past and present tense such as repented or repentance or repenteth. The action word is doing the act of repenting. It can act as both a transitory and a non transitory verb. Repentance in the noun form is the state of being of somebody who has repented or describing the act of repenting in the noun form. So to start let's take a look at something people are very familiar with John the Baptist's repentance. So it says in Matthew chapter three verses one and two repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Now what does John the Baptist mean by this? Well Jesus tells us in Matthew 21 32 for John came on to you in the way of righteousness and you believed him not but the publicans and the harlots believed him and you when you had seen it repented not afterward that you might believe him. Paul further qualifies this in Acts chapter 19 verse 4 in saying that John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance saying unto the people that they should believe on him which should come after him that is on Christ Jesus. So in summary John the Baptist is pointing people towards the coming messiah and in hindsight both Jesus and Paul understood this as saying that the people were supposed to repent by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ that John was pointing them to. This context tells us that repentance means to turn towards something. In this case John the Baptist told us to turn towards Christ by believing on him. This then helps us to understand repentance when people are called to repent towards something. For example in Acts 11 18 God grants the Gentiles repentance unto life or repentance towards life. So the repentance is turning towards life or in context eternal life. Now let's look at an example of using repentance in a different way. It says in Revelation 2 21 22 and I gave her space to repent of her fornication and she repented not. Behold I will cast her into a bed and then that commit adultery with her into great tribulation except they repent of their deeds. So in this passage Jesus is giving messages to several churches and Jezebel was part of the Church of Thyatira. Jesus commended the church for their works but there were a few issues that Jesus had against them including Jezebel's fornication and the deeds of the people who were seduced by her. This context tells us that repentance means to turn away from something. In this case Jesus told Jezebel to turn away from her fornication. In this context it is a sin issue but there are passages where turning away from something is not a sin issue. For example in Jonah 3 9 it says who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn from his fierce anger that we perish not. In Jeremiah 42 10 it says I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you and this is not talking about sin. Now in these passages God repented and God has no sin. So we see that repentance cannot automatically mean to turn from sin unless sin is explicitly stated as the context of what is being repented of. So a most basic definition of repentance would be an about turn. A turning away from one thing and towards another. It's more specific than the word turn though because it typically refers to two opposing directions. Sometimes repentance is a change of action. Stop doing one thing start doing another but it can also mean a change of mind even when there is no obvious change of action to prove or demonstrate that the change of mind was genuine. Let's look at a couple of examples. It says in Exodus 13 17 and it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go that God let them not through the way of the land of the Philistines although that was near for God said lest peradventure the people repent when they see war and they return to Egypt. This is an interesting example because this would have been a bad repentance once again proving that repentance does not automatically mean turning from sin. In this case if they had repented there would have been a change of action. In Luke 17 3 and 4 it says take heed to yourselves if thy brother trespass against thee rebuke him and if he repent forgive him and if he trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him. This is an interesting example because if your brother sins against you seven times in the same day he only has to say that he repents. He does not actually have to demonstrate his repentance with fruits by not sinning against you and yet you are commanded to forgive him no less. This is an example of a change of mind irrespective of whether it results in changed actions. Now let's look at a couple more verses before we finish so that we can apply more definitions to the word repent. In Job 42 6 it says wherefore I rapport myself and repent in dust and ashes. You may well be familiar with the concept of sackcloth and ashes in the Bible that people prayed in this way when they were extremely sorrowful and remorseful. So this would be an example of where repentance means having sorrow or remorse possibly including guilt. In Job's case it wasn't so much his actions he had to repent of but rather his ignorance and lack of understanding. In Psalm 110 verse 4 and this is quoted in Hebrews 721 the Lord has sworn and will not repent thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now this would be another type of repentance referring to God and a bad type of repentance proving that once again repentance does not automatically mean turning from sin. This verse has nothing to do with being sorrowful or remorseful it means changing course or rather not. Sometimes God repented due either to man's wicked behavior or man's appeal to God. Other times God cannot or will not repent because he has eternally purposed and promised to do something irrevocable. So in summary we see that repentance means to do an about turn from one direction in another direction in other words a change of course a change of action a change of mind. It may include sorrow and remorse and guilt but not always. So we see that repentance is not a doctrine it does not demand a 12 paragraph article about your incredible testimony of weeping over your sins before you surrendered everything to Jesus. It's a simple verb as in walk or see or do and it needs context to understand how the verb is applied. When the Bible says walk in the spirit your first reaction is not to put one leg in front of the other in repetitive succession to visit the girl somewhere because in the spirit is the context which changes the application of the verb walk. Likewise the surrounding context of the use of the word repent indicates how it applies. In Mark 1 15 it doesn't say repent of your sins there's no mention of sin sin is not the context it says believe the gospel of the kingdom when it is preached on to you that's the context of what repentance means in this verse. In Ezekiel 1830 God will judge the house of Israel according to his ways and he is telling them to repent and turn yourselves from your transgressions so iniquity will not be your ruin now transgression or iniquity which are synonymous with sin that is the context in this verse it is about repenting of sin. In Acts 19 4 when it says John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance again it doesn't say of your sins there's no mention of sin here so sin is not the context it does say believe on him which should come after him so believing in the Christ that was preached and be baptized is the context of what it means to repent in this verse. Hopefully I'll talk more about baptism and repentance in a future video but baptism follows belief as is demonstrated in multiple places in the bible so in the next video we're going to explore the question do we have to repent to be saved this is no nonsense Christianity reminding you that nowhere in the bible does it say repent of your sins to be saved