Sometime ago I was sharing the gospel with a man when I asked him why he didn’t put his faith in Christ he told me something surprising. He said, “I still drink alcohol and smoke, I need to repent before I can put my faith in Christ.” I asked him to clarify what he meant by “repent.” He told me that he needed to get rid of his sinful habits before he came to church and went up front and prayed to ask for forgiveness.

Sadly, this man was greatly mistaken in his understanding of what repentance is. Unfortunately, it seems all too common that even people who have been going to church for many years do not understand the true nature of biblical repentance.

The term “repentance” is closely connected with the gospel message in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In order to share the gospel accurately and effectively it’s important that we have a clear undersatanding of what repentance is and what it isn’t.

I’m going to start out by briefly sharing a few points of what repentance is not.

1. Simply feeling bad for yourself

Repentance isn’t simply feeling bad for yourself because you got your self into a bad situation as a result of your sin. All sin has natural consequences that often make us feel bad. We feel bad because our sin resulted in pain in our lives and maybe it caused pain for others.

An example is Judas.

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. - Matthew 27:3

He was “siezed with remorse,” he even returned the 30 pieces of silver. However, there is no evidence that he repented of his sins in a biblical sense. Instead, he was simply sad that his actions and cause something undesirable.

Thomas Watson explains:

“If pain and trouble were sufficient to repentance, then the damned in hell should be most penitent, for they are most in anguish. Repentance depends upon a change of heart. There may be terror, yet with no change of heart."

2. A means of self-atonement

Sometimes people confuse the term “repentance” with the term “penance.” In Catholic and Orthodox Church teachings penance is a means of atoning for your own sins.

Every year men crucify themselves in the Philippines on Good Friday. They believe that by doing this they cleanse themselves of sins.

While self-crucifixion is rather recent phenomena, it has its roots in the practice of self-flagellation (whipping) which goes back centuries. Both are believed to be a way that Christians can rid themselves of personal sins.

The sad result is self-inflicted harm and suffering in an effort to purge oneself from sin. This is not repentance and it does not cleanse from sin. Christ alone can cleanse our sins.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

What is Biblical repentance?

1. A focus on Jesus

One of the key elements of Biblical repentance is a focus on Jesus. Unbiblical repentance often focuses more heavily on man. It is focused on how a person can make a change and start living a better life. While there are aspects of truth to this, the reality is, that true repentance always has Christ at the center.

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. - Acts 2:38

Biblical repentance happens when we call people to change their mind about Jesus!

• Jesus is Messiah/Savior
• Jesus is God
• Jesus alone can give forgiveness
• Jesus alone can bring us to God
• Jesus is worthy of our worship and adoration

2. A clear understanding of the Gospel

One of the biggest mistakes we make is thinking that any sorry over sin is biblical repentance. However, if we have not yet shared the gospel in a way that is understandable and if our listeners have not yet comprehend the basics of the gospel then their sorrow, how ever many tears there may be, is not the sorrow of biblical repentance and faith in Christ.

Wherever repentance was preached, so was the Gospel.

So what do we do when we see that there is sorrow but not a full understanding of the Gospel? We do what Jesus and the apostles did, we continue to preach the gospel in many varied ways and pray for the Holy Spirit to bring and understanding of the Truth to their hearts.

It’s easy for us to assume gospel understanding that is not truly there. Think about the two disciples with whom Jesus spoke, on the road to Emmaus. Likely they had been with Jesus for nearly three years. Yet, Jesus says,

He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken. - Luke 24:25

How do when know we someone really understands the Gospel?

We can ask questions to evaluate their understanding. Just like Jesus asked the two disciples in Luke 24:17, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” These are important questions to ask as we walk along with others in their gospel journey. Through their answers we can adapt our presentation and teaching of the gospel to make sure we are filling in the gaps of their understanding.

3. A genuine faith in Jesus

Biblical repentance and faith in Jesus can not be separate. They are like two sides of one coin. In fact, the term “repentance” really just describes what happens when a person turns from their false beliefs and idols and puts their faith in Jesus Christ.

The person who has truly repented will believe in Jesus and trust him alone for forgiveness of their sins and salvation. True repentance takes place only when the unbeliever turns to Jesus and believes.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. - Colossians 2:6-7

Paul speaks of faith in Christ as “receiving Christ Jesus as Lord.”

4. A deep sorrow over sin

While sorrow and grief over sin alone are not sufficient for true repentance, nonetheless true repentance will always result in godly sorrow over our sins. Some may exhibit this sorrow with tears and some may not, but true repentance will always carry with it a knowledge of personal sin and sorrow for it.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. - 2 Corinthians 7:10

5. A life that produces fruit of repentance

A one-time repentance that is quickly forgotten and never worked out in the sinner's life is evidence of false repentance.

True repentance is a work of God in man's heart. True repentance is the beginning of the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work. Thus, when a sinner truly repents, there will eventually be some evidence in his life of that repentance.

Instead, I first told the people in Damascus and Jerusalem, then all the people in Judea—and after that the Gentiles—to repent, turn to God, and perform deeds that are consistent with such repentance. - Acts 26:20

Conclusion

We need to be careful about how we understand biblical repentance. In our rush to “get people into heaven” we can easily accept a few tears as true repentance. However, was the gospel clearly preached and understood? Is Jesus at the center? Does this person exhibit true faith in Jesus Christ? Is there sorrow over their sin and is their fruit in their lives? These questions can help us to evaluate our gospel approach and whether or not the gospel was understood accurately and accepted sincerly.