Repentance-What is it?

October 19, 2025

The true meaning of repentance is to completely change your mind about the way that you are living your life followed by action revealing that decision. It’s a 180-degree turn around from the life you once lived before Christ versus the life you now live after Christ. People should be able to look at you and know that there is something different about you!

That is why the Lord is clear when he states in 2 Corinthians 6:17 “Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” We can see a distinction between born-again believers of Jesus Christ and the rest of the world. From the moment you receive salvation, the next step will always be repentance.

Let’s dig a litter deeper to analyze the meaning of the word repent. We can find it in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The best way to understand what the Lord meant by repentance is to dissect the word used in both the Old Testament and the New Testament Scriptures. This will allow us to gain the full comprehension of the word in its entirety.

Let’s first take a look at some passages of Scripture out of the Old Testament that reveal to us the word “repent.”

Ezekiel 18:30

“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.” The word “repent” being used here is the Hebrew word “šûḇ” which means: turn back from evil. We can see that the prophet Ezekiel is proclaiming repentance to the house of Israel. Then he discloses the outcome of disobeying the word of the Lord and that was their ruin.

We can determine why the message of repentance that Ezekiel was giving to Israel was so important in a passage before this one. Ezekiel 18:21 gives us some key information and it states, “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.”

Repenting and turning away from all evil was literally a life-or-death situation for Israel. Ezekiel was giving them a warning and also providing them with a favorable outcome. All they had to do is keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord and turn away from all sin and they would live.

True repentance is you making the decision that you are going to turn away from all evil and wickedness followed by your actions showing that you are serious about making that choice. 2 Corinthians 5:17 gives us a clear picture of what your new life in Christ should begin to look like. It states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

The new you should begin to look nothing like to old you that was living in willful sin. The only way that you can show that you are truly turning form your old ways is by your actions. A lot of times people say that they are believers of Jesus Christ but the way that they live their daily lives says something completely different. That means that person is not living a repentant life and not abiding by the stipulations found in the Word of God.

Another passage of Scripture out of the Old Testament is found in the book of 2 Chronicles.

2 Chronicles 7:14

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Here we can clearly see that the Lord is calling for His people (the Israelites) to humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways. This Scripture is referencing the time that they were being led by King Solomon, the Lord appeared to him after he prayed for Israel. God was calling for repentance from the nation and not just one person. The result of them turning from their sin is the Lord healing their land.

The words “and will heal” being used here is the Hebrew word “rāp̄ā’” which means: heal hurts of the Nation, involving restored favor and often forgiveness. The Lord is giving us a formula that can be used even today and that is: if a Nation would turn from their wicked ways and humble themselves, pray, and seek His face then He will heal that land.

Unfortunately, a lot of Christians don’t practice repentance in their own lives which makes it more difficult for a Nation to repent as a whole. We can see the manifestation of the lack of repentance even within the United States of America. Things seem to be getting darker and darker as the years go by. Make it a top priority to live a life of repentance being the example to others of how a born-again believer should be living their life.

Now, let’s take a look at the word “Repentance” used in the New Testament.

2 Corinthians 7:10

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

Here we can see that the Apostle Paul is giving us some crucial information regarding repentance. The word “sorrow” is the Greek word “lypē” which means: grief, pain, sorrow acceptable to God. In other words it’s the person truly feeling sorry for what they did that transgressed against the Lord.

Then we can see Paul uses the word “repentance” which is the Greek word “metanoia” which means: a change of mind, as it appears to one who repents, of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done. When we combine these words together we can see that the Apostle Paul is explaining to us that repentance means you change your entire frame of mind.

You won’t want to live the life that you used to live because you truly feel sorry for the sins that you committed before you became a believer. Romans 12:2 details it perfectly when Paul states, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

We can see here that Paul is giving us some vital information pertaining to repentance. He is making it clear that you want to turn away from your old worldly ways and renew your mind or “change your mind” from the way you used to think and renewing it to having the mind of Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:16.

The final thing that we need to take a look at when analyzing 2 Corinthians 7:10 is the contrast that Paul is making when it comes to Godly sorrow versus the sorrow of the world. When a person that is worldly tells you they are sorry, a lot of times they will do the same thing that they stated they were sorry for over and over again. That is why it’s difficult to believe that they are truly remorseful for something that they did to you that was uncalled for.

Imagine telling your spouse that you are sorry for doing something that hurt them but yet continuing to do it over again. Your spouse is not going to take your apology seriously. Similarly, the same scenario applies for Christians that tell the Lord that they are really sorry for allowing sin to cause a wedge between you and Him but still choosing to commit that same habitual sin anyway which is not showing true repentance.

The Lord lets us know the outcome of worldly sorrow and that is death. Never forget that the wages of sin will always lead to death, Romans 6:23. There really is no getting around it. When we become born-again believers of Christ, we have to make that decision to turn from our wicked ways and truly live a life of repentance!

Conclusion

Repentance is extremely vital in the life of a believer of Jesus Christ. It has to do with turning completely away from your old, wicked ways and choosing to live your life upright in the eyes of the Lord. It begins with the decision to change your frame of mind completely followed by action showing you doing so.

The word repentance is found both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. A person that is refusing to repent and turn from their ungodly ways is running the risk of not entering into the Kingdom of God. The Lord doesn’t sugar coat anything when it comes to following His rules and stipulations. He is definitive when He states, “If you love Me, keep my commandments,” John 14:15!

Also, don’t forget to check out my other current blogs:

Praying for your unsaved loved ones: Pray and Fast

Praying for your unsaved loved ones-Pray without Ceasing

Praying for your unsaved loved ones-pray the Word of God

Praying for your unsaved loved ones-believing God’s promises

Praying for your unsaved loved ones-be a doer of God’s Word

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

What are Spiritual Strongholds?

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2

The Spiritual Laws of God-Restoration

The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles

The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue!

The Spiritual Laws of God-Having an Understanding

Below are some books that I have personally read that I recommend to help you get set free from the enemy and his devices. Each one provides you with warfare practices that you can apply to your daily life. Just click on the Link below the book and it will lead you straight to it. You will not be disappointed!