For godly sorrow produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death. -2 Cor 7:10
Repentance was central to the preaching of the New Testament. John the Baptist began his ministry by calling people to repent (Matt. 3:2). Shortly afterward, Jesus entered the scene proclaiming the very same message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). He denounced cities that refused to repent and warned them of coming judgment (Matt. 11:21; 12:41; Luke 10:13; 11:32). When Jesus came into Galilee, He preached the gospel of God, declaring that people must “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). He also sent out the twelve disciples to preach repentance (Mark 6:12).
In Luke 13:5, Jesus issued a solemn warning that unless people repented, they would perish. He further taught that there is great joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7, 10). After Christ’s resurrection, repentance continued to be proclaimed as essential for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 3:19). Even in the book of Revelation, the risen Christ repeatedly calls the churches to repentance. In the first three chapters alone, repentance is mentioned eight times. Jesus warns the seven churches that failure to repent would bring judgment, even to the point of removing their lampstand (Rev. 2:5). The Old Testament likewise contains repeated calls for God’s people to repent and turn from their sins.
Perhaps you are wondering why so much emphasis is being placed on repentance. Why devote such attention to this doctrine? It is because repentance is necessary if one is to inherit the kingdom of heaven.
You will remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ to Nicodemus: “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Jesus left no room for misunderstanding. Entrance into the kingdom is not obtained merely through outward behavioral change. What man needs is not mere moral reform but spiritual resurrection (Eph. 2:5). This new birth is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. Every person whom the Holy Spirit regenerates will turn away from sin. There is no one who is truly born again and yet continues comfortably living in rebellion against God. This turning away from sin is repentance.
Yet, like many foundational doctrines, repentance is widely misunderstood. Some reduce repentance to merely confessing sins. A person sins, asks for forgiveness, and then continues in the same pattern repeatedly, assuming that saying sorry each morning and evening is sufficient. Others think repentance is something produced by human effort alone. Still others imagine that a person can believe in Jesus Christ, trust in His finished work, and possess saving faith without turning away from sin altogether.
This article seeks to clarify the biblical doctrine of repentance. It is our prayer that you will examine yourself carefully and ask whether you have truly turned away from your sins and come to Christ in genuine repentance and faith.
Definition
At regeneration, the Holy Spirit grants the sinner a new nature, raising him from spiritual death to life (John 3:3–8; Ezekiel 36:25–27; John 1:12–13; Ephesians 2:1–5 ). The very first act of this renewed nature is the conscious turning away from sin in repentance and the embracing of Jesus Christ in faith for salvation (Acts 16:14). The newborn soul recoils from sin in holy revulsion and eagerly runs to Christ for mercy and forgiveness. (1 Thessalonians 1:9)
Simply stated, repentance is “godly sorrow for sin accompanied by a resolve to turn from it.” As God shines the light of regeneration into the sinner’s heart, He opens the sinner’s spiritual eyes to see both the bankruptcy of sin and the infinite worthiness of Christ (Acts 26:18; 2 Cor. 4:6). The sinner now sees Christ as perfectly suited to forgive sins and to provide the righteousness necessary for eternal life.
Repentance, therefore, can only occur after the Holy Spirit has worked in someone's heart. It is the fruit of regeneration. A person who was once dead in trespasses and sins is made alive by God and is granted the ability to perceive spiritual reality rightly. The regenerated soul immediately begins to turn away from sin and to turn toward Christ in faith.
Essential Characteristics of Biblical Repentance
Firstly, biblical repentance is a necessary component of salvation. There is no salvation without repentance. Mark records that “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14–15). Matthew likewise records that Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17; see also Luke 24:46–47). Since Jesus Himself preached repentance and commanded that it be preached to all nations, it must necessarily be an essential component of the gospel message. No one can enter the kingdom of heaven without turning away from sin.
It is a dangerous deception to think that someone can continue living in unrepentant sin while claiming to belong to Christ. No one truly believes the gospel without repentance. A person may know the facts of the gospel and even intellectually affirm them to be true, yet unless he turns away from his sin, he has not genuinely trusted in Christ. Such a person remains a stranger to the saving power of the gospel.
This is precisely why the apostles preached repentance as central to their message (Acts 2:37–38; 3:19; 5:30–31; 17:30–31; 20:20–21; 26:19–20). Repentance is not optional; it is a non-negotiable element of gospel proclamation. Flee from teachers who proclaim forgiveness without repentance. Flee from men who promise salvation while leaving sinners comfortable in their rebellion against God.
The apostle Paul summarized his ministry by emphasizing repentance as a central component of the message he proclaimed (Acts 26:18–20). True conversion necessarily includes turning away from sin and turning to the living God in faith (1 Thess. 1:9). Wherever genuine salvation occurs, repentance will always accompany it.
Secondly, biblical repentance is a gift from God. Because the Bible repeatedly commands sinners to repent, many mistakenly assume that repentance is something fallen man can produce by his own power. They reason that if God commands repentance, then man must naturally possess the ability to perform it. But this is far from the teaching of Scripture. The Bible teaches that, just like faith, repentance is a gracious gift from God. God not only commands repentance, but He also grants the ability and the willingness to repent. Though every true believer exercises repentance, repentance itself is not self-produced. It is wrought by God through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture repeatedly affirms this truth. God exalted Jesus Christ to His right hand “to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31). In Acts 11:18, the disciples glorified God after realizing that He had “granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” Likewise, Paul the Apostle instructed Timothy not to be quarrelsome, but gentle and patient when correcting opponents, “if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:24–25).
The testimony of Scripture is clear: repentance is a divine gift. The psalmist himself cried out for God to restore His people (Ps. 80:3, 7, 19), recognizing that turning back to God ultimately depends upon God’s gracious work.
Repentance was secured through the cross-work of Christ and is effectually applied through regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, although sinners are commanded to repent, we must never imagine that we can produce repentance by our own strength. Left to ourselves, we remain dead in sin and hostile toward God. We must cry out to God to mercifully grant us repentance that leads to life.
Thirdly, biblical repentance is a necessary consequence of regeneration. As discussed earlier, repentance is the result of being born again. When God breathes spiritual life into a sinner who was dead in trespasses and sins, the first response of that renewed heart is a turning away from sin and a turning toward God.
Are you born again? Do you desire to know whether God has truly worked in your heart? One unmistakable mark will be a growing hatred for sin and a sincere turning away from it. Regeneration always produces repentance. While an unregenerate person may experience deep sorrow over the consequences of sin or feel remorse over personal failure, true biblical repentance is never the experience of the natural man apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Genuine repentance—the God-honoring response to sin—is impossible without the new birth.
Herman Bavinck rightly writes:
“True repentance according to Scripture does not arise from the natural man but from the new life that was planted in a person by regeneration. . . . Faith and repentance both arise from regeneration.”
— Reformed Dogmatics, 4:163, 152.
Together with faith, repentance is the first conscious spiritual act of the regenerated person. It is the instinctive “first breath” of the new creature in Christ. Consequently, wherever regeneration has truly taken place, biblical repentance will inevitably and unmistakably follow.
Fourthly, biblical repentance is distinct from worldly sorrow. Paul the Apostle clearly distinguishes the two in 2 Corinthians 7:10: “For godly sorrow produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.” Scripture, therefore, recognizes that not all sorrow over sin is genuine repentance.
Acts 11:18 speaks of a “repentance that leads to life.” Likewise, Paul describes true repentance as that which leaves no regret and leads to salvation (2 Cor. 7:10) and to “the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:25). Biblical repentance is therefore more than feeling bad about sin. It is a Spirit-produced turning away from sin unto God.
Many people experience regret over their actions without ever truly repenting. A thief who is caught in the act may deeply regret being discovered, yet still love the sin itself and return to it at the first opportunity. Such sorrow is not hatred for sin because it dishonors God; rather, it is sorrow over consequences, shame, or punishment.
This distinction is powerfully illustrated in the cases of the rich young ruler and Judas. When the rich young ruler heard the cost of discipleship, he became sorrowful (Luke 18:23). Yet his sorrow was worldly because he valued his earthly riches more than the privilege of following Jesus Christ. His heart remained attached to the world. Likewise, Judas experienced remorse after betraying Christ (Matt. 27:3). He even returned the thirty pieces of silver. Yet his sorrow was not genuine repentance. It did not lead him to seek mercy from God or to flee to Christ in faith. Instead, his worldly sorrow drove him deeper into despair and ultimately to suicide. True repentance does not merely fear consequences or feel emotional pain over sin. Genuine repentance hates sin because it is an offense against a holy God and turns to Christ for mercy and cleansing.
Fifthly, biblical repentance is transformative in nature. To repent means “to change one’s course of action.” True repentance is far more than making a mere decision. Neither is it only sorrow or regret over sin and its consequences. Biblical repentance is a radical change that encompasses the whole person. Repentance affects the mind (cognition). Through the Word of God, the sinner comes to a true knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20). He begins to see sin as God sees it—as rebellion against a holy and righteous God. Repentance also affects the affections (desires and emotions). There is a genuine sorrow over sin, not merely because of consequences, but because sin has been committed against God Himself. David expressed this godly sorrow when he cried out in Psalm 51 after his sin. Repentance further affects the will (volition). There is an inward turning away from sin and a sincere desire to seek pardon, cleansing, and obedience to God. The repentant sinner no longer desires to continue walking in rebellion but now longs to pursue holiness and submission to Christ.
Therefore, repentance is something that occurs deep within the heart and involves the entire person in a decisive turning away from sin and turning toward God.Because repentance is transformative, there will also be visible evidence of it. Repentance goes beyond merely changing one’s mind; it establishes a new relationship with God that results in a changed life. One of the clearest passages demonstrating this truth is 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10:
“For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”
Becoming a Christian always involves a decisive break with a life of sin and rebellion. Whatever a person’s background may be, genuine conversion requires turning away from idols of some kind. Repentance does not permit a person to remain comfortably in anti-God attitudes, behaviors, and pursuits. Instead, it renounces them and redirects the sinner onto an entirely new path.
Biblical repentance, therefore, is a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Jesus Christ. This is why John the Baptist commanded the Pharisees to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matt. 3:8). Genuine repentance always produces visible fruit. Where there is true repentance, there will inevitably be evidence of a transformed life (see also Acts 26:20; 2 Tim. 2:25).
Sixthly, biblical repentance is a way of life. One who has truly repented of sin will be marked continually by repentance. Repentance is not merely a one-time act. Many people depend on the “sinner’s prayer” or a “prayer of salvation,” where one repeats a prayer confessing sins and then rests their entire hope of salvation on that moment alone. However, this is not the biblical understanding of repentance. Repentance is not simply repeating a prayer and then continuing with life as usual. The gift of true repentance begins a new pattern of life—a life marked by ongoing contrition over remaining sin. The believer continues to hate sin, mourn over it, and seek conformity to Christ. Scripture describes this posture in Isaiah 66:1–2 and Matthew 5:3, where God looks with favor upon the one who is humble, contrite in spirit, and trembles at His Word.
As John Murray rightly states,
“Just as faith is not only a momentary act but an abiding attitude of trust and confidence directed to the Savior, so repentance results in constant contrition. The broken spirit and the contrite heart are abiding marks of the believing soul.”
True repentance, therefore, is not temporary remorse but a lifelong disposition of turning from sin unto God.
Finally, we must note that biblical repentance does not atone for sin. Many believers live in slavish fear because they think their repentance accomplishes a kind of “atonement” or satisfaction for the sins they commit. This can lead to a dangerous form of “evangelical penance,” where a person constantly attempts to earn peace with God through repeated sorrow and confession. Others live in continual fear, wondering whether their repentance is deep enough or sincere enough to save them. Such thinking often leads to doubt, anxiety, and despair.
However, this misunderstands the gospel. Repentance does not save; Christ saves. Repentance is necessary, but it is not the ground of our justification. The believer’s hope is not found in the perfection of his repentance, but in the perfection of Christ’s person and work. We must remember that Jesus alone is our Savior.
Whatever Horatius Bonar said concerning faith may also be applied to repentance:
“Faith is not our savior. It was not faith that was born at Bethlehem and died on Golgotha for us. It was not faith that loved us and gave itself for us; that bore our sins in its own body on the tree; that died and rose again for our sins. Faith is one thing, the Savior is another. Faith is one thing, and the cross is another. Let us not confound them, nor ascribe to a poor, imperfect act of man, that which belongs exclusively to the Son of the Living God.”
In the same way, repentance is not our savior. Christ alone is the atoning sacrifice for sin. Repentance does not purchase forgiveness; rather, it is the God-given response of a sinner who turns from sin and casts himself wholly upon Christ for mercy.
Repentance is a humble acknowledgment of sin and the need for forgiveness. It leads to mourning, sorrow, shame, and humiliation over sin before a holy God. True repentance involves a repudiation of wickedness, a decisive turning away from a life of sin, and a sincere resolve to walk in obedience to God. Such repentance is evidenced by a transformed life.
“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).
“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” (Acts 17:30).
Have you repented of your sins?
Psalm 7:11–13 declares:
“God is a righteous judge,
And a God who has indignation every day.
If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword;
He has bent His bow and made it ready.
He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His arrows fiery shafts.”
Now listen to the gracious words of our Lord Jesus Christ:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).
Here is a grand invitation to all who are burdened by sin. Here is the olive branch of peace extended to guilty sinners. Christ stretches out His hands and beckons sinners to come to Him, while at the same time withholding the wrath of God that they deserve.
What will you say, sinner?
Behold, now is “the acceptable time”; behold, now is “the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). Do not harden your heart. Flee to Christ while mercy is still freely offered. Turn from your sin and cast yourself wholly upon the Savior, for all who come to Him in true repentance and faith will never be turned away.
Blessed are those who mourn (for their sins), for they shall be comforted. (Matt 5:4)
Repent or Perish! Turn or Burn!
