Repentance” is certainly a word that has long been gone in our vocabulary. Yet, it’s meaning and usage is still needed in our day. That is if we are going to go about “salvation” in a biblical way. In God’s word, repentance is found from front to back. It’s meaning is also found from a “Hebrew” and “Greek” definition. We today have taken up for the most part with only one definition of the word. I believe this is because of our “soft” and “weak” influence from the world. This of course has changed how we define many biblical words today, much less, not even use certain words which might “offend” people.
The main definition we use today for “repentance” is taken from the Greek meaning of the word “Repent” or “Repented”. It says, “to think differently, or afterwards, i.e. reconsider”. Most pastors and teachers of today would say that repent means to “change your thinking about Jesus, and to change your thinking about sin”. Also, “to change direction”. This is, of course, one meaning of the word. However, we must dig much deeper into the word and its biblical meaning to arrive at a sound understanding so as to use it in today’s culture. When we see its meaning in a more complete way, then we can apply this meaning to today’s culture in the sharing of the gospel.
We must start first with the “Hebrew” definition. If we take the words “repent, repented, and repenteth”, we come up first with, “to sigh, i.e. breath strongly”. By implication, it means, “to be sorry, rue”. Rue? What in the world is that word? Webster defines it as, “to feel penitence, remorse, or regret for, to feel sorrow, remorse, or regret”.
The actual word “repentance” only appears once in the Old Testament. It is found in the book of Hosea, chapter 13, verse 14. Its meaning is “ruefulness”. There again is that word.
Another meaning for the words, “Repent, repented, and repenteth”, is “to turn back, away”. This definition is also used for the words, “turn” and “turned”. This is certainly seen in the Old Testament with the “Children of Israel” where they were continually going away from God, then turning back to God.
Before we leave the Hebrew definition, we must look at some examples of repentance in the Old Testament. This helps us to better understand by seeing actual examples of these word definitions. One main thing that repentance was in the Hebraic culture was that it often involved covering themselves in “sackcloth” and sitting, or covering their head in “ashes”. This was a physical example of what was going on in the heart of a person that was repenting. They would show their grief, their loss, and their humility before God by doing this. They believed by doing this from the heart that God would “turn and repent” from His anger towards them.
Job said, “I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Jb.42:6).
King Ahab, “rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth, fasted, and lay in sackcloth” (1Kin.21:27).
The Lord said to King Josiah, “because your heart was tender, and you have humbled yourself before Me….and have rent your clothes, and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” (2Kin.22:19)
In the book of Jonah, just after he arose and went to Nineveh to tell them that God was going to “overthrow” their city, they all “believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth”. The king did as well. He made a decree to all the people that “man and beast be covered in sackcloth, and cry mightily to God, and turn every one from his evilway,”. “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that He had said that He would do to them;” (see Jonah, chapter 3).
Jesus himself also used Old Testament examples when referring to “repentance”. Just after He “upbraided the cities” because “they repented not”, he used “Tyre and Sidon” as an example and said that “they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes” (Mt.11:20-21).
Can we see that true repentance that God receives involves, “humility of heart before Him?” Could this humility possibly open up one’s heart to receive? Along with humility, what about the word, “Contrite?” This was a common word in Hebrew culture. It meant, “crushed, to collapse, smitten, dejected”. In our English definition, it means, “grieving and penitent for sin or shortcoming”. The Psalmist wrote about its importance,
“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as those who have a contrite spirit” (Ps.34:18).
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps.51:17).
Isaiah the prophet wrote of God saying,
“For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isa.57:15). Here he uses “humble” together with “contrite”. Towards God, I don’t think we can have one without the other.
In the last chapter of Isaiah’s book, he records the Lord as saying,
“But to this one will I look, on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,” (66:2b). Here he uses “poor” together with “contrite”. Again, I don’t think we can have one without the other.
In the “New Testament”, the Greek meaning of the word “repentance” is “compunction”. What in the world does that word mean? According to Webster, it means, “anxiety arising from awareness of guilt (awareness of conscience), distress of mind over an anticipated action or result”. Wow. Can you see where in today’s culture we would not even bring up this word and its definition. It would be offensive to say the least. Yet, we must get to the true definition of repentance and what it involves, what it looks like, even in today’s culture.
The word “repent” is the one Greek definition that we all like. It’s the one that can easily be swallowed. Again, it is, “to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider”. However, did you know that “morally”, it means the same as the word “repentance”, which again, means, “compunction”. We must take the complete meaning of the word to arrive at “True Repentance”.
True repentance has to do with “feelings”. Now that’s a hard one to swallow. Maybe that is why we have left it out in today’s culture? We don’t want to bring up our feelings. They are personable. Yet, in true repentance they are going to have to be expressed, for they come from the heart. They are going to have to be acknowledged. And that, mainly, and most importantly, towards God Himself. After all, who was offended in sin, first and foremost?
Two of the most famous people in the bible regarding “repentance” were David, and the “prodigal son”, right? And what did their confession consist of?
David said, “For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, and You only, have I sinned, and done evil in your sight,” (Ps.51:3-4).
The Prodigal son said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven (against God in heaven) and in your sight, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” (Lk.15:21).
Did these two confessions not require “humility”, “sorrow”, “compunction”, etc. of heart to God? They sure did. It was not just a “change of mind, or direction”. It was true repentance.
In closing, I have spent the last 40 years plus looking at, studying repentance. It has always amazed me at how real and necessary it is in the bible. It’s a sure subject that a child of God cannot escape if he, or she, wants to be a student of God’s word. And most importantly, how necessary it is in “salvation”. True salvation cannot be received without it. And, if we are going to be following Jesus’ command to “go into all the world and share the gospel”, we must have a proper understanding of repentance. After all, Jesus himself gave the command before He left this earth to preach “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Lk.24:47).
There is more to understand regarding repentance.
I hope you were blessed by this study! I was 🙂