Berean Baptist Church > Blog > A Word about Repentance

When you study the words “repent” and “repentance” in the New Testament, you quickly find that there isn’t just one simple definition. The words “repent,” “repented,” and “repentance” show up 56 times in the ESV New Testament. For comparison, the word “believe” in its different forms appears 249 times. We can look at a few examples to understand how “repent” is used before and after salvation.

Mark 6:12 says, “So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.” What does this mean? Remember, context is very important. We must look at the verses around verse 12 to determine what Mark is describing. In verse 6, we read that Jesus was amazed at His listeners’ lack of belief. In this context, repenting means turning from being an unbeliever to believing in who Christ is and what He was doing on earth at that time. “Repent” is often an imperative in Scripture, a command (something you must do) to turn away from your unbelief and trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Now consider Acts 2:38, where Peter tells this audience, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the…” In this verse, Peter is speaking to Jews who were responsible for Jesus’ death. They did not believe Jesus was the Christ (the Messiah, God’s Chosen One), and they killed God’s Son. Killing God’s Son was a grave sin. They needed to admit their role in his death and realize they needed forgiveness. In this context, repenting includes recognizing that they killed the Christ, acknowledging their need for forgiveness, and understanding that this forgiveness comes only through faith in Christ’s death for their sin, His burial, and resurrection.

Next, look at Revelation 9:21, which says, “Nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries…” Here, repentance is very specific. A person is sinning, and they must stop. While this verse mentions murder, repentance doesn’t have to be about something that extreme. For example, I must repent if I am often selfish or ungrateful. Repentance is about recognizing that my actions are wrong and need to change.

Anyone who does not believe that Jesus died for their sins must repent and turn to Jesus in faith. Christians also repent. When they sin, they confess their disobedience to God and work with the Holy Spirit to stop sinning. As you can now see, repentance does not have a simple definition.