Repent

The word repent translates metanoeo´, "to change one's mind." Not surprisingly, this word is rarely found in Classical Greek because "Greek society never thought of a radical change in a man's life as a whole, of conversion or turning around." In fact, the whole concept of conversion is not found in Greek thought, but is derived from the NT.

The idea in this word, then, is to turn around, change one's mind, relent, and in the theological sense involves "regret or sorrow, accompanied by a true change of heart toward God."

From A Word for the Day: Key Words from the New Testament.

I thought it is interesting that the concept of a complete turnaround was unknown to the Greeks.

Some years ago at my dad’s house we found an old report card of my sister’s. The grades represented were not very good. We started to show it to her kids and she got very upset and did not want them to see it. At first, I didn’t understand why a grown woman would care about her kids knowing that she wasn’t always an outstanding student.

After thinking about it I understood. She never had a complete turnaround in her life. There wasn’t a before and an after so her past lived in the present.

As a Christian, even though I am ashamed of a lot of my past, I realize it was before I came to Christ, before I repented for the first time. It doesn’t bother me that my kids know that I messed up in school and was a drug user. I can use these things both as a warning and as a way to show that God can change us.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Repentance is something we should live with each day because we sin each day. The great thing is that with repentance comes God’s forgiveness and cleansing. Amazingly, He doesn’t hold up the list of how many times we have done the same thing. He doesn’t point out that we said we said we were sorry yesterday and yet did it again. He gladly receives us and pours out His grace on us.

Wow!

Philip