To dive into what the Bible teaches about repentance,
we need to understand both why it is needed and how it is possible—but first, we need to define it. To repent is to turn away from sin with disgust, sorrow, and a resolve not to repeat the offense. In this definition, we begin to see why repentance is necessary: we must repent because of our sin. The Bible says “sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Any thought, word, or deed that goes against God’s holy and perfect standard is sin, an act of defiant rebellion against our maker and the way he created us to live and flourish. We wrong God and completely ruin our relationship with him through our sin, which is why repentance is necessary. We must turn from our sins and turn to God in faith; we must ask God for forgiveness for our sins and cast ourselves on his mercy if we are to have any chance of salvation from his just retribution.
If we understand and feel the holiness of God, the awful nature of our sin, and our need for repentance, we will be driven to ask the practical question, “how do I repent?” How is it possible for sinners to change their ways? Anybody who has tried to break the power of sin over his or her life through sheer effort and will power knows the futility of such an endeavor. The more we try to be perfect, the better we will understand what it means to be completely righteous. The better we understand what it means to be completely righteous and worthy of God’s love, the more we see the myriad of ways we fall short. The apostle Paul explains it like this: “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his [God’s] sight since through the law comes the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).
The more we try to follow God’s law to be justified, or declared righteous, the more we will see sin rooted deep in our mind, body, and soul. This is bad news. The solution comes through repenting of our sins, but we aren’t capable of doing it on our own. Sin has such complete and powerful control over our lives that we cannot turn from our sin by our will power. Jesus explained this vividly when he said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34).
How then can we be set free from sin and enabled to repent? This is only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit, who must first regenerate us. Regeneration means a “new beginning;” it is what Jesus called being “born again” (John 3:3-5). Regeneration is an instantaneous, subconscious work of the Holy Spirit in which new spiritual life is imparted to those dead in their sins. This work of God, an undeserved act of grace, mercy, and love, is what allows us to consciously repent of our sin and turn to Christ in faith.
It is important to understand this if we want to grasp the nature of repentance. Yes, repenting is something that we consciously choose to do, but that should not lead us to think that it is our contribution to salvation. Repentance, like all aspects of salvation, is by grace; it is a gift, undeserved and unearned, yet freely given to sinners in an act of unfathomable mercy (Acts 5:31, 11:18; 1 Timothy 2:25).
