Repentance has a two-fold meaning. The first being a change of mind or perspective, and second, a change of behavior. Jesus still cries out, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 4:17) When we change our mind about who God is, and what He desires of us, we then as a natural consequence begin changing our behavior. But there is a much needed order here, thoughts must change before actions change. This is because our thoughts actually determine the way we live, we “do” what we “think.” Many people are stuck in sin because they still have twisted thoughts about themselves and God. Their mind is at war against them. Even though they may struggle and strive to do the right thing, they always end up failing because they are seeing life through a dirty window. But as we change our minds to believe what God’s word says about Himself, ourselves, and the world around us, we find an ease and grace to change.

“As a man believes in his heart so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)

Since repentance is two-fold in nature, it means that one part without the other is not true repentance. Let me illustrate. One can turn from sin and seek to live holy, but if he does not change his mind, and rethink his core values and ways of viewing the world he has not truly repented in the richest sense of the word, even though externally he is doing the right thing.

For example, let’s say a true born again person believes they are a lustful person: this belief then reproduces itself in behavior, once they stumble and do what they believe they are, they then take this as confirmation of their assumed identity, and the cycle goes on and on. Sin is empowered by our faith in its power over us.

This wrong belief combined with an understanding that God demands holy living creates a bipolar division within the person. On one hand they wish to obey God, and on the other they believe themselves to be a slave to a sin(s). This is the breeding grounds for an endless battle within the believer because wrong thinking will consistently produce bad behavior. These are some of the most anxiety-ridden people – they are attempting to do the right thing, but because of the strongholds of thought in their mind, it becomes a full time job of trying to avoid sin at every turn.

Freedom in part comes from discarding false beliefs about ourselves and receiving the truth of our identity in Christ. We have to turn away from sin but we also need to completely unidentify with it, meaning we reject it as part of our design. It’s not who we are anymore, we may stumble and sin, but we cannot then take that in and act as if it’s who we are now. We are children of God who are defined by the righteousness of Christ, this is our true selves. When we sin we are acting out of character.

Now on the flip side of this coin, if a person changes their mind, and believes differently but does not change their ways by turning from sin, it again is not true repentance.

“He that covers his sins will not prosper, but whoso confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)

Before we had the new testament written in greek we had the old testament written in hebrew that the apostles and the early church considered the word of God. It is what they drew from to support their position of Jesus being the Messiah and where they looked to draw wisdom, teaching, and understanding for their lives.

“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

What would be the “scripture” that Paul would be referring to, if you haven’t guessed yet, it is the old testament. They didn’t have the “bible” as we now know it. They would have had the first five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, the Psalms, Proverbs, and the minor and major Prophets. These are the scriptures that were said to be God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuke and correction, and this is where they would have drawn their definition for repentance from. Paul himself was originally a pharisee who studied under Gamaleal who at that time was a reputable Jewish scholar and leader. Paul because of his extensive training was an expert in the scriptures, likely knowing hundreds of passages by heart. He would have looked to the old testament and knew what God originally defined repentance as, which we can see perfectly illustrated in this passage I already quoted.

“He that covers his sins will not prosper, but whoso confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)

Repentance includes forsaking sin, and we also see clearly here that it’s not enough to confess your sins, you must turn away to find mercy.

Repentance was first outlined in the old testament, it is not a greek invention. If we are to know what God thinks about repentance we need to go back and look in the old testament. So originally the word “repent, or repentance,” was not only “changing your mind,” but a forsaking of sin in pursuit of obedience to God’s commandments. Now I can agree there is a mind change and that concept is also found in the old testament, but it is always paired with behavior change. Repentance is not merely a mental nod in agreement to biblical truths, there must be actions to back up true repentance.

“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Isreal, everyone according to his ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions (sins); so that iniquity will not be your ruin.” (Ezekiel 18:30)

If we look at the new testament when John was baptizing people in preparation for the Messiah who was to come, we can see that he understood and preached the hebraic understanding of repentance, he told those who were coming to be baptized to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” Or in the New Living Translation, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” (Matthew 3:8) In other words, repentance produces fruit in our actions. True repentance is proved by the way we live our lives. If we have professed to have “repented” but still live in sin we are in deception.

Now I do agree with the notion that repentance means to change your mind, but that is only part of the definition. If I truly change my mind then my external behavior will change, and if it hasn’t I haven’t really thought differently after all, because thoughts determine behavior. I do what I think. If I think differently I will live differently. Actions are irreversibly bound to the way we think. Going around claiming a change of mind without a corresponding change of behavior is like saying you love your neighbor while you steal from him behind his back. It’s basically the same concept that James brings up when he said “faith without works is dead.” (see James 2:20) Genuine repentance manifests in works, just as authentic faith manifests in works. Again echoed in Christ’s words to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:5, we can see that repentance is married to “doing.”

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent, and “do” the first works; or else I will come quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of his place, except you repent.”

Even the Apostle Paul preached a repentance that was indeed a turning away from sin.

“First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.” (Acts 26:20)

This is right out of the mouth of Paul. We are to demonstrate our repentance by our deeds. Biblical “repentance” is both a change of mind and behavior. It is not just “changing your mind,” and it is not just “changing your actions,” it is the two combined. The reason I bring this up is because there is a movement within the church that is watering down repentance to a mere “change of mind,” and they are neglecting to preach a radical turning from sin. This of course is dangerous, because if there is no turning from sin then there can be no salvation, I hope that this is becoming clear. The biblical standard set for a person coming to Christ is not faith alone, but faith and repentance, which leads to salvation. Think with me for a moment, it is impossible to be saved without repentance. Why? Because salvation sets us free from sin! How in the world could we then be saved if we refuse to let go of sin, since salvation destroys sin’s power over us and ruins our craving for it? Salvation without repentance is illogical. Salvation delivers us from the power of sin, and repentance lets go of the sin that salvation sets us free from.