What does it mean to repent?

Luke 15:1-10
A common theme in the Bible is repentance. What does it mean to repent?
Dictionaries basic understanding is to: Feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrongdoing or sin. More often than not we are sorry for sin because of its consequences to us. It will bring us punishment – and we want to avoid that. So, we repent.

‘God, I am so miserable and remorseful that I deserve to be forgiven.’

Is that what we think? Looking at it this way it can be seen as a selfcentred or self-righteous act.

The two main Hebrew words which the English translates as ‘repent’ are
‘Shuv’ and ‘Nacham.’ Their Greek counterparts are ‘Strepho’ and ‘Metanoia.’ Shuv means “to turn back, to be returned, carry back, brought again” and means that a relationship is restored. Strepho is to turn around or to turn back to God. The other Hebrew word, Nacham, carries with it an image of taking a deep breath or a sigh, but also has the meaning of compassion, consoling or comforting due to a change of mind. The Greek counterpart Metanoia, is made up of two words: meta and nous. Meta means after or change and nous is the Greek word for mind. The word means “after-mind” and signifies a change of mind – thinking of one way, but then afterwards thinking of another. Though it can also mean going beyond (meta) your thinking to access the realm of your heart.

Repentance is a change that takes place in one’s life as a result of the Holy Spirit working through God’s means of grace – Word and Sacrament. As with faith and grace, repentance is a total gift from God. Repentance is a life style and not a one off occurrence. It is something that we never get past, because we are constantly in need of God’s grace. Repentance allows us to repeatedly tap into the joy of our union with Christ in order to weaken our need to do anything contrary to God’s heart. It is one of God’s blessings for us.

Pastor Darryl