The Root of Repentance: What Repentance Really Means in Acts 2

Hardly anyone enjoys repenting. Saying "I'm sorry" is hard enough. So what does repentance actually mean, and why does the Bible keep calling you to it? Repentance means turning from sin and toward God. It begins when the Holy Spirit convicts your heart, and it keeps going as a daily habit. God uses it to draw you close. Repentance is God repositioning your life toward Him so spiritual health can grow.

What is repentance?

Repentance is a change of mind and direction that puts you on a new path. Pastor Marty Sloan noted that the Greek word, metanoia, means a change of mind that results in a change of direction. You are walking one way, and you turn and walk the other way.

The first Christian sermon ended with this call. On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached that God had made Jesus "both Lord and Messiah" (Acts 2:36). The crowd was "cut to the heart" and asked, "Brothers, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37).

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Acts 2:38

Peter added a warning: "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation" (Acts 2:40). If people needed that call 2,000 years ago, we need it at least as much today.

Here is the good news. Repentance draws you toward God. It repositions your heart. And as sin increases, God's grace increases even more. It never runs out. Repentance grows when you hold God's holiness and His mercy together. That is where transformation happens.

Why do I need to repent if I already follow Jesus?

You need to repent because you live in a fallen world, and it affects you. Pastor Marty arrived at church in the rain one Sunday. He couldn't stop the rain from hitting his car, but he could get out of it. In the same way, you can't control everything you see and hear, but you can turn away from it.

Sin is more than the big, obvious wrongs. Sin is missing God's mark in thought, word, action, or attitude. That includes unforgiveness, resentment, lust, greed, jealousy, and judging people. You cannot be rooted in Christ and rooted in sin at the same time.

For example, years ago Pastor Marty and his wife were raising two kids on a tight budget. Standing in a checkout line at Walmart, he did the math on his few items. Then he watched the person ahead of him buy a cart full and thought, "Man, it must be nice." The Holy Spirit stopped him. He was judging someone whose story he didn't know. He repented right there in aisle seven.

How is conviction different from condemnation?

Conviction leads you to hope, and condemnation leads you to despair. Repentance begins with conviction. In Acts 2, the crowd was "cut to the heart," and you should never brush off that moment.

Pastor Marty put it this way: "The devil condemns, the Holy Spirit convicts."

• Condemnation says there is no hope. Conviction says Jesus is my hope.
• Condemnation says you'll never get better. Conviction says the Spirit will help you get better.
• Condemnation says you must not love God. Conviction says you do love God, and here is what needs to change.

God refuses to leave you unchanged. For roots to grow deep, the soil has to be disturbed a little. Conviction is the Holy Spirit loosening the soil of your heart.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23 to 24

Is feeling sorry the same as repenting?

No. Repentance means turning, and turning includes starting something new. Any parent knows a child can cry a river when they get caught. The tears aren't what you're after. You want to know if the behavior is going to change. Peter never told the crowd to feel bad. He told them to repent.

Many people stop a sin but never start anything in its place. That empty space stays, and your old nature drifts right back to it. Isaiah names both moves.

Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them.

Isaiah 55:7

Forsake and turn. You need both. Paul praised believers who "turned to God from idols" (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Turn from sin toward holiness, from self toward surrender, and from drift toward closeness with God. Pastor Marty described repentance as planting your life in brand new soil, because whatever feeds your life will eventually show up as fruit.

How does repentance set me apart from the culture?

Repentance breaks the patterns the culture trains into you. Your coworkers, the news, and social media all shape your thinking over time. Without a daily habit of turning back to God, you slowly become more like the culture and less like His kingdom.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12:2

God's Word is how your mind gets washed. It gives you replacement thinking. Love your enemies. Forgive those who hurt you. Give things away. All of it runs against the culture. Picture being the coworker who says, "I had a bad attitude at the coffee station last week. I'm sorry." People notice that.

What does real repentance look like?

Real repentance produces fruit. John the Baptist told the religious leaders to "produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (Matthew 3:8). He warned them not to lean on their family history with Abraham.

Pastor Marty grew up as a pastor's son, and he said that wasn't his faith. He had to come to Christ on his own. You can't coast on your parents' faith either.

Repentance is also how you keep walking with God, as well as how you start. Marriage teaches this fast. Pastor Marty admitted he had to repent to his wife recently, in the same week he was preaching on repentance.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

People may give you a final straw. In Christ, there is no final straw. As long as your heart turns toward Him, He receives you.

The early church "devoted themselves" to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, and prayer (Acts 2:42). Repentance is how you begin the Christian life, and it is how you stay healthy in it. Daily repentance sounds like this: "Lord, search me. Correct me. Show me. Change me." The church in Acts was far from perfect, and it became powerful because it stayed repentant. For further reading, Pastor Marty suggested Cross-Shattered Christ by Stanley Hauerwas, The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard, and Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill.

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.

Acts 3:19

Common questions

What does the word repent mean in the Bible?

The New Testament word for repent means a change of mind that leads to a change of direction. It pictures walking one way and then turning around to walk toward God. It shows up in actions as well as feelings.

What is the difference between conviction and condemnation?

Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit and points you to hope in Jesus and to change. Condemnation tells you there is no hope and that you will never get better. God convicts to draw you closer to Him.

Do Christians still need to repent after being saved?

Yes. Repentance begins your relationship with God, and it also keeps it healthy. Living in a fallen world means you will regularly need to confess sin and turn back to God, and 1 John 1:9 promises He is faithful to forgive.

What does "fruit in keeping with repentance" mean?

In Matthew 3:8, John the Baptist says real repentance shows up in a changed life. A family history of faith or the right words are not enough. Repentance is visible in how you live afterward.