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Repentance means to decide to turn from one’s sin; it
is not a condition of salvation; faith in Christ as Savior is the only condition for
salvation (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9).
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Both unbelievers (Matthew 12:41) and believers
(Luke 15; Acts 19:18-20; 2 Corinthians 7:7-10; Revelation 3:19) repent.
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When unbelievers repent, it does not mean that
they have become believers. An unbeliever’s repentance may hold off God’s
judgment or prepare him to listen more closely to the gospel.
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In the case of the believer, repentance may
prepare for a confession of personal sin and return to fellowship; at
times, it includes the confession of sin as illustrated by the Prodigal
Son in Luke 15.
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Jesus and John the Baptist told Israel to
repent. This was not a call to eternal salvation, but instead a call to
return to the national relationship with God for which God had prepared
them.
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The call to repentance was to prepare them to
believe in their Messiah (Matthew 3:1-3; Luke 3:3, 8-9).
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Jesus also told the Jewish people to repent
from their rebellious political and religious activities; if they did not
repent, temporal judgment, including physical death would result (Luke
13:1-9).
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In summary, the command to repent is a call to
the unbeliever or the believer to turn from one’s sin. Repentance has a
wide scope; on one end it can be a broad call for a nation to return to
her heritage and on the other end of the spectrum it can be a precise call
for a believer to confess specific sin and return to fellowship with God.
