It has been said that Repentance is the first word of the gospel. It was the message of John the Baptist as he prepared the way for the arrival of Jesus (Matt 3:2.) It was the message of Jesus when he began his public ministry (Matt 4:17) and announced the gospel’s arrival in Galilee (Mark 1:14-15.) It permeated not only his preaching (Matt 18:3, Luke 24:46-47,) but also the preaching of those he sent out (Mark 6:12.)

It was the response Peter provoked after preaching the gospel at Pentecost (Acts 2:38,) at the temple (Acts 3:19,) before the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:31,) and to Cornelius’ household (Acts 11:18.)

It was the message of Paul at Mars Hill (Acts 17:30,) and in Ephesus (Acts 20:21,) before Agrippa (Acts 26:20) and in Rome (Acts 28:25-31.)

With so much weight placed on repentance in responding to the gospel by Jesus and his Apostles, it deserves our careful attention and a correct understanding. The gospel is what Jesus did, plus nothing. Repentance is our response — and even that response is a gift of grace initiated and carried out by God working in us (Rom 2:4.)

Repentance in its most basic and straightforward definition is a turning. This is consistent in the Old and New Testaments. It involves a change of mind, change of heart and change of direction or orientation. Those elements are very important to understanding Paul’s contrast between real repentance and godless guilt in 2 Corinthians 7:10, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” Repentance, especially in the Old Testament, is also associated with grief and regret (also seen clearly in the previous statement of Paul.) When the scriptures declare that God repented (i.e. Gen 6,) it was in this sense of the word. He was grieved over humanity’s wickedness. When used of humans, it describes their grief over their own sin.

Repentance as an initial faith response to the gospel is not itemizing, confessing and conquering all our sins. That would be impossible and result in a self-righteousness through works of the Law, which the New Testament adamantly states can never be. It would also confuse the initial response of faith and repentance that results in justification with the subsequent ongoing work of the Spirit in sanctification. As Martin Luther stated in the first of his 95 theses, the whole of the Christian life is one of repentance.

So as it relates to responding to the gospel* and justification, repentance is turning from the reign of sin and the preeminence of self (self-rule, self-reliance and self-righteousness) to the Lordship of Christ, acknowledging his rightful authority over all things, including our own lives. This repentance always accompanies biblical belief — believing Jesus to be the promised Savior while recognizing our inability to do anything to save ourselves and relying solely and totally on the completed work of Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection to save us. Belief and repentance are two sides to the one coin of faith.

*Repentance occurs in several other contexts and occasions to describe ongoing sanctification in turning from specific sinful attitudes and behaviors. The purpose of this definition is to describe the initial turning to Christ as Lord and Savior upon receiving his gospel resulting in justification. Justification means to be legally declared by God to be rightly related to God and acquitted of guilt.

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Clint Wagnon is a family man, church planter, lead pastor of CrossWay, teacher and founder of the Underground Awakening. Clint lives in central Florida with his wife and four children.