Unrepentance and Unconfession

Overcoming Sin through Christ

One of our leading responsibilities is to have a change of heart and mind that leads to a change of life.  John the baptizer called on people, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).  Jesus also required repentance: “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15), and when Jesus sent the disciples out to proclaim the gospel, “they went out and preached that men should repent” (Mark 6:12).  Christ gave His great commission to the apostles, saying that “repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations” (Luke 24:47).  When the gospel was first proclaimed, on the day of Pentecost, Peter told the lost but inquiring crowd, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).

He later told the Jerusalem Jews to “repent and return” that they might have their sins “wiped away” (Acts 3:19; cf. 5:31).  Paul told the Ephesian elders that he had spent years “testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).  He proclaimed that “they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (26:20).  It is clear that repentance was the means (along with faith) of turning from sin to God and His forgiveness.

Sometimes the verb metanoeo simply means “to change one’s mind.”  For example, W. E. Vine says that it means “to change one’s mind or purpose.”[1]  But Mounce observes that the noun, metahoia, and the verb, metanoeo, denote “a radical, moral turn of the whole person from sin and to God.”  He says that the words themselves “are derived from meta (‘after’) plus nous (‘mind, understanding’) for the noun or noeo (‘to perceive, understand’) for the verb,” however “the meaning of the words in the NT does not reflect this etymology; that is metanoeo does not simply mean ‘to perceive afterwards.’”[2]

He says that repentance “denotes a radical turning from sin, to a new way of life oriented towards God.”  “It does not allow for someone to obtain salvation simply by intellectually believing that Jesus is the Son of God without repenting of sins and turning to live for him.”[3]

This does have relevance to the “easy believism” view that says that one may “simply believe” in Jesus without having a radical renunciation of sin and the self-life.  But what bearing does this have on our discussion of sin in the life of the Christian?  When we repent, we repent not only of sinning in a general sense, but sin in specifics.  John the baptizer emphasized the need to “bear fruits in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:8) and connected this with the altered lifestyle of those who repented (vv. 10-14).

When Peter spoke with the sinful Simon in Samaria, he declared, “Repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:22; cf. vv. 2-24).  Paul referred to sin in the life of the Corinthian assembly, then referred to “those who sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced” (2 Corinthians 12:20-21).  They needed to repent of specific sins and not just sin in general.  The sinful Christians mentioned in Revelation also needed to repent of their sins (2:5, 16; 3:3, 19).

But many people who profess to be Christians or actually are Christians fail to repent of their sins.  They go through life, seemingly unconcerned about the sins they have committed, and failing to repent and turn around.  Paul refers to those who do not repent, using strong language: “Because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:5).

True repentance requires “fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8).  It requires that one “repent and return” (Acts 3:19) and requires that one turn “to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9).  It requires that one “repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:20).  It means that one will repent and forsake the sin in order to “find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13).

We not only must repent but we also need to confess this to God and others.  When people responded to John the baptizer’s call to repentance, “they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins” (Matthew 3:6). When the prodigal repented and returned to his father, he openly confessed his sin against the father and also against God (Luke 15:17-19, 21).  John also writes, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

James likewise wrote, “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed” (5:16).  Too many just think they will begin at a given time to live differently. They don’t really repent from the heart, they don’t confess it to God, they fail to confess it to the one they have sinned against, and some even fail to forsake the sin and live differently.  We must clearly and decisively repent of our sins and confess them in deep sorrow and humility—if we wish to be forgiven!

 

[1] Expository Dictionary.

[2] Expository Dictionary.

[3] Ibid.