How Should Christians Understand Repentance?
1) Direct Answer
Repentance is a Holy Spirit–worked turning from unbelief and sin to God and His Word. It’s not just feeling sorry; it is a change of mind that brings a change of life. It is the doorway to the new birth, leading to water baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- The Bible says, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
- “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19).
- “God… now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).
- Jesus said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3,5).
- “Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
- “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matthew 3:8). See Zacchaeus making restitution (Luke 19:8).
- “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us” (1 John 1:9).
- David’s prayer shows the heart of true repentance (Psalm 51).
- Turning to God means turning from idols and serving the living God (1 Thessalonians 1:9).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Sin at its root is unbelief in God’s Word (John 16:9). So repentance is taking God’s side against our sin and unbelief, believing what He says and turning from what He condemns.
- Sorrow alone changes nothing; godly sorrow leads to a real turnaround. If there is no change, there was no repentance.
- Real repentance includes:
- Conviction by the Word and the Spirit (John 16:8).
- Confession and forsaking of sin (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9).
- Making things right where possible—restitution (Luke 19:8).
- Obedience to the Gospel: water baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38).
- Expecting the promise of the Holy Ghost to seal the new life (Acts 2:39).
- You see, repentance is the about-face of the soul: from self to Christ, from the world to the Word, from unbelief to faith. That’s the fruit that shows.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, repentance opens the way for God to cleanse, forgive, and fill. Come God’s provided way: repent, be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and look for the Holy Ghost to make the change real in you.
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What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
The Hand of the Lord came upon him
54-0403 §73
One thing that I can't understand, and that is how people that's professed to be Christians, can see the working of Jesus Christ and hold their peace. I can't... Not as I'm wanting you to glorify nothing in the building. I'm wanting you to say, "Oh, God, how thankful we are that our religion is not false." How could you accept signs and wonders, say that your religion's no more than Mohammedans? The Mohammedans has all the psychology, the teaching, their own bible; so does Buddha; so does all the other gods. They h...
What went ye out to see?
59-1001 §21
Now, let's... If his message was so stunning of then, that it shook the regions, let's see what he preached. The first thing he preached was repentance to all. And repentance always blinds the eyes of the unbeliever, or the church member. The church member feels that he has nothing to repent of. And when that person or persons get to that place where you think you've got nothing to repent of, you're in a more serious condition. Though being a member of the church, you're in a more serious condition than the sinner...
Hebrews, Chapter 6, part 2
57-0908E §79
Now do you understand what we have said? That it is absolutely impossible for a born-again Christian (I don't mean now he calls hisself born-again, I mean a real borned-again Christian) to ever fall from grace. He cannot do it. He can fall, that's right, but he cannot (never) get out of that grace. Abraham fell from grace, sure he did, God told him to stay there, he went out of it, but he never lost his covenant. He was still God's chosen. He was a prophet sitting there. He always was. He will always be God's. Now,...
Thinking on our ways
59-0706 §27
And there's so many Christians tonight, professed Christians, that's only deceiving the thing that they're confessing to be. Death will come creeping around the door one of these days; you'll going to thinking on your ways then. As Jacob thought on his ways, he stayed the other side of the brook and prayed all night long. If Christians would think on their ways, and would drive them to prayer and to repentance, it would be different. The world would be different. The church would be different. The people would be d...
Father, the hour has come
56-1002A §61
[Prophecy given.] Amen. What? Come out from among them, separate yourself, be aligned with the Word. God is with us. God is showing His hand in mercy. Friends, I think what we need to do is a solemn old-fashion breaking down before God, and saying, "God, I repent for all my evil; and now forgive me and help me to be a real Christian." Let us not with ... not with no other way, but a broken heart of our evil, while that God is in our midst, maybe for the last time for a long time. If He is in our midst now to give u...