God's Divine Call To Repent
What is biblical repentance? Is it simply feeling sorry for sin, or regretting bad behavior? While sorrow may be part of the process, biblical repentance goes deeper into the core of the gospel narrative. It is a divine call from God, issued to humanity in this present age as preparation for a future fulfillment.
Repentance is not just a personal or emotional turning, but a response to God's announcement that He will soon restore all things, beginning with judgment. This message of repentance fits within an eschatological gospel framework. It is a message centered on the coming Day of the Lord. It calls us to prepare in light of what God has promised to do, not merely to respond out of guilt or obligation to what has already happened. Unlike a realized Kingdom message that often frames repentance as a reaction to past grace, this framework presents repentance as an active step toward future fulfillment and judgment.
In this sense, repentance is about readiness. It is about rejecting the wisdom of this age and returning to the ways of the Lord. It begins with God's first call in the garden after humanity fell and continues in Jesus' own message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Repentance Is Preparation
Repentance prepares the human heart for God's coming judgment and the restoration of His Kingdom on earth. When the serpent deceived humanity in the garden, God responded with a judgment and a promise:
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall crush your head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.
Genesis 3:15 NIV
This verse lays the groundwork for the arrival of the Messiah—the Seed of the woman—who would defeat sin and death. Repentance, therefore, is the process of aligning our hearts and minds with this promise. It means turning away from the root of humanity’s sin, which includes self-centeredness, ambition, and pride, and turning instead to the ways and character of God. Repentance is not just a personal moral correction. It is ultimately a communal, covenantal act.
Repentance Brings Peace With God
Biblical repentance involves a change in one’s core values and beliefs. It requires turning from trusting our own understanding to trusting God, who is the Creator and Sustainer of all things:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
When the heart shifts from self-reliance to complete God-reliance, there is peace that is established between humanity and God. Before a repentant heart posture, we are all by nature in opposition to God and His holy ways, but through a true and biblical repentance, we are made justified with Him.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1
With this peace comes access to His grace, salvation—freedom from the bondage of sin. This grace is granted as a gift by the blood of Jesus, the Seed of the woman. To receive it, one must enter into union with His death and resurrection, swearing allegiance to His name and authority through a mikveh immersion, water baptism.
Repentance and the Blood of Christ
Without a repentant and turned heart toward God, the grace of salvation through the blood of Christ cannot be received. A person who does not align their heart with God's heart is unable to accept His gift, for he doesn't trust Him. The grace of forgiveness requires a heart that is fully turned toward Him. For this reason, John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, opened his ministry with a call to repentance:
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 3:2
Then in Acts 2:38, we see Peter following the same principle, saying to them, 'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'
Both John and Peter echoed the call for readiness. John summarized the message by crying out, “Repent, for a coming judgment is on the horizon,” and he baptized those who believed. Likewise, Peter prepared the people by urging them to “Repent and wash away your sins” in anticipation of that day. Repentance, therefore, is the gateway to salvation and the indwelling of the Spirit, both of which prepare the believer for the age to come.
Showing Fruits of Repentance
When a person truly receives a repentant heart and commits to following Yahweh and His ways, their actions begin to reflect that transformation. Man’s sinful nature, pride, and selfishness begin to fall away, and the person starts to look beyond themselves to God and to others. This change reveals the sincerity of repentance. A person who repents begins to love others and to love God with all their heart, soul, and mind. Life is no longer centered on self-exaltation but on honoring God and serving others.
Loving people beyond oneself becomes one of the clearest signs that a person is following the promised Seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. When a person continues to bear the fruit of repentance, they remain pure and prepared for the coming Kingdom of God.
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
Matthew 3:8
As selfish ambition and pride diminish, the character of Christ is formed. As mentioned, love becomes the signpost of true repentance:
- Love for God with all the heart, soul, and mind
- Love for neighbors as oneself
Repentance in the Context of Proverbs 3:5-7
Proverbs 3 reflects the heart of repentance. It instructs us not to be wise in our own eyes but to fear the Lord and turn away from evil. This is the opposite of what occurred in Eden. There, Adam and Eve leaned on their understanding and disobeyed God's command. Repentance is the reversal of that rebellion:
Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 3:7
John the Baptist captured the same principle when he called people to "make His paths straight." This phrase mirrors the language of Proverbs, where acknowledging God leads to straight paths. To repent is to undo the failure in Eden and realign with God's original design for His wisdom.
In Closing: Repentance and the Age to Come
Biblical Repentance is not a one-time event but a lifestyle of alignment with God's coming Kingdom promises. It is the first foundation stone in the believer's life, preparing the heart for the resurrection and the eternal judgment to come (Hebrews 6:1-2). Through repentance:
- We make peace with God
- We receive the grace of salvation
- We are cleansed by the blood of Jesus
- We show fruits of transformation
- We are equipped to endure until the Day of the Lord
As we wait for the return of the Messiah, let us live in constant readiness. Let our hearts be found repentant, our hands clean, and our lives surrendered to the coming King.
Repentance connects us to the ancient hope of Israel. It is not a backward glance at moral failure, but a forward step of allegiance to the coming reign of the Messiah. In this way, repentance is deeply eschatological. It is God’s mercy preparing a people for the Day of the Lord, the resurrection of the dead, and the restoration of all things.
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.
Acts 17:30-31
Maranatha
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