Matthew 3, repent, stop sinning, turn, metanoeo, penance, believe, gospel, salvation, 1 27-2013, ss

Matthew 3:1 Now in those days John
the Baptist came, preaching in the
wilderness of Judea, saying, 2 "Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
• John 1:6 There came a man sent
from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to testify
about the Light, so that all might
believe through him. 8 He was not
the Light, but he came to testify
about the Light.

REPENT?
What in the world does “repent” mean?
Or more importantly, what does “repent”
mean in the Bible?
Is the first thing out of his mouth!
What Did John Mean By “Repent”?

What Does “Repent” Mean
• Stop sinning!
• Turn from your sin!
• Have a change of mind!
• OK, show of hands.
• This is more profoundly
• and theologically
• important to the Bible
• student than it appears at first thought.

In American English “repent”
generally means to…

This Was Very Important To Jesus
• NIVO Luke 13:3 I tell you, no! But unless you
repent, you too will all perish.
• Memorize these two;
• KJV Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Let’s examine this word “repent”

So, What Does “Repent” Mean
• Stop sinning!
• Have a change of mind!
• These first 2 are so
closely related I’ll deal
with them together;
• Stop sinning!

Stop Sinning
• NAU 1 Corinthians 15:34 Become sober-minded
as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have
no knowledge of God. I speak this to your
shame.
• <3361> μή me = not…negatives the word
• <264> ἁμαρτάνω hamartano
• Meaning: to miss the mark, do wrong, sin….

Stop Sinning
• "NIV John 5:14 Later Jesus found him at the
temple and said to him, "See, you are well
again. Stop sinning or something worse may
happen to you.""
• 3371 μηκέτι meketi {may-ket'-ee}
• Meaning: 1) no longer, no more, not hereafter
• <264> ἁμαρτάνω hamartano
• Meaning: to miss the mark, do wrong, sin….

Stop Sinning
• "NIV John 5:14…Stop sinning or something worse may happen
to you.“
• But is “Stop sinning” the means to eternal salvation?
• But is “Stop sinning” a prerequisite for eternal salvation?
• Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• What state of sinless perfection must we achieve in the flesh
before we are savable? “sin unto death”, chastises sons?
• Let’s read 1 Corinthians 5. “It is widely reported that there is
sexual immorality among you…”
• "1 Corinthians 6:10-11 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the
kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were
washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our
God."

“Stop Sinning” Changes “Believe”
• When an unbeliever hears, or understands,
repent to be, "stop sinning" it's natural if he
understands the “and believe” to be
associated with the "stop sinning“. Thus,
weakening the “believe” to a belief that
sinning is not good, so stop. This completely
deflects the gospel message from a message
of a need for salvation, and to receive the free
gift of eternal life, and turns it into a better
behavior as a lost sinner message.

Americans Are “Good People”
• Most Americans believe that down deep they are
“good people.” It's hard for most to believe that
they really are lost sinners. So, the "stop sinning"
gospel does not apply to them. “Your message is
useless to me. It may apply to my neighbor, he’s a
sinner.”
• Unbelievers need to hear that repent means to
have a change of mind about their sin condition
before an infinitely Holy God and that Jesus Christ
is the only means of salvation.

Turn from your sin!
• Mt 13:15 For this people's heart has become
calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and
they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they
might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts and turn, and I
would heal them.'
• “understand with their hearts” comes before
“turn.”
• When we “understand with their hearts” the
result is “turn.”

Symptoms vs. Disease
• Their sinning is just a symptom of the
problem.
• Their problem is that they are sinners by
nature and they need a Savior.

To Stop Sinning Or
Turn From Your Sin Is Good
• It’s just not the best!
• "NAS Mark 8:36 "For what does it profit a man
to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?"

“repent” Was Very Important To Jesus
• NIVO Luke 13:3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you
too will all perish.
• Is Jesus saying that if you stop sinning you will go to
heaven?
• No one has to pay for your sins?
• No cross? No blood? No penalty?
• If a bank robber stops, is that good enough?
• Is your future self righteousness good enough?
• Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• The flesh earns death, if we “stop sinning” it’s a reward

Cause vs. Effect
• Cause=
• Having a changed mind!
• Effect=
• Stop sinning!
• Phil 3:4-5….If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put
confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on
the eighth day…. Eph 2:8-9
• Don’t put the cart before the horse!
• So, how’d we get this much confusion about “repent”?

Notes on Repentance
by Lambert Dolphin
• The true idea of repentance in the NT is difficult to express in
English and this situation is compounded in the Latin Bible.
The Latin Bible rendered metanoeo by poenitentium agre
("exercise penitence"), and this came to mean "exercise
penance," associated with expressing grief over sin, distress,
sorrow. But this is a departure from the meaning of metanoeo
which refers to a change of thought and purpose. The Latin
Bible suggests that Jesus was telling the people "to do
penance." This became the Roman Catholic doctrine of
penance as a sacrament which consists materially of
contrition, confession and satisfaction. The judicial
pronouncement of absolution by the church is needed to give
these elements validity. Thus a non-Biblical practice and
tradition has come about simply because of the difficulty of
capturing the complexity of the Greek and Hebrew words
usually translated as "repent" or "repentance.“….

So Much Confusion About “Repent”
• Repent in Greek smeared in Latin
• Penitence means you can pay for your sins
• Why not just pay money
• Enter “indulgences”
• Reformation
• Stop sinning!
Turn from your sin!

What Does “Repent” Mean Biblically
• We ruled out “stop sinning” and “turn from
your sin” theologically because it conflicts
with the gift of God in salvation and turns it
into something we could boast about
• Eph 2:8-9….it is the gift of God— 9 not by
works, so that no one can boast.
• We saw that “stop sinning” and “turn from
your sin” are different Greek words.

There Are No Prerequisites
• “Stop sinning” is not a prerequisite for eternal salvation
in any verses;
• John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word
and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will
not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to
life.
• Where would you insert “stop sinning” into that verse?
• 150 X’s the NT equates “believe”= saved
• Mt 11:30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
• Alcoholics must pass 12 Steps 1st.? For how long?
• Fornicators must stop lusting (while still in flesh)?

John Writes That You May Believe
• John 20:30-31 Many other signs therefore
Jesus also performed in the presence of the
disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these have been written that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God; and that believing you may have life in
His name. (NAS)

John Writes That You May Believe
• John uses “believe” more than any other book
in the Bible, 5 X’s as much as 2nd largest user
• John never uses “repent” (in any form)

Repent = metanoeo
• <3340> μετανοέω (metanoeo)
• Meaning: to change one's mind or purpose
• Origin: from 3326 and 3539
• Usage: repent (26), repented(5), repents(3).
• Notes:
• a Act 2:38; Act 26:20
• b 2Th 1:7; Heb 4:1ff.

Meta
• 3326 μετά meta {met-ah'}
• Meaning: 1) with, after, behind
• Origin: a primary preposition (often used
adverbially); TDNT - 7:766,1102; prep
• Usage: AV - with 345, after 88, among 5,
hereafter + 5023 4, afterward + 5023 4,
against 4, not tr 1, misc 32; 473

Meta=change
• Metamorphic Metamorphic
• Etymology
• First attested in 1533, from Ancient Greek
μεταμόρφωσις (metamorphōsis), from
μετά (meta, “change”) +
μορφή (morphē, “form”)
• metamorphism, which means "change in
form"

noeo
• <3539> νοέω noeo
• Meaning: to perceive, think
• Origin: from 3563
• Usage: consider(1), perceive(1), see(1), think(1),
understand(9), understood(1).
• Origin: from
• 3563 νοῦς nous {nooce}
• Meaning: 1) the mind…perceiving and
understanding

Notion
• Notion or Notium (Ancient Greek Νότιον
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notion_%28ancient_city%29
• 3539 νοέω noeo {no-eh'-o}
• Meaning: 1) to perceive with the mind, to
understand, to have understanding 2) to think
upon, heed, ponder, consider
• Origin: from 3563; TDNT - 4:948,636; v
• Usage: AV - understand 10, perceive 2, consider
1, think 1; 14

Strong’s
• 3340 μετανοέω metanoeo {met-an-o-eh'-o}
• Meaning: 1) to change one's mind, i.e. to
repent 2) to change one's mind for better,
heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's
past sins
• Origin: from 3326 and 3539; TDNT -
4:975,636; v
• Usage: AV - repent 34; 34
• Misc: For Synonyms see entry 5862

Strong’s Synonyms “Ye repent” (3340)
• Synonyms See Definition for 3338 See Definition for
3340 The distinction often given between these is;
3338 refers to an emotional change, 3340 to an change
of choice, 3338 has reference to particulars, 3340 to
the entire life, 3338 signifies nothing but regret even
amounting to remorse, 3340 that reversal of moral
purpose known as repentance; does not seem to be
sustained by usage. But that 3340 is the fuller and
nobler term, expressive of moral action and issues, is
indicated not only by its derivation, but by the greater
frequency of its use and by the fact it is often used in
the imperative.

Repent in the LXX Is Often 3338
• 3338 μεταμέλ(λ)ομαι metamellomai {met-
am-el'-lom-ahee}
• Meaning: 1) it is a care to one afterwards 1a)
it repents one, to repent one's self
• Origin: from 3326 and the middle voice of
3199; TDNT - 4:626,589; v
• Usage: AV - repent 5, repent (one's) self 1; 6
• Misc: For Synonyms see entry 5862

God Repents
• God repents in;
• KJV Genesis 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he
had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at
his heart."
• KJV Exodus 32:14 And the LORD repented of the
evil which he thought to do unto his people.
• KJV Judges 2:18…for it repented the LORD…
• KJV 1 Samuel 15:35…the LORD repented that he
had made Saul king… [3338]

God Repents, So It Can’t Possibly
Mean “Stop Or Turn From Sinning”
• "KJV Amos 7:3 The LORD repented for this: It shall not
be, saith the LORD." [3340]
• μετανόησον verb imperative aorist active 2nd person
singular from μετανοέω
• [GING] μετανοέω
μετανοέω feel remorse, repent, lit. ‘change one's
mind’ Mt 11:21; 12:41; Mk 1:15; Lk 11:32; 13:3, 5; Ac
3:19; 8:22; 2 Cor 12:21; Rv 9:20f; 16:9. [pg 126]
• Mark 1:14-15…Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the
gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and
the kingdom of God is at hand; repent [3340] and
believe in the gospel."
• Both are the exact same word in “verb imperative, 2nd
person plural” Amos is “aorist active”, Mark= present active

The LORD Repented (Hebrew)
• KJV 1 Samuel 15:35…the LORD repented that
he had made Saul king…. [3338] in LXX
• 05162 nacham {naw-kham'}
• Meaning: 1) to be sorry, console oneself,
repent, regret, comfort, be comforted 1a)
(Niphal) 1a1) to be sorry, be moved to pity,
have compassion 1a2) to be sorry, rue, suffer
grief, repent

The LORD Repented (Greek)
• KJV 1 Samuel 15:35 …the LORD repented that
he had made Saul king…. [3338] in LXX
• μετεμελήθη verb indicative aorist passive 3rd
person singular from μεταμέλομαι
• [GING] μεταμέλομαι
μεταμέλομαι regret, repent Mt 21:29, 32;
27:3; 2 Cor 7:8; Hb 7:21.* [pg 126]

Repent So As To Give Him Glory
• NAU Revelation 16:9 Men were scorched with
fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of
God who has the power over these plagues, and
they did not repent so as to give Him glory.
• Do we sinful humans automatically “give Him
glory” when we manage to stop sinning?
• Aren't we more likely to “give Him glory” when
we have had a change of mind?
• Have you ever met an ex smoker, ex drinker?

If Repent Means “Stop sinning”
• 2Tim 2:24-26 And the Lord's bond-servant
must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all,
able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with
gentleness correcting those who are in
opposition, if perhaps God may grant them
repentance leading to the knowledge of the
truth, 26 and they may come to their senses
and escape from the snare of the devil, having
been held captive by him to do his will.

If Repent Means “Stop Sinning”
• If repent means “stop sinning” who is
responsible for our sinning if God has to grant
them to “stop sinning”?
• 2Tim 2:25…..if perhaps God may grant them
repentance leading to the knowledge of the
truth, 26 and they may come to their senses
and escape from the snare of the devil, having
been held captive by him to do his will.

Repent And Believe
• NAS Mark 1:15 and saying, "The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the gospel."
• NAS Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, "Repent,
and let each of you be baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ…
• What is the prerequisite to be baptized?
• Revelation 3:3 …repent. If therefore you will
not wake up, I will come like a thief…

Repent And Believe
• NAS Mark 1:15…the kingdom of God is at hand;
repent and believe in the gospel."
• Repent and believe are not synonyms, they are
two completely different Greek words. Yet they
are 2 sides of the same coin. You can’t have one
without the other. If you truly have a change of
thought/mind, you will believe. You also cannot
believe if you have not truly had a change of
thought/mind.
• The order is always, #1. have a change of
thought/mind, #2. then believe.

The Order Of Repent And Believe
• The order is always, #1. have a change of
thought/mind, #2. then believe.
• "Acts 15:7…the Gentiles should hear the word of
the gospel and believe."
• "Acts 16:30…"Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?"31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord
Jesus, and you shall be saved…
• "Acts 28:24 And some were being persuaded by
the things spoken, but others would not believe."

Deeds Appropriate To Repentance
• NAS Acts 26:20 but kept declaring both to
those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem
and then throughout all the region of Judea,
and even to the Gentiles, that they should
repent [have a change of thought/mind] and turn to God,
performing deeds appropriate to repentance
[that change of thought/mind] .
• Deeds and turning must be different than
repentance, which is the “cause”.

What Does “Repent” Mean
• Stop sinning!
• Those are the results of
repentance.
• “Repent” means to;
• Have a change of mind,
a change of thought.
• Amen!

A Guy Painted The Church
• My friend Neil asked me if he could still tell
the story of the guy who painted the church
and it rained before it dried. When the pastor
saw it he said,
• “Repaint and thin no more.”

Luke 13:3 "I tell you, no, but unless
you repent, you will all likewise perish.
• If repentance is required prior to salvation,
you had better get it right!
• The world already sees you as a theologian,
the only question is,
• Will you be Biblical?

THE END
•Don’t Be In A Fog About This,
•The End Is Near

Notes on Repentance
by Lambert Dolphin
• The Septuagint (LXX) the translation into Greek from Hebrew of the
OT by some 70 rabbinical scholars in Alexandria in the late Second
Century BC is helpful. The scholars had a perfect knowledge of
Hebrew and Greek, the best manuscripts of Hebrew available and a
thorough understanding of the interpretation of the OT text in their
day. The Rabbis used metanoeo and metamelomai for the Hebrew
naham. However metanoeo and metamelomai were never used in
the LXX to translate shub. Shub was always translated using the
Greek epistrepho (1994) (to return, to turn about, or turn towards)
or apostrepho, (654) meaning "to cause to turn away return." (The
root strepho [4762] means "to turn something"). In Hebrew naham
and shub are sometimes used as parallelisms, so in the LXX
metanoeo and epi- or apostrepho were used together as
synonyms in the LXX

http://www.gotquestions.org/repenta
nce.html
• What is repentance and is it necessary for salvation?
• Question: "What is repentance and is it necessary for salvation?"
Answer: Many understand the term repentance to mean “turning from sin.” This is not the biblical definition of repentance. In the Bible, the word
repent means “to change one’s mind.” The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result in a change of actions (Luke 3:8-14; Acts 3:19). Acts
26:20 declares, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” The full biblical definition of
repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action.
What, then, is the connection between repentance and salvation? The Book of Acts seems to especially focus on repentance in regards to salvation
(Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20). To repent, in relation to salvation, is to change your mind in regard to Jesus Christ. In Peter’s sermon on
the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2), he concludes with a call for the people to repent (Acts 2:38). Repent from what? Peter is calling the people
who rejected Jesus (Acts 2:36) to change their minds about Him, to recognize that He is indeed “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Peter is calling the
people to change their minds from rejection of Christ as the Messiah to faith in Him as both Messiah and Savior.
Repentance and faith can be understood as “two sides of the same coin.” It is impossible to place your faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior without first
changing your mind about who He is and what He has done. Whether it is repentance from willful rejection or repentance from ignorance or
disinterest, it is a change of mind. Biblical repentance, in relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ.
It is crucially important that we understand repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation. No one can repent and come to God unless God pulls
that person to Himself (John 6:44). Acts 5:31 and 11:18 indicate that repentance is something God gives—it is only possible because of His grace. No
one can repent unless God grants repentance. All of salvation, including repentance and faith, is a result of God drawing us, opening our eyes, and
changing our hearts. God's longsuffering leads us to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), as does His kindness (Romans 2:4).
While repentance is not a work that earns salvation, repentance unto salvation does result in works. It is impossible to truly and fully change your
mind without that causing a change in action. In the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior. That is why John the Baptist called people to
“produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8). A person who has truly repented from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ will give
evidence of a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:19-23; James 2:14-26). Repentance, properly defined, is necessary for salvation. Biblical
repentance is changing your mind about Jesus Christ and turning to God in faith for salvation (Acts 3:19). Turning from sin is not the definition of
repentance, but it is one of the results of genuine, faith-based repentance towards the Lord Jesus Christ.
Recommended Resource: So Great Salvation by Charles Ryrie.
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Lambert Dolphin quotes, "Ray
Stedman
• http://ldolphin.org/repent.html
• Lambert Dolphin quotes, "Ray Stedman says,
• "...Everybody needs to repent. Whenever we hurt someone else, or we ourselves are hurt by our
own actions, whenever we break a law, whenever we tell a lie, whenever we steal someone else's
property or name, whenever we smear some other person's reputation we need to repent,
because repentance means a change of mind, a change of attitude. Whenever somebody accuses
you of not being right, whenever somebody tells you the truth about yourself, it hurts. It can
produce one of two reactions, what Paul calls either "godly grief," or "worldly grief." Grief is a word
for "hurt," here. We all feel hurt, but the question, of course, is: "Is it godly hurt, or is it worldly
hurt?" Here is the difference, as the apostle points out: Godly grief is the pain of suddenly
becoming aware of something about yourself that has been hidden to you. That something wrong
about yourself that you have not been able to see always creates a sense of anger, perhaps, of
defensiveness, of injury, and oftentimes of tears. It is the moment of self-awareness. It is what we
call a "moment of truth." Have you ever had that happen to you? You were tooling along, thinking
you were doing OK, when somebody came along and told you something about yourself. Even as he
said the words there was a stab in your heart that said, "That's right, isn't it?" You may be defensive,
you may argue, you may fight back, you may strike back, but deep inside you know that is true. It
hurts, but if it is godly hurt it leads to repentance. It makes you change. You alter your behavior...."
• http://ldolphin.org/repent.html

Matthew 3, repent, stop sinning, turn, metanoeo, penance, believe, gospel, salvation, 1 27-2013, ss

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