Does repentance mean we must stop sinning?

You’ve read the verse before: “And Peter said 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.” Acts 2:38

What does Peter mean by repent? Is it to stop sinning? Because I don’t know about you, but that hasn’t worked out so well for me. Even after trusting in Jesus, that sin just keeps rearing its ugly head. So maybe it means sin less? How much less? 50% less? 30%? If we don’t know how much we are talking about, then how can we know for sure that we are saved?

And if a cessation of sin is necessary to obtaining salvation, why then is it not included in verses like John 3:16: “…Whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” Or Acts 16:31: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved”?

Maybe then, it does not mean to stop sinning.

The word repent, from the Greek metanoeō, is a verb that has two root words: meta, which means against, and noeo, which means to understand, consider, or think. The BDAG Greek lexicon defines it as “to change one’s mind.” What was Peter telling his listeners to change their mind about?

Peter was preaching to a crowd of Jews who were in Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost. Believers, freshly filled by the Holy Spirit, had spilled out into the streets, preaching the gospel in the languages of many lands. Shocked that they were hearing their native tongues spoken by Galileans, the people asked, “What does this mean?”

Peter and the eleven other apostles stood in front of the crowd. He explained that what they were witnessing was the result of God pouring out His Spirit, just as the prophet Joel foretold. God was giving them a sign that Jesus was the Son of God, raised from the dead. “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear…Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:33, 36)

His words pierced their hearts. They understood immediately that they had missed it: Jesus was not a blasphemer as the Sanhedrin claimed. He was the messiah they’d been anticipating for so long. He was the Son of God. And they had killed him.

“Brethren, what shall we do?” they asked. And Peter said, “Repent.” Change your mind. Believe that Jesus is Lord (God) and Christ (the messiah), not a liar or deceiver.

Three thousand people did. They were baptized in the name of Jesus, publicly demonstrating their new acceptance of Him. And the Church was born.

They had turned from what they previously believed. They had repented.

The word is used 36 times in the New Testament. Jesus used it to describe the frequent refusal to believe in the region where He had validated His preaching with many signs and miracles. “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.” (Matthew 11:20)

When people came to Jesus and accepted the fact He was the Son of God, their hearts would be filled with regret that they had not believed earlier. There is often remorse that accompanies repentance. Those listening to Peter that day “were pierced to the heart.” There were probably many who had also been in the crowd at Passover shouting the condemning words: “Crucify Him!” The realization that He was what He claimed must have been staggering. No doubt there was plenty of remorse for having had the Son of God living among them and they missed it. But now they believed. It was the beginning of a new life in Christ.

Repentance is a spiritual about-face.

A correction of a wrong understanding, a turning away from the sin of unbelief. Our salvation comes through faith, because of the grace of God. We will continue to live in that grace for eternity. Grace that covers every sin. Always undeserved, but abundantly given through the infinite mercy of God.