The “R” Word

Over the years, the “R” word has developed a bad reputation. Repentance has often been used as a threat rather than an invitation—spoken as though it were the doorway into eternal life rather than a gracious warning from a loving God.

As a result, repentance has been confused with the Gospel itself. But when repentance is misunderstood, both the gospel and repentance lose their clarity.

We may need to repent of our misunderstanding of repentance—and that would be a very good thing.

What Repentance Is — and What It Is Not

In the New Testament, repent (noun Gk. μετανοέω) and repentance (verb Gk. μετενόησα) refers to a turning from sin in response to divine warning, with the purpose of escaping temporal judgment or physical death, not eternal condemnation.

This distinction matters deeply.

The Bible consistently teaches that eternal life is received by faith alone in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; John 5:24; John 6:47). Repentance is never presented as the condition for receiving eternal life.

Instead, repentance appears most often in contexts of warning—where God calls people to turn from sin so that destructive consequences may be avoided.

A Loving Warning

When John the Baptist began his ministry, he said simply:

“Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2).

He wasn’t offering eternal life through repentance. He was warning a proud nation, Israel, that judgment was coming if they persisted in sin.

Jesus opened His own ministry the same way:

“Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17).

Repentance, in the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus, was a prerequisite for the Kingdom of God coming to that generation on Earth — not eternal life in Heaven (see Mt 3:2 Mt 5:3 Mt 5:10 Mt 5:19–20 Mt 7:21 Mt 8:11 Mk 1:14). The message of repentance in Matthew 3:2, 4:17 and Mark 1:14-15 was for national deliverance of Israel, not individual regeneration.

The context of the coming of the Kingdom was for Israel, not for individual salvation. Before the Kingdom could come, two things had to happen to the nation. First, the nation had to repent, that is, it had to turn from its wicked ways (Lev 26:40-45; Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; Jer 3:12-18; 18:1-11; Matt 23:37-39). Second, the nation had to believe in Messiah for everlasting life (Gen 15:6; Jer 31:31-34; Zech 12:10; Matt 23:37-39; John 1:11-13; 8:54-59; Gal 6:16; Rev 7:1-8).

Jesus warned that refusing to turn from sin would lead to destruction, even saying:

“Unless you repent, you will all perish as well” (Luke 13:3, 5).

Notice what Jesus means by perish (Gk. ἀπόλλυμι) here: He refers to physical death and temporal consequences not eternal separation from God. He was not speaking about eternal condemnation. The situations He referred to—the Galileans killed by Pilate and those crushed when the tower of Siloam fell—were examples of sudden and tragic physical death. No one was asking about heaven or hell; they were asking why tragedy happens. Jesus’ response makes His meaning clear. He was not saying these people died because they were worse sinners. Rather, He used those events as a gracious warning: life is fragile, judgment can come unexpectedly, and sin left unchecked can lead to devastating consequences.

His call to repentance was not about how to receive eternal life, but about turning from destructive paths before they bring loss, suffering, or death.

Repentance and Eternal Life

Jesus never said that repentance is the way to eternal life. When speaking of eternal life, He offered only belief:

“For God so loved the world that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
“Anyone who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47).
“Whoever believes in Him is not condemned” (John 3:18).

Eternal life is received by faith alone in Jesus Christ — not by turning from sin first.

Repentance belongs to God’s warning system; faith belongs to God’s gift of life.

An Old Testament Picture of Repentance

We see this same pattern clearly in the story of Jonah and the city of Nineveh. God warned Nineveh that judgment was coming because of their wickedness (Jonah 3:4). When the people heard what Jonah proclaimed, they believed God’s warning that Nineveh would be demolished, they turned from their evil ways, and even the king humbled himself before the Lord (Jonah 3:5–9). Scripture tells us that when God saw their repentance , He relented from the disaster He had announced and did not destroy the city (Jonah 3:10). Their repentance did not earn eternal life; it spared them from immediate judgment.

God’s warning was an act of mercy, and their turning changed what happened to them in history. Repentance, once again, was about preserving life—not securing eternal salvation.

Repentance in Acts

After Jesus ascended, Peter stood with boldness and called the crowds to turn:

“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation” (Acts 2:40).

Peter’s call to repent was a warning to sinning Israel — turn from your rebellion before judgment falls — not the gospel itself. Those who accepted his message were saved (Acts 2:41), not because they first repented, but because they believed the good news about Jesus (Acts 10:43; Acts 16:31).

Repentance for Followers of Jesus

Even believers are called to repent — not to remain saved, but to remain in fellowship and avoid grief or discipline:

“Those whom I love… I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19).

That’s not about losing eternal life; it’s about walking in God’s peace, blessing, and obedience today.

Why This Matters

If repentance were a condition for eternal life, we would have to earn our way into Christ — and that contradicts the whole message of grace:

“To the one who does not work but believes…” (Romans 4:5).

But when we understand repentance as God’s loving warning to turn from sin and avoid pain, destruction, and discipline in this life, it regains its beauty and urgency.

God does not want anyone to perish:

“The Lord is patient with you… not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

God’s patience and warnings are not threats of eternal condemnation. They are invitations to life now.

God still warns.
God still calls people to turn from destructive paths.
God still extends mercy and life in Christ.

Follow me… as I follow JESUS Christ.