Each year, countless tourists flock to London, England. The city is full of delightful attractions. Perhaps the most popular site is the Tower of London, which has a fascinating (albeit dark) history. Over the centuries, it’s served as a fortress, prison and place of execution. The Tower also displays the Crown Jewels. Westminster Abbey is where British kings and queens have been crowned since the time of William the Conqueror in 1066. Other places of interest include the British Museum, the “London Eye” (a giant Ferris wheel which provides spectacular vistas of downtown London) and “Big Ben” – the clock tower adjacent to the Houses of Parliament.
Buckingham Palace is the London residence of the reigning monarch. At Buckingham, there is an extremely popular “Changing of the Guards” ceremony. Some years ago, relatives who attended the ceremony described it for me. Adorned with the traditional bearskin hats and red tunics, the guards march with remarkable precision as their officers call out various commands. One of these instructs the soldiers to to abruptly turn 180 degrees and march in the opposite direction. That command? “Repent!”
This language is the vestige of a bygone day. In today’s world, the word repentance has largely retreated into explicitly religious contexts. It’s become one of those “churchy” words not often heard in ordinary conversation. But it’s well worth remembering that the term simply means to turn around. (I don’t know for certain if this command is still in use. Perhaps it’s been replaced with a more modern expression. If any reader has been to Buckingham Palace recently I would be curious to know.)
Of course, repentance is a major theme throughout the Bible and especially in the book of Acts. After healing the lame man begging at the temple gate, Peter bears witness to the resurrection, which marked out Jesus as the Messiah. Peter makes it clear how his audience ought to respond to this gospel message: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)
The Greek word translated “repent” is metanoia, which literally means “to change your mind” or “to think differently.” But the word was used to indicate more than just an altered mental state; it carried the strong sense of altered behavior. Repentance goes beyond merely a feeling of regret or remorse, or even a confession of sin. It requires renouncing our formerly shameful and rebellious ways and instead living in accordance with God’s righteousness.
Peter’s words in Acts 3 are very similar to those he offered on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Peter’s Pentecost sermon also reached its climax with the announcement of Jesus as the Messiah, God’s anointed king: “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
It’s well worth reflecting on this reality: the most fundamental meaning of the resurrection is that Jesus is indeed God’s Messiah, the king of Israel who would usher in God’s kingdom of justice, peace, joy and eternal life over all creation. The court of Israel (the Sanhedrin) had condemned him as a false Messiah, deceiving the people of Israel and leading them astray. But in an astonishing display of power, God overturned the court’s unjust conviction and vindicated Jesus as the one true king.
Deeply convicted by Peter’s words, the crowd immediately asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” To which Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Again, we see that the appropriate response to the gospel is repentance and loyal submission. This includes, but goes well beyond, passive belief or trust. Repentance is an active, whole-person response which requires a departure from wickedness and the giving of our full allegiance to Jesus by living in obedience to him. The early Christians saw baptism as the first step on the road of repentance. It was a public declaration of loyalty to King Jesus.
These key passages from the book of Acts give us the opportunity to compare the scriptures themselves with the kind of preaching we often hear from evangelical pulpits. Note, when the people asked Peter what they should do, he did not respond by saying, “Salvation isn’t about what you do! It’s all about what Jesus has done for you. It’s simply a matter of believing in him.”
Rather, Peter eagerly gives them an active imperative. He urges them to avert disaster by turning around. They need to stop rushing headlong down the ruinous path they’re currently on and go with all possible speed in the other direction. They must turn away from iniquity and towards God by giving loyalty to Jesus the king. Of course, this response is undergirded by the power of the Holy Spirit, which Peter immediately mentions: “You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Peter’s Pentecost sermon concludes this way: “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”” Clearly, the path to salvation involves the sequence which Peter has just described: repentance and loyal submission to Jesus, all empowered by the Holy Spirit. The salvation he speaks of involves deliverance from corruption – the sinfulness of that generation. Peter does not say, “You’ll continue to be corrupt, but thankfully enjoy God’s forgiveness through Jesus.” No, the whole point is that salvation requires repentance – a radical change in behavior.
It’s important to recognize that Peter makes repentance the crucial condition for receiving forgiveness. This conclusion is resisted or rejected by many evangelicals, who insist that altered human behavior cannot play any role in salvation. But Peter’s words could hardly be more clear. “Repent and be baptized…for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:38) “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.” (Acts 3:19)
To solidify our grasp of repentance, let’s look at the figure of John the Baptist. Matthew tells us that John had clothes “made from camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist.” These are more than just passing details. By his appearance, John the Baptist very deliberately evoked the memory of the great Old Testament prophet Elijah. (Elijah is described as having “a garment of hair” and “a leather belt around his waist” in 2 Kings 1:8)
Elijah lived during a time of great spiritual darkness, during the reign of the wicked King Ahab. The people of Israel had turned away from the one true God and worshipped and served the Canaanite god Baal.
On the heights of Mount Carmel, Elijah famously confronted Ahab and the 450 prophets of Baal. There Elijah beseeched God to reveal himself by sending fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. He prayed, “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
These words neatly summarize the ministry of Elijah (and most of the other Old Testament prophets too). The Israelites had rejected the covenant and flagrantly disobeyed God’s commands, not least by bowing down before idols. Elijah had the unenviable task of calling these stiff-necked people to turn around, to return to the path of covenant obedience and faithfulness.
That is the context within which we must understand the message of John the Baptist: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Just like Elijah, he exhorted the people of Israel turn away from the path of sin and return to the road of righteousness. That’s a whole-person response which requires amended conduct. John makes this quite explicit when he demands, “Produce fruit worthy of repentance.”
And just like Peter, John the Baptist clearly connects repentance with salvation. “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” The meaning of this metaphor could hardly be more clear: those who don’t change their behavior, who fail to turn from wickedness to righteousness, will certainly suffer the wrath of God.
What does God require people do? They must turn around. That’s the way to salvation.
