In Jeremiah 4:3-4, God illustrates the process of repentance and helps us to understand its value by comparing it to a farmer preparing the soil before planting seed.

Just as it takes time to properly prepare a field, so it also takes time to come to repentance—time to come to understand how the Bible applies in your everyday life, to recognize and admit the ways that you have sinned or disobeyed God, and for you to turn your life around. All of these matters are part of the process of repentance.

You may be surprised to learn that the word “repentance” doesn’t mean being merely sad, sorry or regretful, even though these adjectives appropriately describe the attitude we need to have in coming to repentance. The apostle Paul refers to a godly sorrow that produces genuine repentance and a worldly sorrow that does not produce the right result (2 Corinthians 7:10).

The word “repent” itself refers to regret producing a turnaround in one’s life. The New Testament Greek word often translated “repent” is metanoia, referring to a change of thinking. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term shuv, meaning “turn” or “return,” is often used for repentance (the noun form being teshuvah).

More than just turning away from sin, repentance requires that we turn toward God, that we do our best to live as He expects us to live. Consider what John the Baptist said to some who came to him for baptism: “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). Of course, to really change our actions, our inner thoughts and motivations that give rise to them must change.

Showing our repentance through our actions doesn’t mean that we are attempting to earn salvation, which is not possible. Nothing we can do can atone for the sins we have committed. Only Jesus Christ’s sacrifice can pay the penalty of death we have earned. Rather, showing repentance through our actions—completely surrendering our lives to God—is part of the salvation process.

As figuratively portrayed in one of Christ’s parables, some people receive the “seed” or word of the Kingdom in a rush of enthusiasm only to lose interest after a while (Matthew 13:18-23). It is a serious matter to start on the Christian way of life and later turn away from it. Jesus warned that doing so could literally cost us our eternal life (Luke 14:26-35).

True repentance ensures our mind and heart are thoroughly prepared to receive God’s Holy Spirit. Continuing Christ’s farming analogy from Matthew 13, true repentance helps ensure a good spiritual “crop.”

Some wrongly believe that conversion takes place by a momentary prayer of commitment, and that viewing obedience to specific laws as a requirement is “legalism” and contrary to living under grace. However, God is in the forefront of repentance: “The kindness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4, Modern King James Version).

In the course of attempting to turn your life around spiritually, you will often find that you come up short. But do not let that discourage you. It is only confirmation that you need the additional help of God’s Holy Spirit to be able to obey Him. Baptism and the laying on of hands by a minister of God is the next step of salvation after repentance, and that’s how you can receive God’s Spirit (Acts 2:38).

Be sure to ask God directly to give you repentance. The Bible shows that coming to repentance is unnatural to the corrupted human mind—that it must come from God (Romans 8:7; 2 Timothy 2:25). Add that request to your regular prayers. If you continue to respond to God, He will continue to give you spiritual understanding and lead you into a Father-son relationship.

For more information, please read our Bible study aid booklet The Road to Eternal Life.