True repentance takes place when a person turns completely away from sin and entirely toward God. In Acts 2:38, Peter tells the crowd who had recently rejected Jesus and endorsed His brutal death on the cross, “Repent.” True repentance requires a change of behavior, a change of mind, and a change of heart.
Repentance requires a change of behavior. The crowd that Peter addressed needed to change the way they were living their lives. Instead of actively rejecting God’s Son, they need to actively obey His gospel. Peter commanded them, “be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).
Repentance requires a change of mind. The crowd believed that Jesus was an imposter and a blasphemer. They decided that the best way to handle His radical teaching was to put Him to death on a cross. Once Peter’s words convinced them of who Jesus was, the Son of God, their minds changed from actively rejecting God to actively embracing Him.
Repentance requires a change of heart. More than the changes to behavior or mind, it is necessary for a person to change deep within their heart. We read that the crowd was “pierced to the heart” (Acts 2:37), which tells us they felt overwhelming sorrow for their previous behavior and way of thinking.
Repentance is more than change; true repentance is a complete and active change of behavior, mind, and heart.
Matt Langfield