(CORRECTION) Repent Does Not Mean "To Turn" Anywhere in the Bible

[creationliberty]

I talked about this with our church in Bible study this past week, and after careful study, I'm taking the firm position that the word 'repent' does not mean "to turn" anywhere throughout Scripture. That is only taught by the tradition of men, that's not taught in the Word of God. Repent CAN sometimes means "to change," depending on the context, but it does NOT mean "to turn," and the primary definition, the way it is used most throughout Scripture, is grief and sorrow.

I may have places scattered throughout my articles in which I still teach that repent can mean "to turn," but I will be correcting those over time. I apologize if I brought any confusion among any of you by teaching that, but I was still fooled by false preachers on that subject, and I praise God that He opened my eyes. See our teaching on repentance if you have any questions, or you can make comments below. Thanks to our church for your continued patience with me.

[Severius Brandusa]

Very interesting. Thanks, Christopher. It really does make a lot more sense. Those man-made traditions and definitions have affected us all and it's a blessing that the LORD God is showing us His Truth and doctrine by also cutting out the leaven from our undersranding.

[ThomasHGW]

I agree that this is the most important teaching you have done. What's really sad is that when stephen anderson says "nobody even knows what repent means, you ask 10 different people what repent means and you get 10 different answers." He's actually right (about getting different answers).
Even more sad is how corrupted the word repent/repentance has become. But when he says that repentance comes after you are saved (not before) his argument can be destroyed with
 Matthew 9:12-13 (KJB) "But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
This teaching is actually very simple, this isn't something that is stretched or you have to think about really hard or anything, it boggles my mind sometimes that people are really that deceived by what men are teaching, not what the bible says.
Romans 3:4 (KJB) God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
This is actually the first time i've heard anyone take the position that it never means to turn, and it makes sense the more I read the verses in this article, thanks for posting this

[creationliberty]

I actually don't agree with him. I've only gotten four different answers: godly sorrow, turn, change, or forgiveness. Anderson has a bad habit of exaggerating his stories to try and get people to believe what he's saying.
I'll go into details on that subject for everyone when I do the audio teaching on repentance, so everyone can see what I'm talking about. The reason people use Jonah 3, which is the primary "evidence" they use to say repent means "to turn," is because they don't understand Jonah 3. The Bible uses the words "turn" or "convert" to mean "turn," but it never uses repentance that way.

[ThomasHGW]

Hes definitely exaggerating with the number 10... I just meant that the average person or churchgoer usually doesn't know what it means not a born again believer who actually knows what it means...

[creationliberty]

Neither does Anderson. 

[Timothy]

I finished going through the article last night. There is one thing I'm confused on. You say that convert means to "turn/change" but repent never means to turn, but can mean to change.

From the article:
"Before I start showing you the Scripture, I want readers to understand repent can SOMETIMES mean 'to change,' depending on the context, but it does NOT mean 'to turn,'..."

"The word that means 'to turn/change' is the verb 'convert,' which is what people should be looking if they want a context of turning and changing:"

I could just be confused but doesn't 'turn' and 'change' actually mean the same thing or is there a difference when repent is defined as 'change' in scripture to where it doesn't also mean to turn?

[creationliberty]

Yeah, that's the argument that people will generally make; like Andersonites for example. Turning is a result of repentance, not repentance itself.

For example:
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:
-Exd 13:17

The repentance in this verse is the the regret (which also means grief and sorrow) of their decision. Their regret results in them turning (or in this case, RE-turning) to Egypt, but their regret is not turning.

Another example:
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
-Gen 6:6
I've listened to wicked preachers teach this passage means that God "changed His mind." If God changed His mind about creating man, then none of us would be here today. The grief of God's heart (i.e. repentance) results in a change of course.

Turning is a result of repentance, which means it is almost implied that one turns from his ways when coming to genuine repentance, but saying it DIRECTLY means "to turn" is the problem because that makes a whole lot of Scripture contradictory. This is why new-age versions and lexicons and concordances and all the other garbage people seek after is so dangerous, because one slight variation of context, definition, or doctrine can result in us turning God into a liar, which is what unbelievers do, including those who CLAIM to believe, but are false converts--they will not acknowledge that's what they do because they do so without even considering it.
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
-1Jo 5:10
(That includes the doctrine on repentance that Jesus taught!)