What is Repentance?
There are several opinions on what repentance is or means. Biblically, repentance is acknowledging God and that you have sinned against him and his laws, accepting whatever consequences for it, and do all that is possible to make it right.
In this same vein, reconciling ourselves with who we have sinned against is acknowledging the wrong to the person wronged making whatever restitution required and seeking forgiveness.
Godly sorrow is over having sinned against God, hopefully leading to repentance.
2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Remorse is the deep regret that you have sinned against your Maker and Lord, acknowledging God and your need of his mercy and salvation.
Psalms 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Jeremiah 3:13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 14:20 We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.
Hosea 5:15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
The repentant heart will seek the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. To seek God is to believe that Jesus was the virgin-born Son of God, that he died for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. You cannot reach the Father without the Son.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
“godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.”
God acknowledged his responsibility in creating man with free will knowing sin would enter the world by creating a plan of salvation whereby any individual could believe him and receive the forgiveness of sins and the free gift of eternal life. Repentance is the individual taking responsibility for his part in using that free will to sin; salvation is when the two meet.
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