Some people get hung up on the word, “repent”. It seems to automatically ring a ‘religion’ bell in their head and they are turned off  probably because of Acts 2:38 where Peter tells the people, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…”

In this regard repent means to be sorry for living in ways that dishonor God.

However,  Professor Robert Wall, Professor of Scripture and Wesleyan Studies, adds that it is “the internal and intellectual act of exchanging old beliefs for new ones.”

To me, this explanation is much more digestible and may appeal to those outside of religion as well as to the religious.

The internal and intellectual act of exchanging old beliefs for new ones…it makes me happy that I got hung up on a word. 

This post was prompted by a blog from Matthew Ruttan’s devotional, UP, on April 29th.