I like that you are adding a personal interpretation and flag it as such when you talk about it. It is rarely seen and as strange as it may sound, it improved my day…
Yes to repent really means to realize to realign to who you really were when God originally created you it was not supposed to be recrimination or regret or shame more like aligning with the vibration of God and staying true
Since I was very young (some 70 years ago now) I have had an unshakeable experience of …. I’ve never known what to call it … divine presence? Overwhelming goodness and beauty? Not visions, or anything I could put in words, just the innate “it is good” ness of nature and being. I have studied history, philosophy, theology, and psychology trying to find the words to express it. And here you have provided it. Metanoia. How many times have I encountered that word! but this time it speaks to me of truth.
Thank you. 'Repent' has certainly been MOSTLY misunderstood.
But not by the Orthodox Church which has always taught 'repent' to mean 'to think again, to change your mind', and never in a punitive way as adopted by the largely western-rite Churches.
I am reassured that, for many years now, the Anglican Church I serve teaches 'repent' as 'think again'.
The fact that the NT mentions repent/repentance over 60 times should sufficiently encourage us to think again about our thoughts, words and deeds if we are to truly transform into the likeness of Christ.
One of my seminary friends once told me that Repentance is the act of turning away (180 degrees) and walking away from the thing that caused you to sin. If it was alcohol, you turned away and stopped drinking. If it was sex, you abstained. If it was anger, it was walking away.
I always laughed at the Catholics I knew who got drunk on Friday nights, confessed their sins on Sunday, and went out drinking the next friday night.
No sign of repentance, no changing of lifestyle, no change period. Just sin, confess, sin, confess.
Does Eastern Orthodox Christianity similarly use repent in place of metanoia? I know their interpretation of the meaning of the Easter Resurrection is somewhat different.
In the Gospels, the word translated as “repent” is the Greek metanoia.
In many Western-church contexts, repentance is usually understood as feeling sorrow for sin (sin=missing the mark) and seeking forgiveness.
This is true, but it is only part of the meaning.
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, metanoia is a change of mind AND heart, a turning of the whole person toward God. It is not only about what we have done, but about who we are becoming.
In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the son “comes to himself” before he speaks. His return begins in awakening.
Metanoia, then, is not simply turning away from sin, but turning toward God,
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This just confirms for me things that i was feeling but didn't have the means or the information to understand what I was being given to see, or why. I know now why.
My husband, a seasoned and highly educated Unity minister taught many classes on metanoia. Thank you for this EXCELLENT piece on the profundity of metanoia when it is correctly understood!
Yes...Thank you again for confirming what I always felt about the sin/repent theory from the Catholic tradition. Having direct
" God spells" down through the years, without the use of drugs, alcohol, etc, I stood under the awakening that one does NOT need a mediator to resolve or judge their situations as he or she moves along on their earthly journey. The damage that the Catholic Church has done on this planet as oppose to the good they have done is tremendously huge.
30 Hebrew words restored to their original meaning.
What the institution needed you to never find out — decoded in full. 👇🏻
https://adhdmastery.gumroad.com/l/czsmsi
Teshuvah (Hebrew) means “return”… often you make teshuvah and it’s a practice of making amends with someone.
And one of my interpretations / practices —> return to the sacred space within you that knows 🤍
I like that you are adding a personal interpretation and flag it as such when you talk about it. It is rarely seen and as strange as it may sound, it improved my day…
Thank you, so very much 🙏🏼
Yes to repent really means to realize to realign to who you really were when God originally created you it was not supposed to be recrimination or regret or shame more like aligning with the vibration of God and staying true
Since I was very young (some 70 years ago now) I have had an unshakeable experience of …. I’ve never known what to call it … divine presence? Overwhelming goodness and beauty? Not visions, or anything I could put in words, just the innate “it is good” ness of nature and being. I have studied history, philosophy, theology, and psychology trying to find the words to express it. And here you have provided it. Metanoia. How many times have I encountered that word! but this time it speaks to me of truth.
Check out my new article, it’s about the divine presence
Ok so I decided not to waste my time reading the Bible because of the issue addressed here ie translation.
I can’t imagine I’m going to learn Aramaic, Greek and Hebrew this lifetime.
How does one find a translation one can trust?
I find these Nabu essays fascinating but I'd like to know more about who is writing them.
What is the original Aramaic work Jesus used for Repent before the Greek translation
tuv is more akin to go home, return to center. Hebrew shuv is turn around, as in you’re wrong here or mistaken.
Thank you. 'Repent' has certainly been MOSTLY misunderstood.
But not by the Orthodox Church which has always taught 'repent' to mean 'to think again, to change your mind', and never in a punitive way as adopted by the largely western-rite Churches.
I am reassured that, for many years now, the Anglican Church I serve teaches 'repent' as 'think again'.
The fact that the NT mentions repent/repentance over 60 times should sufficiently encourage us to think again about our thoughts, words and deeds if we are to truly transform into the likeness of Christ.
"We're not saved by doing good works, we're saved by not doing bad works." -Yandell
Thx.
We've always been taught it means to repent of your sins, turn around, and walk forward (Lutheran). It is a Rom 12:2 thing.
One of my seminary friends once told me that Repentance is the act of turning away (180 degrees) and walking away from the thing that caused you to sin. If it was alcohol, you turned away and stopped drinking. If it was sex, you abstained. If it was anger, it was walking away.
I always laughed at the Catholics I knew who got drunk on Friday nights, confessed their sins on Sunday, and went out drinking the next friday night.
No sign of repentance, no changing of lifestyle, no change period. Just sin, confess, sin, confess.
Who would’ve thunk that Jesus wanted people to be woke?
Does Eastern Orthodox Christianity similarly use repent in place of metanoia? I know their interpretation of the meaning of the Easter Resurrection is somewhat different.
Hi Charles, here's a borrowed explanation:
Metanoia: more than repentance
In the Gospels, the word translated as “repent” is the Greek metanoia.
In many Western-church contexts, repentance is usually understood as feeling sorrow for sin (sin=missing the mark) and seeking forgiveness.
This is true, but it is only part of the meaning.
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, metanoia is a change of mind AND heart, a turning of the whole person toward God. It is not only about what we have done, but about who we are becoming.
In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the son “comes to himself” before he speaks. His return begins in awakening.
Metanoia, then, is not simply turning away from sin, but turning toward God,
and being changed in the turning.
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This just confirms for me things that i was feeling but didn't have the means or the information to understand what I was being given to see, or why. I know now why.
The “real” biblical sense
Metanoia = a Spirit-of-God-worked change of mind, heart, and direction toward God.
It includes, but is not limited to
- New thinking about God, sin, self, and Christ.
- Turning from sin and self-rule to God and His rule.
- Often accompanied by sorrow, but defined by reorientation, not just feelings.
Examples:
“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1,15)
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…” (Acts 3,19)
So: metanoia is a deep, inner change of mind and heart caused by the Holy Spirit,that leads to a completely new direction of life with God.
My husband, a seasoned and highly educated Unity minister taught many classes on metanoia. Thank you for this EXCELLENT piece on the profundity of metanoia when it is correctly understood!
Yes...Thank you again for confirming what I always felt about the sin/repent theory from the Catholic tradition. Having direct
" God spells" down through the years, without the use of drugs, alcohol, etc, I stood under the awakening that one does NOT need a mediator to resolve or judge their situations as he or she moves along on their earthly journey. The damage that the Catholic Church has done on this planet as oppose to the good they have done is tremendously huge.