Now that we have a renewed mind and can now see and hear with accuracy, I want to look at a few words that have suffered much misuse and no true understanding, these words are "repent" and "repentance," in both OT and NT.
First only Israel was told to repent in both the OT and NT as it alone held a stiffness or hardness of heart. In Revelation it is again used for the churches of Judaism who had turned to Christ. Today we see this in many who claim to be what they are in fact not, at lease not as far as spiritual growth goes. For they have not yet broke away from religions dark hold on them and their thinking or power of observation goes.
Repent: OT Strong's H5162, H7725, these have 21 verses and 22 matches. NT Strong's G3340, G3338, are used in 22 verses and have 24 matches.
Old Testament:
Strong's H5162, (AHLB) 2392; I. Comfort: To give comfort in time of difficulty or sorrow. II. Regret: To have sorrow for an action. kjv: comfort, repent, comforter, ease.
Strong's H7725, (AHLB)1423; Turn co: A turning back to a previous state or place. - Return: To turn back. [Hebrew and Aramaic] kjv: return, again, turn, back, away, restore, bring, render, answer, recompense, recover, deliver, put, withdraw, requite.
New Testament:
Strong's G3340, Thayer's Definition, from G3326 and G3539; metanoeō; 1) to change one’s mind, i.e. to repent 2) to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins.
G3326; meta, a primary preposition: 1) with, after, behind. And G3539; noieō, a verb: 1) to perceive with the mind, to understand, to have understanding. 2) to think upon, heed, ponder, consider
Strong's G3338, Thayer's Definition, from G3326 and G3199; metamellomai, a verb; 1) it is a care to one afterwards 1a) it repents one, to repent one’s self, from G3326 and the middle voice of G3199; G3326, meta, a primary preposition:1) with, after, behind. And 3199; melō, a verb; 1) to care about.
Daniel Webster's 1828 Dictionary states this:
PEN'ANCE, n. 1. The suffering, labor or pain to which a person voluntarily subjects himself, or which is imposed on him by authority as a punishment for his faults, or as an expression of penitence; such as fasting, flagellation, wearing chains, &c. Penance is one of the seven sacraments of the Romish church.2. Repentance.
REPENT'ANCE, n. 1. Sorrow for any thing done or said; the pain or grief which a person experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his own conduct. 2. In theology, the pain, regret or affliction which a person feels on account of his past conduct, because it exposes him to punishment. This sorrow proceeding merely from the fear of punishment, is called legal repentance, as being excited by the terrors of legal penalties, and it may exist without an amendment of life. 3. Real penitence; sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude towards a Being of infinite benevolence. This is called evangelical repentance, and is accompanied and followed by amendment of life.
Repentance is a change of mind, or a conversion from sin (a worldly mindset) to God. Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. 2 Cor 7, Mat 3. Repentance is the relinquishment of any practice, from conviction that it has offended God.
RE'PENT, a. [L. repo, to creep.] Creeping; as a repent root. REPENT', v.i. [L. re and paeniteo, from paena, pain. Gr. See Paint.] 1. To feel pain, sorrow or regret for something done or spoken; as, to repent that we have lost much time in idleness or sensual pleasure; to repent that we have injured or wounded the feelings of a friend. A person repents only of what he himself has done or said. 2. To express sorrow for something past.
Enobarbus did before thy face repent. 3. To change the mind in consequence of the inconvenience or injury done by past conduct.
Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return. Exo 13. 4. Applied to the Supreme Being, to change the course of providential dealings. Gen 6, Psa 106. 5. In theology, to sorrow or be pained for sin, as a violation of God's holy law, a dishonor to his character and government, and the foulest ingratitude to a Being of infinite benevolence.
Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Luke 13, Acts 3.
REPENT', v.t 1. To remember with sorrow; as, to repent rash words; to repent an injury done to a neighbor; to repent follies and vices. [See Repentance.] 2. With the reciprocal pronoun.
No man repented him of his wickedness. Jer 8. [This form of expression is now obsolete.]
Why? You may ask am I doing this, to show the err of the religionist's use of these words to force people to believe a falsehood of prayer for the dead and penance of stealing tithes and offerings for the dead. Even those who claim a being born from above have misused and misapplied these terms because of wrong teachings and beliefs. My hope is that the veil is lifted from peoples spiritual eyes and ears so that all may see and hear what the Spirit is saying to us today by our re-genesis or regeneration.
REGEN'ERATE, v.t. [L. regenero; re and genero. See Generate.] 1. To generate or produce anew; to reproduce.
Through all the soil a genial ferment spreads, regenerates the plants and new adorns the meads. 2. In theology, to renew the heart by a change of affections; to change the heart and affections from natural enmity to the love of God; to implant holy affections in the heart.
REGEN'ERATE, a. [L. regeneratus.] 1. Reproduced. 2. Born anew; renovated in heart; changed from a natural to a spiritual state.
REGENERA'TION, n. 1. Reproduction; the act of producing anew. 2. In theology, new birth by the grace of God; that change by which the will and natural enmity of man to God and His law (of Love and Faith become active) while the Law of letters are subdued, and a principle of supreme love to God and His law, or holy affections, are implanted in the heart.
He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Titus 3.
From here I will turn my attention to John 5:1-18 and verse 14 where we have this "sin no more," there was no repentance required of this man! Only go and do! Now we find this in the KJV and then the ESV:
John 5:14 of 1-18 "After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, [1]Wilt thou be made whole? ([1] Theleis, from thelo, to resolve, desire, not merely, do you wish, but are you in earnest?) The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith to him, [2]Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.([2] egeiro, to awaken from sleep) And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.(Grace offends the legalistic mindset. See Romans 3:27) He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said to me, Take up thy bed, and walk. Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, '[1] Behold, thou art made whole: [1] sin no more, lest a [2]worse thing come unto thee.' The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God."
Now here for comparison is the ESV:
John 5:14 of 1-18 "After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk." And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed." But he answered them, "The man who healed me, that man said to me, 'Take up your bed, and walk.'" They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "[1]See, you are well! [2] Sin no more, that nothing [3]worse may happen to you." The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God."
Here's the notes for verse 14, taken from the Mirror study Bible:
It is so important to [1] Behold G2396 see your wholenesness and not your distortedness! We reflect what we behold. To see ourselves through God's eyes is the only way to escape the distortion of contradiction! The word G2396 [1] ide from horao means to see, to discern, to perceive. The word translated sin [2] (G264), is the word [1] hamartia, from ha, negative and meros (G3313), portion or form, thus to be without your alloted portion or without form, pointing to a disorientated, distorted identity; the word meros, is the stem of morphe, as in 2Corinthians 3:18 the word metamorphe, with form, is the opposite of hamartia, without from. Sin is to live out of context with the blueprint of our design; to behave out of tune with GOD's original harmony. Hamartia suggests anything that could possibly distract from the awareness of our original likeness. See Deuteronomy 32:18, (KJV reads, "Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee." The ESV reads thus: "You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth." The Mirror reads: "You have forgotten the Rock that begot you and have gotten out of step with the GOD who danced with you!" Many translators and commentators have used this verse to conclude that GOD punishes people's sin with sickness! This is not the Father whom Jesus reveals! A few verses later [v 22] Jesus emphatically declares that the Father judges no-one! Those of a religious mindset have for so long connect GOD with judgment and wrath of diseases and sicknesses! All of which Jesus introduces us to a GOD and Father who would rather become our distortions and diseases on the cross and go into our darkness and hell to deliever us from its claim, than to send sickness to us and send us to hell! In John 9:2 the followers of Jesus asks, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?" Jesus' answers, 'You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. Never this man nor his parents were guilty!' Then Knox translates the text sentence to read, "it was so that God's action might declare itself in him!" This has nothing to do with judgment! See also 9:34 for the typical opinion of the Pharisees! "You were born in utter sin, now you try to teach us!" Nothing makes a Pharisee more nervous and mad than when their sin and judgment paradigm gets taken out of the equation! They just wont accept us as being with the Holy Spirit.
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