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July 6, 2026

Why I Don’t Use the Word "Repent" When I Share the Gospel

By Jason Neill

Scripture reading: John 3:1-21; 6:47; Acts 17:16-34; Ephesians 2:8-9

One of the best classes I took in seminary was my evangelism course. For the first time in my Christian life, I could clearly articulate the good news of eternal life. It was like a fog had lifted. Putting aside the religious jargon I grew up with, I finally had a clear grasp. Don’t misunderstand me; I trusted in Christ for eternal life when I was nine years old. But between that age and my mid-twenties, I don’t think I could have expressed in a clear manner what a person needed to do to receive God’s free gift.

If you are like me, you grew up hearing several religious phrases but weren’t entirely clear on what they meant. I’m still not sure what a person means when they use these phrases. Phrases such as “give your heart to Jesus,” “give your life to Christ,” or “invite Jesus into your heart” are not found in the Bible, and I suggest they should not be used since they are confusing and do not represent what a non-Christian must do to receive eternal life. On the other hand, the word repent can be found in the New Testament and is often used in sharing the good news, but we shouldn’t expect a non-Christian to understand what it means. In fact, the primary reason I don't use the word "repent" when sharing the gospel is because it is almost always misunderstood as a requirement to "change your life" rather than a "change of mind.” For that reason, I would like to make it our focus this week.

My evangelism mentor and instructor in seminary was Dr. Larry Moyer, founder of EvanTell, a ministry dedicated to sharing the good news of eternal life in a clear fashion. He’s been an evangelist for fifty years and has written several books. One of those books is titled Eternal Life: Can You Really Be Certain You Have It? In it, he offers the following explanation of the concept of repentance:

Repentance is often defined as a change of life. To a non-Christian that communicates that in order to come to Christ he or she must clean up their act. Take out of their lives what should not be there and put in what should be there. The problem is that would mean reformation has to come before regeneration. How does a non-Christian live the life that he has not yet been empowered to live? It is only after a person comes to Christ that he has the ability to live a life that before he could not live.

To a Christian, defining repentance as a change of life raises similar concerns. If I have to change my life, does that mean if I haven’t been able to quit bad habits then I am not a Christian? How much does my life need to change to be assured I am a Christian? What about temptations I face that at times still control me instead of me controlling them? To what degree does my life need to change for me to be assured that I am a Christian? How many bad habits must I quit? What if I live splendidly one day and poorly the next? If repentance means a change of life, how would one ever be certain of salvation? How much change is enough?

Repentance as used in an evangelistic context does not mean to change your life, but instead to change your mind. The main words used for repentance in the New Testament are the Greek words metanoia and metanoeo. They mean to change your mind about what is keeping you from trusting Christ.

What a person had to change his mind about is always determined by the context. One may have to change his wrong view of God. Another might have to change his mind about his good works, recognizing that no good thing that he does makes him acceptable to God.

Repentance could be biblically defined as ‘to change your mind about what is keeping you from trusting Christ and trust Him to save you.’ So that means when you come to God as a sinner, recognize Christ died for you and rose again, and trust in Christ alone to save you, both faith and repentance has taken place. When you believe in the biblical sense of the word, you have repented. You have changed your mind about whatever is keeping you from trusting Christ and trusted Him to save you. To genuinely repent is to believe in Christ as the only way to heaven.

Repentance is essential to salvation. But when we come to God as a sinner, recognize Christ died for us and rose again, and trust Christ alone to save us, we are satisfied with what satisfies God. Both faith and repentance have taken place (pp. 37-41).

It’s for this reason, when I share the good news of eternal life that Jesus offers, that I don’t use the word repent. It is not a word we normally use in our daily conversations, and it can be confusing to a non-Christian. Biblically speaking, if someone places their trust in Christ for the free gift of eternal life, they have repented because they changed their mind about whatever is keeping them from trusting Christ and trusted in Him alone for what He offers.

So, if you use the word repent, be sure to explain it. Otherwise, even with good intentions, we confuse the person we’re talking to instead of bringing clarity.

Discussion Questions

  • Growing up, what religious phrases or jargon did you hear most often? Did you have a clear understanding of what they meant at the time?
  • If a person believes repentance means "cleaning up their act" before coming to Christ, how does that accidentally turn salvation into a message of works rather than grace?
  • Think about the conversations you have with non-Christian friends or family. What are some everyday words we can use to explain biblical concepts without relying on church jargon?

How does realizing that "saving faith and biblical repentance happen at the same time" change the way you invite someone to trust in Jesus?