Repentance

Definition and Meaning

The Korean word for repentance, hoegae (悔改), is written with the Chinese characters meaning "to regret" (悔) and "to amend" (改). It signifies not merely grieving over past wrongs but changing the direction of one's thoughts and actions. The Hebrew word shuv in the Old Testament means "to turn back," and the Greek word metanoia in the New Testament means "a change of mind (or heart)." Protestants generally describe repentance as recognizing and hating sin and turning to God, and they regard it, paired with faith, as the response that leads to salvation. Repentance is understood not only as part of the moment of conversion, when a person first comes to faith, but also as something the believer continues throughout life.

Biblical and Historical Background

• The Old Testament prophets repeatedly urged Israel to return to God.
• In the New Testament, Jesus Christ began his ministry by proclaiming, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Peter likewise called for repentance and baptism in his sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:38).
• The medieval Western church institutionalized confession (the confessing of sins to a priest) as a sacrament. The sacrament of confession remains in the Catholic Church today.
• In the first of his Ninety-five Theses, Martin Luther wrote that the entire life of believers should be one of repentance. After the Reformation, Protestants ceased to regard confession as a sacrament and emphasized confessing sins directly to God (1 John 1:9).

Differences in Theological Understanding

• Reformed (Presbyterian): The Calvinist tradition regards repentance as a fruit that springs from those who have been regenerated by God's grace. Chapter 15 of the Westminster Confession of Faith treats it under the title "Of Repentance unto Life."
• Wesleyan tradition (Methodist, Holiness, and others): Wesleyan theology speaks of "prevenient grace," by which God first extends grace so that human beings are enabled to repent. It also emphasizes both the repentance that precedes justification and the repentance that continues throughout the process of sanctification.

Practice in the Korean Church

Repentance in the Korean church is closely linked to the Great Pyongyang Revival (1907). The public confession of sins by Kil Sun-ju and others at the Bible study conferences of that time is remembered as a defining scene of the revival.

Since then, repentance has frequently been emphasized in unison vocal prayer, revival meetings, special early-morning prayer meetings, and New Year's Eve watch-night services. Lent and Holy Week in particular are observed as seasons of repentance.

The place of repentance in worship varies by denomination.

• Churches that emphasize liturgy (a fixed order of worship), such as the Anglican Church of Korea and the Korean Methodist Church, often include in the service a prayer of confession offered together by the congregation. The Anglican Church of Korea also has a declaration of absolution and a rite of individual confession.
• In Presbyterian and Pentecostal churches, repentance commonly takes the form of individual prayers of repentance or unison vocal prayer following the sermon.

Meanwhile, the Salvation Sect is reported to teach that a person who has once come to realize the forgiveness of sins has no need for repeated prayers of repentance. Several denominations have criticized this understanding of repentance.