Long ago Martin Luther read the Latin translation of the Greek New Testament called the Vulgate. He saw that John that Baptist and Jesus called out to their hearers, “Do penance! For the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
Really? he thought. Did they really call for their hearers to do acts of self-mortification, contrition, confession to a priest, and other acts involved in trying to achieve absolution for sin?
But Luther found that the meaning of the original Greek word metanoia didn’t involve doing any acts of piety. Rather, he found, it meant “change your mind.”
Unfortunately, at least in English versions, the Latin Vulgate has exerted far more influence than it should have. The original Greek word got translated “penitence” or “repentance,” which some would argue wasn’t as far off from “penance” as it needed to be.
What does the “change of mind” mean? And why would I agree with some great thinkers that repentance is not an acceptable translation?
And why do I believe this truth is vitally important for all of us?
An Old Book And A Fresh Way Of Thinking
Recently I was directed to the old book The Great Meaning of Metanoia, by Treadwell Walden. It expanded some things I was thinking when I first wrote about repentance years ago as “coming to your senses.” I’ll be quoting from his book here.
Walden lamented the replacement of metanoia with a word that conveyed the Roman Catholic notion of penitence—that is, if you’re sorry enough, if you confess enough, if you weep enough, if you do such and such things to prove yourself, then your penitence (repentance) is received and you can go on your way.
This does not at all convey the Great Meaning of Metanoia, the Greek word that has been translated “repentance” in almost every English version of the Bible.
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YES! That is why the gospel is such good news! That is why we are in awe of a Saviour who came to satisfy His Father by bearing our sin on the cross, so we can be welcomed into His family and live a full, abundant life. I love this so much, Rebecca.
Yes and amen!
My goodness, I can’t express how grateful I am for this insight and explanation!
I have long recognized that though we hear about grace and forgiveness, there is never a next thing. It’s always about looking inward at your inadequacy, your selfishness, your lack of gratitude for what God has done in order to confess and set up a program of “repentance.”
I remember asking early on “What’s next?” after formally accepting Christ’s forgiveness for my state of “total depravity,” and being looked at like “What?” It seemed that what was next was a life of compulsively confessing my sins!
Oh gracious I totally get what you’re saying–yes! That is so often what the Christian life feels like.
I’ve written a lot on this website about the New Covenant life of the believer, so maybe some of those articles will be helpful to you. This opening up of metanoia is just one more step along that way.
Yes! Thank you for this! There is no courtroom if there is no law! Christ is the end of the law. He calls us out from under the fig tree (“when you were under the fig tree, I saw you”). It is “no longer the season for figs.”
Life itself is so much better.
That about the figs is a new one for me. Do you have more information about figs representing the Old Covenant?
No, I don’t. I can’t give you information other than as I contemplated the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree, Nathaniel’s calling and Adam and Eve using fig leaves for covering – it spoke to me in this way. Also, the law is connected with a curse in other places in scripture. It matches my personal experience and is simply a personal thought that it is symbolic. I have read nothing from anyone else saying this.
It’s a fascinating thought! Thank you!
Can I interject on the fig tree and it’s cursing. Using “the law of first mention” to understand why Jesus cursed it, we have to go back to when Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened. At that moment they realized the were naked and “covered” themselves by fashioning a suit of leaves from a fig tree. I believe this is a display of self-righteousness which brings no fruit. Jesus was saying, I am your covering and you need no longer to walk in that. Matthew 11:28-30 in the Message is the mantra. Yes the fig tree represents all self effort to “keep” the law. The work on the Cross did away our need to self-cover and gives us a path to rest in Him. Amen
This is an excellent observation about Adam and Eve. However, there is no law of first mention in the Bible (and I say that even though I’m familiar with how this “law” has been cited through the years).
I believe a better way is to look at all the ways the fig tree was referenced in the Old Testament. Other references to the fig tree shed further light, especially letting us know that the fig tree represented national Israel, who was depending so much on their works that they could not recognize the Messiah when he came, and as a people group they were cursed to bear no more fruit.
I never stopped to consider that without the law, there is no courtroom. The requirements of the Law have been met; there remains no need for continued sacrifice (per Hebrews). How does that perspective adjust our presentation of the gospel and the way we see this life and the next? And what does it make of The Great Throne Judgement?
I believe it isn’t that there is no law; it’s that Jesus has fulfilled the law for all who are in Him. When we look at the temple sacrifices (instead of a courtroom) as the analogy here, we see that, of course, It Is Finished.
Yes, maybe a better way to say it would be “there is no courtroom if we are dead to the law.” You can’t take a dead person to court.
“Treadwell.”THAT’S a name we need to bring back.
More on topic, I think the problem is more that we’ve focused so much on the first half of the meaning of repentance (feel badly) that we’ve neglected the second half (so that you’re inclined to do better). Like the literal dictionary definition of “gossip” and “slander” that have been twisted by some theologians to quell dissent among the pew peons, the literal dictionary meaning of “repentance” has been rendered incomplete, as well.
Kinda like the nuance between “guilt” and “shame.”
Guilt is a simple acknowledgment that I’ve done something wrong, and prompts me to do better in the future. Like the realization that I’ve overreacted to my exuberant four-year-old prompts me to do a better job of controlling my temper in the future. This is a HEALTHY response to wrong-doing. It’s the feeling we wish more bullies and narcissists would feel and respond to.
“Shame” is when it goes a step further to the “I’m worthless, I’ll never get this right, there’s no hope for me, I’m an abject sinner” self-loathing, self-focus that turns our eyes away from Jesus (which is what the devil wants, isn’t it?) and onto ourselves.
Does that make sense? Yes to guilt, because that leads to growth/transformation. No to shame, because that turns our focus away from Jesus and onto ourselves.
I believe I would disagree (if I correctly understand what you’re saying). I believe that “metanoia” isn’t about that at all. It’s about thinking in a new way. The “new way of thinking” will in some cases make a person realize that they need to repent. But in many cases–and I speak from personal experience–it’s simply about seeing what’s true instead of what’s false, and realizing the radical life change accordingly.
Do we need to feel guilt over being in the darkness before, or can we just be thankful that we are now in the light? I believe THAT is what metanoia is about.
Sorry, don’t think I’m being clear. I don’t think a feeling of “guilt” precludes a “new way of thinking.” I think it’s simply a realization that the old way of thinking was wrong/false/not true. Repentance (IMO) is then the process in which one is prompted to find the new/better/correct way of thinking.
I also agree that repentance is not JUST saying “I was wrong/in darkness,” but ALSO should be followed up by “how can I do better next time?”
Asking out of honest curiosity, do you think there’s a different English word that translations should use instead of “repentance?” I mean, there’s a lot of big theological concepts in the Bible, but if translations went around using the Greek terms for all the big concepts, it would quickly become clunky and difficult for non-academically-minded readers. Asking as someone who’s studied Greek, and realizing it’s rare to have a non-clunky word-for-word translation 🙂
Or, speaking as a spiritual abuse survivor, are you saying SURVIVORS need a “new way of thinking” to get out of the darkness they were in, but that they don’t need to feel guilty or repent? In that case, I’d wholeheartedly agree.
Sorry, I’m just really confused.
There are other words translated from Greek to English, as our friend Treadwell observed, that became imbued with their lofty New Testament meaning–words like faith, redemption, righteousness, etc. But metanoia being translated “repentance” means it is stuck with a religious meaning that isn’t what it means at all–the religious meaning of feeling sorry for your sins. That’s not what metanoia is talking about.
To overlay metanoia with another religious word that means “I have sinned, I feel deep pain over my sin, I want to be free of this pain” means that metanoia will be interpreted as something focused in our own sin and sorrow, instead of being focused (as its meaning indicates) on a new way of understanding.
Even repentance that says “I want to do better next time” focuses on ourselves instead of on our risen Lord, who is the one who fills us and transforms us so that in our new natures we will follow Him and do better next time as a matter of course.
The English possibility I offered for metanoia in my almost ten-year-old blog post was “Come to your senses.” Others have said “Change your mind,” but our modern cultural meaning for that expression leaves it lacking.
About who this is for: I’m saying what I believe John the Baptist and Jesus and the apostles were saying. That survivors and abusers and everyone–all people of the world–need a new way of thinking, a coming to the senses, a Holy-Spirit imbued understanding, to get out of the darkness and enter the Kingdom of God. Guilt and repentance will be appropriate as the Lord then makes the sin evident, but that guilt and repentance are not intrinsic to the meaning of the word metanoia; that concept has been overlaid by the Latin word.
As I contemplate further…
In the abuse advocacy world, there is so often heard a cry for “repentance!” But I’m hearing you say, and concur, that repentance is not the goal. Metanoia encompasses not just repentance but the fruit of a transformed mind. THAT is what victims/survivors and their advocates are calling for. “Allow the light of the gospel to so penetrate your entire being that there is a complete transformation in thought and action, so that what was once darkness becomes light because the Light has penetrated and dispelled the darkness.”
The nuance of metanoia is essential to understanding the call to repentance. I’d love to see our language adapted to reflect that nuance.
So, so true, The author who wrote 125 years ago was lamenting that our language had not adapted to encompass something more like “metanoia.” And it’s no different now, sadly, all these years later. It certainly needs to be.
Thank you, Rebecca. I have been “knowing” this for a number of years now. I’ve been done with experiencing the frustration of repentance, knowing I would “commit” the same “sins” again and need to continue the spiritually exhausting cycle which kept me in a groveling state of sin management (thanks to being raised in a very conservative denomination.) A pastor I later followed, once taught “Love more, sin less.” It helped me see that it is up to the Spirit to produce change in me, and not my effort (works.) THAT is freedom. I’m done with churches who preach a gospel that really isn’t good news. Instead, I’ve been listening speakers who suggest that what the biblical repentance really means isn’t changing my mind about my sin or behavior, but about who God is, and who I am.
I am sitting here a bit overwhelmed at the weight (or weightlessness) of all this. Your writing puts it so succinctly and confirms my ache to believe in this new (ancient) way to hear the true gospel. This is truly good news. This is the freedom Christ offers.
You’ve said it so beautifully! It was 2004 when I truly TRULY grasped that “sanctification is by faith alone,” and I felt as if I were being saved all over again. I’ve been exploring the ramifications ever since–it was the reason I started this blog in 2009. It is indeed joyous freedom in Christ.
Yes, this brought sweet tears from a deep inner place.
My salvation experience ( when i was five or six) was very fear based… as it originated from the very abuser who stood in the pulpit preaching each week . The image was always like a task master whipping the fear of Hell into me so repentance would be my cry…like breaking a horse.
The Lord has challenged that picture in me before, but its been a hard one to parse out since it had a kernel of truth. I recognized the truth that i did need forgiveness of my sin and my soul was separated from a holy God bc of sin… but i couldn’t understand the severity of punishment he taught at that tender age… unless i was responsible for the horror occurring in my life. Could i ever be sorry enough to appease a holy Judge???
Its been impossible to include the kindness and gentleness of the Jesus im now experiencing into that old picture. But replacing the picture with something totally different… that seems possible.
Another author is writing about Metanoia in a new book he is writing and has been talking about some of these ideas on his monday webinars. So incredible that the Lord affirms belief shifts for me in more than one way… HE KNOWS ME and what my heart needs SO WELL❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you Rebecca for this beautiful picture of metanoia ” more than repentance” which brings me such hope that our Lord Jesus really does want us free from effort the old system demands and making HIS FREEDOM and delight our new life- a very different system from the law.
Oh my goodness you have expressed so much here, friend. My heart aches for what you’ve experienced and rejoices that you’re coming into glorious truth.
If you would recommend the other author, please feel free to name him here so others can benefit from his work. Thank you!
Yes!!! I, too, have learned the power of ‘changed thinking’ brought about by Jesus and His Word. HE is the one who changes the way we think. And our actions are a result.
Thank God my tears are insufficient but His blood is all-sufficient.
AND let’s give the religion of sin-management the boot!!!!
“The religion of sin-management”–I love the way you express that!
I so appreciate you. I’ve been learning a lot of the things you blog about, and until I found your blog, I thought I had a big job to do- blogging about all this truth. But now I can just link my readers to you!!! I’ve mailed your three books to three friends. And blogged about them recently. A pastor is reading them. She’s teaching the womens group how to properly study the Bible. Yah!! You are maki n a difference!!
Praise God. Thank you, Amy!
That’s how I felt back in 2009 when I started this blog. “Where are the people talking about this?” Well, there are others, but there aren’t nearly enough!
Wow.
I am enlightened and THIS is “the more” that I’ve been looking for… it changes everything….❣️❤️ Thank you.
I had just prayed Lord…. What can I give my mother who will be 91 at the end of this month….what can I impart to her? She’s still teaching your Word as best she understands it….
so now I will
print this out and give it to her as a gift to study, ponder, receive and share with others.
Behold ALL things have become NEW!…..
I will have “metanoia” put on top of her cake…. This should be interesting….
thank you !
Wow! THAT is a beautiful gift to ME! You’re going to have “metanoia” written on your 91-year-old mother’s cake! God bless you!
Thank you for sharing this, Mrs. Davis! I have lately been trying to dig into what is truly meant by repentance, so this is very timely. As a sensitive personality, the word repentance has been a form of torment for me for a long time. I am starting to see that it may not mean what I’ve been taught my whole life and that makes me so hopeful!
Yes, it’s something I’ve been thinking about for over ten years (the other blog post of mine that I linked to was from 2012). But reading this old book about the word metanoia has made such a difference, and it fits with all that the Lord has been showing me about the Christian life as described in the New Testament. So much hope!
That is far more exciting than just ‘stop being naughty”. So much more filled with life. It makes much more sense coming from The life giver.
Thank you for all your hard work.
Oh my goodness yes! There is so much more to the Christian life! We can see that the way the Christian life is described is actually attainable for those who will step out of the “sin-and-repent” shackles and walk in the fullness of Christ.
Oh Rebecca, HALLELUJAH! Thank you for taking the time to explain what, I believe, so many evangelicals have stubbled at; me being one. I’ve tried for years to keep a firm hold of what Jesus calls us to: “metanoia”; but the spiritual battle for the mind is real and misunderstanding/mishandling of words certainly creates confusion and sadly, spiritual abuse. Let us continue to take the helmet of salvation. Oh how free we are in Christ! And the joy of the Lord is our strength! Amen.
Amen! Absolutely! Yes, this is one of those words that I wish had simply been transliterated, and then we could discuss what it means, rather than being pasted over with an old Roman word related to penance.
I know this is not how you are talking about this, but this is just a way I saw metanoia misused.
In a former abusive church environment,I felt the concept metanoia was used to say that repentance was changing your mind set, so there was no feeling sorry or being repentant of wrong doing, but just a turning away from the wrong thinking to do a different action. But the twist I saw was that what you were changing your mindset too wasn’t always a good thing. It was more changing your mindset to line up with their take on spiritual authority, or however they were teaching things. There also was no “sorrow” on their part for treating people wrongly, though I believe they felt that they are the ones in the right and everyone who disagrees with them is in the wrong; therefore, those not thinking like they were needed to repent, needed a new mindset.
Oh goodness–another way Scripture can be twisted to make sure you “agree with your authority without question.” God help us.
Isn’t it just so beautiful? Isn’t *He* so beautiful? It’s all so different than we’ve been taught. Thank You, God, for setting us free!
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10.
Oh, amen, Stephanie. The more we look at who Jesus really is, the more our hearts are transformed.
I also like the Hebrew concept of Teshuvah. Might be something to look into.
Yes, Metanoia is more than just changing actions, but a whole upheaval of our thinking. A churning up of the soil of our souls, and a paradigm shift. A constant turning over of our lives to God.
Yes.
I’m also noticing that survivors of trauma and abuse have more deep “soul work” to do than the average person. There are wounds, scars and deficits deep within them, that require an extra measure of grace to overcome. I always wondered, when I looked at my Christian peers who weren’t from trauma, they didn’t seem to struggle so deeply. Their process of sanctification seemed so much smoother than mine. I realized, that they probably didn’t have as much work to do as me.
I do believe, though, that for those who do the extremely difficult deep soul work, there is room for much deeper roots that way. Those who don’t seem to struggle so deeply may correspondingly have a more shallow root system.
Abuse survivors who pursue the Lord through the darkness will find Him with greater joy on the other side.
conversion (n.)
mid-14c., originally of religion, “a radical and complete change in spirit, purpose, and direction of life away from sin and toward love of God,”
This definition of ‘conversion’ is from the Online Etymology Dictionary. The word conversion seems a more complete and accurate translation of metanoia than repentance.
Good thought! Thank you!
…thanks for a thought-provoking article. It made me do Google research and I found a good sermon on metanoia. Here’s the link:
https://www.stmaryorthodoxchurch.org/orthodoxy/sermons/2020/metanoia-and-repentance
Thank you!
Love your work Rebecca!
This word “metanoia” has come to my attention 2 more times since I read your post over a month ago in fascinating ways that only God could orchestrate… one was because I was researching Erasmus re his translation for a different reason & came across this article just a few days after reading your post!!! I think He’s trying to tell us something, that maybe it is really important for us, His people, to understand the greater meaning!
FYI: Luther was actually inspired by Erasmus translation published in 1516, especially his insight on “metanoia” – it is said: Erasmus laid the egg Luther hatched…
Erasmus’ Greek New Testament changed history 500 years ago • Biblical Recorder (brnow.org)
EXCERPT:
‘The egg Luther hatched’In Germany, Luther studied the first edition of Erasmus’ Greek New Testament as he formulated his “95 Theses,” the document widely credited with launching the Protestant Reformation in 1517 by articulating a series of grievances against the Roman Catholic Church. The first three theses drew on Erasmus’ translation of the Greek word metanoeite, in Matthew 3:2 and elsewhere, as “repent” rather than the traditional Catholic rendering of “do penance,” which supported the sacramental system.
Erasmus, George said, “uncovered” that the Greek word referenced “a change of heart, a conversion of life” and “not just an act you do, a good work you perform.”
“Luther got that, and he used Erasmus’ Greek New Testament to give a whole different understanding of what repentance and penance was about,” George said. “And that’s what triggered the Reformation.”
Though Erasmus never left the Roman Catholic Church, it has been said since of the Reformation for five centuries, “Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched.”
PS… Erasmus did NOT translate “metanoiete” into the Latin repent, but as resipiscite – Wiktionary… which is fascinating… Luther was the one to first use “repent” in his German translation…
in link below: see bottom of right column in p126, 3rd full line from the bottom for Erasmus Latin translation “resipiscite” in Matthew 3:2…
1519 Erasmus Greek Latin NT (bibles-online.net)
PSS… I’m still learning as well! Erasmus used different words in each of his 3 publishings!!! wow, what an amazing journey “metanoia” represents!
The uses of resipiscere in the Latin of Erasmus: in the Gospels and beyond. – Free Online Library (thefreelibrary.com)
EXCERPT:
But what word did Erasmus use instead? If poenitentiam agere did not capture the force of metanoein, what could? Erasmus acknowledges several options, and his final choice was ultimately different in the 1516, 1519, and 1522 versions. In his first edition, he chose poeniteat vos, while in his notes to the next, he considered poenitemini. (10) Both of these are derived from the same root, and are very close to the “repent” of so many English versions. In his notes to the 1519 edition, Erasmus maintains that both words originate in pone tenendo, or “comprehending afterwards.” (11) He argues that words derived from this root are appropriate as equivalents for metanoein, which draws its force from the idea of contemplating sins already past. (12) Erasmus seems to have had this reasoning in mind later, in the 1522 edition, when he chose a variation slightly closer to the Vulgate rendering: poenitentiam agite vitae prioris, or “repent of your former life.” (13) But in the end, none of these represents Erasmus’s most controversial choice. The most daring rendering is found in the 1519 edition. Here, Erasmus expresses the biblical idea of repentance with a word not derived from pone tenendo, a word that seems unusual or even inappropriate at first sight. In the second edition of Erasmus’s Novum Testamentum, the Greek original is translated with the Latin resipiscere. (14) EOQ
These are really helpful, Bev. Thank you for sharing your research.
I point to my time of becoming a Christian some sixty years ago as a child when an invitation was given in Sunday School. I have been part of an “evangelical” church until the past couple of years when I have been going to a “liturgical” church-where the lectionary is followed.
The passage with this verse was preached about a couple of weeks ago (during Lent I recollect). My take away and as best as I can remember what the Reverend said was that, repentance here meant: to see things from God’s perspective; to think towards things in His way. A few months before that he spoke of repentance as being an invitation rather than a judgement.
I was suspect of these statements as they did not reflect the tone of what I heard in my more familiar environment and was concerned that a “liberal” interpretation was possibly being taught. However, this word “repent” has been a mystery to me for a long time and more recently something I have been stumbling over in understanding, so this “new” concept got my attention to be considered. (Talk about reconsidering and changing one’s mind!) I do wish his sermons were longer and that he would flesh out these nugget sentences more.
With these things going on, it was therefore particularly personal to read your blog on this. God has used it to give me some understanding about it. I see that others question and struggle with this too. Please be encouraged to know of this instance the matter of repentance IS being preached about in an accurate way.
Truly God does want us to know Him and His truths.
He certainly does, and I hope with you that the nuggets will be fleshed out more. In His Word there is so much to be gleaned. God bless you!
This is so GOOD, so GOD, it is changing my heart as I read it and the Father is speaking to me so marvelously!
Praise God, so happy to hear it. And happy Resurrection Day!
I love your post. For years I struggled with certain things said in the scriptures to the point of not being able to embrace them. Except for in a rather morbid I-have-to fashion. “There must be something wrong with me” I’d think. What’s wrong with me? This is rejecting God’s Word! It’s taken me decades to begin to wonder if perhaps God Spirit in me was rejecting some religious human’s perversions of His Word. Even His so-called “authorized” ones!
In the garden the serpent made his line of expertise clear: twisting what God says. If he can get us to believe his perversion, he can pervert us. More importantly, pervert how we think God must be. He also immediately proved his craft of influencing humans to join him in changing God word. Eve declared in effect “God said don’t even dare touch the tree either”. I don’t think snakes are particularly creative. Pretty sure the same tactic used on Adam and Eve is the same used ever since: get them to believe God really hath said something He never thought about saying. Like REPENT.
My point is the evil one both twists and influences people to twist God’s words. We shouldn’t think religious leaders translating bibles are immune. His enticements to twist are always subtle. Always appealing to the image of a god who is much more like he is: abusive. Rather than one who is reflective of a supreme being so in love with us, so for us, so filled with good news towards us, that He would go to unimaginable extremes to win our hearts back to Himself.
At 64, I’ve never had children. If I had a little boy of my own, of my being, who was part of me, and he became lost from me…and especially if he was lost and in danger…no one can imagine the rage of love that would consume me and the extent I’d go to to recover him and cover him with healing. And do you think for one minute I’d predicate whether or not I’d move heaven and earth to insure his recovery on whether or not he was or was not sorry for any part he’d played in his being separated from me? How we paint God to be less than human. All I’d care about is getting him in my arms safe and sound. And should I be the wealthiest most powerful man on earth and this happened! Watch out! All hell would break loose until I recovered my child.
Imagine a heart, a Father’s heart, that has something so amazing that it cannot bear not sharing it. Imagine the “it” is not an “it” but everything He, Father is. (All that I have is yours, He said to the older brother). He knows He is everything we desire, whether we yet know it or not. He knows, because He made us to fit perfectly into His perfect love. He is everything we desperately need to be safe and fulfilled and known as wonderful and loved children of the most glorious Father in the Universes of Universes. That’s Our Father Who art in Heaven. That’s our Father’s heart. That’s Who Jesus came to reveal. That revelation won Him the cross of a blasphemer as it often still does today in the world of religion hell bent on lifting the power of sin above the power of the love of the Father. Go on a journey to see exactly how far the east is from the west. You’ll never return. Nor will your sin.That’s the Power of The Father’s Love for you and me through the Work of His Son our Savior/Friend-like-no-other and His Spirit.
Thank you, Gary. This is so beautifully put.
Great blog and thanks for posting this!
All along John the Baptist wasn’t saying what we’ve been told he was saying. When he cried out “REPENT for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” he was saying something so positive. Change your mind generally, but even more deeply, to be prepared to undergo a radical mental transformation as relates to their understanding of right standing before God. It was a herald that puts the hearer in the correct frame of mind of expectation so that when she or he hears the unfathomably glad tidings of great joy that by simply believing in Jesus for the everlasting life He promises (Jn 6:47), we have it! The mind is blown when eternal life is received, not earned, as free and clear gift. And all to the praise of His glory!!!
I read Treadwell Walden’s book and it was really good even if a little hard to read. I find it shocking that at no point in time since the Vulgate rendered this beautiful word “metanoia” into what could arguably be considered its antonym, “repent”, that no succeeding version attempted to right this criminal wrong. Perhaps it will take a very brave person to take the NKJV or KJV and up-version them by replacing every instance of metanoia as “repent” with something akin to “awake” or the paraphrase of “change your mind”. Thoughts?
Yes, when I wrote a blog post about this back in 2012, I used the expression “Come to your senses” as my best rendering of the expression. “Awake” is really good too, especially in these times when so many seem asleep.
I also like “come to your senses”. It seems that Jesus was trying to tell us the definition of the word, metanoia, in the parable of the Prodigal Son when he “came to himself”. Are you aware of ANY current English Bibles that use something akin to “awake” for the places where “metanoia” appear?
No, I’m not. It’s a shame, really.
IMO, first person to undertake the effort to produce this new version/translation will receive great reward in heaven. It could just be the NT first and then the OT could be tackled later. Oh and btw, whoever does it will probably die at the hands of a works-based salvationist who thinks they are doing the will of God. The words “repent” and “repentance” are precious and very useful tools to the slave masters of religion under whose curse we all lived before seeing the light by God’s grace.
I’ve thought about that–they certainly are!
Much in agreement. I found Treadwell’s book a number of years ago. It seems that church doctrines have it all in reverse. The deep change of heart & being actually precedes the inner revelation of shortcomings, of faults, of true mourning such. But with the change of heart, one can move on, satisfied that life looks forward, not compulsively backward. Note the Scriptures that we are made NEW. Then life becomes one of learning, growing, maturing, not endless searches for ever more “sin,” just to appease the questionable expectations of church leaders. (Personally, I reject so-called “confessions of sin” in services that try to put words in our mouth that do not represent our personal position or experience.) The meaning of metanoia is long, long, long overdue on a comprehensive scale. Thanks for this article. (Could say more, but have tried to convey this sense in my blog quotes from various writers.)
So true, and thank you for your thoughts. I agree about the “confessions of sin” that a group says together, which ultimately rests on the Latin concept of “repentance” rather than the Greek “metanoia.”
Metanoia is profoundly Catholic. I am not sure why this piece was written with those comments. It is a distortion of our faith. Jesus called people to repent, so yes, repentance is necessary. But we are also called to submit ourselves completely to Him and to His Holy Will.
We cannot “earn” salvation, but faith without good works is dead.
Metanoia is a Greek word, actually. This piece was written to explain it and to distinguish it from the concept of “penitence/penance” that is part of the baggage hanging on to the (Latin-root) word “repentance.”
STRONGS G3341:
μετάνοια, μετανοίας, ἡ (μετανοέω), a change of mind: as it appears in one who repents of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done, Hebrews 12:17 on which see εὑρίσκω, 3 ((Thucydides 3, 36, 3); Polybius 4, 66, 7; Plutarch, Peric c. 10; mor., p. 26 a.; τῆς ἀδελφοκτονιας μετάνοια, Josephus, Antiquities 13, 11, 3); especially the change of mind of those who have begun to abhor their errors and misdeeds, and have determined to enter upon a better course of life, so that it embraces both a recognition of sin and sorrow for it and hearty amendment, the tokens and effects of which are good deeds (Lactantius, 6, 24, 6 would have it rendered in Latin byresipiscentia) (A. V. repentance):
I see the difference according to the center, the focus of each.
Repentance focuses on our sin and our need to turn away from it.
Metanoia focuses on our Savior and our need to turn to Him.
There is no joy in focusing on our sin.
There is boundless joy for us in the welcome of Jesus Christ.
I am not saying that we skip over conviction or guilt or turning away from sin. But the old, legalistic method uses shame as its motivation to turn us from sin.
The Gospel uses hope in God’s love, forgiveness and redemption to turn us to Him (and of course away from sin at the same time).
I used to serve God in fear. When I repented, I felt horrible about my sin and thought that God thought horrible things about me. I dreaded confession. And I secretly resented the process because I had no hope of ever pleasing Him.
Now I serve God in trust. I know the grace of Jesus Christ. I understand that sin is in conflict with His character and with who He has made me — His precious daughter.
I can run to Him as His little girl, tell Him everything and know that He loves me just the same. And I am confident of His work in me, because He DELIGHTS in me.
His delight comforts me when I confess my sin. The fear and dread of this cleansing process is gone.
And you know what? Knowing the grace and delight of my Father reduces the chances of my sinning. I want to please the One Who is so pleased with me.
I do not only come to my senses; I come to His presence.
This is so beautiful! And it’s what I have found to be true as well. Thank you, Brenda!
Within the context of your writing on metanoia here, I am reminded of these passages:
Proverbs 1:22-23:
“How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.” (KJV)
Isaiah 1:18:
“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.” (NKJV)
Luke 15:17-18:
” “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father…” (NKJV)
Acts 9:17-18
“17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.” (NKJV)
Acts 3:19:
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” (NKJV)
John 4:23:
” But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (NKJV)
John 7:37-38
“…Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (NKJV)
Excellent, and so true. Thank you, friend.
I have to say this is one of the best descriptions of this issue I have seen or read and this may be the most important issue still facing the body of Christ today, as it was 2000 years ago. So beautifully written and “inspired” I feel. In researching and writing on this topic, I stumbled on your essay and thought, Wow! I don’t think anyone understands or can even calculate how significant the damage to mankind has been with this translation error. If you take what you presented as well as other theologians, scholars and lay people going all the way back to the original mistakes in 382 A.D., this has to have lead to billions of lost souls and racked the hearts of those few who can make it through the clouds to find the heart of Christ. It is really that horrific. Most of the time, people do not reject the Real Jesus, it is just that the Real Jesus has been missed (or at least misrepresented) by the Church at large for 2000 years. Repent/Metanoia would be at the top of the list for that tragedy. Why is this not the number one thing talked about in every Christian Church? I explore that a bit in my writing, but Walden’s work as you note is incredible. It is so sad that the very thing Jesus, Paul and others so often warned about, was the very thing that happened to the first words himself and John the Baptist said in proclaiming Him. What was a beautiful invitation to the heart of Christ, instead became a nearly impassible gate but for the grace of God. Thanks for what you have done and your heart for Christ.
Thank you so much, Barry,and I say a hearty “Yes and amen!” to all you have said here. This blog post was eventually edited into one of my Untwisting Scriptures book, #4, which you can see here.
Because ‘church’ is as badly substitured for ekklesia as repent is for metanoia. Neither substitution of words had anything to do with what Jesus said.
Metanoia makes everyone innocent instead of guilty so we can see ourselves as spirit in the likeness of God instead of bodies that did things in the past.
If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
God bless you for this truthful post.
My pastor mentioned metanoia at least a year ago and told us it’s meaning. I wrote it down elsewhere and never forget it. However, my question is whether it is in the Bible as “metanoia” or an equivalent word? Aside from Matthew, where else is it found. I’m very new to Christianity and learn daily, I hope you can answer this for me. Thank you and amen.
This post is now a chapter in one of my Untwisting Scriptures books, so all but the first few paragraphs were truncated. When you read that chapter in that book (just $2.99 on Kindle), you’ll see many references.
Alternatively, you can look up the Greek word on a site like blueletterbible.org to get more information about it.
God bless you as you grow in Christ!
I am one of Roman Catholic but the way “repentance” is described here is very shallow and cause non Catholic further their misunderstanding. We go to confession, because Bible tells us. To confess sins one another(Book of James) . Penitence, etc are not the objects but means to gain greater and deeper degree of conversion. Changed Heart. (Metanoia). By God’s grace we come to realize that the things which we’re ok for us are actually not ok. Not because church, pastor, parents tell us so but because the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. After initial conversion, by prayer, receiving communion, by actually going to confession and tell someone our wrong, our hearts get more softener. More of the Grace and joy start to take over our way of thinking and function of the heart. That’s metanoia. Changed Heart. I hear that Luther was compulsive confessor and had to go to confession more than once a day. Good can have its own healthy balance. We Catholic strive for the balance together in Unity. I am a new believer but hope it will help.
I knew in my heart that there was so much more in our salvation. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…Mark 16:16. I remember as it was yesterday after my conversion how I read these words and knew there was something else more than a water baptism meant here. After many years of studying I have now opened the gate to realize this in the fact of Metanoia. I’m still so excited how God has opened my eyes to this wonderful event in my life. I’m waiting on more of this wisdom and knowledge to come. Thank you for this book and mentioning Treadwell Walden’s book.
I’m so excited for you that you’ve recognized how much greater our salvation is than what we’re usually told. It is a great adventure. God bless you.
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
Thank you. I am in the middle of writing an article myself when I found this. So helpful.
Among other things, I learned that ‘repentance’, metanoia, does not stand by itself. The ‘meta’ prefix is used in many words to mean ‘change after, or afterwards’, in this chase, change ‘noia’ after hearing what is said.
The huge mistake is that neither repentance or metanoia are synonymouse with repent from or metanoia from sin. There are instances where metanoia from sin is in the bible and makes sense. In Jesus first use of metanoia, he was saying ‘change your mind about what I was just saying, the subject at hand’. Think again (come to your senses) about the good news – (which was just spoken – God’s kingdom is here.)
The best example (for me) other than Paul going to Damascus, is when Thomas goes from saying ‘ I will never believe unless…” to ” My King and my God”. THAT is metanoia.
Thank you again. Awesome. (PS. the same thing was done to ekklesia, church is not a valid translation for that word, either. Seems like some of those evil schemes of man have come to pass,)
That’s quite a rave review when the extremely long article has been truncated. Were you able to get a hold of the book and read the chapter in it?