The Greek word for repentance is metanoia, a word that means to have a change of heart that results in a change of behavior. Depending upon the nature of the sin, repentance may include strong feelings of remorse, or it may simply be a conviction that the path one had taken was the wrong path, coupled with a determination to live differently in the future.
Repentance begins with my awareness of the gap I have created between myself and God, or myself and the other person. I acknowledge that I have stepped off the path, hurting people and wounding my relationship with God, and I express the remorse I feel. I confess to the other person and do what I can to make amends, I confess to God and ask for His mercy and forgiveness, and I turn back toward the right.
When I do that, God forgives me. It’s not a complicated process. God removes the burden of my sin and I am restored. The Psalmist captures the process in Psalm 32:5. “Then I acknowledged my sin to You and I did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And You forgave the guilt of my sin.”
-- Adam Hamilton in “Forgiveness: Finding Peace Through Letting Go”
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