If you read the Old Testament, especially the Old Covenant Laws, and feel condemned GOOD JOB! You’re taking it seriously. That’s what the Law is supposed to do, condemn you and highlight your sin. Even some of the teachings of Jesus were delivered through the lens of the Law. He did so to point out your inability to keep the Law.

For clarification, there is a difference between the Old Testament and the Old Covenant. All the books of the Old Testament are the inspired Word of God. But the Old Covenant, the agreement between God and the nation of Israel, along with its 600+ rules and laws, have been fulfilled by Jesus, thus rendering the set of laws obsolete.

Hebrews 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

We’re not throwing out a huge part of God’s Word, we’re simply putting the Law in its proper perspective as affected by the finished work of Jesus. Jesus is the end of the Law for the believer. The Law was made obsolete regarding righteousness for you. Jesus didn’t throw out the Law, he just fulfilled it for you.

If you’re worried about what God might do to you if you make a mistake, it reveals that you aren’t truly convinced of his love for you. God’s correction and training in your life are not through harsh judgment and pain, it’s through wisdom and guidance.

God is a loving father who will train you in the way you should go. If you fail, simply remember that Jesus was your substitution. Jesus bore the penalty of your sin. Not so you can now get away with it, but so that he could remove God’s wrath from you and relate to you as a child rather than a sinner. God is not mocked, you will reap what you sow, but God is no longer keeping a record of your sin to punish you.

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

— Matthew 4:17

When he stepped into his public ministry, he encouraged people to repent and believe the Gospel. We instantly think of sin when we hear the word “repent,” meaning we think repenting is always about confessing our sin. Repenting from sin is important, but that’s not what Jesus was talking about.

Definition of Repent

Repent is the Greek word metanoeō, which is a combination of two words; meta and noeō. Meta means; with, after, behind. It’s a preposition that modifies the verb noeō. Noeō means; to perceive with the mind, to understand, to have understanding, to think upon, heed, ponder, consider.

Metanoeō or Repent means; to change one's mind, to turn one’s mind for the better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins.

So repentance does have to do with turning away from sin but more specifically it is about changing our minds about the beliefs that drive sin. Repentance is when you do a deeper work than just apologizing for a sinful action. It’s when you go into your heart beliefs and make adjustments.

What you believe generates your thoughts. Your thoughts then lead to feelings and emotions. Those feelings and emotions then give way to action. So whether it be anger or adultery, sin is the fruit of your beliefs and what you think on. To repent is to turn away from the thinking that leads to sin. In this passage, Jesus teaches us to change the way we think about God’s kingdom because he’s bringing us good news.