What is repentance toward God?
It is a change of mind and attitude in response to the grace of God prompted by the Holy Spirit and grounded in the Word of God. Repentance includes awareness of personal sinfulness as well as trust in and allegiance to Jesus Christ, through whom all humanity has been reconciled to God. Repentance accompanies the new life sanctified by the Spirit through faith in Jesus. In repentance, we reject all attempts to justify ourselves, turning instead to God to receive our lives and righteousness from him as free gifts of his grace. We turn away from all evil and call upon God to open our eyes to deception and give us strength to resist all temptation. (Acts 2:38; 2 Cor. 5:15, 18-19; Rom. 2:4; 10:17; Col. 1:19-20; Rom. 12:2)
14.12 How may a person repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ?
Anyone may do so at any time. One way is by sincerely saying a prayer similar to this:
Father, I confess my faults, shortcomings, sins, and rebellious acts, and ask you to forgive me. I embrace you, Lord Jesus, as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for your atoning death on the cross in obedience to your Father’s will to put away my sins. I enthrone you, Lord Jesus, to be in charge of every part of my life, and I ask you to indwell and empower me with your Holy Spirit, so that I may live as your faithful follower from now on. In Jesus name, amen.
(John 15:16; Acts 16:31-34; Rom. 10:9; Heb. 12:12)
From The GCI Statement of Beliefs:
Repentance toward God is a change of mind and attitude in response to the grace of God prompted by the Holy Spirit and grounded in the Word of God. It includes awareness of personal sinfulness and trust in and allegiance to Jesus Christ through whom all humanity has been reconciled to God and accompanies a new life sanctified by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ.
Concerning repentance:
Through repentance, we stop attempting to contract with God, or to make deals with God to get him to bless us. We stop attempting to get our identity, security, significance and destiny from anything or anyone else, much less from ourselves. We no longer live for ourselves.