Acts 17:30: Repentance and Restitution

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“God commands all people everywhere to repent.”
(Acts 17:30)

Repentance is a fundamental doctrine of the Bible, yet I believe it’s one of the truths least understood today. Many are confused about repentance, regeneration, the atonement, and similar core doctrines, perhaps more than any others, despite hearing about them from childhood. If I asked for a definition of repentance, many would offer a strange or false idea.

A person isn’t ready to believe or receive the Gospel unless they’re prepared to repent of their sins and turn from them. Until John the Baptist met Christ, his sole message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). But if he had only preached this without pointing to Christ, the Lamb of God, he would have accomplished little.

When Christ came, He echoed the same cry: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). When He sent out His disciples, their message was that people should repent (Mark 6:12). After His glorification, when the Holy Spirit came, Peter on Pentecost raised the same call: “Repent!” This preaching—repent and believe the Gospel—produced remarkable results (Acts 2:38-47). Paul, in Athens, declared, “Now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).

Image depicting Paul preaching at Mars Hill from Acts 17:30.

Before explaining what repentance is, let me clarify what it is not. Repentance is not fear. Many confuse the two, thinking they must be alarmed or terrified, waiting for fear to overtake them. But many become alarmed without truly repenting. You’ve heard of men at sea in a storm, perhaps profane men, who grow quiet and cry to God for mercy when danger strikes. Yet you wouldn’t say they repented. Once the storm passes, they resume their old ways. You might think Pharaoh repented during Egypt’s plagues, but it wasn’t repentance. When God’s hand lifted, Pharaoh’s heart hardened; he didn’t turn from any sin, remaining unchanged. There was no true repentance.

Repentance is not feeling. Many wait for a specific feeling, thinking they can’t turn to God without it. In Baltimore, I preached Sundays in a penitentiary to nine hundred convicts. Few felt worse; they had plenty of feeling, crying often in their first days of imprisonment. Yet, when released, most returned to their old ways. They felt bad because they were caught, not because of their sins. A person may show feeling during trials, but often it’s because they’re in trouble, not because they’ve sinned or their conscience convicts them. It may seem like repentance, but the feeling fades.

Repentance is not fasting or afflicting the body. A person may fast for weeks, months, or years without repenting of a single sin. Nor is it remorse. Judas had terrible remorse, enough to hang himself, but that wasn’t repentance (Matthew 27:3-5). If he had gone to Jesus, confessed his sin, and fallen at His feet, he might have been forgiven. Instead, he went to the priests and ended his life. Penance isn’t repentance. You can’t meet God’s claims by offering bodily sacrifice for soul sins. Reject such delusions!

Repentance is not conviction of sin. This may surprise some. I’ve seen people so convicted they couldn’t sleep or enjoy a meal, persisting for months, yet not converted or truly repentant. Don’t confuse conviction with repentance.

Repentance is not praying. Many, anxious about their soul, think, “I’ll pray and read the Bible,” believing this will suffice. It won’t. You can read the Bible and cry to God without repenting. Many cry loudly to God yet don’t repent.

Repentance is not breaking off one sin. Many make this mistake. A drunkard signs a pledge and stops drinking, but breaking one sin isn’t repentance. Forsaking one vice is like cutting a single branch when the whole tree must fall. A profane man stops swearing—good, but if he doesn’t turn from all sins, it’s not repentance, not God’s work in the soul. When God works, He cuts down the entire tree. He wants a person to turn from every sin. If a ship leaks in multiple places, patching one hole won’t save it; the vessel sinks. If wounded in several places, treating one wound while ignoring others leads to death. True repentance isn’t just abandoning specific sins.

So, what is repentance? A good definition is “right about face!” In Irish, “repentance” means more than turning around; it implies walking in the opposite direction. “Turn, turn! Why will you die?” (Ezekiel 33:11). A person may have little or much feeling, but without turning from sin, God won’t have mercy. Repentance is also “a change of mind.” Christ’s parable illustrates: “A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’” (Matthew 21:28-29). After refusing, he reconsidered, perhaps thinking, “I spoke disrespectfully to my father. He asked me to work, and I refused. I was wrong.” But if he only thought this and didn’t go, he wouldn’t have repented. He was convinced he was wrong and went to work in the fields. That’s Christ’s definition of repentance. Saying, “By God’s grace, I’ll forsake my sin and do His will,” is repentance—a complete turnabout.

Some say humanity is born facing away from God. True repentance turns a person toward God, leaving their old life. Can someone repent instantly? Certainly. Turning around doesn’t take long. It doesn’t require six months to change one’s mind. When a ship neared the Newfoundland coast, there was a moment the captain could have reversed the engines to save it. But a moment came when it was too late. Similarly, there’s a moment in every life to halt and say, “By God’s grace, I’ll go no further toward death and ruin. I repent of my sins and turn from them.” You may feel you lack enough feeling, but if convinced you’re on the wrong path, turn about and say, “I’ll no longer live in rebellion and sin.”

When you’re willing to turn to God, salvation may be yours. Every conversion in the Bible was instantaneous. Repentance and faith came suddenly. When a person decided, God gave the power. God doesn’t ask anyone to do what they can’t. He wouldn’t “command all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30) if they couldn’t. If someone doesn’t repent and believe, they have only themselves to blame.

A leading Ohio minister wrote me about his conversion, vividly illustrating instantaneous decision. At nineteen, studying law with a Christian lawyer in Vermont, the lawyer’s wife said one afternoon while her husband was away, “I want you to attend class-meeting tonight and become a Christian, so you can lead family worship in my husband’s absence.” “I’ll do it,” I replied thoughtlessly. Later, she asked if I meant it. I said, “Yes, as far as going to the meeting; it’s only polite.”

I went to the class-meeting, as I often had. About twelve people were in a small schoolhouse. The leader spoke to everyone but me and two others. As he addressed the person next to me, I thought, “He’ll ask if I have anything to say.” I reflected, “I’ve planned to be a Christian someday; why not now?” Within a minute, he said familiarly, knowing me well, “Brother Charles, have you anything to say?” I replied calmly, “Yes, sir. I’ve decided in the last thirty seconds to begin a Christian life and would like your prayers.”

My calm surprised him; he may have doubted my sincerity. He said little and moved on. After general remarks, he said, “Brother Charles, will you close with prayer?” Knowing I’d never prayed publicly, he challenged me. I had no feeling; it was a business decision. I thought, “I can’t pray; I’ll ask to be excused.” Then, “I said I’d begin a Christian life; this is part of it.” So I said, “Let us pray.” Between starting to kneel and my knees hitting the floor, the Lord converted my soul.

My first words were, “Glory to God!” I don’t recall what followed, nor does it matter; my soul was too full to say more than “Glory!” From that hour, the devil never dared challenge my conversion. To Christ be all the praise.

Many wait for a mysterious feeling or faith to overtake them. For five years, I tried to win a man to Christ. He always said, “It hasn’t ‘struck me’ yet.” “What do you mean?” “I won’t become a Christian until it strikes me; I don’t see it like you.” “But don’t you know you’re a sinner?” “Yes.” “Don’t you know God wants to have mercy, that He offers forgiveness?” “Yes, but it hasn’t struck me.” He clung to that excuse, dying in indecision after sixty years, saying only, “It hasn’t struck me yet.”

Are you waiting for some vague feeling? The Bible never tells anyone to wait; God commands you to repent now. Can God forgive someone unwilling to be forgiven? Would they be happy if forgiven in that state? If someone entered God’s kingdom without repentance, heaven would be hell to them. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. If your child wrongs you and won’t repent, you can’t forgive them without injustice. If your son steals $10 from your desk and squanders it, denying it even with proof, and vows to do it again, would you say, “I forgive you”? No! Yet some claim God saves all—drunkards, thieves, prostitutes—without repentance, saying, “God is so merciful.” Don’t be deceived by the god of this world. Where there’s true repentance and turning to God, He blesses; He never blesses without sincere repentance.

David made a grave mistake with his rebellious son Absalom, forgiving him without a changed heart, doing him great injustice. No true reconciliation was possible without repentance. God doesn’t make such errors. David’s misjudgment led to trouble, with Absalom driving him from the throne.

Dr. Brooks of St. Louis remarks: “Repentance, strictly speaking, means a ‘change of mind or purpose;’ it’s the judgment a sinner pronounces on themselves, seeing God’s love in Christ’s death, abandoning self-confidence, and trusting the only Savior of sinners. Saving repentance and faith go together; don’t worry about repenting enough if you believe.”

Some think they must repent to make God merciful. The sooner you abandon such repentance, the better. God is already merciful, shown fully at the Cross. Thinking your tears move Him dishonors His love, “not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance” (Romans 2:4). His goodness, not your badness, leads to repentance; thus, true repentance is believing in Jesus Christ, “who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

If there’s true repentance, it will bear fruit. If we’ve wronged someone, we shouldn’t ask God’s forgiveness until we’re willing to make restitution. If I’ve committed a great injustice and can make it right, I shouldn’t seek God’s forgiveness until I’m ready to do so. If I’ve stolen, I can’t expect forgiveness until I restore what I took.

While preaching in a large city, a distressed man approached me after a service. “I’m a defaulter,” he said. “I’ve taken money from my employers. How can I become a Christian without restoring it?” “Do you have the money?” He hadn’t kept it all; he’d taken $1,500 and had about $900 left. “Couldn’t I use this to start a business and earn enough to repay them?” I told him that was Satan’s delusion; he couldn’t prosper on stolen money. He must return what he had and ask his employers for mercy. “They’ll imprison me,” he said. “Can’t you help?” “No, you must restore the money before expecting God’s help.” “It’s hard,” he admitted. “Yes, but the real mistake was the initial wrong.”

His burden grew unbearable. He gave me the money—$950 and some cents—to return to his employers. The next evening, I met the two employers in a side room of the church, laid down the money, and explained it was from their employee, seeking mercy, not justice. Tears streamed down their faces as they said, “Forgive him! We’ll gladly forgive him.” I brought him up, and after he confessed and was forgiven, we knelt in a blessed prayer-meeting. God met and blessed us there.

A friend who came to Christ wanted to consecrate himself and his wealth to God. He’d previously taken advantage of government transactions, and this troubled him upon conversion. “I want to dedicate my wealth, but it seems God won’t accept it,” he said. His conscience tormented him. Finally, he sent a $1,500 check to the U.S. Treasury. He said he received such a blessing afterward. That was “fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). Many cry for light but don’t receive it because they’re not honest.

I once met a man, only thirty-two, with very gray hair. “Notice my gray hair,” he said. “I’m only thirty-two, but for twelve years I’ve carried a great burden.” “What is it?” He glanced around, afraid someone might hear. “My father died, leaving my mother with only the county newspaper. It began to fail, and I saw her sinking into need. The building and paper were insured for a thousand dollars. At twenty, I set fire to the building, got the money, and gave it to her. For twelve years, that sin has haunted me. I’ve tried to drown it with pleasure and sin, cursed God, turned to infidelity, denied the Bible—everything. But I’ve been tormented.” I said, “There’s a way out.” “How?” “Make restitution. Let’s calculate the interest, and pay the company back.” His face lit up when he saw mercy was possible. He was eager to repay with interest if he could be forgiven.

Many are in darkness and bondage because they won’t turn from and confess their sins. I don’t know how anyone can hope for forgiveness without confessing their sins. Now is your only day of mercy. Repent now, and have your record blotted out. God waits to forgive, seeking to draw you to Himself. But Scripture doesn’t teach repentance after this life. Some suggest repentance in the grave, but I find no such promise in the Bible after careful study. Why ask for more time? You have enough time to repent now. Turn from your sins this moment if you will.

God says: “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live” (Ezekiel 18:32). Christ said He “came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). Are you a sinner? His call to repent is for you. Take your place at the Savior’s feet, confess your guilt, and say, like the tax collector, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). See how quickly He’ll pardon and bless you, justifying you through the righteousness of Him who bore your sins on the Cross.

Some think they’re righteous and don’t need to repent. They’re like the Pharisee who thanked God he wasn’t like others—“extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector,” boasting, “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” What’s the judgment? “I tell you, this man [the contrite tax collector] went down to his house justified, rather than the other” (Luke 18:11-14). “None is righteous, no, not one; all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 23). Let no one claim they don’t need repentance. Take your true place as a sinner, and God will lift you to forgiveness and justification. “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

Wherever God sees true repentance, He meets that soul. In Colorado, while preaching, I heard a touching story. The governor, passing through a prison, found a boy’s cell window filled with carefully tended flowers. Looking at the prisoner and then the flowers, he asked, “Whose are these?” “They’re mine,” the convict replied. “Are you fond of flowers?” “Yes, sir.” “How long have you been here?” The boy named his long sentence. Surprised, the governor asked, “Why do you like these flowers so much?” With emotion, the boy said, “While my mother was alive, she loved flowers. When I came here, I thought these would remind me of her.” The governor, moved, said, “If you think so much of your mother, you’ll appreciate your liberty,” and pardoned him on the spot.

When God finds the beautiful flower of true repentance in a person’s heart, salvation comes to them.

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About the Author

Born in Northfield, Massachusetts, Dwight L. Moody overcame a poor upbringing and limited education to become a leading 19th-century evangelist. Converted in 1855, he left a successful Chicago business career for ministry, founding the Moody Church and leading the Chicago YMCA. His powerful revivals with singer Ira D. Sankey drew millions in America and Britain. Moody’s simple, heartfelt preaching on salvation transformed lives. He established the Moody Bible Institute and Northfield Schools, leaving a lasting legacy in modern evangelism.