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Repentance: Turning from Sin to God

what this expression means. In Genesis 6:5–7, God “repented” (KJV)
because of people’s wickedness. He was sorry that He had made them.
In Exodus 32:7–14, God “repented” (KJV) because Israel sinned and
rejected Him. He “changed His mind.” Next, in 1 Samuel 15:11, God
“repented” (KJV) because of Saul’s disobedience and was sorry that
He had made Saul king. These Scriptures show that God was grieved
because of the actions and attitudes of His people. Their sinfulness,
disobedience, and rebellion against God revealed a standard of conduct
that required change.

Additional Scripture passages teach us more about God. Psalm 147:5
states that God’s understanding is unlimited—He knows everything.
This includes the innermost thoughts and intents of people’s hearts
(Proverbs 15:11). In fact, Scripture shows that He knows “the end from
the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). The inspired writer to the Hebrews
asserted: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything
is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give
account” (Hebrews 4:13). These Scriptures show that God has full and
complete knowledge of all things. This means that He knew in advance
how people would respond to His grace and His revealed plan. But their
free, though sinful, natures under the influence of Satan could not
produce the righteous and holy character that God demands and longs
for. When He created people or chose Israel or selected Saul, He did not
determine how each would
respond to His grace, although He
knew what the outcome would be.
Each had the opportunity to When God created
respond positively but did not do people or chose Israel
so. (We will explore the subject of
God’s foreknowledge in greater or selected Saul, He
depth in Chapter 5.)
did not determine how

God’s nature is unchanging. each would respond
Everything He does is consistent to His grace, although
with His nature. Thus when
God said to Nineveh, “Forty He knew what the
more days and Nineveh will outcome would be.
be destroyed” (Jonah 3:4), we
recognize His unchanging justice

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