1. Metanoeo.
   

   1. This Word, Which Is Fairly Rate, Has First The Sense, “To Note After or Late” (Often With The Sense, “Too Late).

   2. It Then Means ”To Change One’s Nous”, (Mind, ie. Opinions, Feelings, or Purpose).

   3. If It Is Perceived That The Former Nous Was Wrong, It Then Takes On The Sense, “To Regret”, “To Rue”, In Various Constructions, And Often With An Ethical Nuance.

2. Metanoia

1. The Noun, Too Can Mean, “Later Knowledge” or, “Subsequent Emendation”.

2. More Commonly It Denotes, “Change Of Nous”, Whether In Feelings, Will, or Thought,

3. It Then Means, “Remorse” or, “Regret” If There Is Dissatisfaction With The Previous Nous And The Pain etc. It Might Have Caused.

W. E. Vine’s Dictionary ¹ Says Metanoeo Literally Means To Perceive Afterwards, (Melta  ~ “After”, Implying, “Change”,; Noeo  ~ “To Perceive”; Nous  ~ “The Mind”, The Seat Of Moral Reflection”), {In Contrast To Pronoeo ~ “To Perceive Beforehand”, Hence It Signifies To Change One’s Mind or Purpose, Always In The NT Involves A Change For The Better.

Bullinger’s Dictionary ² Says Metanoeo Means, “To Perceive Afterwards, Hence, To Change One’s Mind And Purpose. This Change Is Always For The Better, And Denotes A Change Of Moral Thought And Reflection; Not Merely To Repent Of, Nor To Forsake Sin, But To Change One’s Mind And Apprehensions Regarding It.  Metanoeo Denotes To Reform, To Have A Genuine Change Of Heart And Life From Worse To Better”.

Kittel ³ Says Metanoeo Means, “To Change One’s Mind”, or, “To Convert”.

There Is Another Greek Word, Metamelomai, Which Means To Have Remorse or Regret.

Bullinger ² Says Metamelomai Means, “To Rue, Regret; To Have Dissatisfaction With One’s Self For What One Has Done, To Change or Alter One’s Purpose, Have Anxiety Consequent On A Past Transaction; To Have Pain Of Mind, Rather Than Change Of Mind; And Change Of Purpose, Rather Than Change Of Heart”.

Kittel ³ Says, “Metanoya (Repentance) Means A Change Of Heart Either Generally or In Respect Of A Specific Sin, Whereas Metamelomai Means ‘To Experience Remorse.’ Metanoya Implies That One Has Later Arrived At A Different View Of Something, Metamelomai That One Has A Different Feeling About It”.

“Remorse Does Not Have To Be Pleasing To God.  It Can Be Simply A Change In Mood.  It Is Often The Natural Result Of Imprudent And Unjust Action.  In Remorse (Metamelomai) A Person Sees The Bitter End Of Sin, In Repentance, (Metanoya) He Breaks Free From It”.

“Remorse Comes Of Itself At The End Of A Sinful And Foolish Way.  But A Person Is Called To Repentance By The One Who Brings The Divine Word”.

So, Repentance Has To Do Mostly With Your Thinking And Therefore Your Actions — Not Your Feelings.

Repentance Is Associated With Renewing The Mind, (Romans 12:2).  When You Know The Truth — Truth Makes You Free As You Act On It, (John 8:32).

Basically, I Was Taught That Repent Means To, “Turn Completely 180 Degrees In The Other Direction”, And We Think We Did That When We Got Saved.  But When You Find Out Repent Really Does Not Mean That, But Means Instead To, “Change Your Mind”, {With Actions That Are Appropriate}, Then You’ll Find That Repentance Is A Lifelong Process.  For Example, Six Months Ago You May Have Thought That It Was Okay To Have Someone Drive You Around Even Though He Did Not Have A Driver’s License, But The Law Will Have Frowned Upon That.  Now You Got A Driver’s License For This Person Because You Have Changed Your Mind.  No Big Thing, You Did Not Have To Repent By Showing Remorse or Crying or Anything.  Same Is True With Going To Church or Tithing.  You Simply, “Changed Your Mind”. And This Is The Essence Of What Repentance Means.

2 Timothy 2:23-26 ~ Yahweh’s Servant Must Not Quarrel, But Be Gentle Towards All, Able To Teach, Patient, In Gentleness Correcting Those Who Oppose Him: Perhaps God May Give Them Repentance Leading To A Full Knowledge Of The Truth, And Then May Recover Themselves Out Of The Devil’s Snare, Having Been Taken Captive By Him To His Will.

Romans 2:4 ~ Or Do You Despise The Riches Of His Goodness, Forbearance, And Longsuffering, Not Knowing That The Goodness Of God Leads You To Repentance?

Often When We Mess Up, We Want To Say, “I Apologize”, And This Is Really About The Person That Did The Wrong Rather The Person Wronged.  Someone Could Get Caught In Adultery And They Might Say, “I Apologize”, But The Truth Is That They Are Just Saying That So That They Can Keep The Status quo.  However, I Really Don’t Want An Apology.  I Want Someone To Repent And To Say, “Look, I Can See That My Actions Hurt You, And I’m Not Going To Do That Again”.

That’s Repentance, (To Change Your Mind About Something That You’re Doing With Corresponding Actions That Follow That Decision).

Notice The Number Of Times That Yahoshua Said, “Repent, For The Kingdom Of Heaven Is At Hand”, (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15).

Or Look At All The Scriptures In The New Testament Concerning Repent, or Repentance.

Compare (Matthew 3:8; Matthew 9:13; Matthew 11:20; Mark 2:17: Mark 6:12; Luke 3:3 With Romans 2:4 & 2 Timothy 2:25).

But You Go And Learn What This Means: ‘I Desire Mercy, And Not Sacrifice, ’ For I Came Not To Call The Righteous, But Sinners To Repentance”, (Matthew 9:13).

When Jesus Heard It, He Said To Them, “Those Who Are Healthy Have No Need For A Physician, But Those Who Are Sick.  I Came Not To Call The Righteous, But Sinners To Repentance”. (Mark 2:17).

In Gentleness Correcting Those Who Oppose Him: Perhaps God May Give Them Repentance Leading To A Full Knowledge Of The Truth, (2 Timothy 2:25).

or Do You Despise The Riches Of His Goodness, Forbearance, And Patience, Not Knowing That The Goodness Of God Leads You To Repentance? (Romans 2:4).