Reconciling Repentance with Non-Imputation of Trespasses

Acts 17:30 and 2 Corinthians 5:19 belong to different dispensational settings and must be read accordingly. The tension is only apparent if we fail to distinguish the programs God is carrying out in different ages.

Acts 17:30 reads:

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent."

2 Corinthians 5:19 says:

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

The Meaning of Repentance

A common attempt to resolve the difficulty is to say that "repent" simply means "change your mind," and therefore one can argue that there is no issue with grace because this is merely an internal mental adjustment. That explanation, however, rests on an etymological fallacy.

The Greek term often rendered "repent" (metanoeō) does have a component of change of mind in its etymology, but a word’s current meaning is determined by usage, not by etymology alone. When you study the actual usage of "repent" in Scripture, the idea is:

• to be sorry over sin,
• to turn from that sinful conduct, and
• to begin doing something different.

Repentance, in its biblical usage, is not mere intellectual adjustment; it involves a behavioral turn. One can see this especially in the call of John the Baptist and of the Lord Jesus to Israel to "repent" in view of the nearness of the kingdom. It is a demand for moral and covenantal alignment, not an abstract mental exercise.

Dispensational Context in Acts 17

The key to harmonizing Acts 17:30 with 2 Corinthians 5:19 is recognizing the dispensational setting and the use of the word "now" in Acts 17.

Paul in Acts 17 is summarizing God’s dealings with humanity in broad epochs:

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent."

• "The times of this ignorance" refers especially to the period prior to the giving of the Mosaic law, the nations walking in their own ways, the era from Genesis 3 to Exodus 20. One might group this under conscience and human government, or, as a summary label, a dispensation of ignorance among the nations.
• "But now" in that sermon is not pointing to the present "dispensation of the grace of God" revealed later through Paul in its fullness; rather, it points to the kingdom era under the law and the prophetic program focused on Israel, with a revealed standard and a call to repent because judgment is tied to that kingdom program.

Paul is setting out a sequence: pre-law ignorance among the nations, then the period under law and kingdom offer in which God commands repentance in view of coming judgment, and, beyond that, the distinct grace program that he more fully unfolds in his epistles.

In the kingdom context, repentance is demanded: sorrow over sin, ceasing from it, and obedience in view of the theocratic rule God is establishing.

The Grace Dispensation and Non-Imputation

By the time we reach 2 Corinthians 5, Paul is articulating the message of the present dispensation of grace:

"God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." 2 Corinthians 5:19

Here the emphasis is not on God’s demand that men produce covenantal fruit fitting for the kingdom, but on:

• God’s act of reconciliation in Christ,
• His present posture of not counting trespasses against the world, and
• His offer of reconciliation received "by grace through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8–9

In this dispensation, salvation is not conditioned on repentance in the sense of sorrow, cessation of sin, and moral reformation. Those are works. To require such as part of the gospel response would contradict grace and would indeed violate the principle of Romans 11:6.

In the present age, God calls people to believe the gospel of Christ. That faith may well involve a change of mind about Christ, about sin, and about self, but the call is not "repent and do works" in order to obtain salvation. The sole requirement is faith in the finished work of Christ.

How to Persuade Someone on the Issue

When you talk to someone who insists, "Our sins are not held against us, but you must repent of them to be saved," you can proceed along these lines:

1. Clarify the meaning of "repent" in Scripture: show from usage that it involves sorrow and a turn in behavior, not merely a mental shift.
2. Show that if this behavioral repentance is made a condition for salvation, it introduces works into the gospel and contradicts Romans 11:6.
3. Explain the dispensational distinction between:
4. the kingdom offer to Israel and the moral demand of repentance in that context, and
5. the present grace dispensation, in which God is not imputing trespasses and offers reconciliation freely on the basis of faith alone.

Emphasize that God still cares deeply about sin, and believers should indeed be grieved over sin, turn from it, and walk in obedience—but as a matter of sanctification and faithfulness, not as a condition to receive the gift of salvation.

Thus you can affirm both truths without contradiction:

• In the present dispensation, God is not counting our trespasses against us when we come to Him by faith in Christ.
• Repentance in its full behavioral sense belongs to another context—particularly the kingdom call to Israel—not to the content of the gospel of grace.

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