CHANGE OF MIND

Yeshua never suggested that swearing allegiance to him would admit someone to the Kingdom of God. This is what he said:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: metanoia (μετάνοια), and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15 )

The word “metanoia” has been translated as “repent,” but that is a mistaken translation using a word that has grown far from the meaning of the word “metanoia.” The Greek μετάνοια is a combination of μετά (after, with) and the verb νοέω (to perceive, to think, the result of perceiving or observing). Metanoia means "a change of mind". It does not mean “repent” in the sense that I’ve done bad things and I have to confess that I’m an awful person. It means, “I must become a new creature by changing my thought patterns.” Yeshua was saying that those hearing his words must undergo a change of perspective, a transformation of the mind to an entirely new view of themselves, the world, and God. That will result in the kingdom of God. (Maurice Nicoll, The Mark. Vincent Stuart, London, 1954).