I understand why you might think that the term "repent" means "turn from your sins."
There are a LOT of famous false preachers who repeat that wrong definition that I have to admit to believing it before. Then I looked it up in the Greek language and studied every use of the word in the Bible. Do you know what I found?
A. God repented first, clear back in Genesis 6.
Is God a sinner?
B. God repented more than anyone recorded in the Bible.
According to Ray comfort, Billy Graham and many others, God must have sinned more than anyone else if we were to use their false definition.
C. The true definition does not contain any of the words used for "sin" in the original languages.
D. The word repent has been twisted to mean what the Pharisees taught and the reason Jesus rebuked them so sternly. They taught that you must be obedient to the law to be saved.
The modern way preachers preach the same as the Pharisees heresy is guess what?
Turning from sin is not taught as the means of salvation.
E. What does the word "repent " really mean?
Answer: to change ones mind or to reconsider.
This is what God did time and time again. That is not a sin.
F. Does the word repent sometimes involve a changing of ones mind in regards to sin?
Only when the context clearly states so.
1) In regards to a nation averting judgement
2) It applies to the born again believer who is saved, but needs to be restored to fellowship with the Father. The unbeliever is not commanded to turn from all his sins. The believer is however and to walk in love with God and his neighbor.
3). The unsaved are to reconsider and change their minds about the object of their faith. Then they are to make Jesus the Object of their personal faith, without adding works like turning from sins.
Even with John the Baptist, he preached to Israel in generality and to individuals specifically. When he led someone to Christ to be saved, this was what HE meant by repentance. Acts 19:4 KJV
4Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
So we see that John was preaching the same gospel that the others preached. The lost need to be saved how?
Believe on Christ Jesus. He did not add any works of repentance to that message.
Titus 3:5 KJV
Here's an.example of false teaching by Ray Comfort about his personal definition. It's a few minutes long. The pastor in the pulpit, however is clarifying the issue.
I'm taking time to clarify this for you because I had to study this topic for myself. Most pastors, evangelists and missionaries didn't find it worth their time or the souls of their people to do word studies on the subject.
Please bookmark and read again until you can remember this. Check it out for yourself.
You should use the Traditional King James text when doing so.
The phrase " repent of your sins" as Ron Comfort and other false preachers use it, will not be found : unless however you go to The Book of Mormon and another fake new testament. It's in the Quran too. False religions teach a heavy works based false gospel.