You are confusing repentance with confession. They are not the same thing. Repentance will bring about confession as someone is turning away from sin and turning towards God. Repentance is being born again and becoming a new creation. When you see the term repent of sin which is a loose translation because the original Greek scriptures actually never use that term but it means to turn away from sin.
Would you like to see what the original Greek says in Acts 2:38?
Acts 2:38
38 and Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized each of you on the name of Jesus Christ, to remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,
Allow me to present the Greek word and definition for the word repent.
Then Peter said unto them,
Repent,
and be
baptized every
one of
you in the
name of
Jesus Christ for the
remission of
sins,
and ye shall
receive the
gift of the
Holy Ghost.
Repent
G3340 this is the Strong’s Concordance reference number
Lemma:
μετανοέω
Transliteration:
metanoéō
Pronounce:
met-an-o-eh'-o
Part of Speech:
Verb
Language:
greek
Description:
1) to change one's mind, i.e. to repent
2) to change one's mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins"Repentance (metanoia, 'change of mind') involves a turning with contrition from sin to God; the repentant sinner is in the proper condition to accept the divine forgiveness." (F. F. Bruce. The Acts of the Apostles [Greek Text Commentary], London: Tyndale, 1952, p. 97.)
Grammar:
from μετά and νοιέω; to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally, feel compunction):--repent.
Occurrences in Bible:
36
Occurrences in Verses:
32
KJV usage:
repent (34x).
The Greek language is not a dead language and has been used in the Orthodox Church since the very beginning of Christianity. The Orthodox Church is the original Church of God established in Jerusalem and Antioch which both are mentioned in the Bible. They have upheld the original teachings of the apostles unlike the Roman Catholic Church. They are the true apostlic church established by Jesus Himself. Personally I am not Orthodox I am nondenominational but I happen to agree with the Orthodox teachings.
The original scriptures of the New Testament were written in Greek not English. So scholars did not look for Greek words similar to the English to come to these conclusions. The Greek language has been preserved in the Orthodox Church since the beginning. The definitions are not disputed. Allow me to present the Greek definition of the word justified.
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had
offered Isaac his son upon the
altar?
justified
G1344
Lemma:
δικαιόω
Transliteration:
dikaióō
Pronounce:
dik-ah-yo'-o
Part of Speech:
Verb
Language:
greek
Description:
1) to render righteous or such he ought to be
2) to show, exhibit, evince, one to be righteous, such as he is and wishes himself to be considered
3) to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be
Grammar:
from δίκαιος; to render (i.e. show or regard as) just or innocent:--free, justify(-ier), be righteous.
Occurrences in Bible:
48
Occurrences in Verses:
36
KJV usage:
justify (37x), be freed (1x), be righteous (1x), justifier (1x).
Even Hebrew translations to English are not 100% accurate. For example the word image as used in Exodus 20:4. The Hebrew word used is pecel.
Thou shalt not
make unto thee any graven
image, or any
likeness of any thing
that is in
heaven above, or that is in the
earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the
earth:
image
H6459
Lemma:
פֶּסֶל
Transliteration:
peçel
Pronounce:
peh'-sel
Part of Speech:
Noun Masculine
Language:
heb
Description:
1) idol, image
Grammar:
lemma פֶסֶל missing dagesh, corrected to פֶּסֶל; from פָּסַל; an idol; carved (graven) image.
Occurrences in Bible:
31
Occurrences in Verses:
31
KJV usage:
graven image (28x), carved image (2x), graven (1x).
The word pecel is specifically referring to carved or graven images of idols. Many people make the mistake of believing God said we are not to create images of likeness of anything on the earth, in the sea, or in the heavens but this is incorrect. God is specifically forbidding making idols. The word for an image of likeness is tselem.
And
God said, Let us
make man in our
image, after our
likeness: and let them have
dominion over the
fish of the
sea, and over the
fowl of the
air, and over the
cattle, and over all the
earth, and over every creeping
thing that
creepeth upon the
earth.
image
H6754
Lemma:
צֶלֶם
Transliteration:
tselem
Pronounce:
tseh'-lem
Part of Speech:
Noun Masculine
Language:
heb
Description:
1) image a) images (of tumours, b) image, likeness (of resemblance) c) mere, empty, image, semblance (fig.)
Grammar:
from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e. (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence, a representative figure, image, vain shew.
Occurrences in Bible:
17
Occurrences in Verses:
15
KJV usage:
image (16x), vain shew (1x).
By trusting English versions you are trusting scholars who have translated the original texts into English according to their understanding. By going to the original texts themselves your cutting out the middleman and his idea of he thinks it says. Instead your getting the original message that the authors intended. Here’s just one example of an English version with a very inaccurate translation. John 3:36
“And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t
obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.””
John 3:36 NLT
36 he who is believing in the Son, hath life age-during; and he who is not
believing the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God doth remain upon him.’
John 3:36 Greek translation
Your taking a much bigger leap of faith trusting English translations.