It is precisely this sort of logic that should concern us. Why? Because we live in an age that generally rejects any sort of judgment which is aimed in our direction.  And when it comes to spiritual accountability, our individualistic nature normally claims personal autonomy rather than submitting to any notion of corporate responsibility.

That being what it may, responding to our sense of corporate responsibility and making heartfelt ammends alone cannot complete our understanding and practice of repentance.  And as helpful as Dr. Blumenthal's ideas are, something still seems to be missing.

Perhaps the insights of James D.G. Dunn point us in the right direction:

The meaning of the Greek, metanoeō/metanoia ('repent/repentance'), is not in dispute: 'to repent' is to change one's mind, often with an overtone of regret for the view previously held...But there is a general agreement that behind the usage of the Baptist  adn Jesus lies the much more radical Hebrew/Aramaic term šub/tub, 'to go back again, return'.  This was more effectively translated in the LXX by the Greek epistrephō, with the same meaning.  This enables us to recognize that the Baptist and Jesus were in effect calling for a 'return to the Lord', in echo of a constant refrain in their Scriptures, particularly the prophets. The Essenes in turn understood themselves to have entered 'the covenant of conversion (brit t^e šubâ)'.  The call expressed in the Greek term metanoeō therefore, would have initially been heard as a reiteration of the call of the prophets to turn back to God, that is, by implication, from a life in breach of God's commandments, from a social irresponsibility which should have been unacceptable in the people of Yahweh.  It's radical quality is indicated quite appropriately by rendering metanoeō as a call to 'convert', that is, for individuals to radically alter the manner and direction of their whole life, in its basic motivations, attitudes and objectives, for a society to radically reform its communal goals and values. (Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. I, pp. 499-500).

Remorse and restitution, desisting and confessing -- these are certainly important.  But we must not stop there.  To do so would place too much focus on what we did/failed to do and what we must cease to do/begin to do. Our repentance needs to move deeper -- doesn't it? -- into our very relationship with God.

Repentance then, should move us (back to) a deeper relationship with God --  a relationship that is inherently transformative. Perhaps it is here that we finally experience repentance the way it was meant to be, repentance that brings about change which is both substantive and enduring; a much needed corrective to the quick-fix, cheap-grace variety of repentance we've witnessed far too much of.