Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming
the good news of God.
"The time has come," he said. "The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
--Mark 1:14-15
Repent... and Believe
"Repent and believe the good news!" Jesus said when He announced His Kingdom.
Matthew and Luke tell us that John the Baptist also linked God's coming Kingdom with repentance.
In Matthew and Luke we read John's words: "Repent, for the kingdom of God is near...produce fruit in keeping with repentance."
Paul, though not present at the announcement, understood it, too.
In Acts 20:21 he tells the elders at Ephesus, "I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus."
The gospel is clear - repent and believe!
Repentance alone is not enough to save us, though God certainly expects sinners to turn from their sins.
We must then put positive faith in Jesus Christ and believe His promise of salvation.
What happens if we repent without belief?
Nothing good, that's for sure.
Repentance without faith can become remorse, and remorse can destroy people who carry around the burden of guilt for their sin.
Remorse darkens our lives with fear and condemnation. There is no escape.
Repentance and belief bring freedom and joy.
It isn't good news unless the burden is removed from us and it is removed, "as far as the east is from the west" when we put our faith in Jesus and believe on Him.
That's the gospel - the really good news!
No comments:
Post a Comment