Repent and Be Saved

This message was repeated several times in order to make sure mankind learned that repentance was required for salvation.  If we do not confess our sins and truly want to stop repeating them, this salvation is not going to come our way.  No, you will not know everything that God sees as a sin on the day you accept Christ.  You will know you were not living correctly and want to become the new creation he promises we can be.  Confess what you know and accept him.  The rest will come as you grow in him knowing he already saved you.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!  (Matt 3:1-2 NKJV)  John the Baptist came as the one paving the way for Jesus, the Son of God, who could cleanse us and make us right with God.  Notice his first word is ‘repent’.  His words were to get people thinking about how they were really living and if it was according to God’s way.  His message was to the Jews because they were the ones that had the message of God and were his chosen people.  God works with building blocks as we shall see.

When Jesus came, many tested him and asked him a great deal of questions.  Here is his reply about who may or may not be the greater sinner.  Just like today people tend to claim bad things happen to people because they must have been a bad person, a sinner.  There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  (Luke 13:1-5 NKJV)  In conclusion, everyone is a sinner and none are worse off than others.  Everyone has to repent!  This may have been directed at the Jews, but Jesus was definitely implying it applied to everyone that wanted to believe in him.

The disciples were waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus had promised them before he returned to heaven and on the day of Pentecost it happened.  Everyone was thinking they were drunk as they went out into the streets speaking in tongues so that many there would hear the message in their own language.  God was trying to get everyone’s attention there and three thousand did accept Christ that day. 

Peter, as I mentioned in my post “What is Faith” on 1/11/16, shows the boldness of his faith as he becomes the spokesmen for his fellow believers.  Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."  (Acts 2:38-39 NKJV)  Notice how he tells them to repent and then be baptized.  He also claims this is for all that God will call.  God is calling all of us who will listen to come hear his message of love and forgiveness by what Christ did on the cross for us.

Repentance must come before the salvation.  So God has planted a seed of faith in us for us to be able to believe in him if we so choose.  Once we decide to believe and accept Christ for what he did for us on the cross, we know we have lived improperly as sinners against God.  So here is where our hearts break.  We confess that we are sinners and ask for the forgiveness God gives so willingly. We are saved and have been adopted into his family.

Once you have repented and know you are saved, don’t keep rehashing the sins you know God has forgiven.  It is time to start learning about him and adjusting your life accordingly, one step at a time.