Conversion, rebirth, coming to faith, resurrection from spiritual death, transition from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the kingdom of His beloved Son,...
The Bible describes in many ways the event by which a person is saved from eternal damnation, is admitted to the kingdom of heaven, and comes to the saving knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. The question of whether you have converted is a matter of life and death. The stake is eternal life or eternal torment. And do not want to be mistaken in this question! This is the question, the most important question of earthly life, to which you must know the answer clearly. And in order to be able to answer this question, you must clearly see what the Bible says, what conversion means. You can hear so many opinions about what people think of conversion. Many say that it is a decision, similar to marriage. Others say it is a prayer where you ask Jesus to come into your heart. Some say that if you start going to church, reading, praying, your life has changed somewhat, it is a sign that God is working in you and that He will finish what He started, so you can rest assured. Some say that if you were baptized as a child, you are saved.
This is the greatest error in the church today, and most false gospels distort the path of truth on this point. Do not base your soul’s eternal destiny on the opinions of men. You cannot rest assured that you will be admitted to the kingdom of heaven because a man, a pastor, priest or whoever, said you were safe. You must see in the light of the unchangeable eternal word of God, the truths of the Bible, what it means to repent, what God requires of man, and whether this has ever been realized in your life. Be brutally honest with yourself and take this question as seriously as it is serious and as important as it is for eternity.
In order to give a detailed, clear Biblical explanation of repentance, I will go through three major topics. I will show that repentance is necessary for eternal salvation. Then I will show what repentance is. Then I will show what fruits it bears in a person's life and how to recognize false repentance.
THE NEED FOR REPENTANCE
Truly I tell you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven
- Matthew 18:3 –
unless you turn and become like little children, you will all likewise perish.
- Luke 13:5 -
There are two states of eternity that man can enter after his earthly life (John 3:36). One is reserved for those who have been cleansed from their sins (1 Corinthians 6:11; Romans 8:30), who can enter the presence of the Holy God, who have been adopted as children of God (Matthew 25:34; 1 John 3:1), who have received His grace, and who will be with Him for eternity in the newly created world (Revelation 21:3,7).
Those who will not enter the kingdom of heaven, those who did not repent (Matt. 18:3; Luke 13:3; Rom. 2:5), did not come to faith (John 3:18; Mark 16:16). They are those who rejected the goodness of God (Rom. 2:4; Eph. 2:7), did not obey the gospel (2Th. 1:8; Col. 1:21), did not glorify God as God (Rom. 1:21), but persisted in their rebellion, remaining in their sin, in their state of alienation from Him (Rom. 8:7; Eph. 4:18). The Bible calls their eternal place damnation (Rom. 5:18), hell (Luke 16:23), outer darkness, where there is nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:12). It is described as a fiery furnace (Matthew 13:42), an eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). It is called a place of eternal torment (Matthew 25:46), where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 22:13).
The only way to escape, to be saved, is through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ! What biblical evidence is there to support this?
I. The only gospel that Jesus Christ preached and then entrusted to his disciples includes a call to repentance.
II. The gospel preached by Jesus’ apostles includes a call to repentance.
I. The gospel preached by Jesus Christ includes a clear call to repentance.
He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
- Mark 1:15 –
Jesus begins his ministry by preaching the gospel and calling people to repent and believe in the gospel. During his three-year ministry, he continually taught, preached, and proclaimed the gospel and repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 4:17; 11:20-21; 12:41; 18:3 Mark 1:15; Luke 5:32; 13:3,5; 15; 24:47). He then concludes his ministry by commissioning his disciples to proclaim this message, in his name, throughout the world.
The missionary mandate is found in all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but when you compare them, you see that they are like a mosaic, revealing different details of the glorious mission given by Jesus. Each account has its own emphasis, its own contribution to the whole picture.
MARK
And he said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be damned.
- Mark 16:15-16 -
Mark defines the scope of their task, go into all the world. Not only in Jerusalem, not only around the Mediterranean, but throughout the whole world, the gospel must spread so that the good news of God can reach every creature. Mark defines the task itself, which is the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that when the gospel is preached, what fruit it will have. There will be those who believe and are baptized. That is, they come to faith, and through this faith, they are saved from damnation, and then they confess what has happened in their hearts to the world. Through baptism they express that they belong to God, that they have become followers of Jesus Christ. That they have died and risen to a new life with him.
On the other hand, the gospel can be a fragrance of life unto life to some, and to others a fragrance of death unto death. Some hear and receive the gospel by faith, others reject it, despise the cross of Christ, and do not believe. These people will come to damnation, be excluded from heaven, and will have eternal torment. So Mark formulates the task and its message: the gospel of Jesus Christ must be proclaimed, its scope: throughout the world to every creature, and its fruit: some believe, are saved and baptized, others do not believe and are damned.
MATTHEW
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
- Matthew 28:19-20 –
Matthew also refers to the comprehensive nature of the task, to preach the gospel to all peoples, to all nations. Matthew says, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is for those who have come to faith. Matthew says that all disciples must be baptized, so all who have come to faith become disciples. Part of the task, then, is not only to bring people to faith, but also to make them disciples, to teach them everything that Jesus commanded, to bring them to adulthood, so that they themselves can teach others and preach the gospel.
JOHN
Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
- John 20:21-23 –
John emphasizes three important things. He emphasizes the authority with which they must carry out the task. They must not speak on their own behalf, nor must they convey their own ideas and thoughts. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. The task they must carry out is given by divine mandate. They speak His message, His will, in His name. As envoys, as ambassadors, they are to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with the authority and power of the Lord of all.
Then he speaks of the power with which they must carry out this task. Jesus gives them authority, then breathes on them and says, receive the Holy Spirit. God gives them the courage and strength to carry out the task. In the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus says before his ascension to heaven that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them (Acts 1:8) and will be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Then on the day of Pentecost he fills them with his Holy Spirit, and they begin to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with courage.
Finally he shows that the message is about the question of sins forgiven or remaining, that is, about the forgiveness of sins. The preaching of the gospel and the belief in it are closely connected with the forgiveness of sins. Those who believe are forgiven, those who do not believe are damned, their sins remain, and they will go to eternal judgment through it, where they will have to face the wrath of God that is upon them because of their sins.
So Mark formulates the task: the gospel of Jesus Christ must be preached, its scope: the whole world to every creature, and its fruit: some believe, are saved and baptized, others do not believe and are damned. Matthew also formulates its comprehensive nature, that the gospel must be preached to all nations, and gives a more precise description of the task, he says that those who come to faith must become disciples, must be taught, all that Jesus commanded. Then John formulates that all this must be done with Divine authority, as messengers of God, endowed with Divine power by the Spirit, and that the purpose of all this is for people to receive forgiveness of their sins. And we come to Luke, who sets forth the task entrusted to them with the most important emphasis on our subject. The other three apostles did not say what the message they were to proclaim was.
LUKE
Then he said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name to all the Gentiles, beginning at Jerusalem.”
- Luke 24:44-47 –
The gospel that must be preached, to the ends of the earth, to every nation and to every creature, which Jesus Christ has entrusted to us, to which he gives authority and power, which leads to salvation, forgiveness of sins, and a clear call to repentance. What is the full message? He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. He explained from the Old Testament Scriptures, those passages that reveal the redemptive work of Christ. He explained the passages that relate to His suffering, death, and resurrection. If you look at the New Testament Scriptures, this echoes over and over again. When Paul formulates the gospel, he says:
That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 -
There are three main categories of the gospel message that are essential to faithfully preaching the gospel. Without them, there is no gospel.
The truths about Jesus’ death (why he had to die, what sin is, what man’s lost condition is, what His death means, how He atoned for God’s wrath, what He is a substitutionary sacrifice, what blessings His death brought and to whom).
The truths about His resurrection (what is the significance of the resurrection, what is its seal, what does it prove that He rose from the dead, what does His resurrection mean for us).
And Jesus says that repentance and forgiveness of sins must be preached in His name. Repentance must be preached as the only way to accept the grace offered in the gospel. The only way for man to receive forgiveness of sins. This gospel Jesus entrusted to his disciples.
Let us look at another proof that conversion is necessary.
II. The gospel preached by the apostles contains a clear call to conversion.
The apostles received their commission directly from Jesus. They lived with Jesus for three years, and the teaching they passed on was received directly from Jesus. They saw and heard all that Jesus did and taught. They were Jesus’ direct disciples and chosen apostles, upon whose testimony—all of which are inspired writings—our faith and all its practice are built.
fellow citizens of the saints and members of God’s household, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.
- Eph 2:20 -
In the letter of John, the following verse also emphasizes the weight and authority of the apostolic teaching:
We (the apostles) are from God: he who knows God listens to us; he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
- 1 John 4:6 –
He who listens to the apostolic teaching accepts the New Testament testimonies as absolute truth, is from God, is born of God, is convinced by the Spirit of God of its truth. God had everything written through the apostles that we need to come to saving faith. Therefore, they are the foundation stones, and since their testimony is about Jesus Christ, He is the cornerstone.
It follows from all this that if we are to preach the gospel faithfully according to God’s will, we cannot ignore how Jesus’ apostles preached it and what their message was. To do this, we need to examine the accounts in the Acts of the Apostles.
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
- Acts 2:37-38 –
The apostles are waiting in Jerusalem, and then God sends his Holy Spirit, they receive power, and they go out to preach the gospel. Look at Peter’s first sermon, how he preaches the gospel, and what his message is. He preaches Jesus Christ, His death, His resurrection, and then when the truths about Jesus touch their hearts and they ask: “What should we do?”, Peter answers them: “Repent, and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins.” It is the same message as what we read in Luke 24. The truths about Jesus’ death, the truths about His resurrection, and the call to repentance, for the forgiveness of sins.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Son, Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied before Pilate, even though he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be released to you, and killed the Prince of life. But God raised him from the dead, to which we are witnesses. Faith in his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know, and his name and faith in him have given him this complete health in the presence of you all. But now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But God has fulfilled all that he announced beforehand through all his prophets, that his Christ would suffer. Repent therefore and be converted, so that your sins may be blotted out.
- Acts 3:14-19 –
The next sermon of Peter is this, which you give after they heal a man lame from birth and the people marvel at it. What is his message to them? He preaches Christ as the Prince of life, he preaches His death, that God raised Him from the dead. That it was written about His death, which God had spoken through his prophets, that Christ would suffer. This is what Jesus says in Luke 24 when he opens their minds to understand the Scriptures. “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again the third day.” Then he concludes by saying, “Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.”
Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.”
- Acts 5:29 -
This is what Peter says after they have been threatened and thrown into prison, but the Lord releases them from prison and the high priest questions them. Again, what can you say? He is talking about Christ crucified and risen, through whom God gives repentance and forgiveness of sins. The message does not change. It is the same as what Jesus entrusted to the apostles.
Simon himself also believed and was baptized, and he joined Philip. When he saw the signs and great wonders taking place, he was completely amazed. But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought you could purchase the gift of God with money! You have no part or inheritance in this matter, for your heart is not right in God’s sight. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord, if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you, for I see that you are held captive by bitter envy and deceit.”
- Acts 8:13,20-22 –
Philip takes the gospel to Samaria, and God confirms the proclamation with signs. Many believe and are baptized. Then, when the apostles hear that the city has accepted the word of God, they send Peter and John there. A man named Simon, who previously lived by sorcery, who also heard the gospel, believed and was baptized. But when Peter and John arrive in the city, and Simon sees that through the laying on of hands many receive the Holy Spirit, he offers them money for this power. Peter sees that Simon’s heart is held captive by bitter envy and deceit, that his heart is not right before God, and that although he believed and was baptized, his repentance was not genuine, and therefore he has no inheritance in the kingdom of God. Then Peter calls on him to repent and beg the Lord, if only he would forgive him.
If there is no true repentance, there is no forgiveness of sins, and there is no entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
Since we are the offspring of God, we should not think that the divine nature is like gold, silver, or stone, an object of art and human design. For the times of this ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and he has given proof of this to all by raising him from the dead.
- Acts 17:29-31 –
In Athens, Paul stood in the Areopagus and testified about God, whom the Athenians worshiped as an unknown god. He preached about Jesus, who had died and risen from the dead. He proclaimed that there would come a day when God would judge all people through Jesus Christ. He also commanded everyone everywhere to repent. This is the only way to escape the judgment.
I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to me, so that I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
- Acts 20:20,24 –
In this speech, in chapter 20, Paul addresses the elders of Ephesus, where he had served for most of his life. He describes how he lived among them, what trials he endured, and then, starting in verse 20, he outlines the essence of his ministry. He preached the gospel to all people, Jews and Gentiles. What was the message of this gospel? Repentance to God and faith in Jesus Christ. Faithful testimony to the gospel of the grace of God and repentance toward God.
Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but first in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also among the Gentiles, I declared to them that they should repent and turn to God and do works worthy of repentance.
- Acts 26:19-20 –
In his speech to King Agrippa, Paul reviews his entire life and ministry. He says at the end of his speech that the gospel he preached, the message he received from Jesus Christ in a heavenly vision on the road to Damascus, and that he preached from Damascus to Jerusalem and throughout all the country of Judea and finally among the Gentiles, wherever he went, was this: repent and turn to God and do works worthy of repentance. He preached this wherever he went. The Paul to whom Jesus appeared, whom Jesus himself chose as his apostle, who was caught up to the third heaven and heard unspeakable secrets that no man is permitted to tell.
And today's "Christians" come and tell unbelievers what Jesus and the apostles never said:
Accept Jesus, invite him into your life, say a prayer...
Jesus clearly formulated the message of the gospel and handed it over to the apostles. The apostles preached the same message that Jesus entrusted to them, that their Master had preached. Then Paul, whom Jesus Christ himself calls as his apostle and to whom Jesus Christ himself gives the gospel (Gal 1:12), begins to preach the same message that Jesus preached and that the apostles preached.
And this message must not be distorted! (Gal 1:8-9)
The only message that God has authorized, that He gives power and strength to, the only message that glorifies Him and that He works through to regenerate the hearts of men, is the message preached by Jesus Christ, the apostles, and Paul:
Faith in Jesus Christ, in His death and resurrection, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Therefore, without repentance there is no gospel, and there is no salvation. But what is repentance?
THE NATURE OF REPENTANCE
In order to show what repentance is, I will first show from what it springs. True repentance has two sources, which are inseparably connected. And these two sources, which will be the two main points of this teaching, are the true knowledge of sin, and the knowledge of the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. When, with the eyes of faith, a man sees his sinfulness, and sees the mercy of God in Jesus Christ, it moves the sinful soul to true repentance.
The Primary Source of Repentance
But before I proceed to discuss these, I must briefly state that the primary source of these seeings, and thus of repentance, is really God. He gives sight (Acts 26:18), and lights the heart, shining with the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). His Spirit convicts man of his sin (John 16:9). It is God who gives repentance and the knowledge of the truth (2 Tim. 2:25; Acts 5:31; Acts 11:18), who reveals Himself to whom He will (Matt. 11:27). He raises the soul dead in its sins (Eph. 2:5-9) and gives it the sight of faith, which is His gift of grace.
Conversion to life is therefore saving grace. It is the gift of God, not the merit of man. Although the sinner’s spiritual work, the sinner must repent, is commanded to repent and believe, yet his conversion and the birth of saving faith in his heart are evidence that God, by His grace, is working in man. Our sinful nature is held captive by spiritual and moral incapacity. Unable to believe, unable to repent. There is none who understands, there is none who seeks God (Rom. 3:11). Man is a slave to sin, and loves his sin more than the light. From this state, God alone can deliver him. True repentance is planted in the human heart by God.
This truth, however, cannot be an excuse for shifting our responsibility to God. Despite his inability, man is obligated to repent, to love God, to live according to His will, and he is justly held accountable for not doing so. How then do some come to true repentance? God commands repentance, and together with the gospel preached, He grants to some the saving grace of repentance, through the true knowledge of sin, and the knowledge of His mercy shown in Jesus Christ, which is the work of His Spirit.
I, THE TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN
The question of repentance and sin are inseparable.
Before I turn to what the true knowledge of sin means, I will answer the question of those who wonder why we need to talk about sin at all?
Because of sin we are cast out from the presence of God (Genesis 3:24). Our sins separate us from the love of God (Isaiah 59:2). Because of sin we are children of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3). Because of sin we are under a curse and deserve condemnation (Romans 6:23). Jesus bore the penalty for our sins, suffering and dying for our sins (Isaiah 53:5, 12; John 1:29). Through the cancellation of our sins we are made alive with Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:13-14).
The Christian faith, the cross, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, cannot be understood without the sin of man. We cannot talk about repentance without talking about sin. Where the gospel is preached without talking about sin, the true gospel is not preached.
What is the relationship between repentance and sin?
And in his name repentance and forgiveness of sins must be preached to all the Gentiles, beginning from Jerusalem.
- Luke 24:47 -
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 2:38 -
Repent therefore and be converted, so that your sins may be blotted out.
- Acts 3:19 -
I preached that people should repent and turn to God and do works worthy of repentance.
- Acts 26:18,20 -
On the one hand, when Jesus sends out his disciples, he clearly states the gospel message that he entrusts to them. The disciples were to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins. They were to command people to repent of their sins, to turn back and believe, which will lead to the forgiveness of their sins.
Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
- Matthew 9:13 –
On the other hand, Jesus said that he did not come for those who are righteous, who think they are righteous, but for those who see their sinful state before God, who recognize that they need a doctor. He came for those who need mercy, for God’s forgiveness. The message of the gospel is good news for sinners, that there is deliverance from their sins.
The gospel is therefore for sinners. The consequence of repentance is the forgiveness of sins. Part of repentance is repentance, and the abandonment of sins, and the doing of works befitting repentance. It is therefore impossible to preach the gospel and speak of repentance without sin.
Seeing sin, true knowledge of sin
No one abandons their sin who has not hated it, because man by nature loves it (John 3:19). No one hates their sins and is not grieved over them who does not feel their evil and consequences. And no one can feel the evil and consequences of their sins to whom God has not opened their eyes.
The first step on the path to conversion, therefore, is to recognize and see sin. This is one of the sources of conversion. This is the soil from which repentance, change of thinking and turning away from sin develop. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what it means to see and recognize sin.
There are people who, measuring themselves by a certain human standard, think that they are not sinners because they do not steal, do not murder, do not get drunk, etc. There are those who live in obvious sins, they see that they commit fornication, that they speak dirty words, that they are aggressive, or that they cheat on their taxes. They live in sins that can be called sins by the standards of the people around them. But this does not mean that they see their sins in a way that would lead them to repentance. With a person who does not feel guilty, you could make him see in a short conversation that there are sins hidden in his heart, envy, greed, pride. Yet even if he saw them, it would not lead him to repentance immediately. True knowledge of sin is more than an intellectual recognition. The fact that the human mind judges something to be a sin according to a certain standard is not the first step on the path to repentance.
The sins that every person is able to recognize, whether sins of the heart or obvious sins, are merely symptoms of something. As Paul explains in the first chapter of the Letter to the Romans, the root of all sin is that man despises God, does not glorify Him as God. The power and divinity of God are evident to every man from the created world. Moreover, some men receive even more light than this. And when man, despite this, despises God in his heart, does not give Him thanks, does not glorify Him as God, and ultimately does not believe in Him, that is the root of all sin. Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes, (John 16:9) one of His main works will be to convince man of his sinfulness. Namely, of his unbelief.
The greatest commandment is: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. The sum of the law is therefore love. First of all, love for God, and love for people. The greatest sin, therefore, is the violation of the greatest commandment. Our greatest sin is that we do not love God as He deserves. Behind this lies our unbelief, which is why we do not give Him the gratitude, respect, and love that He deserves.
The evil of sin can be truly recognized when a person sees who he has sinned against, sees the glory of God, and in the light of this sees the true ugliness of his sin. When he sees that God is worthy of love and all praise, because He is perfect, holy, and pure. The sinfulness of sin can only be truly understood in the light of God's holiness.
What we need to repent of is not just a theft, just a murder, just an envious passion in the heart. We must judge these things within ourselves. But more importantly, we must see our contempt for God, our disrespect for him, our lack of love for him, our disregard for his authority, our hostility toward him, which is manifested in our specific sins and which arises from our unbelief. Without this, there is no true repentance.
The recognition of sin, the supernatural work of God, an inner revelation, a deep sense of who God is, whom I have sinned against, what I am in God’s sight, how he views my sins. It shows that he is good, holy, and righteous, that his law is perfect, and that I have failed to keep its requirements at any moment of my life. His judgment of condemnation pronounced upon me is just and righteous.
The realization that all my actions were disobedience to him. That I would not submit to him who has the right to rule over me, that I abused him who was patient with me, that I treated him with evil. The Spirit reveals to man the beauty of God's character, gives him vision, the ability to know the truths of God, and in the light of all things he sees his own darkness.
True knowledge of sin, then, is a heartfelt recognition of the extreme wickedness of sin, which the Holy Spirit of God works in the human heart.
In the following points, the consequences of seeing sin will be discussed, which
1, repentance,
2, change of mind,
3, turning away from sin.
If all of this does not follow from the recognition of sin, then it is not the work of the Spirit of God.
1, Sorrow for sin, true repentance
True repentance is a sorrow, a sorrow for sins committed against God. Where does the Bible say this?
But now I rejoice—not that you were made sorry, but that you were made sorry to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly way, and you suffered no harm because of us. For godly sorrow produces repentance that does not lead to repentance, but worldly sorrow produces death.
- 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 -
Paul clearly describes that there is a kind of sorrow that is godly, which leads to repentance that does not lead to repentance. A sadness that looks to God, which comes from the fact that man comes to the conviction that he has fallen out of God’s love and is worthy of His judgment. He sees against whom he has sinned, that the one he has despised is a perfectly good and Holy God, and he sees how great his sin is because of this. And Paul sees this sadness as the basis for conversion that leads to salvation.
No one can enter the kingdom of God who has not reached spiritual poverty and godly sadness. These are the first two steps in becoming a Christian, as Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” and “Blessed are those who mourn.”
And to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on others, he also told this parable: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I acquire. But the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. - Luke 18:9-14 -
Here Jesus tells a parable of a publican who goes to God and goes down to his house justified. What led to the forgiveness of his sins? What can we learn from what was going on in the heart of the publican? Standing afar off, he would not even lift his eyes to heaven. He was ashamed of his sins, he felt unworthy to look up. He felt dirty, and he knew he was standing before a Holy God. So he saw his sin, and who it was that had come before him. Then we read, he beat his breast and begged God to be merciful to him, a sinner. He saw that he needed a doctor, he needed God’s mercy, and he sought it from God, he knew that he had sinned against Him, and he was sorry for his sins. Jesus added, as a lesson, that he who humbles himself will be exalted, referring to the condition of the tax collector’s heart. The tax collector, with a humble heart, tormented, mourning, approached God and God justified him. These same elements of repentance appear in Psalm 51, David’s penitential psalm (Psalm 51:19), and in the Epistle of James (James 4:8-10), where the apostle writes about how we should approach God.
2, a change of mind
You have often heard the definition of repentance that, based on the Greek word “metanoeo,” repentance is simply a change of mind. This is partly true. A change of mind is part of true repentance, but true repentance is more than that. Those who equate repentance with a change of mind often do so by emphasizing this one element of repentance and leaving out the others, which leads to false conclusions. Whoever does this will be preaching a gospel that does not require repentance, the abandonment of sins, but only a kind of change of mind. And this is dangerous and misleading to those souls who have only changed their habits, who have received a new heart and a new nature of their own will, not from God.
True repentance truly results in a radical change of mind through seeing sins and coming to a true knowledge of God. By seeing his sinfulness, man condemns himself and, so to speak, takes God’s side against himself. He takes all responsibility and gives God the Right. He begins to see Him as He is, a completely perfect, infinitely glorious and good God, infinitely worthy of supreme love and respect. As a result, man looks at himself, God, the created world, everything differently, and begins to live and act accordingly.
Let’s look at the scriptural evidence for this.
I listened and heard: they did not speak the truth, there was no one who repented of his wickedness and said, “What have I done?”
- Jer 8:6 –
This verse perfectly captures what I was talking about earlier. “There was no one who repented of his wickedness and said, “What have I done?” What happens when someone sees and repents of their wickedness? There is a turning point, an internal turning point. It is not something that changes outwardly first, not in actions, but first the mind of the person comes to the point where he says, “What have I done?” He realizes that what he has done is evil, sin in the eyes of God, and his thinking about his actions changes.
Because you say, “I am rich, I have become wealthy, and I need nothing,” and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, blind, and naked.
- Rev 3:17 –
This is another passage where it is clearly seen that part of conversion is a change of thinking. Jesus’ complaint against the Laodicean church is their lukewarmness, that they were neither cold nor hot. And he reveals the reason for their condition. They thought they were rich, that they had everything, that they needed nothing. They did not see the reality that they were truly wretched, pitiful, blind, and naked. They had wrong judgments of themselves, wrong thoughts of themselves. What does Jesus command them to do? Be zealous and repent! Part of that is to see their true condition. They must anoint their eyes with eye salve so they can see. They must change their thinking about themselves.
In true conversion, we are confronted with the Gospel and what Christ has done, and we rethink everything. In light of the Gospel, we rethink who we are, who God is, and what we really deserve from Him. Suddenly we see the reality of our blindness, our wretched and pitiful condition, our inability to save ourselves, which leads to brokenness. This change of mindset is always part of true conversion.
Another excellent example is the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Although the word repentance is not mentioned in the parable, Jesus tells three parables in chapter 15, and it is clear that in all three parables our Master is teaching the same truth. The first two are shorter parables, verses 7 and 10, and we see Jesus teaching the multitude about repentance. The third parable, the parable of the prodigal son, gives us a deeper insight into the nature of repentance.
In the story that begins in verse 11, we see two brothers, where the younger of them asked for his share of his father’s property and then traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his wealth. When he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and stayed with a citizen of that country, who sent him to feed pigs. He was so hungry that he would have filled his stomach with the dung that the pigs were eating, but they didn’t give him anything.
And here comes the important part for us. “Then he came to himself.” The change in the boy’s life begins when he begins to think. He comes to himself. Then he says, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger. I will arise and go to my father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight and am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’”
You can see how he thought and what resulted from his change of mind. He changed in looking at his father, his father’s house, he changes in looking at himself. He says, “I have sinned and am no longer worthy,” whereas before he demanded his father’s inheritance as if it were his due. He sees his poverty and blindness, just as it is written in the letter to the Laodiceans. There is a brokenness in the boy and a sadness because of his sin. He comes to the realization: “What have I done?” His thinking changes, and after this turn of events occurs, it brings with it actions: he gets up, goes to his father, humbles himself before him, acknowledges his sin against him and against heaven, and trusting in his mercy, begs for forgiveness.
A change of mind, therefore, is part of conversion. It is the consequence of seeing sin and the glory of God, and a change that leads to action, to the abandonment of sins, to a new life.
3. Forsaking Sin
He who covers over his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
- Proverbs 28:13 –
Part of true repentance is forsaking sin. When a person sees the glory of God, he will face himself, see his sins, and hate himself for his evil ways and deeds (Ezekiel 36:31). This means that he will no longer remain in the same path he has been on. All people have been under the slavery of sin. It was impossible for him to do anything but sin. But when he repents and obeys the gospel, God frees him from the dominion of sin and becomes a servant of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18). The purpose of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ was not only to remove the consequences of our sins, but also to free us from sin, to purify for himself a people who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). Whoever has the hope of one day standing before Jesus Christ and receiving him into his eternal kingdom, cleanses himself from his sins (1 John 3:3), forsakes them, and mortifies them by the Spirit (Romans 8:13).
II. SEEING GOD’S MERCY IN JESUS CHRIST
True conversion is not just turning away from something, but turning toward something. Turning away from sin and turning toward God.
If we could only see our sins in themselves, and a mighty, holy, sovereign God, we might justly despair, tremble, and be troubled with fear, for the consequences of our sins, and there would be no comfort for us.
But it is God's work, after convicting the soul of its sin, to shine before it the atoning death of Jesus Christ, the grace offered in Him. The only way, the forgiveness of sins. The law, by which sin is made alive, is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (Gal. 3:24). A knowledge of sin is not enough to make a man repent. He must see the mercy and love of God, which He shows to the sinful soul in Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:8) He must see that through the blood of Jesus, he may come to God with confidence, that, trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus, he may ask forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7; 3:12). Grace offered to the sinner is like water offered to the thirsty (John 7:37), whose thirst nothing else can quench. The man who is convicted by the Spirit of God of his lost condition as a sinner will thirst for Christ, will long for Him, will need His saving work.
Seeing the glory of the divine nature, the beauty of God's law, the infinite wickedness of sin, the necessity of redemption, the necessity of the sacrifice of Christ will become visible, which the soul will look upon as the only perfect sacrifice sufficient for all. Faith in Jesus Christ, trust in His saving work, is as essential a part of true conversion as repentance. (Acts 16:31, Mark 1:15) Without this, man cannot turn from the heart, with confidence, to God for mercy.
Repentance is a wholehearted turning to God, but there can be no turning to God without turning from sin. Repentance, then, which comes from the recognition of sin, is the first step in conversion, followed by the forsaking of sin and turning to God. Sin must be forsaken before we can approach the Holy God who hates sin. True repentance always involves two inseparable turns: turning from sin and turning to God.
Obedience
The consequence of this turning, which proves the authenticity of faith in Christ, is the desire, the sincere striving for obedience.
A true Christian has one goal: to do the will of God in everything. When, by faith, it becomes a reality for a person that Jesus Christ suffered for him, when he understands the pains he went through, and that he voluntarily, out of infinite love for him, gave his life as a sacrifice to bear God’s wrath and infinite punishment in his place, it will move him to live no longer for himself, but for him who died for him and rose again (2 Cor. 5:14-15). We love God because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). He showed his love for us on the cross. The reality of the atonement achieved by the cross awakens gratitude in the heart of man for his Savior. And at the same time, he sees His perfect beauty, sees His dignity, that all glory, praise, and thanksgiving should be His, and therefore, by sacrificing his whole life, he strives to give glory to God in all things.
In summary
True repentance is God’s saving gift of grace, which is worked out in the heart of the sinner by the Spirit and Word of God. Through it, the sinner sees and feels the consequences, filth, and wickedness of his sins, and understands God’s grace manifested in Jesus Christ for the repentant, and thus with a contrite heart he weeps and detests his sins, then completely abandons them and turns to God, and strives with all his might to live his life obediently, according to God’s will, for His glory.
THE FRUIT OF REPENTANCE
Why does a tree bear fruit? And what is fruit?
God created every tree, and every fruit-bearing tree, after its kind (Genesis 1:11). He created them to grow, to bear leaves, branches, and fruit, which we call fruit. Fruit-bearing, therefore, is a natural part of the life of a living, healthy tree, that it bears visible fruit. The species of each tree will determine what kind of fruit it bears, and the tree is recognized by its fruit. The peach tree bears peaches, the cherry tree bears cherries, the walnut tree bears walnuts.
In a figurative sense, the visible result of an action, a work, can also be called its fruit. According to the Bible, true repentance, which is the work of the Spirit of God, also has visible results, that is, fruit, which proves its authenticity.
The purpose of this teaching is to show what the evidence of true conversion is. To do this, I will first show that good fruits are necessary. Then I will show what these fruits are, and at the same time I will compare them with bad fruits. That is, true conversion with false conversion. Then I will speak of what the fruits come from and what gives them their growth. Finally, I will discuss the importance of the call to conversion.
I. The Necessity of the Fruits of Conversion
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and do not deceive yourselves by saying, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
- Matthew 3:7-10 -
John the Baptist is telling hypocritical religious people that being children of Abraham according to blood will not save them. No matter how perfectly they keep the law, no matter how much “repentance” they have had in their lives, no matter what they think is the basis for their salvation, if there is not in their lives the fruit of true repentance commanded by God, the evidence of the work of the Spirit of God, if they do not have sincere repentance, real working faith, have not turned from their hypocritical self-righteous religious life, they will not escape the wrath to come.
Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but first in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also among the Gentiles, I declared to them that they should repent and turn to God and do works worthy of repentance.
- Acts 26:19-20 -
In his speech to King Agrippa, Paul said that he not only preached that people should repent and turn to God, but he also added that they should do works worthy of repentance. Just as a healthy peach tree and a peach are inseparable, true repentance is also essential to bear fruit worthy of repentance, which is evidence of its authenticity.
Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
- Mt 7:17-20 –
Every branch in the vine that does not bear fruit in me you take away, and every one that does bear fruit you prune, that it may bear more fruit. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out like a branch and withers; they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.
- Jn 15:2.5-6 -
Jesus also speaks several times about the fact that true conversion, true faith, will have visible fruits. The absence of fruit, or the presence of bad fruit, means that the faith is not real, that there has been no real conversion, and that the end of man will be cast into the fire, to be damned. A tree is known by its fruit, and he who is in Christ will bear good fruit. (Rom. 6:22; 7:4)
II. The Fruits of Conversion
1. Hatred of Sin
The soul that has seen the wickedness of its sins, the Holy God, Jesus Christ suffering for sin, will hate all sin. Not just one sin, and not just because of its consequences. Not just because it has had bad consequences in its life or tarnished its reputation. He who hated fornication because it ruined his marriage, he who hated gambling because he lost a lot of money, did not truly hate sin. We can speak of true hatred of sin when someone hates his sin because he has understood what a high price Christ paid for it, he has understood how great a sin even the smallest of his sins is against God, and how much it offends the person of God. In such a heart a holy hatred is born against all sin, from the smallest to the greatest. Such a person keeps himself away from sin and is careful not to offend or grieve with his sins the one who suffered and died for him, for whom, seeing his love shown on the Cross, love was kindled in his heart. He does not want sin to separate him from Christ, to grieve him. He will hate all sin, and especially its root, unbelief, pride.
2, Repentance
True repentance is sorrow, sorrow for sins committed against God, which is born in the heart of man when the Holy Spirit of God makes him realize the extreme evil of sin and whom he has sinned against.
Related to the previous point, true repentance is not sorrow for the bad consequences of sin. It is not about the inconvenience and damage it has caused in your life that you are sad about. It is about how your sin has dishonored God. It brings you to your knees, it leads to brokenness, because you see your sin as God sees it.
It will not be just a small stumble, a small mistake, in your eyes. You will not minimize it, saying that it is not such a great evil because there are more sinful people than you. You will not blame others, but you will honestly confess it, taking responsibility before God. You will see it as infinite evil, against God, who is perfect and holy. Evil, rebellion against His infinitely good person, so you will humbly bow down and change your ways.
Godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:10), which leads to repentance, is not about you and the difficulties your sin has caused. It is about God, whom you have offended by it.
Most “Christians” “repent” of their sins because of what they have caused him. Because of the losses they have caused by wasting their lives. This is merely the appearance of piety.
True repentance is the result of love, false repentance is the result of fear. True repentance honors God and lasts a lifetime, false repentance is momentary and man looks at himself in it. True repentance is accompanied by hatred of sin, false repentance is terrified of the consequences of sin and punishment.
An excellent example of this is Judas. He was faced with the fact that he had betrayed innocent blood. His realization led him to try to make amends, went back to the Pharisees to talk to them, and even returned the wages of his betrayal. He repented of his sin (Matthew 27:4) and confessed it to the Pharisees. Yet he subsequently went and hanged himself. We know from Jesus’ statement that he was a son of perdition (John 17:12), his repentance did not lead him to repentance and he was not saved. He was sorry for what he had done, but this was merely the sorrow of the human mind in the world (2 Cor. 7:10). The change in his heart that occurs in a person at conversion, at rebirth, did not take place.
The Egyptian Pharaoh and Saul also repeatedly reached the point where they appeared to repent, but their repentance was not genuine. Or there is the example of Esau, who sought repentance in tears, but did not find it. And we know about him (Rom. 9:13) that God hated him. Despair because of the consequences of sin, judgment, fear of the coming wrath, hell, or being sad, unhappy and shedding a few tears to a slow song of praise is not biblical repentance.
True repentance, not just confession of sin!
There is a widespread practice called atonement, where people are asked to write down their sins on a piece of paper, so to speak, making an inventory of all the sins they consider to be sins by their intellect, and then they are encouraged to confess these sins in prayer, after which they can consider their confessed sins atonement before God. I won’t explain it. It just misses the point…
3, Forsaking sin - obedience
Unbelievers are also capable of making some changes in their lives. They are capable of abandoning sinful habits, especially if they feel the harm of it, or if it helps them achieve their goal. They are capable of adopting certain habits to gain the approval of others. An unbeliever is capable of starting to read the Bible, go to church, pray, and live a kind of apparent pious life, for his own sake. To fit into a community, to be accepted. Behind his apparent change of life, the motives of his selfish, proud heart have remained unchanged.
However, forsaking sin comes from a true knowledge of sin, a true hatred of it, and a true sorrow for it, and is primarily concerned with God. It is the result of a change of heart and motives.
Conversion is not just a turning away from sin, but a turning toward God. Not only a desire to be free from sin, but a desire to live according to His will, to obey Him (1 John 3:3; John 14:15). In a converted heart, new desires, new principles begin to operate. A new creation in Christ. His desires are not directed to himself. In gratitude for what Christ has done for him, for the boundless love of God, and for the mercy shown to him on the cross, there will be a heartfelt desire to lay down his life, to submit his will entirely to the will of God, and to seek that which pleases Him, that in which He delights.
This is not perfect obedience, and it never will be in this life. Our faith will never be so complete that no doubt or unbelief of any kind can tempt it. Our hearts will never be completely free from all hardness and carnal passions, but at conversion there begins a continuous cleansing work of the Spirit of God that lasts until the person’s death. The converted life is manifested in a new heart, in a new direction, in new passions, not in perfection. The fruit of conversion is a real, sincere effort to do God’s will.
Sometimes, if possible and necessary, the fruit of this can also be restitution. In Luke 19 you can read the story of a tax collector who, after he is converted, receives a new heart and immediately produces visible fruits. His relationship with money changes, his view of his past actions changes. He condemns himself and makes restitution to those he has harmed.
Sin is not only directed against God. Most of the time we sin against people, and the one who truly repents, sincerely repents of his sins, makes amends with God, will also strive to do the same with people, and where he can, he makes amends.
4, a life of continuous repentance
Conversion is not a one-time momentary event in the life of the believer, but the acquisition of a spiritual attitude, orientation that lasts until death. The extension of those principles to our entire lives, which constitute the essence of initial conversion.
Those Christian customs of calling people in advance, having them say a prayer, or baptizing them, ticking off something in their lives that they no longer need to deal with, is a false path.
Many want to escape from hell, to participate in eternal life and the rich blessings of God, but they cling to sin. For such people, this offered path is perfect. He said the prayer or was baptized and can continue living his previous life, continuing his rebellion against God.
The Bible clearly does not speak of a one-time event, but of a daily cross-bearing, a continuous struggle, a turning away from sin, and a continuous turning towards God. The biggest lie today is that someone can convert to Jesus without his life changing radically. If you say you are converted, the real question is, are you continuously converting?
Since a person is not permanently freed from all sin when he converts, conversion is also for believers. The fruit of true conversion is a life of continuous conversion throughout life. Every single sin that a believing soul commits in his life is followed by true repentance and conversion. Honest confession of sin (1 John 1:7-9), sorrow over it (Matthew 5:4) and its abandonment. It is a continuous effort to put to death sin by the power of the Spirit (Rom. 8:13), a continuous crucification of the passions and desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:24; Matt. 16:24). The believer does not cherish, nourish, or live in sin, but struggles against it (Gal. 5:17-18), believing that, having received the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, sin has no dominion over him, and the blood of Jesus cleanses him from all sin. Therefore, the life of faith is a life of constant flight to Jesus, our only hope and refuge. (1 John 2:1; 1 Tim. 2:5). And not only is there a continuous cleansing from sin in the converted life (1 John 3:3), but also a continuous obedience, a continuous submission of the will to the will of God (John 14:15; John 10:27).
5. These fruits are continually increasing.
As the converted soul grows in grace and in the knowledge of God, as he feels more and more the wickedness of sin and the holiness of God, his repentance deepens. He will see himself more and more clearly, and his heart will become more and more humble before God. As he understands more and more the grace and love of God towards him, so his gratitude increases, and the desire to put away all that hinders his communion with God increases. As the soul advances in holiness, he will be more and more sorrowful for sin, more and more fearful of God, more and more grateful to God, and more and more obedient to God.
III. The Source of the Fruits
As the first fruits of conversion are gifts of God’s grace, so all continuing fruits are the work of God’s grace in the heart. (Phil 1:6; Phil 2:13; John 15:4-5)
True conversion, and all its subsequent fruits, is produced by God in the heart. It is not a matter of trying to improve oneself, but of God repairing and recreating one.
On the other hand, initial conversion is the result of a true knowledge of sin and of seeing God’s mercy in Christ. The Spirit of God works through the truth to lead a person to conversion. The basis of true conversion is a correct knowledge of the truth.
In the same way, the Spirit works an ever-deeper knowledge of the truth, which leads to an increase in fruits. A deeper knowledge of God’s holiness leads to a deeper knowledge of sin. A deeper knowledge of the cross leads to a deeper knowledge of God’s holy character, a deeper understanding of God’s love for us, and thus to ever-deeper gratitude, repentance, and holiness.
IV, CALL TO REPENTANCE
True conversion opposes the flesh, opposes pride, exposes sin. It does not caress, but destroys self-esteem and thus leads to brokenness, to true humility. It humbles, so that Christ may lift you up.
The call to conversion is therefore offensive to man, but it is also an exercise of true love, because its purpose is to make the sinner turn from his way and live.
In today's culture, which revolves increasingly around self, the message of the gospel has become even more offensive. But God never apologizes, because He commands repentance, He does not lower the standard to adapt to our culture. Therefore, we cannot do the same. God's command and the message of the gospel do not change.
The Apostles never told people to invite Jesus into their hearts. To make a decision for Christ and say the prayer of repentance. They said, “Repent, be converted, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Any other way keeps a person in a state of damnation.
You can’t encourage people to do anything that won’t get them to heaven!
People who are not seeking God’s glory but their own want results. Quick visible results. That’s why they don’t stick to God’s way and lower the bar.
If they were to go to a person and say, “You need to change your mind about who you see yourself as, God, that you need to see that you are blind, naked, and miserable, dead in your sins,” that would be offensive to them. And that wouldn’t help them achieve their goal.
The preachers of false gospels are always sweet, flattering, talking all good things, and trying to attract people to themselves. They offer a way that is not offensive. If they say, pray a prayer, invite Jesus into your life, be baptized, that is not offensive. Many people listen to them and say a prayer, get baptized, and think they are all right, when the truth is that they have entered through a wide gate and are on a broad road that leads to destruction.
These false ways that they preach are easy, they may look good because they attract crowds, but they do not save a single soul from destruction and they do not glorify God, but dishonor Him! They do not lead people to the truth, they deceive them.
Conversion is not about getting the sinner to do something that will earn him salvation.
It is about telling people about the glory of God, about sin, about Christ, and commanding them to repent of their sins and be converted. Pray that as they hear the word of God, through the working of the Spirit of God, they will change their minds and repent.
We must offer people the way of reconciliation as God has defined it. If the offer is not suitable for the sinner, we cannot lower the standard. We cannot offer an easier way than what Jesus commanded. You cannot leave any other hope for an unbelieving sinner than repentance and faith in Jesus Christ!
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel!
- Mark 1:15 –