Repent and Believe

There are two crucial steps to put your faith in Jesus:

1. We are to repent, and
2. We are to believe the gospel.

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, {15} And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. – Mark 1:14-15 (KJB)

These are the words of Jesus on repentance.

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to  repentance. – Mark 2:17 (KJB)

Jesus tells us that he came to call sinners to repentance. We are told in 1 John 3:4 that “sin is the transgression of the law.” In other words, when we disobey God, we commit sin. This is what we are to repent from.  We are to be sorry for, and turn from, our sin.

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. – 2 Corinthians 7:10 (KJB)

It’s not just being sorry, but rather a godly sorrow. Our sorrow should be based on what God thinks of our sin and not what the world thinks.

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; – Acts 3:19 (KJB)

We are also to believe the gospel. Interestingly, the word “gospel” occurs in the King James Bible 101 times. (That’s Faith 101, if you were to take the college course!) This word only occurs in the New Testament.

What is the gospel? Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines it as:

The history of the birth, life, actions, death, resurrection, ascension and doctrines of Jesus Christ;

The first four books of the New Testament are called “The Gospels.” Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the names of these books and they tell the history of Jesus Christ.

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; – Mark 1:1 (KJB)

Believing the gospel is believing what God said.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. – Romans 1:16 (KJB)

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. – Romans 4:3 (KJB)

There is a turning point in the life of a person when they repent of their sin and believe the gospel.

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; {2} By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. {3} For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; {4} And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: – 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJB)

What about you? Will you repent and believe?