Repentance
The word "repent" is seldom used today by many bible preachers. Without repentance, there can be no salvation.We are saved by grace through faith as it says in Ephesians 2:8, but faith without repentance will get a person hell fire and damnation. Most people don't like to be told they they need to repent, because their pride tells them that they're not such a bad person, their pride tells them that they are basically a good person, well, Jesus didn't come to save the good people, He came to save sinners, and we are all sinners, we all sinned, and have come short of the glory of God {Romans 3:23},so we all need to repent. Jesus said, "...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." {Luke 13:3,5}
Peter on the day of Pentecost said, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." {Acts 2:38} There are many people who profess to be saved just because they said the "sinners prayer", they go to a bible believing church, and they've heared the gospel, they can quote bible verses, but they never really repented, and they are headed for hell. A person MUST repent of his or her sin or he or she will not and can not be saved, and, God commands that we all repent as it says in Acts 17:30, "all men {and women} everywhere". The Lord Jesus didn't just say that remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, He also said that repentance should be preached as well {Luke 24:47}.
By chance, you who is reading this message doesn't know what "repent" means, it means that instead of you living your life, doing your thing to the ignoring and neglecting of God, you realize that you are a sinner who has offended a holy God, and you start living a life toward God, you live a life pleasing to him, and you no longer wallow in the muck and mire of sin, that is what repent means. You won't be perfect, but you will have a heart toward God and you will not purposely jump into sin. Don't get me wrong, repenting of your sins does not save you, what saves you is what Jesus did on the cross and the fact that you believe that, BUT, when a person realizes that he or she has offended God by his or her life style, and he or she comes to Jesus with a sincere heart of repentance and asks Jesus to forgive them and save them, and put all their hope and trust in Him, then that person can be saved, and that is true repentance. In closing this message, I will stress the fact that you MUST repent!
God Bless,
Christopher
