“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Mark 1:15 The Bible is full of warnings which tell us we must repent. But what does it mean to repent? Let me give you an example. Imagine you’re driving down an unfamiliar, lonely two-lane road and you see a sign that says, “Road Closed 1 Mile Ahead.” You think to yourself, “That looks like an old sign, so I can probably just ignore it.” Pretty soon you see another sign that says, “Road Closed 1/2 Mile Ahead.” Frustrated at the highway department for leaving so many signs around, you continue driving. Cresting a slight hill, you come upon temporary barriers which have been placed across the road. As you slow to a stop you quickly understand why the signs were there. A bridge has been washed out by flooding, and there is no way to continue driving without being washed away by the raging river in front of you. At that point, you “repent.” You decide that driving forward doesn’t make sense anymore, so you turn around and head back the other way. Then you begin to wonder, “What if I hadn’t seen the warnings or barriers in time to stop?” Now Is The Time to Repent We never know when we’re going to reach the end of our road here on earth. This is why it is so important to hear what Jesus said—and act on it—so we can avoid the judgment that is just around the corner: “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5). What Do We Need to Repent Of? We need to realize that living our way (as opposed to God’s way) leads to eternal separation from Him in the Lake of Fire. “The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8). We also need to let go of any efforts to earn God’s favor through self-improvement. God’s standard is too high for that, and His route to salvation is: "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Believe in Jesus Christ We need to remove our trust from any religion, work, or other person—and put our trust completely in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). Have you Repented and Believed? The moment you turn to God and trust in Jesus, your eternal destination will be changed. Your new life will also reflect the change of direction as you follow God’s path. “If any man be in Christ … old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
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