Luk 13:5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Acts 2:38 And 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 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
Acts 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
Luke 13:3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
Acts 20:21 Testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Romans 2:4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Luke 15:10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Mark 1:15 And saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Matthew 3:8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Matthew 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
2 Corinthians 7:9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.
Do you remember when God allowed you to see, feel, and become aware of your sin? Do you remember the weight, shame, and guilt of it? Do you remember hearing about God’s gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal life through Jesus Christ? Do you remember believing, repenting, trusting, and relying in and on Jesus Christ? If yes, then you know what it is to have been convicted by the Holy Spirit of sin, the need for forgiveness, salvation, and redemption!
Note what it was like on the day of Pentecost:
Act 2:37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Act 2:38 And 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.
Without God’s love and pouring out the Holy Spirit to lead us to understanding and knowledge of sin there is no need to repent, no human need for repentance, no need for Jesus sacrifice. We would be walking around in darkness. Blind to the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I fear the weakness of how Jesus is proclaimed in our culture is missing speaking out about SIN. There is much preached about eternal life, joy, hope, faith, love, and peace through following Jesus, without speaking a single word about sin and repentance. There is little to no preaching about God’s wrath, anger, and coming judgment, or Hell, eternal torment, and utter darkness. God’s blessings abound on those who thought he Holy Spirit’s conviction become aware of sin and the need of redemption and of the gift of God through Jesus Christ. Likewise, God’s wrath will abound on those who reject the free gift of Jesus Christ’s forgiveness of sin, and who never come to a place of repentance.
Our culture is ever-changing and tolerance of sin is more than the norm. Why? I fear it is mostly because sin does not preach well or fill up the pews, people are caught up in the busyness of life and spend little to no time reading the Word of God, there is no conviction of sin, no knowledge of sin, and neglect and complacency are rampant. When preaching is watered down people walk in darkness.
There is a big difference in the lives of those who have become aware of sin, believed, and repented than those who have come to Jesus just for the blessings of joy, peace, love, and hope of eternal life without becoming aware of sin, the need for forgiveness, and the need for repentance. One is saved unto eternal life and the other is not.
If you are one of the saved – Praise God
If you are not, ask God to give you knowledge and understanding of sin and the need for forgiveness. He surely will and you can know your salvation is complete in and through Jesus Christ.
