by Michael Armstrong
When Jesus began to preach, He said, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This is a very familiar message to most of western society. The need for man to repent is perhaps the most basic tenant of Christianity. It has been promoted and expounded upon by 2,000 years of evangelism. Even the most diametrically opposed sects, loathe to agree on anything, concur on the necessity of repentance. Exactly what the “kingdom of heaven” may be and just how “at hand” it is may immediately divide them like so many breeds of sheep and goats, but the forgiveness aspect at least is fairly well settled.
Likewise, any honest Christian (that endangered creature) must admit a certain obligation to the words of the savior Himself. Fortunately we have been blessed with no fewer than four separate accounts of His life, deeds, and sayings. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all document His call to repentance. Matthew and Mark both relate the beginning of His ministry with words identical in substance and meaning if not verbiage.
Matthew 4:17, also excerpted at the beginning of this article, records, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, ‘Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” The gospel of Mark reads, “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.’” These accounts also agree chronologically, placing their statements immediately after Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, at the beginning of His ministry.
The gospel of Luke summarizes the period when these statements would have been made in a few verses. After recording the temptation, Luke 4:14 goes on to say, “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.” There can be little doubt about what He preached.
The next chapter records His answer to those detractors who criticized Him for consorting with the “wrong” kind of people. “And Jesus answering said unto them, ‘They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” (Luke 5:31-32)
It is generally agreed that the gospel of John was written quite a few years after the other three accounts. The close personal relationship that John had with the Lord makes it an invaluable addition to Holy scripture. It supplements and clarifies many important points in the life of Jesus and particularly stresses that He was doing the will of His Father. It clarifies the process somewhat, illuminating the relationship between Jesus and the Father and how we can be forgiven. More on that later.
The first lengthy quotation from Jesus contained in the Gospel of John is His discourse with Nicodemus in chapter three and deals with man entering the kingdom of God. Verses 14 through 17 state, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.”
From these few verses, from the words with which Jesus began His teaching, we gather a great deal and that of the utmost importance. We must repent; the kingdom of God will be here soon (at the end of our lives if not sooner); that it is sin that needs to be repented of; and that your belief is an essential part of your forgiveness and entrance into the kingdom of God. In that way it is like many of the other miracles Jesus performed, where the recipient’s faith is stated as the necessary catalyst for the healing to occur! The inverse is also true as attested to by Matthew 13:58: “And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”
The fact that we can be reconciled to God is truly a miracle. How long has He suffered with disobedient, willfully rebellious mankind? It is astounding, but not more so than the fact that He would call us! We tend to be only too familiar with our own shortcomings and it drives home the point that Christ made, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” He didn’t reach the whole world during His physical life. Many have lived and died without an inkling of the truth of God. But if you hear His words, if you understand His message, if you know why you need salvation, then you must heed His warning. “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
There is an immediacy to what Christ is asking of you. When He said “repent,” He didn’t mean later. It was something He was asking of His listeners right then, at that moment. How could it be otherwise? The realization of your own guilt, your own personal, willful sin is an awful, staggering moment. But it is a necessary part of a truly wonderful process. In repentance you must acknowledge that you have transgressed the very law of God, admitting even that it is your own fault. The penalty? Death, of course. Not immediate, physical death (though much of the Law is meant to protect and enrich your physical life) but ultimate spiritual death.
The serpent said to Eve, “ye shall not surely die” when encouraging her to eat of the forbidden fruit. God had said, “thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Eve ate it. She didn’t keel over and expire as if from poison. She took the fruit and gave some to Adam. Everyone is familiar with the story, their lives continued. But the serpent lied. From the moment they disobeyed the Lord they were under a penalty far worse than an abrupt ending to this brief physical life and it is the same penalty we all incur when we transgress God’s law.
In many ways people are still deceived by the serpent’s lie. Maybe they steal but they don’t get caught––where are the repercussions? Maybe it’s lying; nobody gets hurt, right? How about coveting or lust, blasphemy or honoring your parents? It’s obvious that God is not enforcing His law, at least not spectacularly, immediately, and observably in a manner that would discourage those who tread upon it. The justly deserved lightning bolts rarely fall and the wicked may feel safe in the assumption that this will always be the case. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
We would do well to remember that we have life on a limited time, trial basis, so to speak. Those who want to believe that this existence is a mere accident, that there is no God, and that physical death is final, may receive the perpetual extinction they expect, and so will all those who do not or will not repent. But it does not have to be that way.
Through Jesus Christ we have a way out from under the penalty we have incurred. As Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, full of the power of the Holy Spirit, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” Maybe some have wondered why or how the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can cover the sins of all mankind. Read the beginning of the gospel of John. Read the beginning of the book of Hebrews. Remember that in Genesis it says, “Let US make man in OUR image.” Jesus said, “Before Abraham was I AM.”
He also said of God the Father, “Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape,” yet how many times is it recorded that God spoke to someone? God ate with Abraham, God wrestled with Jacob. Ezekiel saw Him on His throne. The Bible is neither lies nor fables. The Creator, who visited the patriarchs and inspired the prophets, willingly suffered humiliation, torture, and death that we might be reconciled to Him. His life is worth infinitely more than all of ours combined and He risked it for us.
Could He have sinned during His human life? Certainly, but He didn’t. Hebrews 4:15 says He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” With the Holy Spirit, the power of God, the force behind miracles and even creation, the flesh can be overcome. It’s telling in a way, that man requires a weapon of that magnitude (the “sword of the spirit” as it is called) to conquer our own flesh and the temptations that are in the world, but conquer we must.
You will not get away with sin. No one will. We must repent of it, abstain from it, eschew it and when we find ourselves in it, as we inevitably do even after conversion, we must repent again! Think of it like the corrosive life-taking scourge that it is. If you noticed a poisonous spider on your arm would you ignore it? Would you welcome a venomous serpent into your home? How much more cautious should we be with something infinitely more deadly and in a “forever” kind of way?
Make no mistake, it is a life or death struggle. If you see the path to salvation you must take it. If you hear the words of Jesus Christ you must heed them. Maybe it seems easier to put it off, ignore it, excuse it, to just not think about it. Don’t play with fire, don’t tempt almighty God who has put up with you for this long already. A way out has been made for you, take it. Christ said repent and He meant right now. Don’t Delay!
