Repentance: The First Word Of Christ's Ministry
The beginning of the public ministry of Jesus Christ is forever linked with that of John the Baptist. Immediately following his statement about Christ baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire, John added, "His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Then later on in the passage we see Christ coming to John for baptism where we see the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove. (Matthew 3:12-17) From there, Christ was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days and nights of fasting and temptation at the hands of the devil. From there, Christ withdrew into Galilee. Then, leaving Nazareth, he settled into Capernaum and from that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). Mark noted that this event occurred after John had been taken into custody, and explained, "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:14-15).
Both John and Jesus make an immediate tie between repentance and the kingdom. Why? There were two kingdoms then as there are two kingdoms now. Every mere human being then and every mere human being now is born into the kingdom of this world. The kingdom of this world is sometimes described as the kingdom of Satan, the kingdom of evil, the kingdom of time, the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom, death, the kingdom of unrighteousness. But there is another kingdom. It is known as the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of life, the kingdom of light, the kingdom of righteousness, the kingdom of Christ, the eternal kingdom. Citizenship is by birth. Dual citizenship is prohibited. All those born into the kingdom of this world remain in that kingdom unless, by a miracle of divine grace, they are born again, born a second time, born of the Spirit of God into the kingdom of God.
Repentance is not the entry ticket into the kingdom of God, but it is a condition of citizenship. Repentance is the insider's way of thinking.
Christ's message of repentance, as noted in (Mark 1:15), is linked with faith: "repent and believe in the gospel."
While citizenship is the result of the second birth, all citizens must live in repentance and faith. That is why John concludes his third chapter saying, " He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
(John 3:36)
Not only was repentance the first word of Christ's ministry, it was also the last.
Anyone called by God as a follower of Jesus Christ who fails to stress this message of repentance does so in express violation of a final command that Christ gave. following His resurrection, and immediately prior to His ascension, Christ "opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and he said to them, thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending forth the promise of the Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on High" (Luke 24:45-49).
Richarc Owen Roberts
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