Photo by Jenny Venturo
Turn From Your Sin:
In the past few weeks, we have analyzed God’s incredible plan of redemption. Now it is time to see what we can do in response to this message.
“‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (Mk. 1:15). “‘Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out’” (Acts 3:19). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17).
Repentance means to turn around, or to turn from your sin. What does this mean? It means that at some point in your life, you are a sinner—that is your nature—and you are walking along on the road that leads to death, sinning and living however you please. As I said, death and Hell are at the end of this road where you are heading. But at the other end, behind you, there is Jesus. You hear the Gospel. You decide to turn around, and now you are following Jesus. And He makes you new. Yes, you still sin. But it is not natural anymore because you are a new creation. It grieves you. And when you fall, you remember the cross, you trust Jesus to deliver you from sin, and you stand up again and continue to follow Jesus. This is repentance. Turn from your sin.
And Trust Jesus:
“ . . . justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith” (Rom. 3:24-25a). “ ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’” (Acts 16:31). “He Who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it” (1 Thess. 5:24).
“‘Believe in the Lord Jesus.’” This does not mean we simply believe that Jesus existed, that He died, or even that He rose again just like we would believe any other fact of history. It is more than that. It is trust. Trust that Jesus will do what He says He will do. That His death, burial, and resurrection can indeed cleanse you of sin, seal your future, deliver you from death. It is all we can do. We are guilty sinners deserving death and we can only throw ourselves on Jesus’ mercy. And if you are a Christian, you must continue to trust “that He Who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). And Trust Jesus.
Alone: “ ‘And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved’” (Acts 4:12). “ ‘I [Jesus] am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me ’” (Jn. 14:6).
Trust in Jesus alone. There is no one else. No one and nothing else can save us. No religion on earth can do for us what Jesus promises to do for us. He alone can rescue us from death and Hell. You cannot save yourself—you are guilty. Any good work with which you try to bribe God or to win His favor is worthless, abominable in His sight (Is. 64:6). You must trust Jesus alone to be saved, and after you become a Christian, you must also trust in Jesus alone, not yourself, to keep you from sin and bring you safely to Heaven—you can’t do any of it yourself. Jesus Alone.
This is our duty, our command from God. But there is still more. Next week, we will look at God’s gift to those who trust in Him—His promise of life after this one, a life yet to come.
Read the entire series here.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Used by permission. All rights reserved.