Repent and believe

Read Matthew 4:17

.

The announcement that the kingdom of God is near was wonderful news – God was breaking into the world to re-establish his reign, now and for ever. Clearly such a message calls for a very particular and life-changing response. Matthew sums it up in one word, “Repent”. In Mark it is put more fully: “Repent and believe the good news” (Mk.1:15).

.

Repentance means changing our way of living because we believe in Jesus. From now on we resolve to follow him in the “narrow way” of God’s kingdom (Mt.7:13-14). Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin – without faith we won’t repent and likewise faith that does not result in repentance is not real. To enter God’s kingdom, we “must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21).

.

“We must not overlook this call to repentance at the very beginning of Jesus’s ministry; everything else follows from that” (Morris). For when we realise that God is our rightful king then our prayer will be, “Your kingdom come, your will be done” in our lives (Mt.6:10). That’s a prayer of repentance and faith, rooted in the assurance that seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness is the best way to live (Mt.6:33).