Gospel in a Minute
Peter concluded his second preaching of the gospel message by calling for his hearers to turn away from sin.
When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel, to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways. Acts 3:26 (NLT)
Principle: Repentance – gateway into God’s blessings or death to fun?
The Greek word normally translated as “repentance” is metanoeo, which simply means to change the mind. The gospel is intended to bring us to a radical change of mind because we finally understand that God is in charge of our lives, not we. This shows us our enormous need to be forgiven for our previous acts of defiance and rebellion against God. When we have such a change of mind, we are said to “repent.” It is impossible for us to repent properly without God’s help. The Holy Spirit opens our hearts and minds and motivates us to take this absolutely critical step. Repentance is a gift. (Acts 5:31, 2 Tim. 2:25) True repentance will always change how we live. As Peter said, we will turn back from sinful ways.
Sin carries within it the sentence of death. It always breeds sorrow and destruction. When we turn away from sin, it opens the door to God’s many blessings in our lives. Jesus is the fountain of life, fulfillment, and joy. The gospel restores us to our heavenly Father, from whom all blessings flow. (James 1:17)
Those who are at the threshold of making the decision to follow Christ should be told that turning away from sin brings blessing and life. The devil and their own sinful minds will be telling them that following Jesus will ruin their lives and steal all their fun. They could not be more wrong!
