The call to “repent and believe the gospel” is found in Mark 1:15, where Jesus begins his ministry saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” This crucial verse provides insight into the core message of Jesus and what it means to become his disciple.
Repentance
To “repent” means to turn away from sin, both in mind and behavior. It involves recognizing one’s sinfulness and need for a Savior, feeling genuine sorrow for sinning against God, and making a conscious commitment to turn from sin and pursue holiness (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Repentance is not merely feeling regret or remorse but entails a change of heart regarding sin that leads to a change in action.
Biblical repentance has several key characteristics:
- It begins with conviction – an awareness of personal sinfulness and offense against God (Psalm 51:4).
- It leads to godly sorrow – feeling the weight of guilt and grieving how sin breaks God’s heart (2 Corinthians 7:10).
- It motivates confession of sin – openly acknowledging specific sins before God (1 John 1:9).
- It produces contrition – sincerely regretting the thoughts, words, and actions that dishonor God (Psalm 51:17).
- It seeks forgiveness – asking God for pardon based on Christ’s atonement (Acts 3:19).
- It abandons sin – intentionally turning away from all that offends God (Ezekiel 14:6).
- It commits to obedience – resolving to live according to God’s will from then on (Acts 26:20).
- It makes restitution – seeking to remedy offenses against others as far as possible (Luke 19:8).
- It turns to God – humbly submitting every area of one’s life to the authority of the Lord (Acts 20:21).
True repentance is a dramatic change of mind and heart, not just sentiment or remorse. It involves a complete transformation in how we think about sin and our relationship with God.
Faith in the Gospel
“Believing the gospel” means trusting in the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. The gospel, meaning “good news,” is the message that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins and rose again to provide eternal life for all who believe in him (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). To believe the gospel requires both understanding its truth claims intellectually and trusting in its promises personally.
Key aspects of believing the gospel include:
- Understanding the bad news – all are sinners deserving God’s judgment (Romans 3:23; 6:23).
- Realizing Jesus is Lord – fully God and the only Savior (John 1:1, 14; Acts 4:12).
- Believing Christ died for sins – his death satisfied God’s wrath (1 Peter 3:18; Romans 5:8-9).
- Trusting in the resurrection – Jesus rose, proving his deity and victory over sin (1 Corinthians 15:20).
- Receiving God’s free gift – eternal life by God’s grace, not good works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- Relying on Jesus as Lord – submitting to him as the ruler of one’s life (Romans 10:9).
- Having a personal relationship – knowing and following Jesus daily (John 17:3; Luke 9:23).
This gospel faith involves both the mind affirming core truths about Jesus and the heart entrusting oneself completely to him as Savior and Master.
Linking Repentance and Faith
Though repentance and faith are distinct concepts, they are intricately connected in the salvation process. As the Holy Spirit awakens someone’s heart, they become aware of their sinfulness (repentance) and realize their need for the forgiveness Jesus provides (faith). Genuine repentance will always lead to faith, while sincere faith always involves repentance.
Specifically, repentance and faith are linked in the following ways:
- Repentance exposes our need for forgiveness. Awareness of personal sin reveals our separation from a holy God and need of salvation.
- Faith provides the remedy for our sin. Trusting in Christ’s redeeming death grants pardon and restoration.
- Repentance clears the way for faith. Turning from sinful living creates space for the Savior in our hearts.
- Faith motivates repentance. God’s kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).
- Repentance is ongoing. We repent of sins regularly as believers.
- Faith also continues. Trusting Christ is a daily process of following him.
Repentance is turning away from sin, while faith is turning toward Christ. You cannot do one without the other. The gospel calls us to repent of our sins and have faith in Jesus at the same time.
Grace Enables Repentance and Faith
Importantly, repentance and faith are themselves gifts of God’s grace. Fallen humans cannot manufacture repentance or faith through human effort (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Spirit awakens repentance and faith within us. Salvation is entirely God’s work, not merited by human initiative. God draws us to himself, awakens repentance and faith within in us, and pours out his grace upon us (John 6:44, Ephesians 2:5, Hebrews 12:2).
The linkage between repentance, faith, and grace is seen in:
- God grants repentance (Acts 11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25).
- God opens eyes of faith (John 6:29; Acts 16:14).
- No one seeks for God unless drawn (John 6:44).
- Faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- God’s kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).
- The Holy Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8).
Because salvation is completely a work of God’s grace, the one who repents and believes contributes nothing meritorious. All glory goes to God alone.
The Ongoing Process of Repentance and Faith
Repentance and faith are not just initial conversion experiences but ongoing dynamics of the Christian life. Believers repent and keep believing throughout their walk with Christ:
- We repent of sins daily, not just at conversion (1 John 1:9).
- We maintain childlike faith in Christ (Mark 10:15).
- Our union with Christ requires abiding faith (John 15:4-6).
- The whole Christian life is one of repentance and faith.
- We repent of specific sins in relation to our new identity in Christ.
- Our deepening faith expands trust in all areas of life.
Repentance and faith also progressively grow deeper. As the Spirit matures us in Christlikeness, we experience conviction over subtler sins, exercise faith in God during harder trials, and extend our trust to areas we once excluded him from.
A Summary of the Meaning
When Jesus called people to “repent and believe the gospel” he summoned them to turn away from sin and turn to the Savior by trusting in the good news of salvation through his death and resurrection. This call encapsulated the heart of his message and identified the essence of following him. Becoming a Christian requires a dramatic reorientation through both repentance and faith, experiencing God’s grace to regenerate us and set us on a new path of life.
Repentance and faith are part of an integrated salvation experience. As we turn from sin in repentance, we turn toward the Savior in faith. Repentance cultivates faith, while faith fuels repentance. This dance of repentance and faith continues throughout the Christian life as we live in daily dependence on the gospel of God’s grace.
Implications of Repentance and Faith
Understanding the meaning of Jesus’ call to “repent and believe the gospel” has several key implications:
- No one is born a Christian; it requires conversion.
- Both repentance and faith are essential for salvation.
- Salvation is not merited but received through grace.
- Becoming a Christian changes everything about life.
- Repentance and faith are ongoing dynamics, not just a one-time event.
- The gospel of grace must remain central throughout the Christian life.
- Preaching the gospel rightly includes calling for repentance and faith.
- Assessment of spiritual maturity involves both dimensions of repentance and faith.
- Heaven and hell hinge on how we respond to this call.
Jesus’ memorable command continues to pierce hearts today with the summons to turn from sin and turn to the Savior. When we respond in repentance and faith, we experience God’s grace flooding into our lives and walking in a new way with him.