We are thankful that you have taken the time to work your way through these pages. From looking at the Ten Commandments we believe you have recognized your sin by breaking God's Law by lying, stealing, looking with lust and hating others. Like David in Psalm 51:17 who said, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" we pray that you also have this remorse for your sin.
Two things remain. Look back at Mark 1:15 at the top of this page. The first is to repent. Repent means to turn away from. If you turn away from sin, then you are turning towards God.
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:4)
God has been kind to you. He gave His Son to pay for your sin. He has not crushed you in His wrath the sins that you committed yesterday. Why? His "kindness is meant to lead you to repentance!"
There is an aspect of repentance that has to do with being sorrowful for your sin. Please notice that this is different from being sorry that you got caught. For instance if you get caught in a lie, are you sorry that you lied, or only that you got caught. The former case brings about the kind of repentance that Jesus is talking about. This repentance due to the sorrow, causes changes in the way you think about the sin and also how you act in the future.
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
Then Jesus said to "believe the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). If someone were to give you the greatest gift ever. They bring the gift to your house and set it in the middle of the room. They tell you what a great gift it is. And you sit and chat about it. However if you never open the gift, you have not truly received it. In the same way, God has offered you the gift of eternal life. He has paid for your sin by Christ's death on the cross. Your sin has been paid for! But, you must receive the gift.
"The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:9-13)
It is not how much faith you have that is important. The important part of faith is the object of your faith. Notice that "all who did receive him, who believed in his name" received the right to become the children of God.
God wants you. How will you respond? There is only one way:
Repent and believe the Gospel! (Mark 1:15)
If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior from reading this, please contact us and let us know. We would like to hear from you and help you connect with a local church.
Please click next for a summary, some closing thoughts and what to do next.