Jesus is Essential
Luke 13:1–5: There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
Repentance begins with a change of the mind, but not in the contemporary sense of changing one’s mind only to change it again. It is a change of mind that brings a change of actions. It is both intellectual and volitional—and then, though not necessarily, emotional.
Repentance is a real turnaround of one’s life in respect to sinful conduct. Repentance must happen in our souls, or we will perish in the judgment. If Jesus has not changed your conduct, and if he is not continuing to change your conduct, you are very likely not a Christian. Repentance is the style of true Christianity! Repentance is not an option. 1
Walking with Jesus
There is nothing casual about sin and its consequences. What stops the bleeding effects of sin is a heart of continual repentance. Pray now for that kind of heart.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:23–24
Repentance is the personal response to the spiritual conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Praying
Lord, thank You for Your straightforward truth regarding the necessity of repentance.
1. Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
