Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

                                                                                                            Mark 1:14-15 

I can’t think of a better way to begin this study of the Gospel of Mark than to look at Jesus’ declaration to repent and believe in the gospel. It is amazing that Christ is declaring the gospel message even prior to the cross, but Jesus’ announcement of the good news is the focus for the rest of this magnificent gospel.

The first declaration is for us to repent. Repentance is not a promise that you make to God that you are never going to sin again. That is a promise that none of us should make since we will fail in our efforts to keep such a pledge. Repentance is not cleaning up our lives or ridding ourselves of all sin. We don’t clean up our lives in order to come to Jesus; we come to Jesus and He cleans up our lives. Repentance is not a New Year’s resolution or turning over a new leaf. Repentance literally means “to change your mind” and to set a different course or to go in a different direction.

Imagine that I am in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and that my goal is to drive to Oklahoma City. I can take Interstate 35, heading north, and I will arrive at my destination in about three hours. But suppose I go the wrong way and begin a course of heading south on Interstate 35? I would be headed in the opposite direction from my intended destination. Now I might realize my mistake early in the trip, perhaps right after leaving the DFW area. As soon as I realize my dilemma, I can “change my mind” and turn the car around and begin heading north. But perhaps I don’t notice my mistake until much later in the trip, until I arrive in San Antonio. Even then, if I “change my mind” and turn the car around, I can still begin heading north and eventually arrive at my destination. But if I never turn the car around yet have the goal of reaching Oklahoma City via Interstate 35, I will never reach my destination. When I realize my predicament, I must “change my mind” and turn the car around. This is repentance.

True repentance is when I know that I am a sinner and in need of redemption. Repentance comes when I desire a change of course in life and I turn to Jesus. Once I admit that I am a helpless sinner in need of a Savior, I have repented and am ready to embrace the gospel. And that’s the second of the two declarations that Jesus makes in today’s passage. Repent and believe in the gospel.

The gospel means “good news.” All of us are equally in need of salvation through Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 53:6). Apart from Christ, we are broken, separated from God, and spiritually dead. But Jesus didn’t come to condemn us rather that we might be saved (John 3:17). The declaration is for us to believe in the gospel, which means to trust in Jesus. When we admit our need and ask God to save us, trusting completely in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, we receive salvation, redemption, forgiveness, and, most importantly, the Holy Spirit. We receive a brand new life. The gospel runs counter to every other religious message. Religion instructs us to do something in order to be made right with God. The gospel tells us that we cannot do anything apart from receiving God’s gift of salvation in order to be made right with Him. Salvation and eternal life come only by placing our faith in Jesus (Romans 4:5) and will never be obtained through works (Galatians 2:16).

The gospel is a call to enter into a relationship with God. Scripture describes God as our heavenly Father. Believers (aka the church) are often referred to as the bride of Christ. And Jesus is described as, not only our Redeemer, but also our Advocate and Mediator, which makes Him our friend. Whether it’s a parent to a child, a husband to a wife, or just a good friendship, all of these examples point to relationships. This is the fallacy of religion without relationship. The gospel does not invite us into ritualistic, religious motion rather it calls us to enter into a loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I don’t quite understand why anyone would forfeit such an incredible invitation as this, yet so many do.

The question sometimes comes up, “Does repentance mean that I will never sin again?” The answer is “of course not.” As long as we occupy this flesh, we will have to deal with sin. Christians will sin after their conversions. I have yet to meet someone that loves the Lord and is a believer and has managed to live without any sin in his/her life. What does happen when we are saved is that the sin we used to embrace in our former lives is now replaced with a desire to live for and please God. When we are born again, the Spirit of God comes to live inside of us. It is the presence of the Spirit that causes a change in attitude when it comes to sin. As a Christian, we will not be sinless, but we will sin less. As we mature in our faith and enjoy unhindered fellowship with God, we will see the fruit of God’s Spirit begin to emerge from our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). Again, this is something that will only occur with a true conversion and not with religious motion. 

So Jesus calls us to repent and to believe in the gospel. Before we go on with our study of the Gospel of Mark, if you need to deal with the issue of repentance and trust in Jesus, I want to encourage you to do that now. There is no greater life than the one surrendered to Jesus. Admit your need to God, calling on the name of the Lord, asking Him to save you, and He will. Then you will receive and begin walking in a brand new life!