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“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 3:1,2).

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

The Bible is full of warnings which tell us that we must repent. But what does it mean to repent? Let me give you an example. Imagine you’re driving down an unfamiliar, lonely two-land road and you see a sign that says, “Road Closed 1 Mile Ahead.” You think to yourself, “that looks like an old sign that somebody forgot to put away: I can probably ignore it.”

Pretty soon you see another sign that says, “Road Closed 1/2 Mile Ahead.” Frustrated at the highway department for leaving so many signs around, you continue driving. Cresting a slight hill, you come upon temporary barriers which have been placed across the road, and as you slow to a stop you see why the signs were there. A bridge has been washed out by a flooded stream, and there is no way to continue driving without plunging into the raging torrent below.

At that point, you “repent”; you decide that driving forward doesn’t make sense anymore, and you turn around and head back the other way. Then you begin to wonder, “what if I had driven this road in the dark? What if I hadn’t seen the barrier in time to stop?”

Jesus said that we never know when we’re going to reach the end of our road here on earth, and that we need to repent in order to be ready for what’s after this life.

“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; 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 offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish’”
(Luke 13:1-5).

What do we need to repent of?

1: We need to realize that living our way (as opposed to God’s way) leads to eternal separation from Him in the Lake of Fire.

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur” (Revelation 21:8).

2: We need to agree with God that we are sinners who need to be forgiven.

“Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:22).

3: We need to remove our trust from any religion, work, or other person—and put our trust completely in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again.

“Testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of
repentance toward God and of faith in our
Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).

What’s next? When we turn from our way to God’s way and put our trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, our lives will reflect the change of direction.

“Repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20).

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