How to receive Christ
Repentance and Faith
It is impossible to exaggerate the seriousness of sin.
Sin separates us from God and brings us under His just judgement. God is holy and righteous, and therefore He cannot overlook sin.
The good news is that God has not abandoned us to His justice and left us alone. The Bible tells us that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die on a cross and take the punishment that our sin deserves.
When the Lord Jesus cried from the cross, “It is finished!” He declared that the work of salvation had been completed. His resurrection from the dead is evidence that God accepted His sacrifice and today the Lord Jesus is alive and has returned to heaven. Through his death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus established the righteous basis upon which we can be forgiven and saved.
The question then arises: how can we receive this forgiveness and salvation?
The Bible is very clear that salvation is not something we earn through good works, religious activity, or personal effort. It is described as a gift that God offers to us. Since it is a gift, it cannot be earned or paid for – it must simply be received.
The New Testament often summarizes the right response to the gospel in two words: repentance and faith. In Acts 20:21, Paul described his message as “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”. These two belong together. Repentance turns us away from sin, and faith turns us to the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour.
What Is Repentance?
The word repentance carries the idea of a change of mind that results in a change of direction. When Paul spoke to King Agrippa, he explained that people should “repent, [and] turn to God”.
One simple way to understand repentance is to think of it as turning around. A person who is going one way in life turns and begins to go the opposite way. Instead of living for sin and self, they turn toward God and start living for Him. They recognize that they have been wrong and that God is right. They acknowledge their sin and their need for forgiveness.
Repentance Is Commanded by God
When the Lord Jesus began His public ministry, He preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Later, after His resurrection, He instructed His apostles “that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed . . . to all nations.”
The apostles faithfully carried out this command. On the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem, not long after Christ had risen from the dead and ascended back to heaven, the Apostle Peter told the people who were convicted by the gospel he preached, “Repent”.
Therefore, repentance is not merely a suggestion God makes; it is something God commands. When Paul spoke to the people in Athens, he said, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Repentance Includes Sorrow for Sin
True repentance is accompanied by genuine sorrow for sin. This sorrow comes from realizing that our sins have offended a holy God.
The Bible speaks about “godly sorrow” that leads to repentance. This is different from the kind of regret people sometimes feel when they suffer the consequences of their actions. Godly sorrow is grief over sin itself, rather than remorse over its consequences.
In the Bible a man called Job expressed repentance when he said, “I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” This was a cultural expression of deep grief and remorse. A proper grasp of the seriousness of sin in the light of God’s holiness results in true humility and an acute awareness of the need for His mercy.
God’s Patience
It is important to remember that God is patient. The Bible tells us that the Lord is “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” His kindness and patience ought to lead people to repentance. Every day that passes without God’s judgement falling is another opportunity for people to turn to Him.
What Is Faith?
There are so many ways in which the word faith is used in modern times. It can be used to describe a religion, or a religious person – “a person of faith”. It can also be used in a secular sense of optimism or hope.
When the New Testament speaks of faith, it means trust, confidence, and settled reliance – not merely the acceptance of an idea as true, but a confidence placed in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith, therefore, is not a hopeful guess about the future, but a trust resting upon God and His promises.
A simple illustration of this is found in the Gospels. In Matthew 9:27-30 (ESV) two blind men came to the Lord Jesus seeking mercy. Before healing them, He asked, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” Their answer was immediate: “Yes, Lord.” The Lord then touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” Their sight was restored.
These men possessed no visible evidence that their blindness would end. Yet they were persuaded that the Lord Jesus had the power to grant what they sought. Their confidence in Him was the essence of what faith is: trusting before the result is seen.
The Old Testament provides another example. When King Nebuchadnezzar commanded everyone to bow before his golden image, three young Jewish men – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego – refused. They knew the consequence would be a furnace of fire, yet they answered the king with remarkable calm:
“If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:17,18).
They did not know how God would act. But their trust in Him did not waver. Their faith rested not on circumstances, but on God Himself.
Evidence of Faith
The Bible also makes clear that genuine faith is active. In the book of James, Abraham is cited as an example. Abraham believed God’s promise, yet that belief was demonstrated when he obeyed God’s command regarding Isaac. James writes, “faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect.”
This does not mean that a person earns salvation by their works. The Apostle Paul is clear: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Salvation is God’s gift, yet Paul immediately adds that believers are “created in Christ Jesus for good works.” True faith produces a life that responds to God in obedience. James and Paul do not contradict one another. Rather, they describe two elements of the same truth. Salvation is entirely by God’s grace, yet the faith through which we receive that grace reveals itself in a changed life.
This leads to another question: is there a difference between belief and faith?
James reminds us that even demons believe that God exists, and tremble. Belief may recognize a truth; biblical faith entrusts itself to it. Belief may remain intellectual; faith expresses itself in obedience.
Where faith is real, it affects how a person lives. Therefore, biblical faith is a settled confidence in God: resting on His Word, trusting His character, and expressing itself in obedience.
Repentance and Faith Together
Repentance and faith belong together. They are sometimes described as two sides of the same coin. “Repentance turns a person away from sin; faith turns them toward Christ”.
Isaiah expresses both ideas clearly:
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord.”
This is the response God calls every person to make – to turn from sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.