Our word for today is the word repent. This is a word that is often misunderstood, and it is a vital piece of the Christian life. The word itself simply means to change your mind about something, but it is used in a biblical and spiritual sense as changing our minds about something that results in a change in the way we live. So, it’s kind of like walking in one direction and then turning around and walking in another direction. It is a turnabout. It starts with the mind. It starts with our thinking. We have changed our mind about Christ and how we used to live and the lifestyle we used to have. We have changed our mind about sin, and we no longer want to be under the dominion of sin. We want to be under the mastery of Christ. We are turning from our idols and turning to Christ to worship Him. All of these things are involved in this word. So, the biblical terminology then is the change of your mind that results in a change of behavior.
John the Baptist came preaching repentance in the opening words of the gospels. He called for the pharisees and others to change their behavior and bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance. Later, when Jesus stepped up, He preached the exact same message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” in Matthew 3:2. Repentance was an important word in the opening words of the gospel concerning Jesus’ public ministry . . .
