Repent and Believe in the Gospel!

“Repent, and believe in the Gospel!”

That is the message that marks the beginning of this Lenten season, a season where we Christians prepare our hearts to receive redemption through Christ by fasting, almsgiving, and especially penance. While the necessity of preparing for Christ seems like Theology 101, it is actually a message that seems increasingly muddled today.

We are, after all, surrounded by a somewhat infantile, “I-want-it-my-way” and “I-want-it-now” world that mocks the necessity of preparing for much of anything. Friendship is measured by one’s ability to accept an invitation on Facebook, not by one’s willingness to work on an actual relationship. Ordinary people become social media superstars and are deemed experts on complicated political, social, theological, or educational issues without having to acquire the first degree. Kids receive awards for their mere presence, not for the sweat and sacrifices that actually bolster their performance. Credit cards tell consumers to fill their material wants without having the ability to actually afford it.

Indeed, the secular world models a juvenile approach to life worthy of a pre-school classroom. It’s no surprise then the temptation exists for Christians to follow suit and believe that a similar hop, skip, and jump approach to salvation is just as possible. If God made me, shouldn’t He just accept me as I am? Why would I want to burden myself with all that repentance stuff if heaven is at my fingertips?

But Lent reminds us that repentance is necessary. Quite necessary.

“Repent, and believe in the Gospel” isn’t just a catchy slogan. It actually portrays a proper spiritual order for developing a sincere openness to the saving grace of Christ.

Perhaps no other Biblical figure prefigures this spiritual order better than John the Baptist. As was prophesized by John’s father Zachariah, John’s legacy would be to “…go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways. To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins . . . . To give light to those who sin in darkness and shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:76-79.

And go John did.

Prior to Christ’s earthly ministry, he first preached a baptism of repentance, saying, “ . . . Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; and all the flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Luke 3:4-6 (emphasis added). In other words, a sinner who repents prepares himself spiritually to receive Christ and the salvation he offers.

Of course, John’s message was not one received well by all sinners. (King Herod even had him jailed and later beheaded for reminding him of his own marital sins.) For those who did, however, it made all the difference because it gave them a chance to authentically encounter God made man–Jesus Christ–through Whom salvation comes.

And so it is with us.

If we want to walk in a life in Christ, we must take the time to sincerely reflect on who we are as Christians, but more importantly, who we are as sinners. By taking stock of those areas in our life where we don’t add up, we can more fully appreciate and prepare for a sincere encounter with the only One who does.