ARTICLE – 18 September 2016
Salvation is for all who repent and believe in Jesus. In Mark 1:15, Jesus begins His ministry by proclaiming ‘”The time has come,” He said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!“‘ Through His teachings, Jesus taught us that personal repentance has a major role to play in our personal salvation. “I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:3). Jesus had come to preach the gospel of salvation and has commissioned us to share this need for repentance throughout the world. After His resurrection from the dead, He told His disciples: “And repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).
Looking at all the evil in the world, one begins to wonder whether anyone can be too far gone, or too set in evil ways, to be available to the salvation provided by our Lord Jesus Christ; too evil to repent. We are reminded time and time again in the Bible, “God is not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). He is here to save ALL sinners, no matter how evil their ways may appear to be, all sin held equal under God.
King David demonstrates in his prayer in Psalm 51 what is truly required is repentance which comes from the heart. “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). We can be comforted in the knowledge that, with true repentance, through the admission and pouring out of one’s “broken spirit and a contrite heart”, with an appeal to God’s abounding love (“you will not despise”), the Lord God has delivered us from our sins.
While we are comforted, we must also remember that the gospel is meant for all sinners, i.e. all of mankind. In this we are given the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) to bring this gospel of forgiveness through preaching the need for true and genuine repentance and faith in God, to all the corners of the earth. Jesus has given us two commandments, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as your- self’” (Matthew 22:37-39). In these we are to base our repentance. We must do our part as witnesses for Jesus to bring others through repentance to salvation in our Lord Jesus. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
