Do I Need to Repent to Be Saved? (What is Repentance?)

At the start of Jesus' earthly ministry, He proclaimed the gospel and said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel!"

Since Jesus said we must repent, it must be pretty important. What is repentance? To repent means to change one's mind. In the case of repentance before God, we change our mind about our sin, realizing that we have done evil in the sight of God, and we change our mind about God, knowing that He is holy and righteous and good.

When you repent and believe, you're turning from something to something else. You're turning from the direction of your sin which leads to death and eternity in hell, and you're turning to go in the direction of Christ which leads to life and eternity with God.

But the off-ramp to turn you around from unrighteousness to God's righteousness is grief over your sin. Second Corinthians 7:10 says, "Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation, whereas worldly grief produces death."

Joel 2:13 says, "Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and aboudning in steadfast love." Psalm 7:12 says, "If a man does not repent, God will whet His sword."

Isaiah 55:6-7 says, "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. Let Him return to the Lord that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon," when we understand the text.

Do I Have to Go to Church to Be a Christian?

Though you may call yourself a Christian, if you don't go to church, you're probably going to hell.

What, no! Church doesn't save anyone. You know that thing about being in a garage doesn't make you a car? So going to church doesn't make you a Christian!

Sure. But being a Christian means that you are part of the body of Christ. And what is the body of Christ? Ephesians 5:23 says the body of Christ is the church.

Jesus died on the cross for the sins of His people so they could be reconciled to God. That word "reconcile" means "to accept that which was not previously desired." Because of our sin, we did not desire God, and He did not desire us in that state. But because He loves us, He sent His Son to live and die in our place.

By faith in Jesus we are made righteous in the eyes of a holy God. Titus 2:14 says, "He purified for Himself a people for His own possession." And in so doing, He reconciled us not only to God but to God's people. In sin, we are far from God and against one another. But in Christ we are one with His body and members of one another (Romans 12:5).

Christian, understand something. If you want to be with Christ, you will want to be with his body. To be separate from the body is to be separate from Christ. If you don't want to be with His church, it's probably because you're still dead in your sins, and you are not saved.

Hebrews 10:25 says, "Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." So be faithful to the body of Christ, when we understand the text.

On This Rock I Will Build My Church?

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus said, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church."

Now let's play a game. What is "this rock" on which Christ would build His church?

A) Peter himself
B) Peter's confession
C) Christ and His teachings
D) All of the above?

If you guessed "Peter," you are correct, but not if you're Catholic. The Bible says Christ is the foundation and the head of the church, so in no way was He giving either of those titles to Peter and a successive line of popes. Peter is a lesser stone. The true rock is Christ.

You know who said that? Peter! In fact, we're all lesser stones being built into a spiritual house unto the Lord (1 Peter 2:4-8). Paul said the church is built on a foundation of all the apostles (Ephesians 2:19-22). Christ is the cornerstone, meaning every other stone is set in relation to Him.

But what's all that stuff about Peter loosening and binding on earth and in heaven? Though Jesus was speaking directly to Peter in Matthew 16:19, He wasn't speaking exclusively to Peter, as He gave the same promise to the whole church in Matthew 18:18.

All Christians are living stones, like Peter, being built into the house of God, when we understand the text.

The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail?

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." This reference to "gates of hell" is often taken to mean that any attempt of Satan to mount an attack against the church will not succeed.

Now, that's certainly true, and history testifies. Two thousand years since the first Christians were baptized at Pentecost, the church is still growing. Saints are added daily through the preaching of the gospel all over the world in the face of opposition. Every effort to stop the mission has failed—not lies, evil, insults, hardships, or persecutions. The devil has not prevailed.

But that's not the same thing as saying the gates of hell will not prevail. Gates are not offensive weapons. They're used for defense. So in this particular instance, Jesus was not referring to hell mounting an attack against the church. He was saying the church will be attacking hell!

Psalm 9:13 says that the Lord lifts us up from the gates of death—the same gates Jesus called the gates of hell (see also Job 38:17 and Isaiah 38:10). Christ ripped these gates off their hinges when He gave His life on the cross for our sins and rose again from the grave.

God has commissioned the church to deliver the good news (Matthew 28:18-20), that all who believe in Jesus will be saved from death and have everlasting life (John 3:16). We've been given our marching orders, and when we preach the gospel of Christ, we storm the gates of hell.

The gospel is the power of God for salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16), and not even the curse of death can stop it, when we understand the text.