Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 3:2 (ESV)

 

We often think of the gospel as just about being saved and getting to go to heaven. But when Jesus used the word “gospel” or “good news,” He was referring to the reality and rule of God’s kingdom over us and over all creation. His message and mission were always thoroughly focused on the gospel of the kingdom.

We are called to be Kingdom people, not church people. The church is part of the Kingdom, but not all of it. God chose the church to advance His Kingdom through making disciples. That means every Christian needs to be missional and every church needs to be intentional about bringing everyone to repentance.

Repentance literally means “changing your mind.”

It is a positive turning away from wrong thinking and wrongdoing by hearing and believing the gospel. However, for the most part, many Christians tend to identify more with a guilt-driven repentance than with a gospel-oriented repentance. Repentance is both a gift from God and a Spirit-led response to God’s unconditional grace (Acts 5:31, 11:18, 2 Timothy 2:25). In other words, we don’t repent because we are fearful of God’s punishment, rather we repent because God is exceedingly good and kind towards us (Romans 2:4).

Understood correctly, repentance allows us to experience God’s power of salvation and sanctification. Salvation gives us a foretaste of the Kingdom that is to come. Sanctification is the process of learning to live under the rule and reign of the Kingdom of God.

To truly repent is to continue to seek God's kingdom and pursue His righteousness by His grace. When we stop living for ourselves but live for Christ, we truly receive in Christ the eternal riches of His righteousness that meets all our needs.