Preaching the gospel on the Day of Pentecost, Peter, a leading disciple of Christ, called upon the people to believe in Jesus. Peter’s words brought conviction to the people’s heart. They cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)
In response to their faith, Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (v. 38). In this one verse Peter gave two important instructions for anyone who desires salvation and eternal life; repent and be baptized. We will deal with baptism in the next post.
When we realize that God has worked out our salvation through His Dear Son, we feel sorrow for our sins. This sorrow leads us to confess our sins to God. We can be sure He will forgive us and purify us.
This process of regret for sins, confession, and turning from sins is called repentance. Genuine repentance always brings change. Before we repent, we accept sin as a normal way of life. But when we see how serious sin is---that is brings death—we turn to God and repent, thus experiencing a change of heart.
Repentance goes beyond merely regretting sin to forsaking sin. It embraces the right way in contrast to the wrong way of the former sinful life. Paul said repentance should bring about a change in us; obedience to the word of God. Why is this so vital? Because our deeds demonstrate that we have turned from our sinful ways to obey and serve the Living God.