Two Formulas, Same Tragedy

"Repent ye, and believe in the gospel" - Mark 1:15
"Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins…" - Acts 2:38

The revival that occurred at Cane Ridge, Kentucky in August 1801 gave birth to a movement that solidified into churches of Christ and Christian churches. Among these churches, the words of Peter spoken on Pentecost have come to be accepted as the way of entering into relationship with Jesus. Among many other churches, a person wanting to know how to respond to Jesus will be told to repent and believe in him. These two distinct formulas are given to many who seek forgiveness of sins through Jesus.

Yet in both groups of churches, there are many who seem to lack a desire to place Jesus above all others. What is wrong? Could it be that the emphasis has been wrong in both formulas? While many emphasize "believe", and others "be baptized", has there been a failure to make clear repent ? It seems that for many who profess Jesus, there has been no repentance toward God .

Paul reminded the elders of Ephesus what he had preached among them, "testifying both to Jews and Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."- Acts 20:21 Our pride in the presence of our Creator is the fundamental abomination that must end . From a surrender toward God we begin to see our desperate condition-and Jesus as the only one who can rescue us.
But without the unforgettable acceptance that my Creator has the right to rule over me, my heart will forever maneuver in pride.

Carefully explaining the etymology of the Greek word metanoeo (repent) does not assure it occurs in the heart of anyone. This is not so much a teaching to be grasped by our intellect, as it is the surrender of our will. Our will must be broken in order to be replaced with his -a desire to do his Father's will. The lack of repentance toward God creates make-believers that are without the life from Above.

Only a broken heart can be made new . Only a heart that has been pierced with the sight of its guilt will receive the Spirit from Above. Many teachers in many churches have failed to emphasize the necessity of this surrender. Why? A truly broken heart is disturbing. See 1 Corinthians 14:24-5, Luke 16:16. Jesus likened being born of spirit to the trauma of childbirth in John 3.
To effectively teach repentance, we must be broken ourselves, and a heart that has been broken by Jesus' death will be recognized.

True repentance toward God will inevitably result in many subsequent surrenders. As the Spirit leads us closer to God, we see the remaining sin in our hearts more clearly. This requires repeated surrender and confession, and is the process of sanctification. This transforms us and we see we do not outgrow our need for Jesus to cover and cleanse us. We do not have life in ourselves. Only Jesus is our future. He is " meek and lowly in heart ", and all that are born from Above are becoming like him .

Jesus' death because of our rebellion against his Father is the story to break our pride again and again. Our flesh wants to pass over the story quickly to view more comfortable topics. But we must be brought back to see Jesus giving up his life for us. His supper is for this,
and everyone who teaches Jesus should make clear,"… except you repent, you shall all likewise perish ." - Luke 13:5
It is not too late for anyone who will surrender their heart to the Lord.

"Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts ." - Hebrews 4:7