Part 2: Your response

Welcome back. In part one we saw God's good plan, our problem, and God's solution in Jesus Christ. But knowing all of that does not make a person a Christian. A person can know that a medicine cures, and never take it. So now comes the personal part. How should we respond?

We face a choice. If we carry on rebelling against God, He will condemn us. God will not put up with our rebellion for ever.

The Bible speaks plainly about this. Those who do not know God, and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord.

But if we want to make a new start, if we repent, and live for God from now on, then something very different awaits us.

Look up Luke chapter fifteen, verse ten.

“In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10, BSB)

Joy in the presence of God's angels, over one sinner who repents. God, and His holy angels, will welcome us with joy.

And there is more. Christ has paid the believer's penalty on the cross. So those who repent can now be treated as if they had never rebelled. As Paul says: there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

So what does it mean to repent? First, understand that repentance is not optional. God commands it. And it has three steps.

First: admit that you are a sinner, who is justly condemned by God, and unable to save yourself. The apostle John says: ‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.’ No excuses, and no blaming others.

Second: confess your sins to God. To confess is to agree with God about them. Tell Him honestly what you have done.

Third: turn away from all known sin, and return to God. Repentance is more than feeling sorry. The lost son in the parable did not only feel wretched in the far country. He got up, and went home to his father. And Jesus said to a woman He had forgiven: ‘Now go and sin no more.’

And here is God's promise to everyone who confesses. Look up First John, chapter one, verse nine.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, BSB)

He is faithful and just to forgive. Faithful: He keeps His promise. And just: because the penalty for that sin has already been paid by Christ.

Repentance is one side. Faith is the other. And faith is also a command. It has two steps.

First: acknowledge that only Christ can save you. Peter said: ‘Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.’ Not Christ and my efforts. Christ alone.

Second: trust Christ as your Lord and Saviour. To trust is more than to agree that something is true. It is to rest your whole weight on Him. Ask Him, as your Saviour, to rescue you from God's judgement through His death on the cross, and to forgive your sin.

A jailer once asked Paul: what must I do to be saved? And this was the answer: ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.’

Finally. You should give up your rebellion, and accept Christ as the rightful Ruler of your life. Look up Mark chapter eight, verse thirty-four.

Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34, BSB)

Deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. To deny yourself is to say no to the old rule of self: I will run my own life. Becoming a Christian means a change of ruler.

Do this, and you will be forgiven, and brought back into friendship with God. As Paul says: since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

You will also receive the Holy Spirit into your life, just as God promised. But that does not mean you will become perfect overnight.

A new Christian is like a new-born baby. A baby is truly alive, and truly a member of the family, from the first day. But he needs to grow. God will help you, but you will have to make every effort to obey His word. You will only be made perfect when God takes you to heaven.

So here is the question again. Have you taken these steps of repentance and faith? If not, what is holding you back? You can speak to God now, in your own words. The later studies in this course look at Christian growth in more detail.

Below this video, you'll find the passages from this part, and some questions to think about.

Then take the short quiz to complete study one.

In study two, we shall look at salvation from God's side: God's election of grace. Thank you for watching.