- There are the works of the law of Moses.
- The works that earn wages.
- The works of righteousness. Righteous works inspired by the Spirit
- The work of faith. [ work here = the effort obedience requires] The obedience of faith.
But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations
for the obedience of faith: Romans 16:26 KJV
When a person hear's the Gospel preached by a person sent by the Lord, and respond with the corresponding act of obedience, then they are "saved" by faith, having now the hope of salvation.
The Gospel: Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.
One of the greatest things our present day culture in America has lost, and desperately needs is to understand is the Gospel, and what it means.
The Gospel is God's call to humanity to come out of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son.
The Gospel is God's call to humanity, to come out of hiding...
So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked;
and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:10
Repent is the command of the Gospel, that is to be obeyed from the heart.
Not repent of your sins.
Repent means to turn to God, to the kingdom of God, and it's King.
If you are called to
turn to God, then by default you are
called to turn from Satan as your lord,
to Jesus Christ as Lord.
The way that your express this obedience of faith, concerning the Gospel is to
confess Jesus as Lord.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:10
This is what grants the
believer/obeyer of the Gospel,
the forgiveness of sins.
Peter replied, “
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38
Peter did not say "repent of your sins".
A person can not "stop sinning" without the born again new Nature empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The way we are granted this, is by repenting, which means turning away from Satan and his kingdom, and turning to God, and confessing Jesus as Lord.
- This is plainly what the Lord Jesus Christ taught to and commissioned Paul to do.
15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the
Jewish people, as well as
from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes,
in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
Acts 26:15-18
Repent is about being transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God.
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed
us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14
It's about
changing who you serve, as your Lord.
- The Gospel of the kingdom is about changing the kingdom your are in, by changing the lord you have served.
- The Gospel is God's call to humanity, to "come out of hiding" in darkness, and to come into the light, the kingdom of light.
JLB