What Does It Mean to be Saved - Repentance

What Does it Mean to be Saved
It Means Repenting of Your Sin

Matthew 21:28-32 "But what think ye? a certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard.  He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.  And he came to the second, and said likewise.  And he answered and said I go, sir: and went not.  Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto hm, The first.  Jesus saith unto them, Verily  I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you."
 
Repentance from sin, a most essential part of the gospel that Christians believe along with being born again, conviction and confession of sin.. the next message in this series called What Does it Mean to be Saved  is repentance from sin. After this will be the message on faith. If you put faith and trust alongside repentance, together those doctrines are the gospel.  The most basic and essential gospel doctrines are repentance and faith.  Without repentance no one can be saved.  Repentance is the most neglected doctrine today.

The parable of Matthew 21:28-32  is about repentance.  True repentance is not just talking about it like the second son, not a mere profession, it is an action,  a change of direction and there is not a teaching that is more central in the bible than the teaching of repentance.  John the Baptist taught it and the Lord Jesus himself, Mark 1:14-15 "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee,preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."   To preach repentance is to preach the gospel.  Repent and believe is the gospel of God.  If repentance is missing from any preacher or evangelist's preaching, than that preaching is not the gospel of God, but some other gospel.  When our Lord sent out the disciples to preach he commanded that they preach repentance from sin.  Peter always preached repentance, Paul preached the same; repentance.  Acts 17:29-30 "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men ever where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."   Repentance is the command of God to all men, its a universal command.  Repentance cannot be overestimated much less removed from the gospel like the purpose-driven church or the emergent church has done.  They do not mention sin so they do not mention repentance from sin because they do not preach the gospel.