Page 40 - GRACE

Jesus, The Source of Grace

into ministry who has not first repented and changed his
ways from all sinful practices as a lifestyle. John the Baptist,
as we have seen, would none of that. The religious bigots
who thronged him heard him charging them to bring forth
or show fruit meet for repentance. Nor, would Jesus accept
mere profession of faith without repentance. And the
Pentecost preacher, Apostle Peter, would accept no empty
faith either. When he saw the eager response of the people
to his message, he answered them in Acts 3:19,

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins
may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may
come from the presence of the Lord.”

Declaring this same conviction at the royal courts of Festus
at Caesarea before King Agrippa, Apostle Paul affirms,

“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not
disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared
first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and
throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the
Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God,
and do works befitting repentance”
(Acts 26:19-20).

Paul recognised repentance as the foundation and basic
requirement of our Christian faith (Hebrews 6:1).

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