A Simple But Powerful Message

Good News – November 2013 – Grace & Truth Magazine

A Simple But Powerful Message

“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3 NKJV

In this chapter of Luke we find people who think they are saved and right with God but they are not. They still needed to repent and believe. In this connection Jesus told of a fig tree that had three years of opportunity to bear fruit before it was cut down, likely speaking of the nation of Israel in that day. They thought they were worshiping God when in fact they were rejecting Him by rejecting His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Those individuals expected entry into heaven simply because the Lord had eaten with them and taught in their streets. But He said to them, “I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity” (Lk. 13:27).

The people thought that problems were because of sin, reasoning that good people received blessing and bad people were judged. By their thinking they were pretty good while the people who suffered calamity were pretty bad. However God says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

These self-righteous Jews were told that they needed to repent. What does that mean? The Bible usually speaks of faith in Christ saving, so why does repentance seem to save in this passage?

Looking at the Bible we find that the same things are said about both repentance and faith as they work together. They save (Eph. 2:8; 2 Peter 3:9), have works (Eph. 2:10; Mt. 3:8) and are commanded (Mk. 1:15).

Repentance is a change of direction. We have to have our minds changed with regard to whatever is keeping us from believing in the Lord. The Thessalonians turned from idols to God. These Jews in Luke needed to turn from self-righteousness and admit that they were sinners. A person who has truly repented in the Biblical sense has come to faith in Christ. If a person hasn’t come to faith in Christ it is because that person hasn’t really repented, turning from the sin that stands between him or her and God. The repentant person who finally admits that God is right and he or she is wrong has no trouble trusting in the truth that Christ died for the ungodly (Rom. 5:6).

So this is a powerful and important message: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish!” The Jews as a whole did not act on this warning and as a nation they were judged for rejecting their Savior. Please don’t make that same mistake! We can tell you more.

By Bruce Collins