“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
If you have been studying to show yourself approved, if you have been blessed to be able to speak to someone about the Lord Jesus Christ, then you know these verses. Together they are commonly known as the “Romans Road” and they can lead anyone who will listen to the cross, but they do not inform them of what they are to do once they get there.
Believing that God raised Christ from the dead is imperative, asking for forgiveness is just as important, but many of us, and sometimes I believe that it is by design, have forgotten the words of Christ Himself. “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3)
Satan’s ministers of light are nearly everywhere now, this does not mean that pastors are demonically possessed, but it does mean the efforts of our adversary have become accomplished in many churches that were once considered Evangelical. The eleventh commandment along with the twelfth now reigns supreme, always be polite and never offend, and so it is a rare day indeed when you will hear one of them say as our Lord did, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 4:17)
They can come to that cross believing they are sinners, that they are not righteous, they understand that Christ died for their sins, but if they do not repent those words offered are hollow.
I am not saying this my friends, the Lord Jesus Christ is, unless you repent there is no salvation, only head knowledge, only words repeated that were spoken to you by one with good intentions, but without true repentance there can be no fruits of the Spirit, there can be no praise offered that the Almighty will accept, you cannot be born-again unless that belief comes with true repentance.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Prov. 9:10)
Do you hate unrighteousness, do you hate even the thoughts of sin that still at times flow through your mind, is the thought of doing anything displeasing in the eyes of the Lord abhorrent to you? “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6) Do you?
Have you turned from who you were before the day you gave your life to Christ, would old friends still recognize you if they were to meet you today, or have you been deceiving yourself this whole time?
Will we still sin? Of course, 1st John 1:8 stands as a truth, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” But how long those seasons of sin last is a firm witness to you as to if you truly have repented or not.
The Romans Road is there to show us the path to the cross, but unless we get there and repent, we will never know the mercies of God, we will never be hid in Christ, we cannot be saved unless we repent.
These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, they are not mine, I am not telling you what must be done to receive eternal salvation, He is.
Please, if you are blessed by the Holy Spirit to speak to someone who has also been blessed by Him to have ears to hear in that moment, do not forget these words of our Lord, words that are rarely heard from the pulpit anymore, ye must be born again, and to be born again, you must repent.
