Repent and Believe: 3 Circles Gospel Conversations

Many of us are "fixers," meaning we try our hardest to fix something when it is broken. For example, when our bike falls apart or our computer breaks, instead of taking it to the "expert," we try to fix it ourselves. I remember when my bike broke, and I began to work on it to fix it. It simply was not a good decision. In the end, I caused more harm, made more of a mess, and did not fix it. It cost me more because of the damage I did trying to "fix" it. The same can be applied to God's design for our lives. "When we depart from God's design and end up in brokenness, we have to make a choice. We can try to fix it ourselves, or we can choose to turn from our ways and trust in God's ways to provide healing" (Scroggins).

Only Jesus can fix our problems.

We are not alone in our struggles. Even the apostle Paul tried to fix and correct himself. "He was an extremely religious man who made it his business to follow all of God's rules and make sure others did too" (Scroggins). Paul lived a very religious life, that is, until he truly met Jesus. In Acts 26:12-20, the Bible explains Paul's account of his conversion when he met Jesus. Before meeting Jesus, Paul persecuted those who believed and followed Jesus. He thought he could "fix" it. Paul recounts his past life in Acts 26: 4-11 when he discusses imprisoning those who trusted Jesus. Before his conversion, Paul thought he would help "shut down" those following Jesus, but it would not be so. On the road to Damascus, Paul is confronted with the true and risen Savior and decides to repent and follow Jesus.

Moreover, he witnesses to King Agrippa how he chose to follow Jesus. Truly meeting Jesus was a pivotal point in Paul's life. Once Paul encounters Jesus, He changed his heart and mind, and he gave his life by telling others about Him. Instead of persecuting believers, he preached the gospel of Jesus. In the end, Paul concluded that Jesus is the only One who can genuinely fix problems.

What is repentance?

What does it mean to repent and believe? "To repent is to change. It is a change of mind that leads to a change of heart that leads to a change in behavior. To believe is to trust" (Scroggins). Belief is more than just education or knowledge; instead, it is more about affirming truth. Further, it is trusting wholeheartedly in someone or something. In the spiritual sense, it is trusting Jesus with everything. In that regard, Jimmy Scroggins writes, "Biblical belief in Jesus is total trust in Him." When we do this, we repent of our way of life, our sins, the way we are going, and instead trust in Jesus and follow Him. We have God's assurance in His Word that He is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins (1 John 1:9).

Questions

What does it truly mean to repent and believe in Jesus?

What does Paul's life in Acts 26 teach us about repentance and belief?

Have you ever repented and truly trusted in Jesus Christ?

Resources

3 Circles: Gospel Conversations For Life by Jimmy Scroggins

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