• Home

• Introduction

• The Historical Meaning of
• Repentance

• The Meaning of Repentance
• in a Modern Age

• The Difficulty of Translation

• Metanoia as Metamorphosis

• How Does Repentance Go
• Beyond Change?

• A Godly Sorrow isn't Only for
• Sinners!

• Repentance is Complete in
• the Fruit of Change

• Walking in Repentance . . .
• Means Life!

• And . . . What a Lifestyle!

It All Begins with the Call to Repentance
When John the Baptist called out to the nation of Israel, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. . .” he was a lone voice crying out in the wilderness. He wasn’t a writer, he wasn’t a bestselling author with a publishing house behind him, and he had no internet. He did what he was called to do the only way he knew how. He cried out, “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”

The message was urgent. He knew he was preparing a path for One who was greater than he. And he was stunned when Jesus came to him to be baptized, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” Always the servant, at Jesus’ urging he baptizes Him in the Jordan.

After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17, NASB)

John understood his ministry, he understood his place. Yet even as his own ministry began to fade into the background we see him pointing to the Messiah.

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.” Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. (John 1:29-37, NASB)

As John watched his own disciples leave his side and follow Jesus, as he saw the ministry of the Lamb of God begin—he heard Jesus make a familiar call, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”