Repent and Believe- Mark 1:15 ESV

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.

Mark records the first message preached by Jesus. His message was: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. The first part of his message was that the time was fulfilled. Paul wrote to the Galatians: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5).

The fullness of time meant that the promise of the Messiah was being realized. The Messiah had come into the world. The kingdom of God was at hand in Jesus Christ. He came to offer the kingdom to mankind.

The requirement for entering into the kingdom is to repent and believe the gospel. This was the first message from Jesus. It is also what he told Nicodemus in John 3:3. Jesus offered the kingdom to the world then and he is still offering the kingdom to the world today. Just as in that day, the requirement for entering the kingdom of God is repentance and belief. Paul stated: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:9-10).

Repent and believe in the gospel and you will be saved and will spend eternity in the kingdom of God with Christ. Great joy is waiting for those who repent and believe. The Bible tells us that we cannot even imagine or conceive of the joy we will experience in God’s presence. The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand and if you repent and believe, you will experience it. Make today the day of your salvation.