Mark 1:15 repent ye, and believe the gospel.
What Does It Mean to Trust in Jesus?
A Simple Explanation
In the Bible, Mark 1:15 says, “Repent and believe the gospel.” These words help us understand what it means to trust in Jesus.
My Journey
I grew up hearing a lot about Jesus. I thought that “asking Jesus into my heart” or going to church regularly was what made someone a Christian. But I discovered that these actions alone didn’t change me inside.
What Does “Repent” Really Mean?
Repent simply means to “turn around” or change direction. But what are we turning from and toward?
The verse tells us to “believe the gospel.” The word “gospel” means “good news.” It’s turning away from trying to find all the answers in ourselves and turning toward accepting that God offers us something we desperately need.
Our Greatest Need
Everyone faces problems in life. But our deepest problem isn’t just the bad things we do sometimes. It’s something more fundamental – what the Bible calls “sin.”
Sin isn’t just about bad actions. It’s like a disease that affects our hearts and influences our choices. This isn’t about feeling guilty all the time – it’s about recognizing that something inside us pulls us away from the life God designed us to have.
We might do many good things, and that’s wonderful! But even the best of us have moments of selfishness, pride, or hurt that we cause others. That’s because this “heart condition” affects everyone.
The Good News
Here’s the amazing part – the “good news” is that Jesus came specifically to heal this heart condition. He offers to free us from this inner struggle and give us a fresh start.
God loves us so much that He came to earth as Jesus to connect with us and offer us a way to be healed and whole. This healing changes us from the inside out.
How Do We Trust Jesus?
Trusting Jesus is wonderfully simple:
Recognize that you have this heart condition (sin) that separates you from God’s best for your life
Believe that Jesus came to heal that condition and restore your relationship with God
Accept this gift of healing and new life that Jesus offers
That’s it! We don’t have to earn it or work for it. We simply turn (repent) and trust (believe).
It’s a Gift
The most beautiful part is that this new life is a gift. We don’t have to be perfect or do enough good things to deserve it. Jesus has already done the work. We just need to accept it.
When we truly trust Jesus, it changes everything – how we see ourselves, how we treat others, and how we face life’s challenges. The healing begins inside and works its way outward. That’s exactly what I have experienced in the past 20 years since trusting Jesus personally.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).