Now after John [the Baptist] was arrested and ^[i]taken into custody, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the good news of [the kingdom of] God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The[appointed period of] time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life] and believe [with a deep, abiding trust] in the good news[regarding salvation].”Mark 1:14-15

The Gospel: Jesus. God is amazing. He is the sum total of everything that we are and everything that we aren’t. Sin is destructive and nagging. The Gospel, thus far, makes us feel a little small. God is massive; sin is utterly terrible. It’s like getting kicked while you are down. However, that isn’t the end of the story. It’s amazing how one little three-letter word can change everything.

The storyline was glib…until Jesus entered the picture! God’s glorious answer to sin was Jesus. Jesus was the full payment for our sin.

Jesus rescued me. I was helpless. He didn’t wave from the safety of the shore hoping that I could free myself and rejoin him. He didn’t whistle or throw me a lifeline. He ran to me. He met me in my most immediate point of need. He came into my mess to lift me up and set me free. 

This is the Gospel: God, limitless in authority and power was determined to provide an adequate solution to the disastrous pain of sin. The separation that sin has caused between humanity and God needed resolve. Jesus came to be the perfect and full payment for sin. We can enter back into harmonious relationship with God through faith in Jesus and true repentance. 

“The first word of the gospel is not ‘love.’ It is not even ‘grace.’ The first word of the gospel is ‘repent.’ From Matthew through the Revelation, repentance is an urgent and indisputable theme that is kept at the very forefront of the gospel message.”Richard Owen Roberts