A New King
“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.’” (Acts 2:37–38)
Sometimes we think following Jesus begins with getting our lives cleaned up.
Stop doing this. Start doing that. Break the bad habit. Make the better choice. Try harder to become the kind of person God wants you to be.
Those changes may be good, but they are not where repentance begins.
When Peter preached to the crowd in Acts 2, the people listening were deeply religious. They knew Scripture. They cared about doing what was right. Yet when they finally understood who Jesus was, they realized they had been wrong about the most important thing of all.
Jesus was not simply a teacher to listen to or an example to follow.
He was Lord.
That realization changed everything.
Repentance certainly affects the way we live, but it begins with a change in how we see Jesus. Instead of trying to remain in control of our lives while adding a little more good behavior, we recognize Jesus as our King and place our lives under His authority.
That is an important distinction because it is easy to spend our energy trying to manage our behavior without ever addressing what is happening in our hearts.
We can try to become more patient, more generous, more disciplined, or more faithful. We can work hard to eliminate the things we know should not be part of our lives. Yet lasting transformation does not begin with trying harder. It begins with surrender.
We do not need better rules.
We need a King.
When Jesus becomes our King, He begins changing more than our behavior. He changes what we love. He changes what we value. He changes the direction of our lives. Sometimes that transformation happens quickly. Often, it happens slowly as we learn day by day what it means to follow Him.
This is also why Peter’s response to the crowd was not simply, “Try to do better.”
He told them to repent and be baptized.
Their baptism would become a tangible response to what had happened in their hearts. They had changed their minds about Jesus. They believed He was Lord, and now they would respond by placing their lives in His hands and receiving the gift He offered them.
Maybe today the question is not simply, “What do I need to change?”
Perhaps a better question is, “Who is King?”
Because when Jesus is truly our King, the rest of our lives begin to follow.
Reflect
When you think about repentance, do you tend to think first about changing your behavior or surrendering to Jesus?
Are there areas of your life where you are trying harder to behave differently without first surrendering that area to Him?
What might change if you approached that struggle by asking, “What does it look like for Jesus to be King here?”
If you have placed your faith in Jesus but have never been baptized, what might be keeping you from receiving that gift?
Prayer
Jesus, You are Lord. Forgive me for the times I have tried to change myself without first surrendering myself to You. Show me the places where I still want to be in control, and teach me what it means to trust You as my King. Let the way I live flow from a heart that belongs fully to You. Thank You for Your grace, Your patience, and the new life You give. Amen.
