Repent and Believe

Hosea 5:11-15

(11) Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was determined to go after filth.

(12) But I am like a moth to Ephraim, and like dry rot to the house of Judah.

(13) When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to the great king. But he is not able to cure you or heal your wound.

(14) For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue.

(15) I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.

Here God is speaking to the nations of Israel and Judah. When you read "Ephraim" here you should think "Israel," or the Northern Kingdom. Clearly things are not good for either kingdom based on how God says He will act toward them.

What is the solution? They had to repent and believe. They needed to acknowledge their guilt and then earnestly seek God's face. I don't think that is just for those people at that time. It is the same thing that God calls us to. We need to repent and believe.

We are destined for God's wrath apart from the saving work of Christ. We must repent and believe if we are to be saved from the judgment that is to come. This does not mean giving mere intellectual assent to the truth of the gospel, nor does it mean just feeling badly about our sin. It means that we are to earnestly pursue God with everything we've got. He cannot just be one part of our lives. He demands it all and He deserves it all.

Where are you? Are you ready to repent and believe? Have you believed in the past but need a fresh spirit of repentance? I know that I often do. Jerry Bridges says that we are to preach the gospel to ourselves daily. It's a great reminder for me and one of the reasons why I maintain this blog. I need the reminder to zealously pursue the Lord.