Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, … according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Romans 16:25-27 ESV)

In my study last week that led to the devotional concerning the obedience of faith, as Paul called it, I was struck anew by God’s call upon the creatures he has made. Note that Paul closes his magnum opus just as he began: according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith. To put it simply, God does not invite, he commands. John the Baptist preached: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). And Jesus likewise: After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14, 15 CSB) Believers need to get this fact deep within our souls and keep it on our minds. Repent and believe the gospel. We live in a culture that has left such nonsense—a God who commands—well behind.

The Apostle gives this to us with razor-sharp focus in his exhortation/lecture/sermon to the Athenians at the Areopagus. Having preached a few words about the doctrine of God and creation, Paul continues, “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:30, 31). Note the grace: having overlooked the times of ignorance. If you are alive and reading this then time has not run out—you can even now, repent and believe the good news that Jesus came to save sinners like you and me. You can still respond with the obedience of faith. The time is short, however. Life is but a vapor. The Lord has fixed a day when Jesus will judge the living and the dead. It is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

However, in the meantime—just like the thief on the cross next to Jesus, you can believe—This Jesus…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved (Acts 4:11, 12). Repent and believe the good news.