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We sit on the edge of Paul becoming the Servant (debt-slave) and Prisoner for Christ. He has just concluded a regional meeting in Troas. Now, Paul has called the elders of what I believe he considers the second most important Gentile church after Rome, strategically speaking—Ephesus.

How important is Ephesus? Paul will install Timothy there, where Timothy will ultimately be martyred. The Apostle John will also end up in Ephesus, overseeing the Church sometime after Timothy’s martyrdom. He will remain there until the early second century. Furthermore, two of the first seven International Church councils will be held there.

Let’s examine what Paul felt he needed to say to these men—elders who had likely heard the Gospel under his ministry and were installed into their offices with his approval. What he says to them is likely representative of what he taught in the churches he journeyed through on his way to Jerusalem and his arrest. It serves as a universal warning, recorded through Luke by the Holy Spirit, for the elders of the Church in every nation and every era, including this one. Let’s read Acts 20:17-38 to understand his emphasis on repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ.

In Acts 20:17-38, in a meeting with the Ephesian elders in Miletus, Paul says that they witnessed: “how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is clear that Paul’s message was centered on repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ.

Why Miletus? Where is Miletus?

The meeting with the Ephesian elders takes place in Miletus, not Ephesus. Why? Though things have settled down, Paul does not wish to disturb the work unnecessarily. Additionally, forcing another painful goodbye upon them would only unsettle what they had already endured.

Miletus is about 40 miles south of Ephesus. Though Ephesus is the most important city in the region, Miletus is significant in its own right, being a center of education with a prestigious school of philosophy. It is a place that allows them to meet anonymously, undisturbed and without the temptation to prolong his stay. He is hastening to be in Jerusalem under the burden of the Holy Spirit as we will see in due time.

Paul’s Summary of His Testimony

I want to focus on something Paul says early in his address, which encapsulates his entire message: “Repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).

Would American Evangelicals today describe their ministry this way? Too often, we preach a “Burger King Christianity” where people can “have it their way.” But that is not true Christianity. We cannot have it our way. Paul’s analogy of the debt slave is striking: a debt slave trades hunger, homelessness, and wayward poverty for the security of food, a home, and a place to serve. We are free to keep our rags, but once we move into the servants quarters, we begin to experience the benefits of our service. This is faith. Accepting our role as servants is proven when we move into the servant’s quarters and begin serving the Lord, living as the Master commands. The fruit of obedience to God, the evidence of our faith, begins to grow in our lives.

When we move into the servant’s quarters however, we give up control over our lives. We no longer rule; we are now servants of Christ. Christianity is not about retaining our poverty and gaining His riches. It is an exchange—our poverty for His riches.

Repentance Toward God

What does “repentance toward God” mean? Luke 9:23 provides insight: “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” Repentance toward God is following the teachings of Christ and turning away from our own ideas and desires.

James 2:18 offers another perspective on repentance toward God: “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James challenges us: If you say you believe, where is the evidence? Faith that does not result in a transformed life is a dead faith, unauthentic. True faith leads to repentance, a turning away from sin and toward God.

In today’s era, we often flip the message: “Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” takes precedence over “repentance toward God.” We rush to assure people of heaven when we should be warning of hell. This tendency arises from a desire to preach a Gospel of Free Grace, but in doing so, we have turned Free Grace into Cheap Grace.

The Modern Distortion of the Gospel

In today’s era, we often flip the message: “Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” takes precedence over “repentance toward God.” We rush to assure people of heaven when we should be warning of hell. This tendency arises from a desire to preach a Gospel of Free Grace, but in doing so, we have turned Free Grace into Cheap Grace.

By altering the nature and charaacter of God , we hinder people from truly entering the Kingdom. We assure them of redemption when they have merely acknowledged facts about God but have not repented toward Him. Even for those who have crossed into the Kingdom, we undermine their growth by avoiding John the Baptist’s call to “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8-10).

Paul emphasizes repentance first, then faith, because counterfeit faith is prevalent. False teachers exist, preying on those who want to hear comforting lies rather than hard truths. Many enter Christianity without counting the cost, and false teachers thrive by feeding them self-affirming messages.

Counting the Cost

Jesus warns us that claiming to follow Him has a cost. Luke 14:25-33 illustrates this: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

The call to follow Jesus requires total surrender. Paul’s entire message is summarized in Acts 20:21: “Repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Faith in Jesus reconciles us to the Father (Romans 3:28). But true Christian faith is not mere acknowledgement of historical facts about the Lord Jesus—it is demonstrated in our lives. True faith bears the fruit of obedience.

James and Paul do not contradict each other. Paul, in Ephesians 2:8-10, affirms that salvation is by grace through faith, but also that we are created for good works. If someone claims to be a chef, we ask them to cook. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Likewise, true faith results in action.

Christianity: A Life of Repentance & Faith In Our Lord Jesus

Christianity is not just about belief; it is a life of transformation. It enters the everyday concerns of life and calls for repentance. Paul’s letters address practical concerns, such as whether meat offered to idols is acceptable to eat in 1 Corinthians 8. Christianity is not just about doctrine—it impacts daily life. The Corinthian Christians are essentially asking Paul, “What local butcher can I use?” You say I can eat all types of meat now. Can I buy them from anywhere?

As Paul tells the Colossians in 1:28, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” Proclamation and warning go hand in hand. Our confidence is in Christ alone, not in our own works, confession, or ideas about God.

Repentance toward God is the fruit of true faith. As Tozer said, “Faith is like the eye; it sees everything but itself.” The day of salvation is the beginning of faith and repentance, an ongoing race of surrendering ourselves to Christ.

Faith is intangible and active, it doesn’t lie dormant or dead. It cannot be measured in mere words. Sustained repentance toward God is its visible evidence. It is the fruit of true faith, confirming that we have made the great exchange: our poverty for His riches. We are all debt-slaves to Christ that trust in Him. He takes us from poor and wretched, and makes us rich and beloved. Repentance toward God is the evidence that this trade has taken place, that we have truly believed. If we have been made rich in Christ, then we will start to live like those who have been made rich in righteousness.

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