What are the foundation principles that God has laid out? The first principle on full display is repentance. We get into the Kingdom of God through repentance. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) Repentance means to change the way you think. When you change the way you think, you change the way you behave. The Kingdom of God is about transforming your life by renewing your mind. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
In the book of Hebrews it meant this: your works without Christ mean nothing to God. Religious works without Jesus equal nothing to God. You can’t work your way to heaven. You can’t pay your way to heaven. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Jesus is the way of Grace. The author’s call to repent is meant to remind them to not fall back in the works religion.
I grew up in a semi-complex system of religion. For example, they would tell us to come to Christ, accept him and be saved. Then, once we were in the door, they had all these rules meant to keep us in Christ. We were saved by grace and then enslaved by the law. They mixed the marriage of law and grace and it never works. The law was given to us to tutor us toward grace.
We repent of our sin. Repentance is the gateway into the presence of God. Become tender hearted and repentant, confessing those things that stand between you and God. Seek him for his will and times of refreshing will come. “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” (Acts 3:19)