(What it Means to be a Christian - Part 1 | Part 2)
In the first part of this study we looked at who Jesus is, and why He is able to save us. In this part we look at the five steps that lead to salvation.
God has already done His part: He sent Jesus to pay for our sins by dying on the cross. Now it is our turn to respond. In order to be saved, we must believe in the Lord Jesus.
I. Believe
The Scripture: John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
1. Who is Jesus?
2. Why did God send Him?
The Scripture: Acts 16:31
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
Paul and Silas were in prison when a violent earthquake freed them. The jailer, thinking that they had escaped, was about to kill himself. When Paul stopped him, the jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
3. What was Paul’s answer?
This word ‘believe’, (‘pisteous’ in Greek) is much more intense than it is usually translated in English. The Amplified Bible translates it as, “to adhere to, to cleave to; to trust; to have faith in; to rely on.” It goes on to say, “Consequently, the words, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ’... really mean to have an absolute personal reliance upon the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour.
The Scripture: John 1:12
“To those who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
4. What do those who believe in his name receive?
II. Repent
The Scripture: Acts 2:38
“Peter [said], ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
5. What is the next step?
Repentance has frequently been described as sorrow over our past sins and the turning around and going in the opposite direction from the way in which we have been living.
One very clear-cut example from Scripture of a person who repented is that of Zacchaeus, a tax collector. Tax collectors were considered agents of the Romans who cheated the people, but when Jesus befriended Zacchaeus by coming to his house, a marvelous change came over him.
The Scripture: Luke 19: 8-9
“Zacchaeus...said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house.’”
6. What did Zacchaeus promise to do?
7. What did Jesus say?
Of course, the best known change of heart of all was that of the Apostle Paul who went from being the enemy of Christians to an evangelist who would give his life for the gospel.
III. Confess Our Sins
The Scripture: 1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from unrighteousness.”
8. What will happen if we confess our sins?
IV. Be Baptized
The Scripture: Mark 16:16
“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.”
9. What did Jesus say we must do to be saved?
The Scripture: Acts 2:38
After hearing Peter speak on Pentecost, his listeners ‘were cut to the heart’ and asked what they should do.
“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Christ for the forgiveness of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
10. What was Peter’s response?
11. Why were they baptized?
12. What does one receive?
Those who heard Peter’s message and accepted it were baptized (about 3,000).
There may be rare occasions when someone cannot be baptized, such as a death-bed salvation, but whenever it is possible we should be baptized.
V. Acknowledge Jesus
The Scripture: Luke 12: 8-9
“I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.”
13. How must we acknowledge Jesus?
The Scripture: Romans 10:9
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
14. What does Paul say we must do to be saved?
We cannot be secret Christians. If we are to be saved, we must publicly acknowledge our belief in Jesus.
In Acts 2:38 we see that when we become a Christian we receive a precious gift.
The Scripture: Acts 2:38
“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
15. What is that gift?
Jesus told His disciples about the Holy Spirit shortly before His death.
The Scripture: John 14:16
“I will ask the Father and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of Truth.”
16. How does Jesus describe the Holy Spirit in this verse?
The Scripture: John 14:26
“The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
17. What will the Holy Spirit do?
The Scripture: John 16:13
“When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth...He will speak only what He hears and He will tell you what is yet to come.”
18. What else will He do?
When we receive the Holy Spirit, we can also receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, along with speaking in tongues and the spiritual gifts. As we fellowship and grow in the Holy Spirit, spiritual fruit (love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) will begin to grow in our lives.
For more information, see the following Aglow Bible studies:
- The Holy Spirit
- The baptism in the Holy Spirit
- Why Should We Speak in Tongues?
- The Fruit of the Spirit
- The Spiritual Gifts
Becoming a Christian and living the Christian life are two parts of the same whole. How do we live the Christian life? By obeying the Holy Spirit and scripture. Everything we need is imparted by these two essentials.
The Answers
- God’s Son
- So that whoever believes in Him should have eternal life
- Believe in the Lord Jesus
- The right to become children of God
- To repent
- To give half of his possessions to the poor and if he had cheated anyone to repay them four times the amount
- “Today salvation has come to this house.”
- Jesus will forgive us and purify us from unrighteousness.
- Believe and be baptized.
- Repent and be baptized in the name of Christ.
- For the forgiveness of sins
- The gift of the Holy Spirit
- Before men (publicly)
- Confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead
- The Holy Spirit
- As another Counselor who will be with us forever
- Teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus said to us
- Guide us into all truth and tell us what is yet to come
All scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, New International Version
(unless otherwise indicated)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, New International Bible Society
Copyright © 2007 by JoAnne Sekowsky