So, what’s next for you?

We presume that many of you are Christians, not in name only, but as the real thing. If there is any doubt, please read further.

You don’t have to read any more books to discover how to become a genuine Christian. You need to know a few important things from Scripture:

  • “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”—Romans 3:23 (You are a sinner who cannot save yourself. That can only be done by what Jesus, the sinless Son of God, did on the cross at Calvary.)
  • “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”—Romans 6:23
  • “It is by God’s grace alone though faith alone in Christ Jesus alone that you are saved. And this salvation is not of yourselves, it is a gift of God. Not by good works so that no one can boast.” —Ephesians 2:8-9 (paraphrased) (You are not weighed on a scale by God to see if you’ve done more good than bad. Salvation is a gift given by God’s grace, and like any gift, you have to simply reach out and accept it.)
  • “If you want to have eternal life (in heaven), you must be born again,” said Jesus.  Read John 3:1-3 (This is based on what Jesus told a Pharisee who came to Jesus at night, letting Jesus know that he had seen the miracles and believed who he was. Nicodemus later helped with the burial of Jesus, and it is assumed that he became a full-fledged Christian.)
  • For God so loved the world that He sent His only son into the world, so that whoever believes (fully trusts) in Him will not perish but have eternal life.—John 3:16 (The option of not fully trusting in Christ means perishing in hell.)
  • “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that He was raised from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with the heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with the mouth that you confess and are saved.”—Rom. 10:9-10 (The reference to these verses was handwritten in the flyleaf of a little Bible that my great grandmother gave to my grandfather when he left Scotland for America.)

That’s it in a large nutshell.

A prayer of salvation

If you want to be a “born again” believer in Jesus Christ and have eternal life in heaven, simply pray something like this:

Lord Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God who came into this world to save us from perishing in hell. I know that I am a sinner who cannot save myself by any good works that I might do. I acknowledge that you died on the cross to take my sins upon yourself and that you were raised from the dead three days later.

I ask you to come into my heart right now as Lord and Savior so I can have eternal life with you in Heaven.

Thank you, Jesus.

Amen

If you prayed a prayer like that, you have been born again. Your eternal life has just begun, and your home in Heaven is assured.

One thing more: Jesus’ final statement to his disciples noted in chapter 28 of Matthew was, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Throughout the New Testament we find that new believers testified to their new-found life in Christ by being baptized. Baptism is a symbolic public proclamation that your old life has been buried and you have been raised to a new life of faith in Christ.  

Jesus said, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever does not acknowledge me before men, I will disown before my Father in heaven”—Matt. 10:32, 33.  Baptism is the best way to publicly acknowledge Jesus as your Savior, and it is strongly encouraged. We suggest you find a good evangelical church [1] that practices baptism by total immersion or that can find one for you. A pond or stream will work too. Some who were physically unable to be immersed have been doused. Whichever way, some public proclamation of your faith still stands.

NOTE: One of the thieves on a cross next to Jesus asked him to remember him when Jesus came into his kingdom. Jesus said to him, “This day you will be with me in paradise.” He was not baptized, which shows that baptism is not a means of being saved. A person dying in a hospital bed can ask Jesus into his or her life with no chance of being baptized, and they are just as saved as one who has been. But that should not be an excuse for not doing what Jesus desired for all healthy believers to do as a demonstration of their faith.

If you have prayed the prayer of salvation, you need to find ways to grow in your new-found faith. Read the Bible and get involved in a good Bible study class. Put aside sins that were part of your former life (i.e., foul language, pornography, ill temper, watching vulgar shows on TV, adultery, arrogance, prejudice, etc.).

Does all of this mean that you will never sin again? No. The Apostle John said this to Christians:

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” –1 John 1:8,9

We sin but we don’t want sin to be a way of life as before. Try daily to keep a clean slate with God.

Finally, put feet to your faith. Demonstrate the love of Christ to all, beginning with those within the body of Christ. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

That’s it.

May God bless you richly. Thank you so much.

For further questions or comments, please contact us at Cleopas2@aol.com

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Footnotes:

[1] Evangelical churches stress the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, personal conversion experiences, Scripture as the sole basis for faith, and active evangelism (personally reaching out to the lost). This would apply to various denominations.