There are two aspects to becoming and being a Christian. These are:
1. Getting Saved by Grace Through Faith – That foundationally is a divine gracious gift and work of God including the role of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with respect to the virgin birth, perfect sinless life, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ Jesus, the prophetic Messiah, son of God, son of Abraham, son of David.
2. Living Saved by Grace Through Faith – That foundationally is about faithfully expressing in attitude, voice/speech, and action obedient love for God, self, and others everyday everywhere and in everything through keeping of his commandments as applicable under the New Covenant whose foundation is Christ Jesus. When one falls short as all except Christ tend to do, then one confesses to God with godly sorrow and repentance sufficient for God if not sufficient for humankind. For it is God not any human who will judge all unto either eternal life in Heaven with its blessed rewards or eternal death in Hell with its undesirable rewards.
These two aspects are to be continued for the rest of the person’s life such that he or she does not turn back but endures until the end.
There is not a particular formula or place one has to go through or to in order to be saved. We do know that Matthew 4:17 says when Jesus began his public ministry he preached repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Therefore, it is clear that repentance is part of the process of being reborn unto salvation.
Jesus teaches us in John 3:3-8: that the rebirth occurs by the Holy Spirit. Jesus says we know not when or how the Holy Spirit comes. The person must recognize and surrender to the Holy Spirit whenever and however he comes repenting and confessing the Lord Jesus Christ to God believing in the sufficiency of his crucifixion unto actual physical death, body bruised, blood-shed, burial, resurrection, ascension and promise to one day return.
The reborn saved person should then unashamedly publicly confess his or her repentance and as a first sign of commitment to obedience get water baptized. For water baptism is the easiest one-time commandment of God to obey. For baptism as a matter of obedience is instructed to be done by Jesus example in Matthew 3:13-17, and Jesus and Peter words in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 2:38, respectively, although no particular baptism formula is commanded.
One then through prayer, personal bible study, discipleship by church elders and others, and fellowship with fellow believers learn and practice being the best Christian one can be in attitude, speech/voice, and action everywhere, everyday, in everything. When one falls short as most likely will happen one finds comfort in going to God with godly sorrow and repentant faith and he promises to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness per 1 John 1:9.
The reborn has a desire to love God above self and others and to love others as one loves oneself as Jesus says in Matthew 22:34-40. The reborn has a desire to please God. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
The Word of God tells us that Jesus says if you love me keep my commandments. Jesus speaks for the Father God. God has had commandments from the beginning, has them now and into the future.
The commandments of God run from Genesis to Revelation. The reborn will labor out of love and desire to please God will labor, seek and strive to surrender to the Holy Spirit to learn and obey God’s commandments as they apply to his or her live.
One should realize we all are engulfed in spiritual warfare. So not only will at times one’s own flesh be against the Holy Spirit but the flesh of other humans as well as Satan will at times seek to turn one against knowing and living out God’s commandments by faith.
Hence, just knowing what God commands under the New Covenant is a challenge, especially in contrast to the Old Covenant. For some but not all things in the Old Covenant are brought forward into the New Covenant in some form to some degree.
In the final analysis each person must stand before God for his or her own-self.
2 Corinthians 5:7-10 says:
“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
So let everyone labor by faith, hope, and love in surrender to the Holy Spirit being fully persuaded in his or her own mind as to that which is good and acceptable to the Lord our God.
Let no one be hopelessly depressed or hopelessly oppressed by life for our God is gracious and merciful to the sincere and he knows who is sincere and who is shucking and jiving.
Let us all in love be respectful of one another as each being God’s servant so as not to impose our will upon them so long as their will brings no harm to us or those for whom we are directly responsible such as family.
For a more detailed discussion of law under the New Covenant click here.
Additional notes and supporting scriptures:
Disciple: Student of Teacher Jesus; Follower of Saviour Christ
Root of the word Christian is Christ (1st 6 letters)
Occurrence of word Christian and by Whom:
- Definition of the word Christian (Acts 11:26)
- Paul recognizes the word Christian as an honorable word in his response to King Agrippa saying Paul almost convinced him to become a Christian (Acts 26:28)
- Peter uses the word Christian in an honorable way dispelling it as a term of mockery (1 Peter 4:16)
Relationship of the Word Christian to the Word Christianity:
- The Word Christian is the base word for the word Christianity just as the word Christ is the base word for the word Christian. This truth establishes the validity of the word Christian and the word Christianity based on the obvious validity of the word Christ.
- Three Major Religions or Faiths in Western World: Judaism, Christianity, Islam in order of advent
Salvation as a gift from God: John 3:14-18; 10:30; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 12-14; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 5:7
God calling us out of darkness into the light of Christ by repentant faith:
Matthew 4:17; 21:32; John 1:1-3, 14-17; 10:30; 1 John 5:7; John 3:5-6, 14-18, 19-21; John 14:6; Ephesians 1:6-7; 2:10; Philippians 1:6
Who can be saved? | Matthew 19:16-26; John 14:6
Receiving, Confessing, and Professing Salvation: Rev 3:20; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 9:23-26
Additional example scriptures regarding salvation are John 3:5-6, 14-18, 19-21; Ephesians 1:6-7; 2:8-10
Salvation as a continuous divine gracious work of God into eternity: Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 1:6; Matthew 24:12-13
Getting Love Right: Matthew 22:34-40
Being Impartial in Expressing Love and Compassion for Others: James 2:14-26
Obeying the Commandments of God applicable under Christ who brought in the New (Not Renewed) Covenant: John 14:15-21; 1 John 5:3; Romans 3:31; 1 Peter 1:13-16
Easiest Public Expression of Commitment to Obedience is Water Baptism: Matthew 3:13-17; Acts 2:38
Spirit of Repentance is Important: Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:9; Revelation 2:15-16, 21-22;3:1-6, 19
Being Salt and Light: Matthew 5:13,14-16
Suffering for Christ as a Christian: 1 Peter 4:15-16
Holy Spirit Role: Luke 11:9-13; Matthew 3:11-12; John 14:15-18; 16:7-15
Overcoming Failures in our salvation walk: Matthew 4:17; 1 John 1:9
Be steadfast enduring till the end: Matthew 24:13; Hebrews 10:19-27, 28-39
