What It Means to Be a Christian

Being a Christian is more than identifying yourself with a particular religion or affirming a certain value system. Being a Christian means you have embraced what the Bible says about God, mankind, and salvation. Consider the following truths found in the Bible.


God Is Sovereign Creator

Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him. The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore, He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives, and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.


God Is Holy

God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3); therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13). God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, You shall be holy, for I am holy.


Mankind Is Sinful

According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: There is no man who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46). That doesn’t mean we’re incapable of performing acts of human kindness. But we’re utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own (Romans 3:10-12).


Sin Demands a Penalty

God’s holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by death (Ezekiel 18:4). That’s why simply changing our patterns of behavior can’t solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences.


Jesus Is Lord and Savior

Romans 10:9 says, If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Even though God’s justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Peter 3:18). Christ’s death satisfied the demands of God’s justice, and Christ’s perfect life satisfied the demands of God’s holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26).


The Character of Saving Faith

True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin (Luke 13:3, 5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9), pursue Christ (Matthew 11: 28-30; John 17:3), and obey Him (1 John 2:3). It isn’t enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don’t love and obey Him. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Ephesians 2:10).”


Jesus lived the life we cannot not live, one of unceasing love, wisdom, obedience, selflessness and most importantly, sinlessness. By placing our complete faith in Him as the Savior and obeying His Word, we will have eternal unity with God.


God understands us, because He created us. True life and hope is found through Him. And the Bible is our living comprehension of that amazing grace.


God, in His Word, says, "Today is the day of salvation". Is there anything stopping you from asking God to forgive you for your sins, trusting Jesus' death on the cross as payment for your sins and asking Him to be Lord of your life? It is the most important thing you will ever do. God is right there with you right now. 


If you prayed to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour, please let us know by clicking here. We would love to celebrate with you, pray for you, and help you on your new path in any way we can.  

The ABC's of Salvation

The ABC’s of Salvation explain the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ in three simple easy to remember steps. Jesus himself said clearly, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. – John 14:6 NKJV

 

A - Admit you have Sinned

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23NKJV

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. – James 2:10 NKJV

As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; – Romans 3:10 NKJV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23 NKJV

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9 NKJV


It is tough to admit that we are wrong.  Even before God, we feel we are basically good, and we would like to think we are never as bad as some others.  The truth is, we are all sinners and can never be good enough to earn our way to heaven. God’s Word, the Bible, clearly states that ALL have sinned (done things that are wrong and against God, such as telling lies, taking things that aren't ours, looking lustfully at other people, using God's name in vain or not loving God above everyone and everything else).  God is holy and just. Sins against a Holy God deserve punishment.  We are told in the Bible that the wages, or payment, for sin is death—eternal death in hell.

However, a loving, merciful God has provided a rescue plan!
Both John the Baptist and Jesus himself began their preaching with the word, ‘Repent’. (“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” –Matthew 4:17 NKJV) To repent means ‘change one’s mind’ or to turn — to go in another direction. How can we be led to repentance? The first step toward repentance is true sorrow for what we’ve done wrong. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” – 2 Corinthians 7:10 NKJV. Worldly sorrow is more like the regret of a criminal who’s just been caught whereas godly sorrow is the deep remorse or conviction that produces a change in direction. Have you ever felt convicted after doing something wrong? The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is the one that convicts us of our sin. (John 16:7-8)


B - Believe On Jesus Christ

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”- John 3:16-17 NKJV 

…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel. – Mark 1:15 NKJV

Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” – Acts 19:4 NKJV

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” – Acts 16:31 NKJV

And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. – 1 John 3:23 NKJV

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV


Salvation is not complicated. Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” – Mark 10:15 NKJV A child simply puts their trust (faith) in the father’s strong arms. Likewise, we entrust our life to Jesus Christ—believing on Him and His finished work on the cross. The Apostle Paul defined the message of the Gospel (good news) like this—  “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,” – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NKJV Jesus Christ, the perfect, sinless lamb of God, laid down His life and took the penalty meant for us, dying in our place (Isaiah 53:6). He paid the debt we could not pay and redeemed us (bought us back) from the power of sin and death. (John 1:29 / Galatians 3:13 / Romans 3:25)


C- Confess the Lord Jesus Christ

 "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  - 1 John 1:8-9

"…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." – Romans 10:9-10 NKJV

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." – Romans 1:16 NKJV


God did His part, sending His one and only Son to die in our place. He has offered us a free gift — salvation, the forgiveness of sin, eternal life with Him in heaven. BUT… we must receive that gift. We must confess our sins (1 John 1:9) and confess (or proclaim) our faith (belief) in the death, burial and resurrection of God’s son, Jesus Christ. Confessing with our mouth requires an outward, public action, not a secret, hidden, timid faith. The Apostle Paul boldly proclaimed his faith so that others could hear and be saved. God’s plan of salvation is freely offered to everyone.


So… what happens next?

Well, that’s up to you! If you are reading this and want to receive this free gift of eternal life, there is NO reason to wait! God’s Word says,

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. – 2 Corinthians 6:2b NKJV


Warning - None of us knows how long we have on this earth. Waiting on such an important decision may prove to be a costly (and eternal) mistake. The only opportunity we are guaranteed to have is right now!

Not sure how to pray?

If you are not familiar with prayer, it is simply talking to God openly and honestly. In your own words, confess your sins to Him (He knows what they are anyway). Admit that you have broken God’s law. Receive God’s gift of salvation by declaring that you believe in Jesus’ finished work on the cross, His shed blood for your sin, and His resurrection from the grave on the third day. Confess Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life. Your life will be forever changed as you begin a new journey of faith in Him, surrendered to His Lordship.

If you are still unsure what to pray, you can pray something like this:


Heavenly Father,

I know that I’ve sinned against You. I realize that the penalty for sin is death. Thank you for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die, shedding His own blood on the cross in my place so that I could receive His righteousness by faith. I now confess my sins to You and ask for Your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died and rose again so that I can be forgiven and live forever with Him. Here and now, I surrender my life, my plans, my goals to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. By God’s strength, I will seek to share about what God has done in my life with each opportunity God brings my way.

In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.


Remember, the Bible says we are saved by grace through faith… God sees our heart. We are not saved by simply saying some special words in a formal prayer. We are saved when we reach out by faith, admitting our sin, believing on Christ and confess Him as our Lord and Savior. Saving faith produces a forever changed life. If you have prayed this prayer in faith, we rejoice with you. Heaven itself is even rejoicing with you!


Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” – Luke 15:10 NKJV


I prayed to receive Christ! Is that it?

Nope. Your journey as a follower (disciple) of Jesus Christ has just begun. A newborn baby needs nourishment and care to grow, so too you will need God’s Word, the Bible, to learn and grow in your faith. You should also seek out a church (a group of other believers in Jesus Christ) that believes and teaches the unchangeable Word of God.  There you find support and encouragement as your faith grows. There will be battles ahead, but you will not have to fight alone. Let us know that you have prayed this prayer and how we can pray for you at prayer@whiterockbaptist.ca.