Being Saved

The first step is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and you will be saved. For the Word of God tells us Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved’’ Rom. 10: 13.

Saved? Saved from what?

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Hebrews 9:27

We are to be saved from eternal death and receive eternal life through Jesus Christ.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

This is the GOOD News of the gospel!  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

 

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BORN AGAIN

Jesus said in John 3: 7  “You must be born again”.

 

What Born Again Means:

To be born again means to have a second birth, the first birth is physical but the second is spiritual.  When a person is born again it means their spirit is made alive, alive to God and his Kingdom for the very first time.  It also means to be saved, to be saved from hell’s punishment, it means to be forgiven of your sins, to be made a child of God, to have God’s spirit in you, to be made a new person on the inside.

 

WHY ONE NEEDS TO BE BORN AGAIN:

 

Because everyone was born in sin and shaped in iniquity

Psalms: 51:5. This is so because of the sin of the first two human beings,

Adam and Eve (Gen. 1: 26-31, 3: 1-24).  Because Adam and Eve sinned against God, everyone who is born after them is born a sinner by nature.

Rom. 3: 23 declares “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”.  Also Rom. 6: 23 “For the wages of sin is death” (spiritual death, even eternal death and separation from God in the lake of hell’s fire). However, when you are born again you are saved, you are saved from sin and death and from hell.

 How to be Born Again:

(1).      Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3: 16  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

(2).       Repent of your Sins.  To repent means to ask God to forgive you of

all your sins and to make a serious  effort to turn from them.

Luke 13: 13 “….except you repent you shall all likewise perish,”

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

Now that you are saved, you need that assurance because Satan will try to bring doubt to your mind, but the word of God gives ample assurance of your salvation, as you shall see.

Rom. 6: 23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

     John 3: 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that

Whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

     Rom. 10: 13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  

2 Cor. 5: 17 “Every man in Christ is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.”

 

John 6: 37 “….him that cometh unto me I will in now wise cast out.”

    Heb. 7: 25 “He is able to save them to the uttermost that cometh to God by him.”

   John 3: 18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned.”

John 3: 36 “He that believeth the son hath everlasting life.”

   Rom. 8: 1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Jesus Christ.”

Water Baptism

The word baptize comes from the Greek word baptize meaning to immerse in, to submerge in water.

The Reason for Baptism:

The word of God says: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that

believeth not shall be damned.” {Mark 16; 16).

It is a command given by Jesus:  (Matt. 28: 19) “Go ye therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

What Baptism Signifies: 

     It is a symbol of death and resurrection with Jesus Christ. (Rom. 6: 3-5).

When one is submerged in the water and he holds his breath, it is a symbol of death to this world.  The water is a type of grave. When one comes up from below the surface of the water this is a symbol of resurrection, new life in Christ.

It is also an outward sigh of an inward cleansing.

1 Peter 3: 21 “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God).”

     It is a public declaration, a public testimony of one’s faith in Jesus Christ and decision to follow him.

Baptism by itself cannot save anyone, a person must first believe on the Lord Jesus than turn from his or her sinful ways.

It is the blood of Jesus that washes away your sins when you repent and believe on Him. Rev. 1: 5 “…..Jesus Christ…loved us, and washed us from our sins in his blood.”

READING GOD’S WORD DAILY

In order for you to be a strong Christian you must read God’s word daily. It is written, “As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby.” 1 Peter. 2: 2, Psalm 1: 1-4.

As a newborn baby desires their mother’s milk in order to grow and be healthy and strong, even so a newborn again Christian must read the word of God daily in order to be strong and healthy, in order to grow.  The word of God is milk to the new Christian, who is considered a babe in Christ  (1Corinthians 3: 1).

As a babe the spirit of God will cause you to understand things that many who are not born again cannot understand.  Mathew 11: 25  “Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou has hid these things from the wise and the prudent and hast revealed them unto babes.

YOUR PRAYER LIFE

One of the most important exercises for every Christian is prayer.

How often should one pray?

One should pray as often as possible. Let us examine what the bible has to say on prayer:

Luke 18: 1.“Men ought always to pray and not to faint.

Ephesians 6: 18.    “Praying always………..”

1 Thessalonians 5: 17      “Pray without ceasing.”

Luke 22; 40                       “Pray that ye enter not into temptation.”

Mark 14: 38                        “watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation”

Daniel 6: 10               “Daniel…..kneeled upon his knees three times a day

and  prayed.

At least a Christian should have a daily time of prayer, but it should not be limited to just once per day, but at every given opportunity because the more you pray is the stronger you will feel and become, the more you pray is the greater your appetite will be for the word of God. Your understanding of God’s word will be even sharper, you will not only know the word, but you will be able do it.

 

HOW TO PRAY

Prayer is simply talking to God, communication with God as you will communicate, or talk to a friend.

Some Practical Guidance For Beginners

  1. Read God’s word daily. 1 Pet. 2:2, Col. 3: 16.
  2. Pray daily.
  3. Select friends who can help you in the Lord.
  4. Attend church services regularly. 10: 23&25.
  5. Do not entertain negative thoughts in your mind.
  6. Tell others about your new life in Christ.
  7. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
  8. If you fail, don’t be discouraged, keep on trying, Jesus is with you to help you.
  9. If you have a problem, talk to a mature Christian brother or sister or the pastor