1. BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST AND CONFESS HIM WITH YOUR MOUTH
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Rom. 10:9-10).
Once we recognize that we are hopelessly lost and in need of a Saviour, we must proceed to establish a valid foundation for our Faith. This involves believing that Jesus is not a mere abstraction but a REAL historical figure who walked the earth two thousand years ago. He endured crucifixion on a cross, bearing the weight of our sins... experienced death... triumphantly rose from the grave... and is currently advocating for us in the presence of the Father (Rom. 8:34). We then must be willing to confess this truth publicly and without shame.
2. BE READY TO "COUNT THE COST"
Reference verses: Lk. 14:26- 33; Mark 8:34-36; Mat. 6:24
Few Christians have actually paused to consider the cost of a life devoted to God. The choice to follow Jesus is one that involves great sacrifice and the loss of personal freedom. The Christian who follows Jesus must be willing to forsake any ambitions and pursuits that conflict with God's Kingdom.
3. PRACTICE REPENTANCE BY TURNING AWAY FROM OLD SIN HABITS
Reference verses: Mat. 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luk. 13:3; Act. 17:30; Js. 4:8
Gotquestions.org provides the following explanation on the subject of repentance:
"The word repentance in the Bible literally means 'the act of changing one’s mind.' True biblical repentance goes beyond remorse, regret, or feeling bad about one’s sin. It involves more than merely turning away from sin. Eerdmans Bible Dictionary includes this definition of repentance: 'In its fullest sense repentance is a complete change of orientation from one's past conduct and a deliberate redirection for the future.'
"In the Old Testament, repentance involved the severing of sin and a wholehearted turning to God. This was a recurring theme in the message of the prophets. Repentance was demonstrated through rituals such as fasting, wearing sackcloth, sitting in ashes, wailing, and liturgical laments that expressed strong sorrow for sin. These rituals were supposed to be accompanied by authentic repentance, which involved a commitment to a renewed relationship with God, a walk of obedience to His Word, and right living. Often, however, these rituals merely represented remorse and a desire to escape the consequences of sin.
"When the ancient prophets beckoned the people to repent and return, they were calling for a complete turnaround inspired from within the heart and will of the individual. The prophets called both the nation of Israel and individual people to surrender their lives, to turn away from a life ruled by sin to a relationship with God, the sovereign ruler over all: “Even now—this is the LORD’s declaration—turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the LORD your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster” (Joel 2:12–13, CSB).
"The theme of repentance continues in the New Testament, beginning with John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2) and then Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:17); both urgently called people to repent because the arrival of the Kingdom of God was at hand. Many chose this radical reorientation of their lives and demonstrated repentance through baptism (Mark 1:4) and profound changes in lifestyle and relationships (Luke 3:8–14)."
4. GET WATER BAPTISED
Reference verses: Mat. 3:11; 28:19-20; Mark 16:16; Jn. 3:5; Act. 2:38; Rom. 6:4; 1 Pet. 3:21
When Christians are water baptised they are making a symbolic statement about their life. Being immersed in water is a symbol of the death and burial of our old sin-filled life, while emerging from the water is a symbol of our resurrection into a new life devoted to Christ.
5. SURRENDER FULLY TO GOD'S WILL AND PRACTICE SELF DENIAL
Reference verses: Mat. 7:21; Mat. 21:44; Luk. 9:23
The carnal inclinations of man are contrary to the laws of God and must be denied because they lead to the destruction of self and others. For this reason, Christians must be willing to surrender fully to God's will and practice self-denial. The true Christian believes that God's way is best and always leads to a life filled with joy, contentment, and peace. While this message is unpopular and absent from most Christian "churches", it is amply supported by the Scriptures.
6. OBEY GOD'S COMMANDMENTS
Reference verses: 1 Sam. 15:22; John 14:15,16, 31; Js. 1:22
This includes all of the relevant commandments in the Old Testament along with the New Testament's instructions on holy living. God commands us to maintain a lifestyle free from sin (2 Tim. 2:19) and distinct from the world in both conduct and appearance (1 Tim. 2:9; 1 Jn 2:15-17; Rom. 12:1-2).
7. LOVE GOD AND NEIGHBOR
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself (Luke 10:27).
Notice that the kind of love required of us is so comprehensive that it reaches into every area of our life. It demands our passion and emotions ("all thy heart"). It demands our spiritual cooperation ("all thy soul"). It demands our physical effort ("all thy strength"). And it demands our intellect or intelligence ("all thy mind"). Obviously, this kind of love is impossible to counterfeit because there is nothing superficial about it.
So why does God expect us to love Him so completely? The answer is really very simple. God requires our wholehearted love because His love for us is that much more profound:
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
Did you catch that? According to the above verse, God demonstrated His love for mankind by sending Christ to die for our sins while we were still God hating, rebel sinners. That, dear friends, is the truest form of pure love and reflects the fact that God's love for us is totally unconditional!
Now once we love God in the manner described, it will be much easier to obey the latter part of Luke 10:27, namely, loving those around us ("thy neighbor") as ourselves.
Note: To learn more about this subject click here.
8. BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT (HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM)
Reference verses: Mat. 3:11; Lk 24:49; Acts 8:14-16;19:2-4
There is a big difference between being "born again" and being "baptised with the Holy Spirit" (Spirit filled). According to the Scriptures, the first represents the Spirit's preliminary work in the Believer and the second, His secondary work. The Bible also reveals that baptism in the Holy Spirit is accompanied by a special sign or evidence. The biblical evidence for the Spirit's baptism is always supernatural and often involves one of the spiritual gifts such as healing, prophecy, or tongues (1 Cor. 12:8-10). There are several reasons why the Scriptures instruct the Believer to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which are as follows:
a). He provides compelling power in ministry and evangelism (Lk. 24:49; Act. 4:31).
b). He equips the Believer with spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; 1 Cor. 12:28.).
c). He provides power in prayer (Rom. 8:26; 1 Cor. 14:14-15; Eph. 6:18; Jud. 1:20).
d). He illuminates our understanding of Scripture (Luk. 12:12; Jn. 14:26; 1 Jn. 2:27).
e). He endows the Christian with discernment when faced with difficult situations or decisions (1 Cor. 12; 1 Jn. 2:27).
f). He protects us from deception (1 Jn. 2:27).
9. MAINTAIN A LIFESTYLE OF PRAYER AND FASTING
Reference verses: Lk 5:35; Mk 2:20; Mat 9:15; 1 Thes 5:17
Prayer
Prayer is the conduit through which we maintain our relationship with God. The Bible's most often mentioned spiritual exercise is prayer. Every Saint in the Bible devoted themselves to prayer and so must we (see here and here).
Fasting
The Bible describes fasting as a powerful spiritual exercise (Mark 9:29), though often neglected. Apostle Paul instructed the Church to emulate his spiritual example (1 Cor. 11:1), which included a lifestyle of fasting: "In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often..." (2 Cor. 11:27). Since the Scriptures demonstrate that Christ and the apostles were in the habit of fasting often, Christians should be willing to do likewise.
10. KEEP YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS INTIMATE AND REAL, NOT RELIGIOUS!
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you (Jn. 15:15).
Remember, Jesus is our very best friend. His Word promises that "He will never leave us or forsake us" (Heb. 13:5). And that's what makes the Christian Faith a relationship, not religion.
NOTE: For more of an in-depth study of Christian salvation please click here.
...I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2).
