A New Life
The story of my life certainly doesn’t end there. Accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior was the greatest and best decision I’ve ever made, but salvation isn’t just fire insurance. It’s a new life, one where I trust and follow Christ’s teachings rather than my own fleshly desires₍₁₎. That’s not to say that I haven’t struggled with sin; I certainly have! Even the most faithful will struggle with sin and temptation₍₂₎, but thankfully, by the power of God, those who’re following Jesus are no longer slaves to sin ₍₃₎.
When we confess our sins to God and repent (which means to resist the temptation to sin₍₄₎,) God forgives us for our sins. We aren’t slaves to sin because we can resist further temptation using the strength of God rather than our own weak, fleshly nature₍₅₎. We no longer need to fear the spiritual consequences of our sins, because the blood of Jesus has paid the penalty of those sins, even if our sins are grievous₍₆₎.
So how can someone be saved? It starts by believing that Jesus is who He said He was. Jesus is God in the flesh₍₇₎ and the only way to the father₍₈₎. Jesus lived a sinless life₍₉₎. He died to pay the price for our sins, rose from the grave₍₁₀₎ and broke the power of sin and death₍₁₁₎. He offers this salvation to all who place their Faith in Him₍₁₂₎.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus as your Lord and believe in Him as your Savior, then you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
However, just believing isn’t enough. Like I said earlier, salvation isn’t just fire insurance. We need to accept Jesus as our Lord as well₍₁₃₎, which is the key to this new life. Everyone will ultimately acknowledge that Jesus is Lord₍₁₄₎, but for many, it’ll be on the day of judgement when it’s too late. Accepting Jesus as your Lord means becoming a disciple of Christ, both learning and following His teachings₍₁₅₎.
Just as I couldn’t just return to the New Age group and remain a faithful Christian, you can’t just return to your old sinful ways₍₁₆₎. You need to turn away from your sinful lifestyle and follow the teachings of Christ₍₁₇₎. This may mean you need to make the difficult choice of ending some friendships and relationships, but it’s worth it! What you gain far exceeds anything you might lose.
Romans 10:9 proclaims: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus as your Lord and believe in Him as your Savior, then you will be saved.” Confessing, in this context, means to verbally agree with. For many people, including myself, this was done in a prayer. The exact words aren’t important. This isn’t a magical incantation or anything like casting a spell in a role-playing game. Prayer is simply talking to God, which is something we can all do. It doesn’t require a priest praying on your behalf. If you’ve never prayed before, you can start by reading this example prayer and when you’re ready, saying something similar in your own words: “God, thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins on the cross and raising Him from the dead. I’m a sinner and I need your forgiveness. Jesus, I accept your gift of salvation and I accept you as the Lord of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
If you made such a prayer, you’ve started on your journey as a Christian. So, what is this new life? Being a Christian means following the teachings of Jesus, but Christianity isn’t a list of rules, as is widely believed₍₁₈₎. It’s a having a relationship with God. Like all relationships, it grows stronger when nurtured and grows weaker when neglected. You can nurture this relationship by studying the Word of God, obeying its teachings, having fellowship with other believers and through prayer₍₁₉₎.
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Bible is the Word of God. Get yourself a copy if you don’t already have one and start reading it. I recommend starting with the book of John and continuing with the books of Acts and Romans. Those three books are right next to each other and they’re like the 1, 2, 3s of core Christian teachings. John beautifully tells the story of Jesus. The history of the early Church is in Acts. The book of Romans spells out the core Christian beliefs in a wonderful, easy to understand fashion. After that, read as your heart and the Holy Spirit directs, but it’s important that you don’t neglect this! There’s a reason Liar wanted me to get Christians to close their Bibles when I used to debate them. A good working knowledge of Scripture is a solid foundation that you can rely on to keep you from being swayed by one false teaching after another₍₂₀₎. It doesn’t matter if false teachings come from demons, news anchors, celebrities, college professors or your best friend, the Word of God is the best way to keep your feet on the narrow path and toward the narrow gate that leads to salvation₍₂₁₎.
Fellowship with other believers means finding believers and discussing spiritual matters with them. A big mistake a lot of Christians make is believing that they can be “Lone Ranger” Christians. The problem is that we’re frequently surrounded by a worldly culture that is hostile to the teachings of the Bible. It’s easy to be led astray by such teachings. That’s why fellowship is important, whether you’re a new believer or someone who’s believed all of your life. Those who are new to the faith can learn from those who’ve been walking with Christ for many years, but even those who have been Christians for many years struggle and need help from other believers from time to time! No matter if you’ve accepted Christ today or decades ago, being rooted in the faith with fellow believers means you can always find encouragement and instruction from those who’ve been walking with Christ for many years.
He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 13:20
Often, the best way to find fellowship is through a good church that teaches from the Bible first and foremost. Unfortunately, there are many churches that teach contemporary trends, philosophies and politics, only occasionally opening a Bible to try to add a spiritual element to otherwise worldly teachings. If you find a church like that, I’d recommend moving on and finding one that teaches the Word of God clearly and faithfully. When you find a good church, seek out a pastor of that church and ask if they have a program to teach new believers the core concepts of Christianity. Many churches do. Also, seek to be baptized. Baptism is something Jesus commanded us to do₍₂₂₎. It’s a public proclamation or your faith in Christ and symbolizes you being buried with Christ and raised to life again, as Christ was₍₂₃₎. Even if they don’t have a formal program for new believers, the pastor may introduce you to one of their deacons or elders who can guide you through those teachings, or they may guide you through those teaching themselves. Find out when they do activities outside of church as well. Most churches have potlucks or other activities that help you get to know other believers and befriend them. This goes a long way toward not feeling like an outsider when you join a church.
Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17
Lastly, pray often. Prayer isn’t just asking God for things, although that is a common belief. As I said before, prayer is simply talking to God. Pray to thank God when good things happen in your life. Pray to confess your sins to God and to ask forgiveness. Pray for spiritual strength, for wisdom and even pray just to thank God for being alive or to say you’re frustrated about something. Being a Christian is having a relationship with God and all relationships require effective communication, so pray to God often₍₂₄₎!
May God bless you mightily!
—James Justin
