We Want You to Become A Christian (Really)

by James Baker

​We know you are out there. I’m talking about people who want to find the truth (John 8:31-32). But the truth isn’t found from the sermons of a fancy preacher or in big church buildings along with all kinds of man-made programs and hundreds of members.

Instead the truth is found in that which is simple and plain (1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 7:13-14). In order to find the truth a person must be looking for the truth (Acts 16:30). I mean really looking. One must be open and asking questions and be willing to accept the correct answers even if it goes against what he has be taught (Luke 18:18-30).

The person must come to realize that not all that is said in the religious world is truth (1 John 4:1). One must search the Bible and not the sermons of men in order to know if what is taught is indeed true (Acts 17:11; John 17:17). Are you willing to do that? We want you to obey the gospel because that is the only way you can find peace after death (Hebrews 5:9). Because if a person dies in sin, hope is lost and the person has no chance of escaping Hell (Ecclesiastes 9:4; John 8:21; 2 Thess 1:7-8).

Now, let us talk about what the word of God has to say about becoming a Christian. The first thing you must do is allow time for teaching. In every New Testament example of salvation, people set aside time to look into what God expects from those hoping for salvation. No person in the New Testament was saved without a teacher (Romans 10:8-17). Men must be taught of God, and all who believes the message, come unto the Lord (John 6:45; Acts 15:7, 18:8). What about you? Are you willing to set aside time in order to be taught from the word of God? (Acts 8:30-35, 16:13-14).

The next step toward salvation is having faith in the message as the truth. In Acts 18:8, we read of Crispus who heard the gospel being taught and he believed it. In Acts 15:7, Peter said that the Gentiles did the same thing. The message of the gospel is the information which leads men from darkness into the Kingdom of Jesus (Colossians 1:13; Rom. 10:13-17). Next is repentance, so think about that for a moment. What good does it for anyone to hear the wonderful news of salvation, and then do nothing? The Bible teaches we shouldn’t hear the word only, but we should also obey it (James 1:19-27). If the gospel teaches us to start going to church, and we cannot fail to do so. If the gospel teaches us to quit using profane speech, we’ve got to quit doing it.

If the gospel teaches us to stop shacking up, we must quit shacking up. In order to repent, we must learn the meaning of, quit doing this and quit doing that. The next thing one must do is Confess the name of Jesus Christ (Matt. 10:32-33; Rom. 10:9-10). The reason for doing so is because there is no other name given among men, by which we can be saved (Acts 4:10-12; John 14:6; Rom. 8:1; 1 John 4:14). What one would say in the confession is very simple, the example in Acts 8:37, has the Eunuch saying, “I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
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That is all you have to say and the next step is baptism. After Peter finished his sermon, he told the people to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). After having his sight restored, Saul was baptized by Ananias so that his sins could be washed away (Acts 9:17-18, 22:16). Paul also writes that baptism is the new birth and the beginning of a new life for those who accept what the word of the Lord teaches (Romans 6:1-18; John 3:3-8; Titus 3:3-8). By being baptized in the way that the Bible teaches, one enters the church (Acts 2:27; 1 Cor. 12:13). One puts on Christ (Gal. 3:27). With all this being said, it is my hope that you will consent to be baptized so you can be a part of the body of Christ (really).