THE CHRISTIAN PATH OF FOLLOWING GOD
BIBLE TOPICS
When a person prays and believes in God, from that moment on he begins a new life and takes on a new name. He will be called a Christian, which means someone who belongs to Christ.
How long such a new life continues depends on the individual Christian’s decision. Many have decided to live in this new life until death. We call this the process of following God.
This article is written to contribute to the recognition of the important steps that every Christian needs to take in the process of following God in the world.
To put it simply and easily, the process of following God includes 3 general steps: First is BELIEVE, then REBORN, and finally SANCTIFICATION so that Christians can be accepted into God’s Kingdom in the future.
JOHN 3:16 – 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 3:3 – Jesus answered and said unto him: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man BE BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
HEBREWS 12:14 – Pursue peace with all men, and HOLINESS, without which no one will see the Lord.
Thus, the Word of God clearly states that a person who wants to enter Heaven must possess the above three elements, namely FAITH, REBIRTH, and SANCTIFICATION.
If a person merely believes in God without being born again in his personal life, that is, being completely renewed, he cannot enter Heaven.
But if after being renewed, one does not become better and better each and every day, that is, sanctified, then according to the words of the Lord just quoted above, that person will not be allowed to enter Heaven.
Although the Word of God has clearly stated this, there are still many Christians who do not understand its meanings clearly, but think that just praying and believing in God is enough to be saved, while the issues of rebirth and sanctification are ignored and often left unthought of.
That is why we wrote this article to share and help our brothers and sisters in God see more clearly the standards that God has appointed and recorded in the Bible to help us Christians understand what the life of a believer in Jesus Christ must be like so that we can receive salvation and be accepted into God’s Heaven in the future.
Also based on the Word of God in the Bible, we expand it in detail so that we can see that this process includes ten basic steps that Christians need to go through, starting from the moment they hear the Gospel and accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives, in order to meet the three criteria mentioned above, which are BELIEVE, BE BORN AGAIN and BE SANCTIFIED to be saved.
STEP ONE: Recognize that you are guilty.
STEP TWO: Repent of the sins you have committed.
STEP THREE: Believe that God is real and that Jesus died for your sins.
STEP FOUR: Accept God as Lord of your life from now on.
STEP FIVE: Desire to be renewed to express your desire to live in Heaven.
STEP SIX: Put off the old self and be born again.
…….
STEP SEVEN: Grow in your spiritual life to begin the process of sanctification.
To begin the process of sanctification, Christians must be truly strong, because in this seventh step, God’s people need to make great efforts in both spiritual and physical aspects. Such efforts cannot be made by a spiritual child.
So we see that this seventh step is related to the sixth step, which means that having made an effort to put off the old self, that effort must now be intensified and must be made every day in the life of a follower of Christ.
Growth and strength are inextricably linked. A strong person cannot help but grow, and true growth must be expressed through personal strength. The word growth means to grow in faith and has the following characteristics:
– This spiritual growth has no limits, meaning there is no stopping.
– Growth in the spiritual life means continuing to be better than you were yesterday.
– This betterment is according to God’s standards, not according to personal standards or standards of human opinions.
To grow and be strong in the spiritual life, Christians need to do the following:
PSALM 105:24 – The LORD has increased His people greatly. He has made them stronger than their adversaries.
PSALM 138:3 – On the day I called, You answered me and strengthened me.
ACTS 15:32 – And Judas and Silas, who were also prophets, exhorted the brethren with many words, and strengthened them.
ACTS 23:11 – And the night after the Lord stood by him, and said to him: Take courage; for as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify at Rome.
ROMANS 1:12 – That is, I am with you, that you may be encouraged together by the common faith, both yours and mine.
EPHESIANS 3:16 – I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being.
2TIMOTHY 2:1 – Therefore, my children, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
1JOHN 2:14 – I write to you, little children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
(to be continued)