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February
15, 2003, Vol.2, No.4.
Part
11 on Islamism
HOW CAN ONE
BECOME A CHRISTIAN?
Emmanuel Ebong
Every believer in a cause must ask a question related to it.
This is exactly what the early disciples did on the day of Pentecost when
they asked Peter and the rest of the apostles, "men and brethren, what
shall we do?"
(Acts
2:37) This is an age long question that pertains to the salvation of man.
How I wish people are asking this question today with an open heart as on
the day of Pentecost.
If I want to become a student of any institution of learning,
there are some conditions I must meet. For instance, if I want to become a
pilot, there are some important courses I must take. And in order to succeed
as a student, I must be an ardent believer/follower in my area of pursuit.
In essence, we are talking about discipleship. This same principle of
discipleship will hold true if I am to become a Christian. Becoming a
Christian guarantees one the divine access to where Christ (the head of
Christianity) is; if one is diligent to the end (see John 14:6). If one is
to be where Christ is at the end of time, one must do what He says. Jesus
says " if you love Me, keep My commandments" and
His "commandments are not burdensome" (1 John
5:3).
ORIGIN AND DEFINITION
According to Matthew 28:18-20, 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them,
saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 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: 20 Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even
unto the end of the world. Amen. (KJV)
This command of teaching and
making men disciples of Christ started its fulfillment on the day of
Pentecost. This is why Acts 2 is pivotal to the establishment of the church.
On that day, Peter and the rest of the apostles stood up and addressed that
great audience where over three thousand from over seventeen different
nations were gathered. At the end of it, over three thousand souls that heard
the gospel; believed the gospel, repented
of their sins, confessed Christ and were baptized
for the remission of their sins. Finally " and the Lord added to the
church those who were being saved." May I point out here that it is God
that adds the saved to the church (Acts 2:47). They were not asked to
"join" any church of their choice. Later on, the Bible states that
the disciples were named "Christian" in Antioch (see Acts 11:26).
"Christianos: Christian, a word formed after the Roman style,
signifying an adherent of Jesus, was first applied to such by the Gentiles
and is found in Acts 11: 26; 26:28; 1 Pet. 4:16." (Vines Expository
Dictionary Of Old And New Testament Words, p 191). One very unique aspect of
Christianity was (is) that it is so organized and it follows a pattern
defined by God Himself. This means that the primitive disciples also known
as "Christians" followed the teachings (doctrines) of Christ to
the letter; thus the name "Christian." What this means is that for
anyone to become a Christian today (as it was at the inception of the church
on the day of Pentecost), such a one must be willing to follow and adhere
strictly to the teachings of Christ. One must be willing to pick up the
cross and follow Christ. In other words, the religion of Christ is not that
of convenience, but sacrifice.
HOW CAN ONE BECOME A
CHRISTIAN?
Just like the early Christians did. How? By applying the same divinely
defined principles. God’s principles/doctrines of salvation adopted by the
primitive Christians (i.e. becoming a Christian) has never changed since the
day of Pentecost. The primitive Christians had a focus: to be like Christ.
Besides, they had a willing mind of conscientiously working towards that
desired goal. Christians are people that endeavor to be Christ-like at all
points in life. A Christian is someone that cares for the same thing that
Christ cares for; thus having his/her hope where Christ is. This was the
premium the early Christians placed on Christ and no wonder "the
disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). This
was probably because the early Christians endeavored to live the Christ-like
life that the Lord himself exhibited while on earth.
WHO IS QUALIFIED TO
BECOME A CHRISTIAN?
Scriptures abound to prove that this salvation is for all and sundry-
"whosoever willeth."
John 3:16 says " For God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son that whosoever
believe in Him should not perish;
but have everlasting life."
1 Tim 2:4-6 4 Who will have all
men to be saved, and to come unto
the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to
be testified in due time. (KJV)
Mark 16:15-16 15 And he said unto
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature. 16 He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (KJV)
Matt 28:18-20
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: 20 Teaching them
to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with
you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (KJV)
From the above Scriptures, we see that this salvation is for
"whosoever believe in Him, all men…since He gave Himself a ransom for
all, all the world… every creature, all nations. No wonder Titus 2:11 says
that the "grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men…" Indeed, this salvation is for whosoever wills. It is a general
invitation of salvation to mankind. Shouldn’t you a part of it? We thank
God that we are not coerced to do anything that we are not willing to do. We
have absolute freedom to choose. May we use that freedom to the glory of
God.
There are many instances in the Scriptures to substantiate that since A.D.
33, God has been faithful to His promise. On the day of Pentecost alone, God
added about three thousand (3000) souls to the church from over seventeen
nations, which include Islamic nations. Other instances include Phillip and
the Ethiopian Eunuch, Peter and the household of Cornelius, Saul of Tarsus,
The Philippian jailor etc. All these did not have to go through any special
session. The apostles did not have to preach any special sermon. In the case
of Saul of Tarsus, no amount of praying could save him until he arose and
was baptized for the remission of his sins. Neither did moral purity save
Cornelius and his household. He had to send men to Joppa to bring Peter.
While the Ethiopian Eunuch did not hesitate when he heard the gospel, but
had to render obedience to the word of God even while on transit. The Philippian
jailor did not forbid water baptism when he had the opportunity. These never
procrastinated but acted right away. They all arose and acted immediately.
These are good examples for us to follow.
Indeed, it is salvation for all nations. People from Africa, Palestine,
Arabia, Europe, and indeed the Roman world were present. This religion was
not meant for any particular geographic region, but for all.
WHAT QUALIFIED THEM TO BE CHRISTIANS?
Going to Acts 2 account, we see the conditions stated by the apostles. Peter
stood up and proclaimed that the rest of the apostles were not drunk as
charged by the people, but that it was the manifestation of God’s promise
of establishing His Church (See Matthew 16:18). The same thing that
qualified them then would qualify us today. The criteria or condition for
becoming a Christian has never changed. It has remained the same throughout
all ages. It is the same gospel that Peter and the rest of the apostles
preached in the first century that will be preached till the end of time
because the scripture says that it is the power of God unto salvation (Rom.
1:16). If the above be the case, then let’s see how people were touched
and converted by the gospel. Let’s begin with Acts 2.
Acts 2:36-41
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God
hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto
Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your
children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God
shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying,
Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them
about three thousand souls.
(KJV)
From the above
scriptures, we find that the following things were involved in becoming
Christians. These conditions are still valid today.
a. Hearing: Hearing of the undiluted WORD of God. We
must be careful that it is the word of God that we hear and not that of men.
Words of men only produce disciples of men. What God wants are disciples of
Christ. Romans 10:17 says that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God."
b. Believe: Belief is of great
importance with respect to our faith. What we believe goes a long way to
shaping the foundation of our faith. There "is no salvation in
any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which
we must be saved" (Acts4: 12). They believed Peter and the
rest of the apostles because the scripture says that they were pricked in
their heart.
c. Repent: This is the turning point
in every believer’s life. On Pentecost, they repented of their sins. To
repent means making a 180-degree turn from bad to better, from left to
right. Not a 360-degree turn that goes back to the same spot. In short, it
means making a U-Turn.
d. Confessing Christ: Confessing Christ to be the
Son of God. Jesus said "whosoever confesses Me be before men,
Him will I confess before My Father who is in heaven; but whosoever denies
Me before men, Him will I deny before My Father who is in heaven. So
confess Christ now and be accepted before God the Father.
e. Baptism: Finally one must be baptized for the
remission of his/her sins in the name (that is, the authority) of Jesus
Christ. At the point of baptism, one becomes a "Christian" or
"born again."
Please endeavor to avoid the tautology
of "born again Christian." It’s either one is a Christian (born
again) or not. Jesus said that unless one is born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (church). Baptism, as claimed by
some, is not important, thus the paraphrase that "it is an inward stuff
of an outward whatever". Please correct me if I am wrong. But this
would totally negate the fact that baptism (which is a medium of contact
with the blood of the Lamb) is totally not important. Even if the idea of
baptism does not make sense to us, let us not forget that it makes a whole
lot of sense to God our Creator. Let’s not forget that "we walk by
faith and not by sight"(2Cor.5:7). Citing instances from the Old
Testament scriptures, we find out that salvation or deliverance only came
after men carried out God’s instructions. For example, the case of Noah.
He was saved after building the ark as specified by God using gopher wood.
While in Egypt, the children of Israel that obeyed God and carried out His
instruction concerning the blood of the Passover did not lose their
first-born. The children of Israel were only saved after crossing the Red
Sea. The children of Israel that beheld the brazen serpent were saved from
death. The walls of Jericho crumbled in its place. Even Naaman was cleansed
from leprosy. All of these instances had the following in common. There was
faith in God without which, no man can see God
(Hebrews 6:11). The grace
of God was sufficient unto them. And they all were obedient to God. This is
the same thing that applies to us today. Baptism is done by faith through
the grace of God in obedience to the WILL of God. It is a spiritual rebirth
that puts us in contact with Christ. The following passages deal more with
the issue of baptism (John 3:5; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Romans
6:3-4; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 5:25-26; Colossians 2:11-13; Titus 3:5;
Hebrews 10:22; 1Peter 3:21).
In conclusion, one can see that no one is far away from the kingdom of God.
But we have to work at it in maintaining this great salvation, which was
delivered unto mankind once and for all. The only way into Christ is through
the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus
3:5). Baptism is a spiritual operation performed. 11
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in
putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through
the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
(Col 2:11) (KJV).
1 Pet 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,) by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ: (KJV)
So how can one become a Christian? Do what
the early Christians did. Hear the Gospel; Believe the gospel; Repent of
your sins; Confess Christ and finally be baptized for the remission of your
sins. This is what God says on the issue of salvation. God says it, I
believe it and that settles it.
| The Eastside Church of Christ in Shortsville, New York strives to follow God's word. We are a non-denominational Church that has no written standard of doctrinal authority other than the Bible. |
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