THE TRENTON BULLETIN

THE TRENTON BULLETIN

Trenton Church of Christ, Trenton, Florida

How do I become a Christian and obtain the wonderful new life of a Christian? This is a noble and important question, and it deserves an answer from the word of God.

The process by which one becomes a Christian, when followed by the whole of his being, brings new life through salvation in Jesus Christ. In addition, obedience to the Gospel renews living by setting him free from sin, bringing peace in this life and hope in the everlasting life to come. Furthermore, his whole manner of life is changed by the plan of salvation when it is obeyed in full faith from the heart. By the plan of salvation, one gains the best possible life.

Before one can follow the Divinely ordained plan of salvation, it naturally follows that he must know it in its original, unchanged form. There are many schemes of redemption taught by religious leaders, but the Lord has given only one valid method of becoming a child of God. There is only “one faith” (Ephesians 4:5) given only “once for all” (Jude 3) by the Father to save man from his sins. He who desires salvation must humbly and carefully listen to it. Jesus charged His countrymen with dulling their hearing so that they would not absorb the word of God (Matthew 13:15-16). Clearly, those who listen can be converted, and those who hear will be blessed. Therefore, the first step in becoming a Christian is to HEAR; to listen intently and carefully to what the Lord has said.

Hearing brings enlightenment through the knowledge of God, dispelling the darkness of ignorance. This knowledge has the power to develop responsive faith within the careful listener. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The word of God brightly lights up the way out of sin and into righteousness. David said in praise to God: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Knowing the truth by means of whole-heartedly hearing the word of God gives one the means whereby he can be set free from his sins. In a prayer, the Savior said to the Father: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth (John 17:17). The reaction of the honest hearer to the preaching of the truth is best demonstrated by Peter's audience at the close of the gospel sermon on Pentecost. The hearers immediately asked what they must do (Acts 2:37). Hearing the word is the first step to becoming a Christian and obtaining the best life possible. Hearing is itself a life changing action that provides needed guidance to the lost listener.

Faith follows hearing the word of God. The careful listener becomes a believer in God. This belief leads him further along the path to becoming a Christian. It is essential that the hearer believe in God and in His plan to be saved from his sins. The writer of Hebrews clearly states that faith is vital to anyone who would please God (11:6). Faith provides the motivation necessary to make the changes that will make one a Christian. Strong belief moves him to careful obedience to the Gospel, for without faith, he will not effectively obey and will remain in a lost condition. The apostle Paul spoke of people who fell short of pleasing God through a lack of belief. “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?” (Romans 10:16). One must believe before he can become a Christian.

Besides leading unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10), faith also provides purpose and meaning to life. A person no longer needs to wander aimlessly through life, pointlessly living until he dies. Faith gives one an understanding of who he is, why he is here, and where he is going when life is over. All important questions are answered by a well informed faith in God.

A strong faith will generate a change in the believer's moral purpose in life. The believer must also repent of his sins and regret a life lived without God's unchanging word. Repentance becomes the means by which man turns away from sin, changes his direction in life, and embraces right living. The Ephesians were told to put off the old man of sin, change their way of thinking, and to put on the new man (4:22-24). First, one repents by sorrowing over the sins he has committed, sins that made it necessary for Christ to die on the cross for him. Second, he evolves or changes his view of sin and righteousness to conform to God's way of viewing them. Third, he focuses his attention and will on doing only those things that please the Lord. If a believer chooses not to repent, he cannot be saved. In the words of Jesus Christ: “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).

By repentance, one steps even closer to becoming a Christian. In turning from sin, he develops a better character... a character that will enable him to walk faithfully as a Christian upon completing his obedience to the Gospel. He is changing into a better person, which is one of the blessings of becoming a Christian.

Besides believing and repenting, God expects the petitioner for salvation to declare his faith unashamedly before others. When one confesses Jesus Christ as the Son of God, he professes the maturity of his faith. He now believes that God took an active role in sending His only begotten Son into the world to pay the price for the sins of humankind. He believes that Jesus Christ is Immanuel (God with us), and that He has the power to save man from his sins. When one confesses his faith in Jesus, all witnesses to that confession know that the speaker is moved by the word of God to obey the Gospel. One who confesses Christ before men prepares the way for Jesus to declare his name before God. “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).

When the Ethiopian eunuch heard the preaching of the Gospel, he responded by desiring immersion. When Philip asked if he believed, he answered by saying, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37). Man will never speak greater or higher words than these. Confessing Jesus as the son of God is a demonstration of courage and a herald of one's desire to become a Christian.

Finally, the confessor must be baptized to become a Christian. It is only through baptism that he becomes a partaker in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior (Romans 6:3-4). Only in baptism are sins washed away (Acts 22:16). It is by baptism that one is saved (Mark 16:16). Baptism puts him in Christ (Galatians 3:27). If one is not baptized, he falls short of his goal of becoming a Christian.

When one is baptized, he becomes spiritually clean; free from all of his sins. He enters into the family of God as one of the Father's cherished children. He has access to all the blessings, rights, and privileges of that family. There exists no greater joy than that of the obedient believer who rises from the waters of baptism as a new creature in Christ.

In view of what is written in scripture, it is evident that the plan of salvation not only saves one from sin and makes him a Christian, but it also changes his life and the way he lives it, making it the best life possible. Hearing the word enlightens him (2 Timothy 3:15). Believing the word motivates him (Hebrews 10:39). Repenting changes his direction in life (2 Corinthians 7:10). Confessing Jesus as the Christ declares his faith and desire to become a Christian (Romans 10:10). Finally, being Baptized changes his life, changes his living, and gives him new life (Romans 6:6-8). By this process, and this alone, one becomes a Christian and gains the best life possible.

The greatest blessing of being a child of God is the knowledge that we serve only one Lord. So many of man’s attempt to worship is rooted in a multiplicity of gods to worship. He is not satisfied to worship only one Lord. Temples fill the earth with various representations of gods where men bow and give homage. Within the religion of Christianity many give honor to images, idols and relics. The true nature of Jesus Christ is found in His answer to Satan in Luke 4:8 – “It is written, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.’” There is no other being to worship; no man to worship; no deities to bow down to. As people of God we serve only Jehovah and Him alone.

From the paradise of the Garden of Eden we see how man and God walked together in the cool of the day. All that the Lord desired for man is that he serve one Lord. Satan changed that when he said to Eve, “Has God indeed said” (Genesis 3:1). Satan seeks to tempt man to serve himself, to serve his own needs, to serve his own desires and pleasures. When men turn away from God they seek to serve their own lusts. People of God are happy to serve only one Lord.

Serving God alone is to serve someone who does not lie. Paul writes of our “hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal” (Titus 1:2). Who can we serve that is greater than that? The Lord is the only one to serve because He has given us promises that were made before He created man and remain until man is no more. “To whom then will ye liken God or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” (Isaiah 40:18). What in this world can you serve that is greater than that? Men will fail you, riches will fade away and pleasures of this world will be found empty. “Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee. So that with good courage we say, The Lord is my helper; I will not fear: What shall man do unto me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

David wrote one of the most powerful testimonies to his trust in Jehovah God. “Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalms 23:1). The twenty-third psalm is a tribute to David’s love for serving only one God. He recognized the blessing of being a child of God in trusting God with caring for him in every part of his life. He had no lack of blessings material or spiritual. He could stand before his enemies and not be afraid. Jesus would later say of His own Father, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:29-30). David served only one Lord.

The challenge for all disciples of Christ is to remove the hindrances to servitude to God. “Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). We cannot serve our wealth, our pleasures, our desires or our own lives. Worship to God is recognizing Him and Him alone as our guide, our truth, our answer and our Lord. The blessings are immeasurable. All spiritual blessings are found in His Son (Ephesians 1:1-7). Death does not have power over those who serve God alone (1 Corinthians 15:53-57). Serving the Lord finds blessings in this life and in the life to come (1 Timothy 4:8).

During the temptation, Satan promised Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. The Son of God laid the foundation of our love for God in declaring that there is only one to worship and only one to serve. Worship is servitude and servitude is worship. The blessing of serving God alone is the promises that He alone can give. “Wherefore come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be to you a Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

Joel C. Gregory recalls that when he was in junior high, "we did an experiment with iron filings on a piece of paper. When we poured the filings on the paper they fell into a disheveled pile. Then we put a magnet under the paper and, as if by magic, the iron filings lined up... and followed the magnet's shape and force of direction."

All our anxieties are like so many iron filings poured out on the surface of our lives. Jesus says, "Put My presence and My kingdom underneath your life, see Me as a habit, and you'll find that your worries will line up and take My shape." The greater gift is given, and the lesser ones will be taken care of." That's His promise, and our choice.

We hear much about revival these days, but the heart of revival is the Lordship of Christ. A mere emotional upheaval, a spurt of religious excitement, is not revival. When Christians become convicted of rebellion against the rule of Christ in their lives, confess their sins, renounce self, take the cross and let Jesus have the first and last word in everything, that is revival, by whatever name you call it.

We praise thee, O God; for the son of thy love; for Jesus who died and is now gone above; Hallelujah thine the glory; Hallelujah amen. Hallelujah thine the glory; revive us again.

All glory and praise; to the Lamb that was slain; who has borne all our sins; and has cleansed every stain; Hallelujah thine the glory; Hallelujah amen. Hallelujah thine the glory; revive us again.