The Bible says, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,” John 8:32. We are all free to move and live where we like. We are free to buy and sell. We are also free to be involved with anyone, irrespective of race, gender, or religion. Science and technology have opened a world of possibilities for us. Therefore, it seems there is no limit to what we can do and be. What else can we be freed from? And what does the truth have to do with our freedom?
Jesus answered them, truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. John 8:34.
Everyone, from the President of the country to you and I, are slaves to sin; if we sin. No matter how smart we look, how educated we are or how kind we can be to the less fortunate. If you sin, you are still not free!
No matter how free we think we are, we are subjected to sin. In the core of our being, there is a nature of sin. We are born with the ability and willingness to sin. No matter how good our constitutions are, people always find themselves guilty of violating the very principles that set the standard for fairness and justice. However, sin is not just an act of wrongdoing or behaviour; sin is deeper than a transgression of rules.
To express this point more directly, sin is a hostile nature against God. It is a life of rebellion against the goodness of God. Sin thrives when your passions have no godly motive and your pleasures are isolated from God’s glory. Sin is to live contrary to the will of God and not care. It is to ignore God’s Self-evidence in and around you.
God does not let the guilty go unpunished. The sentence of sin is eternal death, Romans 6:23. However, God wants every person to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, 1 Timothy 2:4. Therefore, God has provided humanity with a Saviour – the Lord Jesus Christ. Our way out of death in sin is through Jesus Christ. The Scriptures say:
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:56-57.
You do not have to be punished for the chastisement that has been settled for you. You do not have to die in sin because someone has already died for you. Your freedom from sin is because Jesus Christ died for us all. The way to Salvation is a restoration of God’s order in the whole creation. It is a significant renewal under which all humanity must go through. Thus, we cannot take the work of salvation lightly, we must work hard and long (in understanding it) if we are to enjoy the benefits of what the Apostle Paul called the “Indescribable gift of God.” 2 Corinthians 9:15.
What is equally true is the fact that God is good, loving, just, kind and forgiving. God in His love has provided a way out of the bondage of sin for us. The snare of sin and death is broken and we have escaped through the blood of Jesus Christ, Psalm 124:7. God has demonstrated His forgiving love towards us in Jesus Christ:
“But when the goodness and kindness of God our Saviour and His love for mankind appeared [in human form as the Man, Jesus Christ], 5 He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy, by the cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Saviour, 7 so that we would be justified [made free of the guilt of sin] by His [compassionate, undeserved] grace, and that we would be [acknowledged as acceptable to Him and] made heirs of eternal life [actually experiencing it] according to our hope (His guarantee).” Titus 3:4-7, AMP.
TAKE THE FIRST STEP.
FIRST STEP TOWARDS GOD: I acknowledge my sin.
The first step to salvation is the awareness and acknowledgement that we are born sinners and need a way out of sin. We need God’s saving grace.
- For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption (salvation) that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23, NET).
- If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9, NET).
SECOND STEP TOWARDS GOD: I Believe.
The second step is to open your heart and believe for the salvation of your soul that is in Christ Jesus. It is one thing to acknowledge that I am hurt and it is another to allow and accept the help/healing that is provided. Open your heart by faith and receive Jesus Christ to be Lord and Saviour of your life.
- To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12, ESV).
- “Believe in the Lord Jesus [as your personal Savior and entrust yourself to Him] and you will be saved” Acts 16:31.
THIRD STEP TOWARDS GOD: I am Saved!
The third step is to have assurance of your salvation. Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, putting our trust in Him, we enter a new life in Him. We are sons and daughters of God, children of the Sovereign God.
- “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13.
- “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. [4] Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, [5] but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: [6] whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:3-6.
It is vital for you to understand how the gift of salvation works. First, let me reiterate the process of salvation. Having accepted our condition of the innate Sinful nature and, therefore, our inability to know and love God, we need to open our hearts to God’s saving grace and accept Jesus Christ by faith as our Lord and Saviour. We then take part in God’s gift of eternal life that is in Christ Jesus. All who welcome Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of their lives are reborn spiritually, receiving a new life from God. Through faith in Jesus Christ, you are transformed from the inside out. Your attitude, desire, and motives are redirected to God’s will. What God did through the work of salvation cannot be fully appreciated by our human mind; hence, we must be awakened in our spirit. Open yourself to God by asking Jesus Christ to change the narrative of your life and transform your worldview. Put your faith in Jesus Christ and start a spiritual journey now.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
A born-again Christian is someone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls and receives Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour. You are then given the right to be a child of God, John 1:12. Meaning, you have received the Spirit of adoption to be a son of God (both male and female), Romans 8:14-17. That by grace you have been saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 2:8-9.
This means that your life is no longer controlled here on the Earth. You cannot be victimised by the spirit of disobedience that rules in the world. Everyone who is not born again lives according to the course of this world; they are under the rule of the spirit of the devil, Ephesians 2:2. But we are born of God and whatever is born of God overcomes the world, John 5:4.
A born again Christian is a person who is given spiritual authority in heaven; this is transferable to physical dominion on Earth. This person manifests the power, the glory, and the kingdom of God.
Being born again is God’s absolute work of a new creation in Christ. We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:10. We are a new breed that originates in God’s divine will. The Holy Spirit is our birth mark, 2 Corinthians 1:22. This new life can only be found and lived through the knowledge and revelation of Jesus Christ. The new life that we are born-again into is called eternal life. It is the life of God by which we hope and exist. This life is both present and futuristic – we have it now and we will have it fully at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
BENEFITS OF YOUR NEW LIFE:
1. You have eternal life (life beyond here and now).
2. Your spirit is awakened to hear God’s voice.
3. You can discern and obey God’s will.
4. You live in God’s divine purpose for your life.
5. You have a place in God’s Kingdom; you are a heavenly citizen.
6. You have Supernatural ability to resist sin and ability to overcome evil.
LET US PRAY: Lord Jesus, I come to you today accepting that I am a sinner who needs your saving grace. By faith I receive you into my life to be my Lord and my Savior. Thank you Jesus that you died on the cross and resurrected on the 3rd day for me, that I might become the child of God. Through your Holy Spirit I am born-again. Thank you Lord for the salvation of my soul, amen!
I AM NOW A CHRISTIAN, WHAT NOW?
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April 2007, we were standing in a circle in Sunday School and our teacher just told us to all lift up our hands and receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, I had a bit of an idea of what was taking place as I was raised in the church but that was definitely not how I pictured it taking place.
With constant teachings I got to truly understand the decision I had made and began to pursue a personal journey with the Lord.
Journeying with the Lord through high school, varsity and even into adulthood has been the most humbling experience. His constant presence, His silent nudges, His comfort, His sense of humour at times , His love for me! I have had a chance to walk in God’s grace and love for me. My soul has found a hiding place in Him♥️.
My journey as a follower of Christ began in February 2000. I made the decision while attending a tent crusade in Maclear. It was through a series of sermons that I was persuaded that I need to accept Jesus Christ. A follow up by one of the brothers was what helped me actually take the decision.
It is a special day of my life. I immediately knew and I felt that something happened to me while I was still at the altar. My prayer life, after that, was changed forever. When I read the bible, the word became alive to me. I know I’m the one who was made alive. Those days I would think, “This is what I always longed for all my life”. The salvation I wanted was finally revealed to me.
In addition to the joy I had for being saved, I enjoyed freedom from the spirits that oppressed me for a long time.
I had been to the altar call too many times before salvation meant anything to me. I had had several encounters with christians before, heard the sermons, listened and danced to christian songs, but I had not had a personal encounter with the Christ they everyone was talking about, hence my lack of conviction/transformation. One fateful night at res I suddenly lost all of my peace and could not sleep, I realised how much of a mess I was and I needed saving, that is when by the grace of God I was able to call friends who knew what needed to be done to be saved. The rest is history
Thanks a lot for the blog post. Fantastic.
We all think we are good until God reveals how sinful we are.
I grew up in a Christian home and have known about Jesus all my life, but God doesn’t have grandchildren. Until I came to see myself from the perspective of a righteous God and realize how helplessly sinful my nature is, I did not understand how doomed I was. I needed to know and have an intimate relationship with God through Christ(His Son)…now Christ has and is continuing to transform my life in ways that I never could have dreamt possible. Glory to God
To God be the glory