how to become a christian

                              C H U R C H   R E F O R M   S E R I E S

Salvation And Water & Holy Spirit Baptisms

By Biblicism Institute

God gifted us with Salvation to wash away our sins, with Water Baptism to renew our lives, and with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to keep His Fire burning inside us until the day we cash in our inheritance.

Jesus and Sin

"Comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ." Ephesians 3:18

UNDERSTANDING SALVATION

Ask yourself these fundamental questions.

Can a sinful person stand in front of a sinless God?

Can an imperfect man stand in the presence of a perfect Creator?

No and Yes.

On your own you can't do it.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…" Romans 3:23

"He will say… 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' " Matthew 25:41

But with Christ you can. Yes, you can.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

God sent Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins.

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

In other words, God's wrath, which was supposed to fall on us on Judgment Day, fell on Jesus who took our place on the cross.

"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." Romans 4:25

Jesus's sacrifice was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah seven centuries before Christ.

"But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him." Isaiah 53:5,6

When you accept Christ's sacrifice, His blood washes you clean.

" 'Come now, let us settle the matter,' says the LORD. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.' " Isaiah 1:18

"…wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7

"For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matthew 26:28

Jesus then comes and makes His abode with you.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." John 14:23

"I and the Father are one." John 10:30

Thus, the two of you become one person, one Life.

"If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness." Romans 8:10

With the gift of Christ in you, the perfect God will see the perfect Son in you.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8

The reason Jesus gives Himself to you as a gift is for the express purpose of making you like Him, a doer of good works and a conqueror of sinful flesh. And the only way to do good works and overcome iniquity is to follow all of God's enduring commandments.

"Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected." 1 John 2:4

Consequently, the process of salvation is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10: 9-10

Believe in Him. Live for Him according to His commandments. Die in Him. Be with Him. And you won't have to fear death no more because Heaven awaits in Eternity.

ACCEPTING SALVATION & BAPTISMS

"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." Luke 14: 27

One must voluntarily accept to be saved and baptized.

If you were dedicated as a baby in the Catholic Church, for instance, that was not baptism and salvation. That was a dedication to God performed by your parents.

Salvation and Baptism are decisions that must be taken by individuals fully aware of their importance and attached duties.

"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved." Mark 16: 16

You must first believe in order to repent of your sins, make a commitment to Jesus, and then be baptized. A baby cannot believe.

With Water Baptism you are buried and raised with Christ, while forever interring your old ways. As you rise out of the water you are in newness of life.

"Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead." Colossians 2:12

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is to receive the Fire of the Holy Spirit, the Pledge of your eternal inheritance. The Holy Spirit is the Helper who keeps God's Fire burning in your heart as you walk the Christian walk.

"He sealed us and gave us the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts." 2 Corinthians 1:22

The way the Holy Spirit keeps the fire burning is by helping you become like Christ and getting you to produce the fruit of the Spirit. If there's one verse you want to memorize, it's this one:

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5: 22-23

Faithfulness is to God's commandments.

"If you love me, keep my commands." John 14:15

One More Thing

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Accepting the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus to reach the Father is not to be construed as an exercise of mental assent or a robotically regurgitated prayer of salvation.

What it means foremost is, the way of Jesus, the truth of Jesus, and the life of Jesus (i.e., everything Christ is and represents, or the fruit of the Spirit) need to be a constant in your everyday life.

"For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified." Romans 2:13

In other words, salvation in Christ is a daily, ongoing process: you have to use your free gift of faith in the Lord to work at it.

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12

^"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." James 2:26

If you are ready to mark this day by making a commitment to Christ and receiving His salvation and gifts of Baptisms, and if you are willing to carry your cross and daily follow His ways, then do the following:

+ The Prayer That Starts The Salvation Process

Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart:

"Heavenly Father, I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary in order to pay the price for my sins which I ask you to forgive in His name, and I also believe that He rose from the dead. I ask that the Holy Spirit seal my redemption and help me follow your laws and your ways as I work out my salvation for the glory of Your name. From this day forward I live my life for You as You live in me. In Jesus's name I pray."

Welcome to the family of God!

Baptism of jesus Now please find a fellow Christian to baptize you in Water and in the Holy Spirit (and if you really can't find someone, just do them yourself).

+ Water Baptism And Its Prayer

Find a body of water (ocean, river, lake, pool, etc.) and wear appropriate clothing. The person performing your water baptism prays this prayer for you:

"Heavenly Father, I baptize and bury (person being baptized) in the death and burial of your Son, Jesus the Christ. (person being baptized) forsakes his/her old ways and pledges to follow yours. He/She shall rise with the resurrected Christ and walk in newness of life. In Jesus's name I pray."

You are then quickly and fully immersed (Baptizo is from the Greek and means Submersion), followed by your emerging out of the water.

+ Baptism Of The Holy Spirit With The Laying On Of Hand And Its Prayer

The person baptizing you lays his/her hand on your forehead, and prays this prayer:

Baptism of HS "Heavenly Father, I baptize (person being baptized) in the Fire of the Holy Spirit. I pray that you seal his/her salvation and that you imbue him/her with power from on high. May the spiritual gifts that you have reserved for him/her manifest themselves in his/her life. In Jesus's name I pray."

Upon the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (or a bit later on your own), you might find yourself speaking or praying in tongues.

If it sounds like gibberish to you, it's not. It's a heavenly language. Let it out.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels…" 1 Corinthians 13:1

GRASPING THE WORKINGS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

1) He helps us become like Christ by getting us to produce the fruit of the Spirit.

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5: 22-23

2) He intercedes on our behalf. The way He does that is by causing us to pray in tongues. To the skeptics, praying in tongues may sound like gibberish, but it's not. It's a heavenly language.

"Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered." Romans 8:26

"One who speaks in tongues edifies himself…" 1 Corinthians 14:4

3) He teaches us and guides us.

"...the Holy Spirit .. will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26

He enlightens the word of God (i.e., the Bible) for us, making it go beyond intellectual assent and causing it to coalesce deep inside our spirit man (i.e., He teaches us). Then He reminds us of it, warning us when we're about to do something that God forbids, or egging us on when God wants us to step into whatever service (the Duties Of Ministry and the Everyday Life Ministry ) He has prepared for us.

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

The Holy Spirit mostly reminds us of God's written word because God doesn't want the unscrupulous to attribute to Him things He never said. For example, if someone dares say that following the lead of the Holy Spirit they have come to realize that God no longer considers fornication to be a sin, then we would immediately know that they are lying because according to God's laws fornication IS a sin. Consequently, the Holy Spirit and God's written word form a system of checks and balances.

The more we study the word, the more the Holy Spirit helps us cleave to the truth. The more we live out God's commandments, the more sensitive we become to His guidance, the more cleansed our mind, the more attuned our soul, and the more fruitful our work.

When we allow the Holy Spirit to help in said manners, we are thus walking by the Spirit.

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5: 16-21

However, when we do not walk by the Spirit, we fulfill the desires of the flesh. And unfortunately, when we gratify these passions we must be ready to suffer the various consequences of sin.

"Without holiness no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12: 14

HOW TO PRAY

Prayer is not vain repetition. It is an opportunity to meditate and commune with God, which many times includes heartfelt requests.

"Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Philippians 4:6

It is also an occasion to praise and thank God.

"Through Him (Jesus) then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name." Hebrews 13:15

We are commanded to only pray to God the Father, in the name of Jesus.

"This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven…' " Matthew 6:9

"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." John 14: 13

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus…" 1 Timothy 2:5

Prayer is not an opportunity to indulge the flesh.

"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:3

DAILY WALK

Pray that God guide you as you read the Bible (one without commentary) and apply what you learn.

As you study to show yourself approved, and as you endeavor to understand the various duties expected of you, you should delve in our Church Reform series. That section is for Christians who want a true biblical foundation to build their lives on.

God Bless You! See you in Heaven!

"For the scriptures say, Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed." Romans 10:11

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