Iron Sharpens Iron
The Gospel Message
The Path to Salvation
Be Prepared
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
What would you say if someone asked you “How do I become a Christian?”
The truth is, few are prepared to answer this question adequately.
Invest the time to read this page and download the resources to keep on your mobile or in your bible for a quick reference. We desire all believers at Exchange Church to not only be equipped in understanding the gospel message to share with others, but also for yourself to have a solid foundation & conviction in why you are a Christian.
The Lord is the one who moves in a person’s life to bring them to the point where they acknowledge they need a saviour; we are the vessels used by the Lord to share the gospel message.
We need to understand with clarity “What is the Gospel Message”.
God – Creator of everything, both in the physical realm and spiritual realm. God created all of humanity so we could be in relationship with Him. Our relationship was destroyed because of sin, which entered the world through Adam, the first created human. Acts 17: 24-28
Sin – Sin is going against God’s law; His Word, the bible defines what sin is and when we do sin, the 10 commandments for example. When we sin, our spirit is in rebellion towards God, separating us from Him and bringing the penalty of death. Without being honest about our sin, we are unable to come to God. The cost of our sin will be paid either by us receiving the penalty of our sin, or by accepting Christ’s death on the cross. For those that accept Christ as their saviour, He then stands before God to say the price of our sin has been paid in full as we are clothed in His righteousness. James 1: 14-15
Jesus – Fully God and fully man; the sinless Son of God who is the only one that could pay the price for our sin, because Jesus is pure in all ways. He paid the penalty of our sin with His life and suffered the wrath of God that we deserved. Jesus will return clothed in His glory. 1 John 1:19, John 8:36
Jesus Risen – If Jesus hadn’t risen from the grave, there would have been no purpose in going to the cross. He did rise from the dead, conquering sin, death and Satan. Matthew 28: 5-8
Our Response – The Holy Spirit moves in our life to convict us of our sin and our need for Christ to save us. We respond in faith, accepting that Christ is the Son of God; acknowledging he took our place on the cross to pay the cost of our sins; and believing He rose from the dead conquering sin, death and Satan as we received His rightteousness. When these truths are in a person’s heart and they turn to the Lord with a heart to repent from their sin, then, they are a Christian. They know it is only through Christ this is possible and not of any works they can do. Once a person is saved, the discipleship journey begins, where a person seeks to joyfully grow in the Lord. Titus 2: 11-14
The Roman Road to Salvation…
Let the scriptures guide you when answering the question “How do I become a Christian?”
Step 1
The Sin Crisis
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
Here we establish “all have sinned”; there is no escape either from sin or its consequences. Until a person recognises they are a sinner, there is no road to salvation.
Step 2
Hope in Christ
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
The first half of the verse explains the depth of the consequence of sin – death.
However, the second half of the verse points to the hope sinners have through Jesus – Eternal Life through salvation. This free gift is an expression of the enormous love God has for us, given to us through Christ.
Step 3
The Gift of Love
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
Christ substituted himself – taking on our sins, suffering the wrath of God that we deserved, while giving us His righteousness.
It is only through our faith in Christ we can be saved from our sins.
There is nothing you can do or add to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to save you.
Step 4
The Sinner’s Response
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Romans 10: 9-10
Once we understand our need for a saviour and recognise all that Jesus Christ has done for us, we can respond by calling out to Him.
Step 5
The Result of Salvation
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1
Before faith in Christ, all who had sinned were condemned by their sin and destined for death. But now with faith in Christ, “there is no condemnation” and believers are gifted eternal life with God.
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Are you now prepared to answer the question “How do I become a Christian?”
If you have any doubts, concerns or questions then talk to the Pastor’s or one of the Elders.
The Sinner's Prayer
Acts 2:21
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Just speaking the words of a prayer saves no one. The spirit moves in a person’s life and they are convicted of their sin, recognising Jesus is the only way to salvation. Then the prayer comes from a person’s heart and yes, they are saved with the confidence given to us in the scriptures as they live their lives for Jesus.
What would a sinner’s prayer look like?
God, I know that I am a sinner and that the wages of my sin is death. I believe that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, as a payment for my sins. I declare that Jesus is my Lord and profess my faith in Him for salvation. It is through your death and resurrection only that I am saved; I can do nothing to save myself. As you take my sin, I receive your righteousness. Thank you for your grace, forgiveness, peace and gift of eternal life. Amen!
Repentance
Luke 13:3
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Once a person has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, this is just the beginning of the continual transformation by the spirit in that person’s life.
Repentance is part of the DNA of a Christian’s life; where they say no to sin and yes to Jesus and his teaching in actions and words. Repentance is turning away from sin and allowing the spirit to transform a person into a new creation. Each day the person grows to be more like Christ.
For a non beleive repentance is somthing a person wouldnt even consider, for a Christian repentance is somthing they wnat to do once they fully grasp the gospel message.
Encouragement needs to be given to the new Christian about repentance, in a loving way. Often it is this time when the first struggles occur and they need to understand this is not unusual as we are all here to support them.
True or False Conversion?
Romans 8:16
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
Only the Lord knows if a person is truly saved or not. We must be careful in our judgment, recognising people come from a variety of backgrounds and the growth of being a Christian could be longer for some. For those who were brought up in a Christian home, there is potential for them to grow quickly because of the foundations laid over years. It is not unusual these days for people to have low or no knowledge about biblical truths. We must be careful not to presume what people know and guide them in love, to help them obtain a strong biblical foundation in the Lord.
What is important in a new Christian’s life is the growth and process of change which is taking place. They are on a road to becoming more Christ-like each day and sometimes it could be two steps forward, one step backwards. What you will observe over time, is that sin is not minimised in the new Christian’s life – they seek to be more holy in their talk and actions.
A person who doesn’t have a true conversion will be made obvious over time. It is something we don’t have to seek out, rather we need to be an encourager along that person’s journey in always pointing them to Christ.
Next Steps
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
After leading a person to the Lord, speak to one of the Pastors or Elders. Take responsibility to be an encourager in this new Christian’s life. Often a new Christian will have many questions, be there for them in this and don’t be concerned if you don’t have all the answers. Just say you want to check out the answer with the EC Pastors / Elders before answering, to make sure we are all on the same track.
Exchange Church runs a Life Explored course for new Christians, we would encourage them to attend. Sean leads this and you may also consider attending with them, to encourage them along their journey.
Encourage them in the disciplines required in a Christian’s life – church attendance to establish them within the body, personal bible reading and in their prayer life. The most valuable thing you can do is to keep connected with them and talk to them about their spiritual journey. Please remember you yourself are a part of the Exchange Church body, which is always available to support you, as you in turn support the new Christian.
Acts 17: 24-28
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for In him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your own poets have said, For we are indeed his offspring.
James 1: 14-15
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
1 John 1: 19
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John 8: 36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Matthew 28: 5-8
But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Titus 2: 11-14
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.