Part 3: What must I do to have eternal life – to be saved?

In the previous articles we covered that:

• we are all sinners and thus not good enough for God
• the punishment for sin is eternity in hell – permanent separation from God
• but that our punishment for sin has been paid for by Jesus Christ’s death
• but only as long as we acknowledge Christ’s death for us

Becoming acceptable to God is described by several terms in the Bible:

• being saved
• receiving salvation
• being ‘born again’
• becoming righteous and holy
• having the Spirit of Christ

So if this is so important, how does it happen? How do we get saved? How can we be born again?

There are many scriptures that we need to look at to get the complete understanding of what’s required, but these six are a reasonable summary:

Acts 16:31 (NKJV) Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.

Heb 11:6 (NKJV) For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him

Rom 10:9 (NKJV) If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

John 3:5 (NKJV) Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Rom 8:9 (NLT) Remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.

Acts 2:38 (ESV) Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

It is very important that we do not just take one of the above scriptures by itself, but look at all of them together to get the complete picture of what’s required for salvation, which is that:

• we believe in God and that the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ, has died so that we can avoid paying the penalty for our sin;
• we repent;
• we are baptised in water for the forgiveness of our sins;
• we are filled with the Holy Spirit

All of these steps are part of the process of our rebirth as a son or daughter of God.

It is quite literally, being born again as described in John 3. It is a brand new start for each of us. No longer just physical people, but people filled with a part of God – His Holy Spirit.

So what is really involved in each of these steps?

BELIEVING IN GOD

This is simply acknowledging God as our creator. God is very happy to be asked to prove Himself to us if we’re not sure of Him [1]. This is the start of our journey of faith where we don’t just say that we believe in God, but start acting on that belief.

Believing and faith are not passive – they are not just us acknowledging that God exists. Instead they are active. True belief and faith results in us being obedient to what God asks of us. Real belief and faith means we trust God, love God, honour God, and serve God.

Then over time, that belief and faith will grow stronger as we begin to experience the power and work of God in our lives.

That leads very naturally to the next step – repentance.

REPENTING

‘Repenting’ literally means to ‘turn around and go the other way’. It happens when we decide that we don’t want to live our lives just for ourselves, but that we want and need God to be a part of our lives.

Repentance is to turn away from everything in your life that grieves God, and instead choose His direction for your life. We decide that we want to start living the way God wants us to live.

Repentance is a conscious decision on our part, and thus is impossible for young children. (But that’s OK because young children are made holy by their believing parents 1 Cor 7:14). We need to be old enough to be able to believe in God, to acknowledge our sin, and to repent all by ourselves.

Repentance is more than just saying ‘sorry’. It’s wanting to put right what we’ve done wrong. Genuine repentance brings a willingness to obey God’s word.

That means repentance is not just a passive thought in our head, but it results in action. It needs us to give voice to that desire – to ‘confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus’.

And that leads us to the next action – baptism in water.

BEING BAPTISED IN WATER

‘Baptism’ is a Greek word that has been brought into the English language, and as a consequence has become a religious concept that hides its real meaning. In fact it is a simple Greek word better translated as immersed, submerged or saturated. Baptism in water literally means that we are totally immersed under water.

This act is symbolic [2] as we follow Christ into the grave and out the other side.

It is recognising and accepting Christ’s death on our behalf, for the forgiveness of our sins [3].

Baptism in water is one of the first acts of obedience that we will do as a consequence of believing in God and repenting. It is often a humbling experience, but at the same time one of the most exciting things we can do as we respond to God calling us to follow Him.

Believing, repentance and being baptised in water are all things that we decide to do ourselves. But there’s one more thing that has to happen before a Christian is truly ‘born again’, and that is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

This is not something we can do for ourselves, or that anyone else can do for us such as baptising us in water. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is something only God can do for us. For many it is the first truly miraculous thing that happens in our lives.

It is up to us to ask for the Holy Spirit, but it is God that gives us the Holy Spirit.

But far from pleading for the Holy Spirit, we can ask very confidently, boldly and persistently for it [4]. Just like a child will often nag a parent for something they’ve been promised.

How do we know that we’ve received the Holy Spirit?

Quite early in the New Testament church, the Apostle Phillip went and preached in Samaria [5]. This account makes it very clear that something physical happens when we receive the Holy Spirit. In Samaria, many miracles had occurred and many people were baptised in water, but they had to send back to Jerusalem for Peter and John to come down because ‘as yet the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them’ [6].

In other words, other people can know when someone has received the Holy Spirit.

And the only consistent physical evidence of the Holy Spirit that is recorded for us, is speaking in other languages, also called ‘speaking in tongues’ [7].

Just like there is lots of noise when we’re born physically (the welcome cry of the newborn), there is also lots of noise when we are born again spiritually [8]. It is the sound of a new language that we’re given miraculously.

Receiving the Holy Spirit is incredibly important. Repentance, baptism and the Holy Spirit are all essential for salvation, but receiving the Holy Spirit makes the biggest difference for us:

• It is the power of God coming to live in us [9]
• It is the seal of our salvation [10]
• It is our guarantee of eternal life [11]
• It an important part of our prayer life [12]

Baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit are not outdated ceremonies. They are the first steps to a new life. As a Christian you can then expect physical healing, peace of mind and a joyful heart as your right. Your life will be blessed by God as you continue to do the things that Jesus said to do.

View the other articles in this series that summarise what the Bible says about what we need to do to re-establish our relationship with Him – to truly become a ‘friend of God’.

You are like God
Connecting with God
What must I do to have eternal life – to be saved?
What’s it like being a Christian?
How can I believe the Bible is the true Word of God?

Check out other ministry on this website for a more in depth understanding of how to get saved, how to stay saved and how to ensure you have an ‘abundant life’.

[1] Jer 29:12-14        In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you, says the LORD.

[2] Rom 6:4                (NLT) For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

[3] Acts 22:16            (NLT) What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.

[4] Luk 11:9,13          (NLT) And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you…If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.

[5] Acts 8                   (Whole chapter)

[6] Acts 8:14-17        When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they sent Peter and John there. As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.

[7] Acts 2:4; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:6

[8] John 3:8               The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’

[9] Acts 1:8                But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you

[10] Eph 1:13             In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

[11] Eph 1:14             (NLT) The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.

[12] Jude 20               But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit

1 Cor 14:4           He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself…