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Step 1:
You must believe the gospel of Jesus before
your heart will be convicted and you can express repentance or realize you
need to change your ways. In short, the gospel is knowing that God sent His
son into the world to teach us His will (Jn.12:49,50) and to die for us so we
could have forgiveness of our sins (Ep.1:7). It tells us that God raised
Jesus from the grave, alive, defeating death (Ro. 6:9) to give us the hope of
eternal life. In due time, known only by God, Jesus is coming back by the
power of God and will take those who have believed in the gospel and followed
God with a pure heart, to live forever in the kingdom of heaven (He.9:28;
Ep.5:5; 2 Th. 1:8; 2Ti 2:22; He.12:16). After hearing and believing the
gospel of Christ we recognize that our lives are independent of God and void
of His ways. Realizing the jeopardy of our soul and the great love of God
bestowed on us through Jesus, we are convicted and repentant. We are sorry
for our ways and for forsaking God. We desire now to live a new life
according to the will of God. We want to change our ways to please God. We
want to live forever with God and Jesus. We will obey the teachings of Jesus
who gave us an understanding of God (1 Jn. 5:20).
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Step 2:
After our heart driven repentance, we seek to
change our lives to be in the will of God. This changing of our lives is a
process called sanctification. We begin to turn away from sin and darkness in
our lives while seeking the will of God through His word and Spirit. We seek
a pure mind and heart, trying to be Christ like, while we endure trials,
tribulations, and temptations. In essence, it is the process of being made
holy, becoming like Christ, or putting on Christ. We live to be pleasing to
God. We practice righteousness and obey God in all things (just as Jesus
did). We must be sanctified in order to be saved (1 Th. 4:3,8). Knowledge of
God's word in our life will help sanctify us (Ep.5:26; Ph.1:9,10; 2 Pe.1:5).
We are sanctified by the truth - God's word is truth (John 17:17). We have
the thorough instruction book to godly living and the will of God. We must
read our Bible to learn what God expects of us. Also, God has given us His
Holy Spirit to help us in knowing His will. His Spirit will bring all things
into remembrance (Mt.10:20) we received of the word and help us walk in
holiness (1 Th. 4:7,8). Knowing the word is good, but we must do more than
know - we must obey God's word. Our soul is purified (sanctified) by
obeying the truth (1Pe.1:22). We are not to be hearers only of the word but
doers also (Ja.1:22). What we do in word and deed becomes our works. These
are within us in heart and outside us in deeds. Within us we must warm our
heart and fill it with love, forgiveness, and purity. Outside of us we must
be diligent to practice righteousness, turn away from sin, and love our
brother. We are not to harden our hearts or return evil for evil (Ro.12:17).
We are to be fair, just, and honest with all, and in all. (See The Way of Light for more on this.) Our faith will
be evident through our works - by word or deed. If we do these things, we
will be a child of God (1Jn. 2:3,5,10; 3:7,10,23,24; 4:2,15,21). In our early
walk with God, we may at times fall short of His grace. But, with a truly
repentant heart and Godly sorrow (sorrow toward God - 2 Co. 7:10) we can
receive forgiveness and stand upright before Him. Sometimes we will ask only
from our heart and mind (no words are necessary), for God knows our heart
(1Jn. 3:20).
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Step 3:
Salvation comes at the end of time. This is
when we are 'saved'. We will be saved for the new kingdom and from the judgment
due the disobedient and the ungodly. At the sounding of the last trumpet, the
dead in Christ will rise first, and then those who remain will be changed and
taken with them (1Co.15:52; 1Th.4:16,17). This occurs at the end of this
world as we know it now. This is after facing all the trials, tribulations,
and temptations of this present world. Satan will continue to walk about like
a roaring lion, seeking whom He may devour (1 Pe. 5:8) until He is bound by
God during the time of the end. No one is completely secure until then. In
this present world we will still have to make choices between right and
wrong, between serving God or serving self. Some will stumble on their own,
not sincerely serving God. Some will even draw back from their faith (He.
10:38,39). However, the Bible is clear on who will reap the reward of eternal
life: He who does the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of heaven
(Mt.7:21); He who endures (the trials, tribulations, and persecutions) to the
end will be saved (Mt.10:22); He who does His commandments will have
the right to the Tree of Life and an entrance to the city (Rev 22:14); He who
overcomes (sin - by perfecting his heart and works) will not be blotted out
of the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5); He who is lukewarm will be spewed out
of God's mouth (Rev. 3:16). Ultimately, God will judge us by the attitude of
our hearts, our sincerity and intent. Did we faithfully seek to live by His
word and will, sanctifying our lives? Or, were we lukewarm? The sanctified
and steadfast believer will be taken during the resurrection and the rapture.
We are chosen for salvation by God through
sanctification and belief in the truth (2Thes.2:13).
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