![“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) "No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." - Jesus (John 10:18)](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/66c9bf_9850c33ae6ff4ccdbf4cfd2a1c180e31~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_98,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/66c9bf_9850c33ae6ff4ccdbf4cfd2a1c180e31~mv2.jpg)
How Does This Whole Salvation Thing Work?
You may be asking yourself, why do people accept the gospel if we, as human beings, would NATURALLY be repulsed by it? Great question!
When you hear about this salvation message we call the gospel or good news, whether it’s from the pulpit, a friend, a YouTube video, or even a post like this, the discomfort either leads you to curiosity or fierce rejection, as previously stated. Stay with me here. In the process of your rumination and curiosity, you might be prompted by “something you can’t put your finger on” to take the leap of faith in order to experience what it’s like here on the other side. You may organically say,
“Jesus, I want to experience this salvation from my evil nature that I can’t seem to shake on my own. I want to know why I'm here,”
or in church you may recite,
“I confess that I am a sinner and I need a savior. Jesus, I believe you lived, died, and rose again for my salvation. I want you to be the Lord of my life.”
AFTER THIS POINT, if the prayer was sincere, something very supernatural will take place that you may or may not feel. Yes, it happened to me...and to all other believers then and now.
This supernatural phenomenon is when the Holy Spirit enters your human body—the third being of the God Trinity. So basically God enters you and helps you carry on believing what your human mind would have naturally rejected—the gospel and the Bible as the infallible word of God (Acts 2:38).
When the Holy Spirit takes residence in you, you will come to experience extraordinary fulfillment and unmatched peace. Why? You were made to worship God (John 4:23). Therefore, you will feel most fulfilled when you finally can! This gospel message that once seemed like a grave inconvenience to how you would rather live your life is now the very air you breathe (1st Corinthians 1:18)!
How Come Christians Still Sin?
Now, this is not to say when you become a believer, you will never sin again. Your human body naturally gravitates towards sin. Remember James 1:14-15? Without the willpower or the assistance to kill your evil desire from conception, your desire will always manifest into sin. As a believer, however, you've been reborn in Christ; the Holy Spirit lives in your human body convicting you of sin and empowering you to do what is right by God’s standards. You have now been given the freedom to choose your master. Sometimes you listen to the Holy Spirit and sometimes you listen to your human flesh —hence you sin (Galatians 5:16-25). Even with this dichotomy, you don’t feel sorry for yourself for sinning, though you really hate sin. Instead, you're motivated to rely on the Holy Spirit and seek godly support each time you fall into temptation. Conviction NOT guilt. Conviction and repentance leads you to transformation. As you mature in Christ, certain sins will become much easier to resist. It is important to note that you will never fully recover from this rivalry between the human body and Holy Spirit until you die and go to Heaven where you will be given a new, and sinless body (Philippians 3:20-21).
Most importantly, when you become a Christian, your life focus becomes loving God and loving people with the help of the Holy Spirit who exercises the good in and through you (Mark 12:30-31).
Here is the key takeaway: you exist to worship God and worshipping God is the only thing that will satisfy you in this life. Worshipping God = Loving God + Loving People (with the aid of the Holy Spirit inside of you).
You need God to get to God Jesus is knocking on the door of every heart. When we accept Christ as our savior, we open the door. When we open the door, the Holy Spirit moves in and begins "remodeling and renovating" our hearts and minds. This is the sanctification process (1st Corinthians 6:9-11). In essence, you need God first, to knock on the door of your heart; if you're curious, you hear him knocking! Then, you need God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, to reside in you in order for you to embrace the faith fully, to understand His Word, to change your lifestyle, and to live out your calling (John 14:26). If you have yet to accept Christ as your personal savior, all of this is a bunch of foolishness. I’m not offended and neither is God, quite frankly. It’s actually not supposed to make complete sense without the Holy Spirit. That’s the interesting part about all of this!
Quiz Time! So which one are you: uncomfortable, curious, or Christian? Or maybe somewhere in-between?
If curious, try out Jesus for yourself—sincerely of course—and let Him unravel the rest of your life before you. You’ll find that you’re a lucky small-time actor in His grand story!
Salvation Prayer for the Curious and Convicted: “I, ______(your name), confess that I am a sinner and I need a savior. Jesus, I believe you lived, died, and rose again in my place for my salvation. I want you to be the Lord of my life. Amen!”
You might be asking, “now what?” Another great question!
First, keep on praying for God to reveal Himself to you and direct your steps from this point forward. Praying is talking to God, so simply talk. Trust me, He can hear you and He will freakishly show you how very real He is!
Second, check out these links below for resources to further explore who Jesus is and what the fuss is all about! God responds to your prayers primarily through his Word aka the Bible and the links below will provide you with great places to start.
The Story of Jesus ($2 but hmu in the chat to purchase it for you!)
RightNow Media: Hope City Bible Study Library Create a free profile for free resources!
Search for the following plans in the Bible App:
The Second Birth
7 Steps for New Christians
Next Steps in Following Jesus
21 Days in the Gospel of John
Third, join a church that believes in the Bible in its entirety. Any church that takes anything out of or adds anything to the 66 books in the Bible is reinventing their own religion; it is not the Christian faith of Jesus Christ. Be alert, but don't stress—God got you!
"being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)
If Christian, I highly recommend that you watch American Gospel - Christ Alone (Netflix) and American Gospel - Christ Crucified (Vimeo/Amazon). I literally typed this entire blog in my phone notepad while watching both films! ENLIGHTENING! These documentaries will propel you into a new level of faith.
If uncomfortable or on a spectrum, I'm curious to know your thoughts as well! You are certainly welcomed here!
Housekeeping: Courtesy & Curiosity
Don’t hesitate to ask me questions in the chat, found on the bottom right-hand corner. I will receive your questions in the chat directly and if I'm online, I'll respond immediately. If you would like to leave a comment below, you'll have to create an account. I just ask that all questions/comments come from a place of sincerity and respect. This is a safe place where curiosity and diversity of opinions are WELCOMED. Please help me maintain an atmosphere of learning and open-mindedness! Remember we can always politely agree to disagree.
See! That wasn't so bad, right? If you enjoyed the read, heart this post! Stay tuned for the next blog post. Keep your ideas for topics rolling! Until next time Bible bingers!