Christianity 101

The Bible assures the believer that once they call upon Christ to be their Savior, they are saved forever. The believer can know they are saved eternally.  1John 5:13 states, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” What does the Bible have to say about the security of the believer’s salvation?

1. God does not lie.
Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” The God who promises to save eternally will not break that promise.

2. The love of God.
In Romans 8:35 the question is asked in regards to the believer, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” The answer is summarized by one word, “nothing.”
    

3. The hands of God.
Jesus said in John 10:27-29, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” The believer is held securely in the all powerful hands of God.

4. The guarantee of God.
At the moment of the believer’s salvation, God secured the believer through the indwelling presence of the Spirit. Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.”

5.  The eternal life of God.
The only type of life Christ has to offer to those who call upon Him for salvation is everlasting life. John 3:16 states clearly, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Eternal life for the believer begins at the moment of salvation and by its very nature, eternal life cannot and so it will not ever come to an end.

6. The Word of God
Some base their salvation on an experience, feelings, actions and behavior, or religious service. They have a false hope that God will see their good works outweigh their bad and be accepted into heaven. Assurance of salvation must be tied to the truth of God’s Word.  1John 3:19 declares “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.”

Baptism is often referred to as the first step of obedience for the believer in Jesus Christ. There is much confusion when it comes to religious teaching on the subject of baptism.  This is unfortunate because the Bible makes the subject to be clearly understood by those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior. Here are a few truths about believers baptism that the Bible teaches us.

1. Command of Baptism

Jesus commands us to be baptized in water after we trust Christ as our Savior.  In Matthew 28:19 Jesus commands, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Jesus not only commanded us to be baptized, but He was also baptized "to fulfil all righteousness" Matthew 3:15. If baptism was a right thing for Jesus to do at the start of His earthly ministry, surely it is a right thing for us to do after salvation.

2. Candidate of Baptism

There is only one type of person baptized in the Scripture. Biblical baptism is only practiced on those who believe.  Acts 2:41 teaches shows us this practice by the first church, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." Only those who believed the Gospel message were baptized and as they  believed and were baptized they were added to the local church.  The teaching of Biblical baptism excludes the practice of infant baptism and baptismal regeneration as a viable means of salvation.

3. Condition of Baptism

There is only one method of Baptism practiced in the Bible. All believers were baptized by immersion in water.  The word baptism means to be immersed. Jesus was baptized by immersion Matthew 3:16. there is no other method of baptism practiced in the Bible. There is no other method of baptism, other than full immersion, that pictures the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ  Romans 6:3-4.

4. Commemoration of Baptism

Baptism is the first of only two ordinances Christ gave to His church to help us remember His death burial and resurrection. Baptism therefore should be practiced, by the authority of the church, upon only those who have already professed Jesus Christ as their Savior. 

The church plays an important role in a believers life. The church is Christ’s body and He has placed believers in the body as it has pleased Him. There are several reasons for the believer to make church attendance a priority in life.

1. Christ loves the church.
 Ephesians 5:25 says, “...Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” As followers of Christ we should love what He loves and be willing to freely give of ourselves for His church.

2. The church is the foundation of truth
 1Timothy 3:15 says, “...The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” Our God is not dead and when we gather together we are exposed to the truth that comes from Him. We need to hear and be reminded of God’s truth often.    3. The church helps believers to grow.
As the truth of God’s Word is taught it will help young believer grow into mature believers. 1Peter 2:2 says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”

4. The church unites believers together.
As a group of called out believers we need one another. Every church member is just as important as any other church member.  Christ’s desire for His church is found in 1Corinthians 12:12, “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”

5. The church gives a believer a place to serve others.
 Just as Christ did not come to be served but to minister (Mark 10:45), so too the church gives the believer the opportunity to serve others.
 
6. What are my responsibilities to church?

 - Attend church as often as the doors are open. Hebrews 10:25

 - Give of your tithes and offering. I Corinthians 16:1-2

 - Pray for your church.  Acts 12:5

 - Praise the Lord. Hebrews 2:12

 - Study the Bible. Acts 17:11

 - Serve one another. Galatians 5:13

 - Proclaim the Word. Acts 8:4

Prayer is talking to God. Prayer is one of the avenues God has given to us so that we can bring to Him our praise,  our problems, and our petitions. Prayer is a privilege that we should not take for granted. There are many reasons we should pray.

1. Christ prayed
John 17 is an entire chapter dedicated to a prayer of Jesus before He was arrested. If Jesus, who is God in human flesh, thought it to be important to pray, how much more should we take time to pray?

2. Christ teaches us to pray.
In Matthew 6:5-15, Jesus teaches those who would follow Him the different aspects of prayer. Praying to God is a learning process. The best way to learn how to pray is to read what Jesus taught us about prayer and then start praying.

3. Jesus told us to ask.
Why shouldn’t we pray when Jesus tells us on numerous occasions to ask? In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Asking is not a suggestion, it shows up as a continual command from Jesus.

4. His joy is produced through prayer
John 16:24 “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” Jesus promises His joy to the one who is willing to call upon Him in prayer. His joy comes not only from asking but also from receiving. The joy that Jesus promises through prayer is not a partial joy but through prayer He wants our joy to be full.

5. Steps to Answered Prayers
1. A follower of God. Romans 8:14-15
2. Pray in Jesus name. 1 Timothy 2:5
3. Pray with a pure heart. Psalm 66:18
4. Pray believing.  Matthew 21:22
5. Pray according to God’s Word. John 15:7
6. Pray according to God’s will.  1 John 5:14
7. Pray with a righteous heart. James 5:16
8. Pray persistently  Luke 18:1

No education is complete until a student is completely educated in the Word of God. Psalm 119:97 says, “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” There are many reasons to elevate the Word of God as the premier love in our life.

1. Faith comes by hearing God’s Word.
Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith begins and then grows through a steady diet on the Word of God.

2. Wisdom is gained by the Word of God.
The perfect wisdom of God is found in the pages of God’s Word. Psalm 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” To neglect God’s Word would be to neglect His wisdom choosing rather to live a simple life of foolishness.

3. Direction is found in God’s Word.
Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” God’s Word will always guide us to live a life pleasing unto Him. Instead of walking in darkness we are called to walk in the light.

4. Sin is defeated by God’s Word.
In Matthew chapter four Jesus was tempted by Satan to sin on three different fronts. All three times, Jesus guarded his heart by quoting the Word of God. Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

5. Promises of God’s Word are true.
2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” God wants us to know His promises will always be fulfilled. How can we claim the promises of God if we do not know them?

6. The Believer and the Bible
1. Love it. Psalm 119:97
2. Read it. Nehemiah 8:18
3. Believe it. John 5:47
4. Study it. 2 Timothy 2:15
5. Meditate on it. Joshua 1:8
6. Memorize it. Psalm 119:11
7. Obey it. John 14:5
8. Share it. Mark 16:15

7. Bible Reading Plans
Weekly - 3 chapters in the Gospel of John a day
Monthly - 1  Proverbs a day
40 days - Read 30 minutes in the New Testament
Yearly - Read through the Bible 4 chapters a day

The Bible says, “the love of money is the root of all evil.” 1 Timothy 6:10 To help prevent us turning money into an evil god, God teaches us the principle of giving.  There are many good reason why we should give back to our God.

1. Everything belongs to God.
1 Corinthians 10:26 says, “For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.” Giving is a greatful acknowledgment that all we have comes from God. To not give, is a dreadful declaration revealing our greediness and unthankfulness.

2. Giving honors God.
In Malachi 3:8, God asks the question,”Will a man rob God?” The answer is a resounding “Yes!” We  rob God the honour He rightly deserves when we refuse to honour Him with our tithes and offerings. Will you choose to honor God?   

3. Jesus taught us to give.
Being a follower of Christ means that we are going to do what He commands of us to do. Jesus taught us the value of giving when He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35 If we think receiving is a great blessing, Jesus taught giving is even more of a blessing.

4. Jesus exemplified giving.
Giving is at the heart of Christianity. The only reason we have the riches of the grace of God in Christ Jesus is because He freely gave us all things Romans 8:32. Seeing then we are recipients of such grace, we should abound in the grace of giving as well 2 Corinthians 8:7.

5. The blessing of giving.
We cannot out give God. When we give, with a right motive, God promises to liberally give back in return. Malachi 3:10

6. The Practice of Giving
1. Give yourself to God.  2 Corinthians 5:8
2. Give 10% back to God. Malachi 3:10
3. Give above the tithe. Malachi 3:8
4. Give to missions. Philippians 4:15-17
5. Give by grace. 2 Corinthians 8:7
6. Give bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6
7. Give cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9:7
8. Give expectantly. Mark 12:41-44
9. Give faithfully. I Corinthians 16:2
10. Give obediently. Luke 11:42

The goal and desire of every disciple of Jesus Christ should be to glorify God by being used of Jesus to make more disciples. The plan of disciple making is recorded for us in Matthew 28:18-20. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” There are three steps to disciple making.

1. Go preaching the gospel to all people.
Jesus said in Mark 16:19, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” We have the God-given responsibility to proclaim the Good News of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for the salvation of sinful mankind. The scope of this mission is the world. We cannot share the Gospel with the wrong person for all people have sinned against God and need to know there is a Savior. We do not do the saving but we should lead them to the Savior.  

2. Go baptizing the believer.
Those who receive Jesus as their Savior must be taught to follow Jesus in Scriptural baptism. Through baptism the believer is publicly identifying with Jesus and with His church. Through baptism a believer declares that Christ arose from the dead and He is worthy of pleasing through our walk.  Baptism does not save but it is administered by the church on one who is already saved.
 
3. Go teaching the ways of Jesus.
Salvation and baptism are only the beginning of disciple making. A believer becomes a disciple when they are used of God to make other disciples. This requires a lot of teaching. We are to teach baptized believer to live like Jesus. Paul taught Timothy, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2 The idea here is that the process of making disciples is never complete until our Lord returns.  When He returns will He have found you faithful in making disciples for His glory?

Walking Down the Romans Road
1. All have sinned. Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

2. The payment for sin is death. Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

3. Jesus died for sinners. Romans 5:8
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

4. Believe Jesus arose. Romans 10:9
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

5. Call upon Christ for salvation. Romans 10:13
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”