Mission Venture Ministries

According to Paul a Christian is one that imitates Christ: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) 

A Christian is a person who is born again by the Spirit of God as they wholeheartedly trusts in Jesus Christ and seeks to follow Him in obedience. There is no other way to the Father, no other way to be a Christian, than through personal faith in the Son of God. Jesus said. “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). 

The apostle Peter writes: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Our part is to respond to the gospel message in faith when the Holy Spirit opens our heart to understand. 

The path to redemption begins with the realization that it’s impossible to make ourselves righteous, because we cannot correct our sinful nature. To find favor with the Lord, we must trust in the sacrifice our Savior made on our behalf. His crucifixion was a demonstration of God’s hatred for sin and immense love for mankind. Jesus, the sinless One, bore the penalty for sin so sinful people could be made righteous through faith in Him. 

To be a true Christian, a person must take a vital step – they must truly repent. After the apostle Peter’s powerful sermon on the day the New Testament Church began, many were “pierced to the heart” when they recognized that it was their sins for which Jesus was crucified (Acts 2:37). 

Peter’s striking sermon had made it clear just who Jesus was, the promised future King whom God had raised from the dead and by doing so had made Him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:29-32, 36). Their sins and ours had necessitated the death of the Son of God. 

Then they “said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call'” (Acts 2:37-39). 

We see here several crucial steps to becoming a true Christian. First, a person must be called by God. Then they must repent of past sins. To repent means to change, to turn around, to stop going the way you are going. It is to be truly sorry for our personal sins, as well as to have sorrow for our inclination and desire to do the wrong things; it is truly a life-changing process. 

In biblical terms, this process of change, of surrendering and turning our life over to God is called conversion. Obviously a human being cannot change everything at once, but one can have a repentant attitude and turn in the right direction, making basic changes as they embark on a new path and a new life of overcoming, producing fruit consistent with repentance (Matthew 3:8). 

Here are a few Biblical indicators of salvation: 

1. Genuine Christians testify to a real and personal relationship with Christ. “And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). True salvation is far more than mentally believing facts “about” God. It means actually “knowing” God in a life-changing personal relationship. 

2. Saved people have experienced genuine conviction of sin and trust Christ alone for eternal life. “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). 

No one is saved by intellect. Neither can anyone be saved by just being in church or around Christian people. No one is saved by being a good person. A person must be personally convicted of sin and drawn to Christ by the Holy Spirit. There must be a time when they personally prayed and trusted Christ as their own Lord and Savior. Saved persons can readily testify to this reality in their lives. 

3. Genuine Christian possess a supernatural assurance that they are saved and forgiven of their sins because, “the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). 

4. Children of God exhibit a hunger for spiritual growth and a strong desire to turn from sin because, “everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3). And because, “No one who has been born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). 

The Bible describes salvation as a life-changing experience. Put simply, if someone can consistently live in sin without deep sorrow, they are not saved. When saved people willfully sin, they are utterly miserable and repent and know that, if they confess their sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). 

5. Genuine Christians sense God’s presence and hear His voice in their life. “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). 

Because salvation is a personal relationship, true believers regularly perceive the voice of the Holy Spirit in their life as they seek His guidance, wisdom and discernment in everything they say, think and do.

6. True Christians have a love for the church and the people of God. “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death” (1 John 3:14). 

Perhaps the greatest mark of a saved person is a loving compassionate spirit. If you consistently lack any desire to worship and be with God’s people, there is strong reason to question your salvation (1 John 2:19). 

7. Most saved people can describe a ‘before and after’ in terms of their salvation. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

To be born again is the most powerful transformation in human experience. Put simply, it is very doubtful that old things could pass way and all things become new and you are unaware of them! 

A true Christian will have a very different perspective on life. He will have an overriding goal to live like Jesus Christ because, “he who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). A true Christian’s understanding of how to live will be deeply rooted in the example of the life of the Messiah, and will look, in faith, to God, realizing his total dependence on the Creator. 

Being a Christian and obtaining salvation isn’t just the door to heaven; it’s the pathway to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior until we have the most satisfying of all possible relationships. 

*******