How To Become A Christian

Have you ever wondered--or does it really matter to you--how sinful human beings become New Testament Christians? Has the confusion surrounding the topic discouraged you to the point that you are no longer striving to learn what to do to become a child of God? Where can lowly and sinful creatures like us find the right way--and there is only one right way--to be a member of the New Testament church? If you really want to know what the Bible says about becoming a Christian, will you please open your heart and listen to the simple truths of God’s word?

It is not my intention to recite what any church or parachurch group advocates. I have no desire to examine what scholars from various denominations have written. If I know my own heart, my only reason for speaking on this topic today is to find exactly what the scriptures teach--nothing less, nothing more. If I can do that to your satisfaction, will you resolve in your heart to cast aside any prejudice and embrace the plan of salvation which God himself has revealed and for which Jesus Christ gave his life? After all, both you and I will have to give an account of our behavior in the day of judgment. I do not want to mislead you and you surely do not want to be misled.

A few nights ago, I was listening to a television evangelist--a very capable and devout man--preach on becoming a Christian. At the conclusion of his sermon, he said, in effect, “If you want Christ to come into your heart, all you have to do is confess your sins and ask him to forgive you.” I have heard other preachers say when they had given such advice, “Now thank God for forgiving your sins and making you his child.” Please understand that I am not making fun of these preachers or doubting their sincerity. But I am wondering: Is that the way Peter, Philip the evangelist, the apostle Paul and other New Testament preachers presented salvation? If it is, then every one of us ought to preach it that way. If it is not the way the apostles taught men how to be saved, then we must examine the scriptures carefully and prayerfully to ascertain exactly what they do teach. The book of Acts, which is often called the “book of conversions,” will be our source of information. Will you please open you Bibles--if you have them handy to Acts 2?

As every serious Bible student knows, the very first gospel sermon ever preached appears in Acts 2. Jewish people and proselytes from all over the Roman world had come to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost. The God of heaven got the attention of the visitors to Jerusalem with some very spectacular miracles--the sound of the rushing mighty wind, speaking in tongues and cloven tongues like fire sitting on the people. When the Jewish people heard the apostles speaking in tongues, they were astonished and gave the most unusual explanation one can imagine. They said, “These men are full of new wine.” In very simple language, the apostles were accused of being drunk. If a man cannot speak in a language he has never studied when he is sober, how can he do it when is drunk?

Peter informed his hearers that the men were not drunk since it was only nine in the morning. Incidentally, that would not be an adequate explanation in our day. There are people in the United States who get drunk at all hours of the day and night. But, apparently in Bible times, human beings did not generally get drunk so early in the morning. If those speaking in tongues or languages they had never studied were not drunk, what was the explanation? Peter affirmed that the events on Pentecost were the fulfillment of that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. Joel had predicted a day when God almighty would pour out his Spirit on all flesh. The sons and daughters of the Israelites would prophesy, the young men would see visions and the old men would dream dreams. God promised, through the prophet, to “show wonders in the heaven above and signs in the earth beneath. It would come to pass that whosoever called on the Lord would be saved (Acts 2:1-21).

After quoting the words of Joel, Peter spoke passionately and lovingly about God’s gracious provisions for our salvation through Jesus Christ. According to the apostle Peter, Jesus of Nazareth had been approved of God by miracles, wonders and signs. But in spite of that, the Jews had taken him and with wicked hands had crucified and slain him. But that was not the end of the story. The most unusual even in the history of the world occurred: Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, in accordance with the prophecy of David. In addition, Jesus Christ was seated on the throne of David (Acts 2:22-35).

Can you imagine the impact Peter’s sermon had on the Jews who were listening to him? It suddenly dawned on them that they had killed the Messiah for whom they had been waiting hundreds of years. When they heard Peter say, “God has made this same Jesus, who you have crucified, both Lord and Christ,” they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:36-37). Were the Jews asking Peter what to do to be saved? Do you remember what I read to you a few moments ago: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21)? Is that what the Jews were talking about when they asked, “What shall we do?” Were they wanting to know how to be saved from their sins--how to become Christians? How can any honest reader or listener doubt that?

What did Peter tell them about being saved--about becoming New Testament Christians? Is your mind open to the biblical answer? Are you willing to do exactly what Peter commanded the Jews on Pentecost? Is it possible to misunderstand what Peter said to the Jews? “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Which of the words in this verse do you not understand? Do you know what repentance means? It involves a change of mind resulting in a change of heart. The command to repent may not be easy to obey, but it would take considerable help from someone for us not to understand its meaning. Peter said very simply, “Change your mind toward God and toward his Son and bring your life into harmony with his will.” Could they comply with Peter’s divinely inspired advice without the grace of God? Of course not, but they were commanded to repent.

Peter also commanded the Jews to be baptized. Is there any problem with that word? The Greek means to submerge, to immerse, to overwhelm. It was the command of Jesus Christ when he gave the Great Commission. “Go into the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who does not believe shall be condemned” (Mk. 15:15-16). Did Jesus mean that when we believe and are baptized we would become Christians? Is becoming a Christian the same as being saved? If it is not, what else does one have to do to become a Christian?

But modern preachers are fond of saying, “If one has to be baptized to be saved--or to become a child of God--he is being saved by works--righteousness. Has it ever dawned on you that no preacher in the book of Acts ever used that kind of language? They knew about men’s trying to save themselves by their own righteous deeds, but not one of the preachers in Acts ever equated obeying the Lord in baptism with works--righteousness. Wherever they went, they always preached the same gospel. “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he who believes not shall be condemned.” If believing and being baptized saved the people on Pentecost and everywhere else the gospel was preached in the first century, why will not that plan save men and women today and make them members of the New Testament church? If that is what actually occurred on Pentecost, is that same plan applicable today? Can you be saved by some other plan? If so, which one?

God’s plan for evangelizing the world included beginning in Jerusalem, then spreading throughout Judea, then to Samaria and after that to the remotest areas of the world (Acts 1:8). Acts 7 records the martyrdom of Stephen--a courageous and faithful gospel preacher. After the death of Stephen, there arose a great persecution against the Lord’s church at Jerusalem. The Christians at Jerusalem were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:1-4). When the Lord’s disciples went everywhere preaching the word, what did they teach men and women to do in order to become Christians? Did they continue to preach the message Peter had preached on the day of Pentecost?

Luke says that “Philip went down to Samaria and preached Christ unto them” (Acts 8:5). I am aware of the controversy swirling around what preaching Christ means, but there is no reason why anyone should have any doubt about its meaning. Why? Because the inspired writer specifically tells us what preaching Christ meant, at least on that occasion. “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:12). What did Philip say about the kingdom, about the name of Christ and about baptism? We have absolutely no way of knowing, although we can discover what the Bible teaches on all these topics by a diligent study of God’s word.

Why did Philip preach baptism? Did he think it had something to do with salvation? Maybe he knew the Great Commission in which the Son of God said, “Go therefore and teach (or make disciples) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you all the way even to the end of the world” (Mt. 28:19-20). The Lord’s command to go make disciples necessarily involves baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism cannot be overlooked in the process of making Christ’s disciples. If men and women are not baptized for the remission of sins, they cannot be Christ’s disciples or Christians--if Jesus meant what he said in Matthew 28. Becoming a Christian absolutely requires baptism for the remission of sins.

Do you suppose the Ethiopian eunuch understood that gospel truth? The eunuch was riding in his chariot when the Lord sent Philip, the evangelist, to teach him the truth about the gospel. The eunuch was reading Isaiah 53 which reads: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so he opened hot his mouth: in his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? For his life is taken from the earth” (Acts 8:32-33). The eunuch did not understand the meaning of what he was reading. He asked Philip for an explanation. “Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus (Acts 8:35). What was included in Philip’s preaching Jesus to the eunuch? My friends, I do not know--nor does anyone else know--all Philip said about Christ, but I do know this: In preaching Jesus, Philip preached baptism. How do I know that? “And as they went on their way, they came to a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water: what hinders me from being baptized” (Acts 8:36)? Where did the eunuch learn about baptism? He did not learn it from Isaiah 53:7-8. He had to learn it from the preaching of Philip. Does that mean one cannot preach Christ without preaching baptism? My friends, you know it does. Jesus began his personal ministry by requesting baptism at the hands of the John the immerser (Matt. 3:13-17). Our Lord ended his life on earth by giving the Great Commission which I have read to you from Mark 16:15-16 and Matthew 28:18-20. Was not Philip the evangelist carrying out the same plan which Peter had preached on Pentecost?

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus is one of the most thrilling and enlightening stories of conversion recorded the book of Acts. Saul, as you remember, was personally involved in the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 8:1). He had been the most persistent persecutor of the church among the Jewish people. He later wrote to the Galatians: “For you have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: and profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in my own nation, being more exceedingly jealous of the traditions of my fathers” (Gal. 1:13-14). He admits he was mistaken about Christ and his church, but he was honest in his opposition to New Testament Christianity.

Saul of Tarsus was on his way to Damascus to arrest and to imprison the Christians in that city. He had letters from the Jewish high priest authorizing him to “bring men and women bound to Jerusalem.” As he made his way toward Damascus, suddenly there was a bright light shining around him. The light so startled Saul that he fell to the earth. He heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul asked, “Who art thou, Lord?” Can you imagine the absolute consternation Saul must have felt when the Lord said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting: it is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 9:1-5). Saul’s next question is exactly what one would expect from one who had experienced such an event. “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” The Lord instructed Saul to go into the city and there it would be told him what he had to do (Acts 9:6).

Please turn to Acts 22 to get Paul’s account of what transpired when he arrived in Damascus. Please remember that Jesus told him to go into Damascus where it will be told him what he had to do. God sent Ananias, a faithful gospel preacher, to tell Saul what he had to do to be saved. When Ananias arrived at the place where Saul was staying, he said to him, “And now why are you waiting? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Was Ananias sure about baptism’s washing away Saul’s sins? Were not Saul’s sins forgiven when he met the Lord on the Damascus road? Surely baptism did not actually wash away Saul’s sins and usher him into the church of the living God. The Lord said that was what he had to do. Ananias certainly thought Saul had to obey the Lord in baptism. Saul humbly submitted to the Lord’s will and was baptized into Christ.

Saul of Tarsus became a Christian the day he was baptized into Christ and would later write as follows to the Romans: “Do you not know, that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together with him in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Rom. 6:3-6). At the time the Romans and Paul were baptized into Christ, were their sins forgiven? Were they made free from sin? “But God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness” (Rom. 6:17-18).

Some theologians insist that the book of Galatians removes all responsibilities for doing any good works. We are saved wholly by the grace of God. Will you please listen to what Paul says? “For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27). When do we become Christians? When we believe in Jesus Christ and are baptized into him. How could any truth be simpler or more forceful?

Winford Claiborne

The International Gospel Hour

P.O. Box 118

Fayetteville, TN 37334

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