Why the God of the Bible
Because the God of the Bible is the only God who loved the world so much that He chose to become man and live among people, to die on the cross and rise from the dead—in order to redeem us by His own blood from eternal separation from Him. No other faith tells such a story: not of man reaching up to find God, but of God coming down to find and rescue man.
The Salvation of Man
When you examine all the faiths of the world, Christianity alone declares that the salvation of man rests on grace alone—on the shedding of blood on the cross, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation is not based on works, or good behavior, or human effort to be good, or striving to please God. It has nothing to do with our own effort. The Christian faith is not the story of man’s effort to find God; it is the story of God finding man.
The redemption of man, and access to eternal life, rest on God’s grace—received by repentance and by believing in the one true God and in Jesus Christ:
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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9–10).
Two things, then: believing in the heart, and confessing with the mouth. Salvation is as near as a believing heart and a confessing tongue.385
Receiving Salvation
If you want to receive salvation—to be born again—pray this prayer out loud, believing it in your heart:
“Jesus, I believe in my heart that You are the Son of God, and that God raised You from the dead. I repent of all my sins and turn to You. Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and my Saviour. By faith in Your Word I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me. I welcome You into my heart to reign in me. Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer sincerely, you are now born again—a new creature in Jesus Christ. “Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Welcome to the family of God! Now, take these next steps: find a church where they believe in salvation through Jesus Christ and teach the Word of God; be baptized; and join in the Bible classes so that you may grow. A newborn needs food and family—and so do you.
Receiving the Holy Spirit
Since you are now born again, God is your Father, and you may ask Him for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Pray the following prayer, believing in your heart that you receive what He has promised. If, as you pray, you feel like weeping, or a new language begins to rise within you, do not be afraid—let it flow. And if you do not speak in a new tongue right away, do not be discouraged; simply believe that you have received the Holy Spirit, and find a church that believes in Jesus Christ and in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, teaches the Word of God, and can pray with you. Here is a prayer you can pray:
“Father, I desire to receive Your promise of the Holy Spirit, given to those who believe. Dear Father, my Lord and my God, baptize me in the Holy Spirit, so that the power of Jesus’ resurrection may work in me and transform my life according to Your will. Lord, I open my heart—fill me with Your Holy Spirit to overflowing. I hold nothing back from You. Work Your gifts in me and through me, all of me, so that Your Kingdom may be manifested in and through my life. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
Then keep on thanking Jesus. If you cannot find other words, simply say “Thank You, Jesus” again and again, and let your heart rest in Him.388
Notes
- 385. Romans 10:9–10 sets out the simple, God-given way of salvation: faith in the heart (trusting that God raised Jesus from the dead) and confession with the mouth (acknowledging Jesus as Lord). This is received by grace through faith, “not of works” (Eph. 2:8–9; Titus 3:5), so that salvation is God’s gift, not a human achievement. See Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 656–659. ↩
- 388. On the fullness of the Holy Spirit, this book writes from a Pentecostal perspective (see the notes to the chapter “His Language” in Part VIII). Christians differ on whether speaking in tongues necessarily accompanies the Spirit’s filling; this book presents its own tradition’s understanding while affirming, with all Christians, that every believer receives the indwelling Holy Spirit at conversion (Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13–14) and is called to be continually filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). The surest evidence of the Spirit is the fruit of Christlike character (Gal. 5:22–23). ↩