Eastside church of Christ

The Bible teaches that it is only in Jesus Christ that we can be saved and go to Heaven to be with God. Jesus Himself said that it was only through Him that anyone can come to the Father:

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14: 6).

But how do we come to the father through Jesus? First of all, we must realise that there is no way we can earn our place in heaven - there is no way that we can do enough good deeds to pay the price for our sin, which is what separates us from God (Romans 6: 23; Ephesians 2: 8-9). Salvation, the Bible tells us, is a free gift of God.

However, there are certain things that God commands us to do in obedience to Him in order to be saved. This is not the same as trying to earn our salvation, because all we are doing is simply obeying the commands that God has given us.

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him (Hebrews 5: 9).

The first thing that we are told we need to do to be saved is to hear and believe the Word of God:

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10: 17).

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11: 6).

But belief by itself, not followed up by any action or obedience, is not sufficient: God not only wants us to believe, but also to act on our belief. After we believe the message of the Gospel, our hearts are pricked by its message and we are sorry for the sins we have committed. We decide that from henceforth we want to live for God, not in sin. This is called repentance. The Bible tells us we must repent in order to be saved.

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17: 30).

Once we have done this, we are also to confess our belief in Jesus Christ before witnesses. God wants us to be willing to proclaim our belief before all the world.

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 10: 32).

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10: 10).

After this, we are commanded to be baptised by immersion for the remission of sins. When we have done this, the Bible tells us that God washes away our sins in the blood of Christ and adds us to the church, which is the body composed of all the saved.

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2: 38).

And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptised, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22: 16).

When you have done these things, you have started on your walk as a child of God, a Christian. You now have the assistance of God in your life, and the strength that comes from studying His Word, praying to Him, as well as the encouragement of your brothers and sisters in Christ, the church. We at the Eastside church of Christ want to help you to make this decision, and to help you to see it through to the final reward in heaven (Revelation 2: 10). Please contact us if we can help you in any way, if you want to ask a question about this article or you want to study the Bible with us. We look forward to hearing from you!