The bible speaks of people who think that they are so smart that they can fool God. Paul calls them unworthy of eternal life Acts 13:46. I had this friend in high school that called me one day to tell me about the new version of windows that had come out, he told me that he was impressed with the software and wondered if I had used it. I told him no and asked him what he liked about the software and he just repeated the same thing over and over again when I asked. He said, "it was just so pretty", so I intuitively knew that he had no idea how to use the software, but thought that he could somehow fool me into believing that the did.
Several years later I bumped into him at Walmart and he starts telling me about his relationship with God; he says that his pastor preached about the Dry bones, and I said oh Ezekiel, and he says so you know about that scripture and I said yes. He tells me that the story is beautiful and that hearing it just does something to him, so I asked him what was so moving about the dry bones and he said, "It's just how one bone came upon another bone, it just does something to me." God showed me that he wanted me to believe that he was saved.
Well, my friends if that's what he wanted me to believe then he failed, telling me a little about the dry bones story did not make me believe that he was saved in fact it did the opposite. It made me believe that it was the only bible story he knew and he really didn't know much about it. In his mind he was too smart for me and he believed that he fooled me into believing that he was a Christian. Well, he didn't fool me and he's not fooling God. On judgement day when God asks him about his relationship with his son, Jesus, God isn't gonna accept his saying how beautiful their relationship was..
God wants to know if you know his son, Jesus. Do you know him?
The testimony of Jesus Christ, begins with believing the witness of God. What is the witness of God? This is answered in, [1 John 5:1-13] (He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 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, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.) The first step towards salvation is believing the witness of God, that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life. Christians believe this because we know that God cannot lie [Titus 1:2]. To receive salvation you must:
(1). Realize that you are a sinner, dead in your sins, under the judgement of God: [Romans 5:12] (Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:) Repent of sin [Acts 3:17-26].
(2). Realize that Jesus died for your sins and that salvation is available only through Jesus. [Romans 5:8-9] (But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.)
(3). You must confess with your mouth Jesus as your Lord & Savior, and believe that God raised Jesus from the grave; have faith in God's word, that God raised Jesus from the dead [Romans 10:9-10]. (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). Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen; without faith it is impossible to please God; they who come to God must first believe that He is and that he rewards them who diligently seek him [Hebrews 11:1-7]. Faith is trusting that God will reward righteousness at the appointed time, which is determined by you being saved by faith. Finally, be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit [Matthew 28:19].
Once you have done the things listed above you are a saved child of God, however your walk with God has only begun. The path to eternal life is referred to as, "the fight of faith" [1 Timothy 6:12-16], so there should be no illusions of a carefree earthly existence; all who live Godly will suffer persecutions [2 Timothy 3:11-13].
After accepting Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior it is important to grow in the Lord by reading his word, the bible. Read the book of Luke and find out about Jesus' ministry and how he suffered for your salvation, by suffering persecutions and dying on the cross. Learn how Jehovah God raised Jesus from the dead and gave him all power in heaven and earth [Luke 24]. Lastly, learn how to inhabit the body that God gave you...
