Here are a few things I have learned through my personal Bible studies that I would love to share with you. Souls like you are incredibly important to me.

The Bible is God’s Word, and it is a complete guide that is the basis for a personal relationship with Christ. It is the truth.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 says, “...and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Peter 1:20-21 says, “...knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus came to this world as God in the flesh, performed miracles, and taught people the truth of the gospel. He was crucified, buried, and then raised again on the third day.

The gospel of John starts out by saying, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1) Jesus is not a fictional character, and His story is not made-up. He came to this world as a man so that He could teach people the truth of the gospel, fulfilling the work of the Father. Matthew 28:5-6 says, “But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” You can read more about the life, teachings, and sacrifice of Jesus in Matthew 5-7, John 19-20, or any of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Jesus Christ is the only Savior for all of mankind, and He is the only way we can have a relationship with God.

1 John 2:1-2 says, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” Because of His great love for you and for every single person to ever live, Jesus offered up His life so that you could become free from sin. John 14:6 says, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is the Mediator between us and the Father, and His sacrifice is the gateway for us to enter into eternal life.

God desires for us to be obedient in the things that He has taught and commanded. This includes:

Belief in Him.

In order to have a personal relationship with Christ, you must first believe in Him. John 8:24 says, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Belief is the gateway to confession, repentance, baptism, and faithfulness– it is the first step, if you will.

Confession of Him.

Once we believe, we must then put our belief into action through confession. Jesus says in Matthew 10:32, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.” We must be careful, because when we wear the name “Christian,” we are proclaiming Christ and His teachings to everyone we meet.

Repentance to Him.

After this, we must completely change our minds, turning from evil to good. This is called repentance. Acts 17:30-31 says, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” We must choose to follow Jesus and turn from our old ways of living, exchanging them for the new ways found in Christ.

Baptism into Him.

Once these things have been acknowledged, we must follow the pattern and teachings from New Testament scripture on baptism. The Scriptures teach that baptism is essential to salvation. Mark 16:15-16 says, “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” I understand that this is a hard subject for many people, but please kindly consider the following verses in addition to the one above. 1 Peter 3:21 says, “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Romans 6:3-4 says, “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” These verses greatly emphasize the importance of being baptized into Christ, because of the great sacrifice He has made for us. We must choose to sacrifice our lives for Him, if you will.  In no way do these verses contradict Ephesians 2:8 and being “saved by grace through faith.” One is baptized because they have faith that God really does save sinners “by grace.” Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Because Christ is the only way we can spend eternity with the Father, putting on Christ (being baptized into Him) is necessary for salvation.

Live a faithful life of service to Him.

Lastly, God desires for us to live a faithful life of service to Him. 1 John 2:3-6 says, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walked.” 1 Peter 2:21 says, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” Let us never forget these or the words of our Savior in Revelation 2:10, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” God does not expect perfection out of us, but He does expect faithfulness. He wants us to follow the example of His Son as closely as we can, getting right back up every time we fall down.

The gospel has the power to save any soul who does what He has commanded. Therefore, there is a distinct pattern that we are to observe and follow.

Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Feel free to reach out with any questions. I would love to talk with you more about any of this and do whatever I can to help you on your journey Home to Heaven! You can reach me through a direct message on Instagram: @scriptedbysoulshine, email: anna@scriptedbysoulshine.com, and on Facebook at Scripted by Soulshine!