Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 9
October 10, 1957
NUMBER 23, PAGE 2

How To Become A Christian

Thomas Allen Robertson, San Bernardino, California

When Christ sent out the apostles he said, "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations." (Matt. 28:19). And in Acts 1:26 we are told that "the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." In this study we want to learn how men were made disciples or Christians.

Men must first hear the word of God which produces faith in their hearts. "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." (John 6:45). "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts." (Heb. 8:10). "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom. 10:17). It is obvious from these Scriptures that God first would have men hear his Word, and as they either read it for themselves, or as they are taught it by Other persons they thereby receive faith in their hearts.

The apostle John said Christ gave those who received him the "power to become the sons of God. even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:12). The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews stated "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." (Heb. 11:6). From these passages we see that those who have faith or believe have the power to come to God and become the Sons of God. Thus faith is the starting point in becoming a Christian. To put any condition of salvation before faith would be to misuse the Scriptures.

Peter tells us that the Lord is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (II Peter 3:9). Paul told the Athenians that God "now commandeth all men every where to repent." (Acts 17:30). Thus we see that repentance is the next Scriptural and logical step in becoming a Christian. Repentance is a change of mind toward God; but if one had not heard or believed the word of God, there could be no cause or reason to change one's mind toward God and sin. But there is confusion in the minds of some over the truth we have expressed concerning the relationship of faith and repentance. This confusion comes about by a misunderstading of statements made to the Jews by Christ and the apostle Paul. As recorded in Mark 1:15 Christ said to the Jews, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel." This, some men think, is just the reverse of what we have said about faith preceeding repentance. But what Christ said to the Jews is true, and it does not contradict what we said about the relationship of faith and repentance in the New Testament plan for men becoming Christians. The truth is this: The Old Testament told of the coming of Christ and his gospel. Christ came as promised, and preached as predicted. But the Jews had made void the law of God, (Matt. 15:3-6), did not believe the Old Testament, (John 5:39-46) hence, their first requirement was repentance. This was also true of the Gentile proselytes. To them with the Jews Paul preached "Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 20:21). So the order to any who have rejected the true God and his Son is first repentance toward God. By this repentance they put themselves in a position where they can be right both with God and his Son. So, changing their minds concerning God and his law regarding Christ whom hesent, they place themselves in position to believe Christ's gospel. Then the next New Testament step after faith is repentance of past sins in order to become a Christian.

Confession of faith in Christ is necessary in becoming a Christian. Christ said, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 10:32). The apostle Paul said, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Rom. 10:10). The Eunuch confessed: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (Acts 8:37). This is essentially the same confession made by Peter as recorded in Matthew 16:18. And is the confession that a man is to make unto salvation.

The apostle Paul in writing to the Galatians concerning their becoming the children of God by faith said, "For as many of you as have ben baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Gal. 3:27) What is this baptism that puts a man into Christ, that makes us to be Christians? This is water baptism. At the house of Cornelius Peter asked, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized?" and then he "commanded them to be baptized." (Acts 10:47,48) New Testament baptism is a "burial" in water. "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." (Col. 2:12). In writing to the Romans of their becoming Christians Paul said, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus 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. These passages plainly state that we get into Jesus Christ by baptism, and this agrees with the word of Jesus: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:16).

This baptism commanded in the New Testament and necessary in order for one to become a Christian is "for the remission of sins." Notice the following language found in the New Testament about the purpose of baptism. "Repent, and be baptized 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) "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins." (Acts 2:16) "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." (I Peter 3:21)

Since those who heard the Word, believed, repented, confessed and were baptized were by the Lord added to his church (Acts 2:41-47), so men today, by the same Lord, when they do the same things, added to the same church. Those in the church as disciples are those who have the right to call themselves, and be called, Christians. None who have not rendered obedience to the gospel of Christ are Christians no matter how good they might be otherwise. So we plead with you to obey the same truth in the same way, in which those in the New Testament did that you may bear the same relationship to God that they did. That you might be a member of the church of Christ, a child of God, a Christian.