American Tract Society

Now that you are a Christian

How wonderful that you have become a Christian by receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior! This is the most important decision of your entire life. Now that you are a believer in Jesus Christ, here are some important guidelines on how to live the Christian life.

Realize What Happened
Placing your faith in Jesus Christ means that several things are now true of you. You now have spiritual life. You were spiritually dead, but now you are “born again.” The day you received Jesus as your Savior is your spiritual birthday. You are a child of God, a member of His “family.” “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). You are now saved, that is, you have been set free from the guilt and penalty of sin. You are on your way to heaven! Also the Bible says you have been “redeemed,” which means you have been freed from the slavery of sin. “In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood” (Ephesians 1: 7). And you have been “justified through faith” (Romans 5:1). This means that God has forgiven you your sins and He views you as righteous in His sight.

Rest Assured in Your Salvation
You became a Christian simply by placing your faith in Jesus Christ. You were not able to save yourself. Only God could save you. And neither can you keep yourself saved. Only God can do that. You can rest in the fact that God will not forsake you, now that you are His child. As Jesus said, “Whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). Jesus also said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28).

Share the Good News
Suppose a family is starving. And then the father learns where he can get free meals. Does he keep this a secret? No, he gladly shares the food with his family. So it is with salvation. In saving you, Jesus has nourished your starving soul. Now you can tell others how they too can find peace and joy in Christ. As Jesus said. “You shall be witnesses of me” (Acts 1:8). One of a Christian’s greatest joys is leading another person to Christ.

Read and Memorize the Bible
To grow in your Christian life you need to get in the habit of reading the Bible every day. The Bible is like food for your soul. It is God’s way of speaking to you. Through it He tells us what He expects of us, what He is like, and what He can do for us. The Bible, God’s Word, is a source of comfort and a guide for us. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”(Psalm 119:105). Also choose some verses that are meaningful to you and memorize them. “I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

Reflect on the Bible’s Basic Teachings
To grow spiritually it is helpful to know and think about the important truths that are taught in the Bible:

God: God is eternal, infinite, unchanging, holy, sovereign, loving, just, all-knowing, all-powerful, and present everywhere.

Jesus Christ: He is God and also human. He was born of a virgin, He died in our place, He arose from the dead, He ascended to heaven where He is praying for us, and He will come back to the earth again.

The Holy Spirit: As a member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is a person and He is God. When you accepted Jesus as your Savior, the Holy Spirit came to live within you, as He does every believer. Also He helps believers lead a holy life.

Angels and Satan: Thousands of angels were created by God. They worship God, and they serve Him and believers. Demons are angels who sinned, and they serve Satan in trying to harm people. Satan is a real person, the chief enemy of God, but one day he will be destroyed by Jesus Christ.

The Human Race: Adam and Eve were created by God as the first two people in the human race. When they sinned by disobeying God, they led the entire human race into sin. As a result, every person is born a sinner and needs salvation through Christ.

Church: Each Christian is united with all other Christians in the “universal church,” which the Bible calls the body of Christ. Therefore each believer should join a local church that glorifies God by helping Christians grow in Christ and by sharing the good news of salvation.

The Future: Some day Jesus Christ will return to the earth where He will reign for one thousand years. Then He will destroy the present heavens and earth, and God will create new heavens and a new earth.

Heaven and Hell:
When a Christian dies, he goes immediately into God’s presence in heaven, to be with the Lord forever. Those who die without Christ will suffer eternal punishment in hell.

Pray
Develop the habit of praying every day. “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). In prayer you can worship God, thank Him for all He has done for you, tell Him your problems, and pray for others.

Fellowship with Other Christians
Like members of a family, Christians can support, encourage, and enjoy each other. And a Bible-believing church is a place where you can fellowship with others and others can fellowship with you.

Serve the Lord
Find ways to serve the Lord in return for all He has done for you. Seek to help others in your local church. Look for occasions when you can help meet the needs of your neighbors, family members, or your friends. “Anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God” (Romans 14:18).

Be Victorious over Sin
Though your sins are forgiven, you will still be tempted to sin. Each believer has three enemies—the ungodly world, our sin nature, and the devil. But you can defeat them by depending on the Lord and resisting the devil. “Be self-controlled and alert. Resist him [the devil], standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8– 9). As you “live by the Spirit,” that is, as you depend on Him, “you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:16). Develop Christlike qualities, including “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23).

Look Forward to Jesus’ Return
Before Jesus went to the cross and was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven, He said, “I will come back” (John 14:3). We do not know when He will return, but He could come back at any time. Therefore Christians should live each day as if that were the day Jesus will return. “When He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see him as He is” (1 John 3:2). And this should affect how we live. “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:30). Because of this “blessed hope” we should “say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and live self-controlled, upright and godly lives” (Titus 2:12).

Follow these ten steps and you will grow as a Christian and you will please the Lord.