Background
Christians believe that Jesus (c. 6 to 4 BC, Bethlehem, Israel – died c. 30 AD, Jerusalem, Israel1)is both God and the only perfect human who ever walked the earth. He died on a cross nearly 2,000 years ago and He came to life again three days later. Through His death on the cross the penalty for our screw ups (a.k.a. sin) was paid and sinful humans are given the opportunity to have a relationship with a perfect God. Jesus’s resurrection from the dead proved that His sacrifice was accepted as payment for our sins and that He in fact is God in human flesh. Also, Salvation is what we call the process of becoming a Christian.
I have been a Christian for several decades now. I was “saved” when I was twelve years old, but it has been quite a journey since then. I have learned so much about God as I have matured and one of the more recent things I’m so thankful for is that He led me to learn about Recovery.
You might be thinking “Wait, is that what I think it is? Is she an addict or alcoholic?” The answer is yes and no. I don’t have a substance abuse issue, but I am an addict. Mostly, I’m addicted to me! My pride, my desires, and my own self are pretty powerful addictions on their own. I have also been addicted to what I call “trashy romance novels”. It’s a euphemism for written porn, and I think more Christian women need to feel comfortable admitting that this is a struggle that we have. Also, I have indulged in emotional eating. There are more issues than I care to admit on this forum.
Now to the Point:
In Recovery, I learned many things, but the purpose of recovery is to ultimately get “the soul back to the original state of perfect health, so it is no longer lost.2” Recovery is about restoring our relationship to God, our Creator, and through that relationship with God, our human relationships. Without a relationship with the one who created our spirit, soul, and body we cannot ever experience recovery.
The first three steps toward recovery are:
- We admitted we are powerless over ___ and that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
(Note – Many Christians don’t realize this is the basic “step work” to becoming a Christian. I didn’t either until I started taking Recovery.)
Becoming a Christian isn’t something you are born into. It is not a set of rules to follow. The process is initiated by God. He speaks to us all throughout our lives, but we tend to only first hear Him when we realize that we cannot handle our own life. Christians have accepted that God is greater than we are, and He can make our lives sane again! We have made the decision to turn our will and lives to Jesus (a.k.a. God) as we understood Him.
If your life has become unmanageable, you can ask God right now to take over your life. Tell Him that you know He is greater than you and believe He will do a better job with your life than you can. Belief is not an emotion. It is a decision. Choose to accept that His way is better than yours, and accept forgiveness for the sins that were paid by Jesus’s death on the cross. Ask Jesus to be the one you will depend on to make your decisions for the rest of your life.
Here’s another way of explaining the same thing…
A popular way Christians explain salvation is by referring to the “Romans Road”. The book Christians most often refer to is the Bible, and the book of Romans is one of 66 books that make up the Bible. Each of the 66 books of the Bible are divided further into chapters and then verses. The Romans Road consists of six verses found in this book, which describe the process of salvation.
Step One: Everyone needs Salvation
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
I believe that most people recognize they are not perfect. What most people don’t recognize is that the standard (or measuring tool) for perfection is God Himself. We like to compare ourselves to other humans, but the one God compares us to is Himself, because ALL of us don’t measure up.
Step Two: Jesus Died for Our Salvation
But God commandeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
Jesus Christ was the only one qualified to pay for our sins. Otherwise, we die with a debt we can’t pay, which leads to separation from God for eternity. Jesus didn’t die to pay our debt because of anything we humans did. He died in spite of the fact we didn’t do anything to deserve His love. Jesus died on the cross because of love for us.
Step Three: Salvation is a gift.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23
Physical death and Spiritual death is a consequence of our sin. God offers us an eternal spiritual life that was paid for by Jesus’s death on the cross. We didn’t and can never earn the gift God wants to give us.
Step Four: We are saved by Grace
And if by grace, then it is no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace; otherwise work is no more work. Romans 11:6
Grace is the free, unmerited love and favor of God. Salvation is not a product of our goodness, but of God’s love for us.
Step Five: Salvation Comes Through Faith
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. Romans 4:5
Our part in Salvation is really small, but important. We need faith in God, or as this verse says, we need to believe on God.
Step Six: God Saves All Who Call Upon Him
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13
If you believe what God says, then speak to Him. Ask Him to save you and show you how to live your life.
Becoming a Christian is only the beginning (See What is Recovery?). Did you notice that I highlighted “as we understood Him”? That’s because the deeper your relationship with Jesus gets, the more you want to obey Him and desire to know Him. That process is discipleship, and honestly it lasts for a lifetime. As long as we breathe air, we should be in the discipleship process.
In the Bible, the word “Christian” appears only three times (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and 1 Peter 4:16). The word “disciple” appears over 200 times in the New Testament of the Bible3. If you are a Christian, I hope your church has a discipleship program. If you don’t have a church or your church doesn’t have a program, please ask God to help you find a structured way to learn about discipleship.
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jesus
- Redefining Recovery 143 Ministries: An Introduction Recovery Manual p.4
- https://www.logos.com/grow/what-is-disciple/