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Hear
- Believe - Repent - Confess - Be baptized - Grow
The
first step on the road to salvation is to hear
the message of Jesus, because "The gospel
is the power of God for the salvation of everyone
who believes" (Romans
1:16)
By
reading the Word without prejudice and renouncing
religious traditions handed down to us and accepted
without a true understanding on our part, a new
sentiment is allowed to take root within us: faith
"Consequently, faith comes from hearing
the message, and the message is heard through
the word of Christ" (Romans
10:17) In fact, by means of the gospel,
you can "believe that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing
you may have life in his name" (John
20:31)
Repentance
precedes forgiveness of sins. It can be defined
as inward suffering produced by an awareness of
sin and by a deep desire for change. Indeed repentance
proves authentic when there is a change in one's
life "Godly sorrow brings repentance that
leads to salvation and leaves no regret"
(II Corinthians 7:10)
To
witness one's faith, the believer must confess
Jesus Christ as Son of God, as Lord and Savior
"that, if you confess with your mouth
"Jesus is Lord", and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will
be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe
and are justified, and it is with your mouth that
you confess and are saved" (Romans
10:9,10)
Baptism
consists in a complete immersion of the body in
water to symbolically represent the death of one's
old self, with all its sins, and one's spiritual
rebirth as christians. "Repent and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you
will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit." (Acts 2:38)
Once
the believer has fulfilled these acts of faith,
he becomes an integral part of a christian family,
where, together with other brothers and sisters
in Christ, he follows a guide
to faith toward an ever-increasing understanding
of his spiritual growth "But grow
in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ" (II Peter
3:18).
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