When and how did you become a “Christian”?

Was it when you repented of your sins? Was it when you believed? Was it when you confessed with your mouth? Was it when you were born again? Or was it when you were baptized?

Continuing my studies on the Kingdom of God and Water Baptism, I was reading a paper by Robert Stein titled ‘Baptism and Becoming a Christian in the New Testament’. The questions presented above were presented in this paper… and I found them quite thought provoking.

You can download a copy here: Baptism and Becoming a Christian (Right click this link and choose “save target as” to save a copy of the PDF file on your computer. Or click once on the link to open the document in a new window)

Stein lists the 5 components of salvation:

  • faith (that you believe)
  • confession (that you confess with your mouth)
  • repentance
  • renewal (through the Holy Spirit)
  • …and water baptism.

While he concludes that the latter two can occur in either order, the first three are obviously in appropriate order. In order to confess it, you must first believe it. And in order to repent, you must also believe. And while there is no particular order for water baptism and baptism of the Holy Spirit, Stein wholeheartedly believes that all five of these components play a role in salvation.

Did I mention that Robert Stein is a professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary? The document linked to above was presented by Stein at the Baptist General Conference.

In the study on Water Baptism, I pointed out that “according to Baptist doctrine, baptism plays no role in salvation.” So I found this paper of great interest, and particularly so that it was written by a Baptist believer. If you choose to download the paper, be sure to read “A Concluding Allegory” at the very end - it was quite good!

Feel free to leave your thoughts on the topic, and on Robert Stein’s article, in the comments section below.

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