Two very important questions

I agree

This is the repentance I am speaking of in my post as well....I was thinking of Peter speaking to the unsaved in Acts. There is an initial repentance...turning away from our sin...wishing to not give into our sin anymore....people need to know that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God before they can be saved. Then there is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in sanctifying us....calling to mind our sins which we continually repent of during our Christian walk.

 

When I came to God I knew I was a sinner (missing the mark), but the direct reason why I came to Him initially was not for forgiveness or to save my soul; I came to God because the burdens in my life where unbearable. From the time since a young child I felt the presence of Jesus Christ protecting me and the Holy Spirit drawing at me, not only in my conscience but in my dreams, but I did not understand it, and the fact that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for my sins was not understood, as well, I was ignorant of the Trinitarian relationship which was baffling to me because all I knew was that Jesus was everywhere and yet not the Father, but He still somehow was God.

So, on that lonely night when I cried out to God telling Him that my ways were not working, never could work, that there was no way I could ever fix my life, that no one else could ever help me, and that I needed Him to guide me in my life; I didn’t even know or understand any of these other ins and outs. I simply asked to have a personal relationship with Him and to help me understand who He was and guide me; also to be able to have more faith in the truth that He showed me along the way with what I recognize now as a complete surrender in my heart in that I accepted Him to be the Lord of my life.

When anyone starts proclaiming what others “must recognize” and they begin to set conditions of belief in order to be saved it sends up a big red flag in front of me. I did not understand much about whom the Lord Jesus Christ was or what He did, but I believed on Him for my life and trusted in Him only to show me the way to live it, the rest came later. We need to watch laying down these now obvious conclusions as conditions in our witnessing.

I know now that I was in His hands the moment I truly denied myself and asked to know Him, so I could live my life according to His way, nothing more was required. I had asked while believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for my life regardless of understanding the details; Paul and Silas told the jailer who asked, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,”. The following days God showed me more about who He was through His Word and convicted me in my many tears and astonishments about the truths of Him which I accepted along the way while praising Him for His wisdom and love, thanking Him for showing me the truth, struggling with the fear that I was not worthy of this love and crying out for stronger faith and forgiveness in my love for Him.

God then showed me I was forgiven, and why, along with the good news of how great His love is. None of this changes the fact of how simple it was to come to Him in my burdens and how easy it was to take His yoke as I followed Him from the moment I asked to know Him, in which, He freely revealed who He was. Believing Him as truth brought me to sanctification, and how simple was that beginning? I believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and I was saved, period.

(Mat 11:27) All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

(Mat 11:28) Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

(Mat 11:29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

(Mat 11:30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I pretty much agree with everything you said here, and maybe it’s just the wording, but it is the conditions you put on the “before they can be saved” which seem to supersede the “can” which is not in in the scripture, it says “shall” meaning delivered, preserved or “will” be saved. The only condition is to believe, I did, and I was saved. That’s it.

 

Some good discussion. I like what Benjamin said, Believe on Christ, grace alone.

I can't subscribe to making Acts 2 a list for salvation. Paul never quoted from this. He even minimized the importance of baptism.