Next Steps

6. What happens after you believe the Gospel?

Well, you are now in a relationship with God, He has a purpose for your life, and that purpose does involve good works.

Ephesians 2:10

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,

which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

Also, Jesus said:

John 14:15

"If you love me, keep my commandments."

7. There are plenty of specific commandments in the Bible. However, there are two general ones that encompass all of the others. In answer to the question of what the greatest commandment is:

Matthew 22:37-39

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,

and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

Focus on these.

8. What happens if you sin by doing something they shouldn't or not doing something they should? Will you lose salvation from the penalty of sin and go to Hell?

No. See:

The Basics

Sinning at this point does not get you kicked out of the God's family. You are still a child of God. However, sinning at this point will hurt your relationship (fellowship) with God and can bring God's discipline.

Hebrews 12:5-7

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children,

My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons;

for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?"

But God has also told us how we can get back into fellowship with Him after sinning as a Christian:

1 John 1:9

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

So, at this point if you sin, confess that sin to God (not a priest or any other person) and you will be restored to fellowship.

9. As a Christian, life will be easy, right?

Well, becoming a Christian isn't a magic bullet to living a happy, problem free life. Certainly some days will be better than others. But, likely, there will still be struggles. When you become a Christian, the Bible does say you are a new creature:

2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:

old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

While we are a new creature, we remain in these earthly bodies for now. The Bible tells us that this results in a situation where our minds want to do right and follow God, but our bodies (flesh) war against that and want us to continue in sin. Read Romans 7 (too long to reproduce here) for the Apostle Paul's description of this. In this struggle, the Bible says we should do the following:

Ephesians 4:22-24

"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man,

which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

This should be an ongoing thing. And if you fail, confess to be restored to fellowship and put on the new man again. The Bible also puts it this way:

Romans 6:12-14

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,

that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:

but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead,

and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

For sin shall not have dominion over you:

for ye are not under the law, but under grace."

Don't forget that, as Christians, God does not stop loving us when we sin. He is our Father. He wants us back in fellowship.

10. Some suggestions for next steps:

a. Start reading the Bible. Often it is suggested that one start with the fourth book of the New Testament named John. This is a good one.

b. Find a church that believes the Bible and agrees with The Basics and 6-9 above and start attending. Being around other believers can help you in your walk with God. Avoid any church that believes that you somehow have to do or continue to do good works to go to heaven or that believes that if you fail to do good works that you will lose your salvation.

c. Consider getting baptized in the church you found. While baptism does not save you, the Bible indicates that it is an important next step. Also, doing so is following Jesus example and is a statement to the world that you are now a believer.

d. Pray often. Prayer should not just be thought of as you asking God to fix things in your life. It should be used to grow close with Him by giving thanks, talking to Him about your desires (realizing He's not a vending machine), praying for wisdom and discernment, and asking for comfort if you become anxious or depressed about things.

Feel free to help spread the Gospel by passing this along!