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According to Scripture, whoever believes in Christ has eternal life and will not perish, and the person who does not believe in the Son of God is condemned and under God’s judgment (John 3:15, 18, 36). Becoming a believer starts with the realization that I have sinned and need a Savior.
Becoming a believer in Christ requires believing, repenting, and becoming humble. The first step of faith is believing what God says is true about me and believing that Jesus died as the sacrifice for my sins. The person who trusts Jesus has his/her faith counted for righteousness and sins forgiven.
Repentance refers to the turning of the mind and heart away from sin and independence and turning toward God. Repentance involves (1) a change of mind or purpose, (2) sorrow for sin and sadness or remorse about the effects of one’s sins, and (3) turning away from sin and turning toward God and the attitudes that please God.
The importance of humility is especially evident in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and Publican in Luke 18. Two men went into the temple to pray. One of them trusted in himself that he was righteous “and despised others . . . and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican” (Luke 18:9-11).
But “the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:12). Jesus said that the Publican “went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14).
In the Nicodemus story, Jesus did not explain to Nicodemus the mechanics or give him the equation for how to be born again. Rather, Jesus described being born again as “the wind [of the Spirit] blows where it wishes” (John 3:8, NKJV).
No one can save himself. Everyone is in need of Christ. The same faith that regenerates leads to good works and sustains one’s relationship with God.