Step 4: Receive
RECEIVE Christ in your life means more than merely saying that “I know the Bible” or “I believe in Christ.” Truly RECEIVING Christ into your heart and life means to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
Accepting Jesus as your Lord means that you are subjecting yourself to God’s sovereignty over us all. Because Jesus is Lord, does that mean we are no longer under the rule of man? Jesus Himself has something to say about this:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen; will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)
Accepting Jesus as your Lord means that you will submit yourself to a higher standard. You will live your daily life by the sprit, rather merely than by the law. You must do both!
Accepting Jesus as your Saviour means that you have admitted that you are powerless against sin and that you have neither the authority nor the capacity to overcome evil alone. In today’s egocentric age of self reliance, this is a difficult thing to admit. Surrender is often considered a negative term, meaning to give up or to quit. In accepting Jesus as your personal Saviour, you must surrender your will to God’s. You must let go of your selfish ways of the flesh and seek God’s will in your daily life – not just praise God on Sunday mornings. You must ask yourself in all things, “How can I live my life (or do my job, or perform this task) in a way that would glorify God?”
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7)
Congratulations!
You have completed the Four Step Method of Salvation! But wait, you’re not quite done. Because of our sinful nature, we will face a constant struggle against earthly desires. Some feel that the real battle starts AFTER we have accepted Christ in our lives, because that is when Satan takes an even greater interest in luring us back into a life of sin and living for the flesh!
Remember, life on Earth is a growth stage where we learn to mature in Christ. We are preparing for an eternal life. The Four Step Method of Salvation is not a project so much as it is a process that we must repeat often in order to enjoy the benefits of salvation. Once we are truly saved and receive Christ into our hearts and lives, we are truly saved, but by continuing to follow these steps, we will remind ourselves that the struggle between our physical and spiritual desires is raging on. We are in the crossfire of a war, and we must never forget that once we have received Christ, He is on our side, and only together will we win.
Amen