What do you have to do to get saved?

[xdisciplex]

If you witness to an unbeliever who, let's say is living together with a woman without being married which is sin, then do you address this issue and tell him: "You have to stop this because this is sin and then you can get saved!"?
Is this necessary? Do you have in order to get saved stop sinning? Is this even possible in a state where you are not even saved yet, that you basically get your life pretty much cleaned up and get rid of all gross sins and then you can basically move on and get saved?
I listened to a way of the master radio show and Comfort was talking to a person and he said when you want to get saved you need to turn from sin and stop sinning! He really said stop sinning. Maybe he did not really know that you never sin again but this is what he said. I do not think this is biblical or even possible. If I, as a christian, still sin then how can I tell an unbeliever he has to stop sinning before he can get saved? How can I give him the impression that he has to reach a certain state in order to qualify for getting saved which I do not even have?
Or maybe I should be able to stop sinning, too....
I've actually listened to a lot of sermons about sin and being a christian and no sermon really offered practical steps how to become free from sin.
It's always totally vague stuff like "you need to kill sin, you need to be serious". Great. This helps me a lot. Then in the end it is all about will power and as long as your motivated you resist but as soon as you have a bad day and get frustrated sin defeats you again. But this isn't victory or freedom from sin. I'd really like to know if those pastors who love to condemn sin and threaten christians really are free from sin or wether they only think they are because they do not get drunk or cheat on their wives and this makes them think they're free from sin...

 

[Darron Steele]

Xdisciplex: you have asked this question before.

http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=47227

I do not know what it is going to take for you.

I gave you a thorough answer here:
http://www.baptistboard.com/showpost.php?p=1191014&postcount=45

I do not know why you keep trying to make it complicated. 2 Corinthians 11:3 refers to “the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ” (ASV).

To illustrate this simplicity, consider a detailed conversion in Acts 8:26-39. The Ethiopian official was puzzled over Isaiah 53. Philip, having been sent by God to him, “began to speak and, starting from that same Scripture, told him the |Good News about Jesus” (NBV|ICB). Another translation: “began to speak and, starting with that same Scripture, |preached unto him Jesus” (NBV|ASV). The Bible text has at Acts 8:35 what is translatable “told him the Good News about Jesus” or “preached unto him Jesus.”

The Ethiopian responded as so: “`See, here is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?’” (NBV) at Acts 8:36. He was promptly baptized in 8:38, and in 8:39 “But when they came up from the water, the Lord’s Spirit took Philip away and the eunuch did not see him anymore; he went joyfully on his way” (NBV) back to Ethiopia. When the baptism was completed, the Lord decided that enough had been done.​

What it takes to become a Christian should be explainable in one sitting. If someone is teaching you that it is more complicated that that, s/he is mistaken.

Romans 10:13b says “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (ASV). Acts 10:43b says of Jesus Christ “through his name every one that believeth on him |receives| remission of sins” (ASV|ESV|ASV). Acts 16:31 says “Believe on the Lord Jesus|, and you will be saved, you and all your household” (ASV|NASB). Repentance is simply turning from living according to our will and instead turning to follow the Lord's will. If you have made the decision to come to Christ, turn to Him for salvation, and live in subjection to Him as Lord, you cannot be anything except saved.

If you are trusting in your own righteousness to save you, you are mistaken. People who teach that God saves us based on our works have never answered this question of mine: why did Jesus Christ die? If we can save ourselves by our own efforts, what was the purpose of Jesus Christ's death? There would be no purpose.

1 Corinthians 15 verse 1b “the gospel which I preached” (ASV), 15:2a “and by which you are saved” (NBV), 15:3b-5a “this was what was most important : that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say; that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day as the Scriptures say, and that he showed himself to…” (ICB). Jesus Christ died for our sins -- we have them, He bore the penalty for them. We are not sinless, and that is why Christ died -- He bore the penalty for our sins so that we do not have to.

James 2:18b says “I will show you my faith by my works” (NASB); works show pre-existing faith, and faith is shown by works. Works are not faith. Works show faith.

If you want to live a life pleasing to God, all you need to do is call on the Lord to save you despite your unrighteousness -- and continue to do so. Read all the lessons of the New Testament and live your life around them as best you can -- but never forget that your Savior is not yourself.

 

[steaver]

Jesus Christ came to save sinners, of whom I am chief. If you can get yourself all cleaned up and sinless, either before or after calling on Christ, then you don't need Jesus.

 

[trustitl]

Is this necessary? Do you have in order to get saved stop sinning? Is this even possible in a state where you are not even saved yet, that you basically get your life pretty much cleaned up and get rid of all gross sins and then you can basically move on and get saved?

Or maybe I should be able to stop sinning, too....

It's always totally vague stuff like "you need to kill sin, you need to be serious". Great. This helps me a lot. Then in the end it is all about will power and as long as your motivated you resist but as soon as you have a bad day and get frustrated sin defeats you again. But this isn't victory or freedom from sin.

As I read your words I get the feeling that you are not as confused about the need to stop sinning in order to get saved as you are with struggling with sin in your own life. Perhaps your lack of understanding has you wondering about your own salvation due to the sin in your life, but is this really more of an issue of "how to stop sinning" in YOUR life than people you are witnessing to?

I've actually listened to a lot of sermons about sin and being a christian and no sermon really offered practical steps how to become free from sin.

Let me give you a practical answer to this: you don't do anything, it is done to you.

"Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." Rom. 6:18

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." Rom. 6:22

"In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ" Col. 2:11

"And they that are Christ's have crucified(past tense) the flesh with the affections and lusts." Gal. 5:24

I am guessing that you are like most Christians who are trying to live out their salvation by the flesh. Look at your impressions about how to not sin: "you need to kill sin, you need to be serious". Great. This helps me a lot. Then in the end it is all about will power and as long as your motivated you resist".

"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" Gal. 3:3

 

[trustitl]

Below is a link to a message that is from a series of messages entitled Sin no More. The speaker in this message does a good job of exposing the attempts of "being made perfect in the flesh". I would encourage you to get the entire series.

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/podcasts/old-audio/bible-messages/

 

[Marcia]

You can't become free of sin but you can become free of the bondage to sin! This is done through believing in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:6
knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

When we trust in Christ, we are free from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death;

After we trust in Christ, we are sanctified, which frees us from the power of sin (we are no longer slaves to sin);

After we die, we are free from the presence of sin.


The message to give the man living with a woman is the message of the gospel - if he trusts Christ, he will be convicted of his sin and stop living with her (or marry her). This might happen before he is saved, but not necessarily.

 

[ktn4eg]

The Apostle Paul kept it quite simple:

"Then he [the Philippian jailor] called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.'" -- Acts 16:29-32

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." -- Romans 10:9

 

[xdisciplex]

To me it seems like no matter what you do somebody can always say you're doing it wrong. If you do not try to resist sin then you're not trying to resist sin.
If on the other hand you try to resist then you're trying to do it in the flesh.
Seems like no matter what you do it's wrong. But I think Paul also says we shall resist temptation and put sin to death this sounds like we have to act and do something, doesn't it?

Thanks Darron Steele. I didn't remember that I had asked this question already.
Happens sometimes.

 

[Darron Steele]

To me it seems like no matter what you do somebody can always say you're doing it wrong. If you do not try to resist sin then you're not trying to resist sin.
If on the other hand you try to resist then you're trying to do it in the flesh....

Just try to resist sin because you have chosen to follow Jesus Christ.

If people want to pass judgment on you for so doing, that is not ultimately your problem. It sounds like you hang out with some real weirdos. It looks like your main obstacle in a healthy Christian relationship is those people.

Remember: 2 Corinthians talks about "simplicity" in Christ.

 

[Don]

Seems to me, Romans 14 discusses what xdisciplex is asking about.

 

[Darron Steele]

Seems to me, Romans 14 discusses what xdisciplex is asking about.

It seems similar.

It seems like he hangs around too many people that want to mind his business and "censure" him in things that are none of their business.

Sounds like these are people who have promoted themselves to `God's little helpers' and are no longer interested in simply being servants.

 

[Don]

Actually, I'm not sure he's sincere in his questioning. Based on the way he asks the questions, and then disappears when others get into a discussion on the question he's raised...seems like he's more about showing the difference in opinions/beliefs about a subject.

Just an observation, and I'll be happy to apologize if I'm wrong.