At one time or another we have all read a self-help article or book. Some watch famous talk-show hosts to get their self-help advice while others turn to internet sources for their bits of wisdom. We read about the latest findings in nutrition and how a certain diet can help us. We read and enjoy books like “The Purpose Driven Life” and “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People.” We find 5 step programs for success and 10 step plans for early retirement. We have a multitude of self-help books that give us step-by-step instructions for everything from taking good pictures to building a sailboat and living the good life.
The difficult part about selecting Self-help books and Self-help advisors is that we don’t know which ones we can trust and which ones we can’t. Pretenders like TV doctors and meddling talk-show hosts think they are self-help experts but in truth they fold too much bad moral advice into their talks on health and wealth. It is almost as if the father of all lies personally wrote their scripts.
The Original Self-Help Book
So where can we turn for tried and true Self-help advice that works every time? Well, first we should recognize that today’s self-help books, articles and talk shows are cheap imitations of the original. Do you want a healthy diet? Read Ezekiel 4:9 about the ingredients in Ezekiel bread. Do you want a satisfying life without fear? Then read Hebrews 13:6. Are you being bullied at school or work? Read how Jesus handled the bullying he received. Yes, you heard me. By today’s standards Jesus was bullied almost daily by Pharisees, Sadducees and even the Sanhedrin – the ruling body of Israel. Reading that Jesus did not roll up into a helpless knot but looked them straight in the eye while proclaiming the truth can be enlightening and very motivating!
Yes! The Bible is the original self-help book. It is chock full of good advice on various topics that concern us today. That’s right! Today! The greatest self-help book of all time, the Bible, is more important and meaningful today than ever before. Where do we start if we want to apply the good advice found in the Bible to our lives? We start with the fundamentals and grow from there.
The Fundamentals
So, let’s get to it – here are the 7 fundamental building blocks of Christianity straight from the Bible – the original and best self-help book.
1. Imperfect Creatures
Our very best effort cannot buy us a ticket to heaven. We are completely incapable of saving ourselves. On our own, we have no hope of ever earning our redemption. Paul said it perfectly in Acts 17:24-25 with, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” What can a created human being possibly do to impress the Creator of the universe?
In addition to that, we have all, at one time or another been disappointed by people we care for. And, we have disappointed those who care for us, too. Where does that come from? Even our best efforts often fall short. It is simple. We are imperfect creatures living in a Fallen World – we are fundamentally flawed – 1st Corinthians 15:50 – Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
In other words, everyone has a few warts to hide. Everyone. If you want to see the full indictment against the world and humanity, then read the first three chapters of Romans – it is a real eye-opener.
2. But God still loves us – Grace
In spite of our flaws, God loves us and sent his Son to take the punishment for our sins and failures – John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. There is no greater principle than God’s loving grace. Without it we are lost forever. And what is that grace? It is God’s unswerving love. It is God’s willingness to make a way for us to be pardoned. Grace is God’s unmerited favor given to us when we need it most – now!
3. We must want change and then act – Repentance
An alcoholic will never be sober unless they first want to be sober. That simple starting point is brutally honest and glaringly obvious. The same applies to each and every one of our own personal failures. – God teaches us that repentance – the desire and full intention to turn away from wrong-doing in our lives – is essential to redemption – Acts 17:30 – And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all people everywhere to repent.
Why do we need Repentance?In simple terms, if we put a hat and a coat on a skunk it will still smell like a skunk.
Something fundamental must change to get rid of the bad smell. Similarly, if we do not actively want and participate in the changes that God is willing to give us: renewing of our mind; a new outlook on life; a peaceful nature, then we are just going through the motions. Unless we repent, we will continue to be skunks who get dressed up every Sunday and go through the motions.
Repentance is a conscious change in our direction that we implicitly and explicitly agree to with God.
So why doesn’t God just forgive everyone and be done with it? He gave us free will. Paul clearly points this out during his sermon on Mars Hill in Athens when he said, “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us…” (Acts 17:26-27). We must seek God, choose God and then act on that choice. That, my friends, is free will. So, repentance becomes our free will first step toward a renewed mind, heart and soul.
4. It doesn’t work unless we believe in what we are doing – Faith
Repentance cannot come without Faith. Neither can redemption. Simply going through the motions and checking all the boxes isn’t even close to enough. Faith is the simple and sincere acceptance that Jesus Christ came in the flesh to offer himself as payment for our sins. John 3:18 puts it in straight-forward terms when it says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” And we also read in 1 John 5:5 where it says Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. That certainly rules out those pot-bellied Buddha idols, Krishna, Mary and a thousand other idols with no souls and minds of their own. So, faith in “just anything” doesn’t do it. It must be faith in the one and only Jesus Christ. John 14:6 cannot be clearer when it says, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
5. Say it out loud and then live it. Profession of our Faith.
Publicly professing Christ springs from the joy of faith in him. And public confession of Jesus Christ is an essential element of salvation – Luke 12:8 – “Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God… And we are not just referring to the verbal confession we made five minutes before our baptism. Confessing (same as Professing) Christ is referring to both words and a lifestyle, a modus operandi, a way of living and a way of showing the world that Christ lives in our hearts. Does that mean we stop everyone we meet and tell them about the love of God? For some people it certainly does. For the rest of us it is best articulated in 1 Peter 3:15 where it says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” No, we aren’t all expected to be street-corner preachers but every one of us are expected to be ready to answer questions about the hope that lives in us. People will ask us about it and we will have two choices – we can be like the young and immature Peter and deny Jesus or we can be like the mature and seasoned Peter and be ready to give an answer for the hope that comes from Jesus Christ. And don’t be afraid. If you don’t know the exact words to say then just say, “Come to church with me and find out for yourself!” Countless people have found Jesus Christ simply because someone invited them to Church.
6. Follow his example and obey his command – be Baptized
We who believe in Jesus Christ desire to be obedient to him, so we follow him in Believer’s Baptism. Now let’s be clear, Baptism is not optional. Yes, that bothers plenty of people. So, let’s see why it is not optional. It was commanded by no less than Jesus Christ and it marks our new birth into a new life. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus said,“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. In Acts 2:38 when they asked Peter at Pentecost what they should do, he said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Baptism symbolically shows us and everyone else that we have died to the world and have been raised to Jesus Christ – alive for eternity.
And there is more. Much more. Scripture tells us that something very important happens at Baptism. Paul says in Titus 3:5-6, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” So, we should be clear about this. Baptism is called the “Washing of Regeneration” in scripture. It is VERY important.
Yes, people will immediately start quarreling and ask if Great Aunt Edna or someone like her was saved because she repented and asked for forgiveness from God on her deathbed and was not Baptized. Yes, of course she is – if her prayers were genuine. God knows the intentions of the heart far better than we.
However, and this is very important, those who can be Baptized but aren’t Baptized even after Christ commanded it (Matthew 28:19), Peter preached it at Pentecost (Acts 2:38) and Paul called it the Washing of Regeneration (Titus 3:5-6) – well, it doesn’t take a genius to realize they are still in trouble.
James 4:17 makes it very clear where the responsibility for being Baptized lies when it says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good[1], and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” The English Standard Version of the Bible translates this verse as, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” If you know that Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize converts, Peter preached it and Paul called it the “washing of regeneration” and you still choose to NOT be baptized then something is seriously amiss in your salvation. In other words, don’t skip this step. It is not optional.
And last of all – Snatching someone off the street and forcibly baptizing them has no effect at all on that person’s status with God. Baptism must be a conscious act of obedience to God, not to man. Similarly, infant Baptism, though a beautiful ritual, means absolutely nothing in a spiritual sense. That child must reach her or his own age of accountability and then consciously choose repentance and faith followed by Baptism.
7. Remembering Christ’s Sacrifice – Communion
Believers in Jesus Christ will always want to remember the sacrifice he made for us through faithful participation in Communion. The Communion service doesn’t save us, but it tells the world that we are saved! Jesus clearly said in Luke 22:19, “…Do this in remembrance of me.” He did not say, “only if you think of it and if you feel like it and if it is the 5th Sunday of the month.” Communion is the commemoration of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross for anyone who will accept him by and through faith. Sadly, it is often neglected by the Church at large but let’s be clear, it is a basic commandment from Jesus Christ – Luke 22:19-20 – And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Why do we take the broken bread and fruit of the vine? So that we never forget the sacrifice our Lord, Jesus Christ, made on our behalf. And this part of our service can be traced directly back in an unbroken line to the very moment when Jesus Christ broke the bread and told ALL of his disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Communion is not a casual observance. We must approach it reverently with a humble spirit and examine our lives in a sincere manner because Communion reminds us that Jesus Christ gave all he had, including his life, to purchase our souls.
Basics of Christianity
These 7 Fundamentals form the core beliefs of Christianity. We are imperfect creatures born into a Fallen World. We rely entirely upon God’s Grace. We must act and Repent of our sins. We must place our Faith in Jesus Christ alone. We must Confess Jesus before the world. We must immediately and willingly be Baptized as our very first act of obedience. We remember and memorialize our Lord’s sacrifice through participation in Communion.
And these 7 Fundamental elements came from the first and greatest self-help book ever written – the Bible. Once this foundation is laid, everything else the Bible teaches will stand firmly upon it.
Additional Notes on the Basics
Fallen World – 2 Peter 1:4, 1 Corinthians 15:50, Romans 5:13-15
Grace – 1 Thessalonians 2:16-17, Romans 3:23-24
Repentance – Mark 1:14-15, Acts 17:30, Acts 3:18-19
Faith – 1 John 5:3-4, Romans 1:17, Romans 3:23-25
Confession of Faith – Luke 12:8, Romans 10:8-10,
Baptism – Romans 6:3, Acts 10:48, Galatians 3:27, Acts 2:37-38
Communion – Luke 22:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
[1] Good – Greek word is καλὸν (Kalon) which means – attractively good; good that inspires (motivates) others to embrace what is lovely. (Strong’s Greek Concordance)
Keeping Watch 