Despite being sinners, God sent his only Son to live a perfect, sinless life and bear the punishment we deserved – death. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose on the third day.
This is the gospel. You know it, accept and believe it, and have repented of sin.
Now what? What are your next steps now that you’re saved?
There are a few steps every new believer should take to mature in the faith. This is just the beginning of your journey. Being a Christian isn’t a one time event. It’s a daily practice.
Here are the next steps for new believers.
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What does the bible say about new believers?
Let’s turn to the Bible to see what it says about new believers.
- You are a new creation – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come,” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV).
- Angels rejoice when you repent – “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents,” (Luke 15:10 ESV).
- You have been saved by grace through faith – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast,” (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV).
Next Steps For New Believers
As a new believer, you might not know or understand what you’re supposed to do. Understandably so. You’re new to Christianity.
These first steps for new believers are not necessarily in order. They’re just good beginning steps to consider. Here are the next steps for new believers.
Get plugged into a church.
I’d first recommend getting plugged into a church.
It’s really hard to grow as a believer without fellowship and community. We’re not meant to do this Christian walk alone. We need others.
The Bible tells us not to neglect meeting together (Hebrews 10:25). Going to church is a good opportunity to find like minded believers who will build you up, hold you accountable, and be there for you.
I’d highly recommend 9Marks as a resource if you’re looking for a church. They have a church directory where they list solid churches nearby. The Master’s Seminary church search is another good resource to use.
If you’d like to read more about getting plugged into a church, check out these resources:
Start thinking about baptism.
Once you’ve been saved, you should be baptized. It’s not a requirement for being saved but it’s a command for believers.
Before Jesus leaves the apostles, he tells them, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19 ESV).
Jesus himself was baptized by John the Baptist. Three of the gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) record the baptism of Jesus. Matthew is the most exhaustive, so we’ll read about Jesus’ baptism from there. It reads:
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him [John the Baptist]. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented” (Matthew 3:13-15 ESV).
Jesus is our example. If he was baptized, how much more should we be baptized?
If you’d like to learn more about baptism, check out this resource:
Find someone to disciple you.
As a new believer, it’s important you are discipled. Discipleship is basically learning from another person who’s further along than you. It’s like having a mentor to show you the ropes.
The 12 apostles were disciples of Jesus. They followed him, observed him, and learned from him. If the apostles weren’t discipled, I’m not sure they would’ve been ready for their ministry later on.
Having a mentor is very beneficial for your maturity as a believer. Having a good mentor equips you for your ministry to others and helps your walk with Christ.
If you’d like to learn more about discipleship, check out these resources:
Practice spiritual disciplines.
As a new believer, it’s important to practice spiritual disciplines. These disciplines include reading the Bible and praying daily.
It’s vital to practice these disciplines because you’re more vulnerable to false doctrine as a new believer. You don’t know much about the Bible yet so it’s harder to know what’s true and false.
Making a practice of reading your Bible and praying doesn’t have to be complicated. Carving out 15 minutes of your day to read and pray can go a long way.
If you’d like to learn more about spiritual disciplines, check out these resources:
Trust in the Lord to Guide You
Ultimately, trust in the Lord to guide you during this new faith journey. When we take a wrong turn (it happens), he will be the one to guide you back on the right path. If this helped you, please subscribe to the list to get more posts like these.
Remember these next steps for new believers:
- Get plugged into a church
- Start thinking about baptism
- Find someone to disciple you
- Practice spiritual disciples
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