Three Stages of Christian Commitment are;
1 General Commitment,
2 Specific Commitment and
3 Continued Commitment.
Each Stage is essential to successful Christian experience.
1 GENERAL COMMITMENT is the commitment a new believer gives to the Lordship of Christ, over every area of his life. Though a new believer is limited in his understanding of faith and obedience, salvation is an act of the will that turns a person from self satisfaction to Christ satisfaction. The new believer does not know all that is required of him, but he realizes that he owes everything to Jesus for saving him. Salvation involves total submission to Christ. At salvation Christ is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.
Romans 10:9-10
9 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.
10 For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
2 SPECIFIC COMMITMENT is the commitment that a believer makes as he encounters new light, truth, knowledge. In our walk with Christ, the Holy Spirit shows us the things in our lives that need to be removed and things that need to be added. As we learn these things we must commit ourselves to the newly discovered truth. If we do not commit to the new light, we will lose whatever faith we have had. When we do not walk in light, we walk in darkness. It is only as we walk in the light that we have a saving relationship with Christ and that His blood will continue to cleanse from all sin.
1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
2 Peter 3:17-18
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
This is a very important and precious part of salvation. This is the progressive side of salvation or sanctification.
3 CONTINUED COMMITMENT is the commitment a believer makes and honors every day, subsequent to his initial salvation and his growth in grace in knowledge. The just shall live by faith. No one is saved by a faith that was alive yesterday but is dead today. Continued commitment is to continuously, constantly and consistently honor our initial and all commitments made subsequent to salvation.
John 8:31-32
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 15:9
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Acts 11:23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
Acts 13:43
43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
Acts 14:22
22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Romans 11:22
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Colossians 1:21-23
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
1 Timothy 4:15-16
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
2 Timothy 3:14
14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
1 John 2:24
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
1 GENERAL COMMITMENT is the commitment a new believer gives to the Lordship of Christ, over every area of his life. Though a new believer is limited in his understanding of faith and obedience, salvation is an act of the will that turns a person from self satisfaction to Christ satisfaction. The new believer does not know all that is required of him, but he realizes that he owes everything to Jesus for saving him. Salvation involves total submission to Christ. At salvation Christ is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.
Romans 10:9-10
9 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.
10 For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
2 SPECIFIC COMMITMENT is the commitment that a believer makes as he encounters new light, truth, knowledge. In our walk with Christ, the Holy Spirit shows us the things in our lives that need to be removed and things that need to be added. As we learn these things we must commit ourselves to the newly discovered truth. If we do not commit to the new light, we will lose whatever faith we have had. When we do not walk in light, we walk in darkness. It is only as we walk in the light that we have a saving relationship with Christ and that His blood will continue to cleanse from all sin.
1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
2 Peter 3:17-18
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
This is a very important and precious part of salvation. This is the progressive side of salvation or sanctification.
3 CONTINUED COMMITMENT is the commitment a believer makes and honors every day, subsequent to his initial salvation and his growth in grace in knowledge. The just shall live by faith. No one is saved by a faith that was alive yesterday but is dead today. Continued commitment is to continuously, constantly and consistently honor our initial and all commitments made subsequent to salvation.
John 8:31-32
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 15:9
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Acts 11:23 Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
Acts 13:43
43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
Acts 14:22
22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Romans 11:22
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Colossians 1:21-23
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
1 Timothy 4:15-16
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
2 Timothy 3:14
14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
1 John 2:24
24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
