You become a Christian by personally believing the gospel—that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again.
According to the Bible, salvation is not received through rituals, walking an aisle, baptism, or joining a church. It happens when a person recognizes he is a lost sinner and genuinely believes that Christ died for him, shed His blood, was buried, and rose from the dead. At that moment, God makes him His child and seals him with the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 — This is the gospel Paul preached—the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ—which is what a person must believe to be saved.
Ephesians 1:13 — It shows the order: hearing the word of truth, believing, and then being sealed with the Holy Spirit.
Romans 1:16 — The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.
The Bible teaches that salvation comes through believing the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Paul defines the gospel: Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Romans 1:16 says this gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Ephesians 1:13 shows the personal response: hearing the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—and believing in Christ results in being sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Romans 3:22 adds that God's righteousness is upon all them that believe, with no difference between Jew and Greek.
Les Feldick consistently points listeners to genuine faith in the gospel as the sole means of salvation. He contrasts this with mere intellectual assent and with religious routines: being baptized, joining a church, walking an aisle, or repeating a formula does not save. Salvation begins when a person realizes he is a lost child of Adam and believes with all his heart that Christ died for him, shed His blood, was buried, and rose from the dead. At that moment God makes him a child of God and places him into the body of Christ. Following salvation, the Christian life is a process of growth—sanctification—that begins like a newborn baby and takes time.
Les defines the saving gospel as the message that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. He stresses that a person must believe this with all his being, understanding that he is a lost child of Adam. Simply saying a cliché such as 'I've taken Christ as my personal Savior' is not the biblical way; the Bible calls for believing the gospel itself. Paul's gospel, as Les summarizes, is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.
Les outright rejects any ritual system. He notes that Paul does not say 'if we repent and are baptized and have joined the Church'; rather, the requirement is believing that Jesus died and rose again. People who have gone through a set system and become church members by rote repetition are not automatically Christians. Walking an aisle and following a procedure is not salvation.
When a person genuinely believes, God moves in and makes that person His child, putting him into the body of Christ. Ephesians 1:13 shows the order: after hearing the word of truth and believing, the believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Every child of God first comes as a sinner and condemned, but through faith God does a complete work—giving new life and making the person a new creation in Christ.
God's Sovereign Grace in Salvation
God has compassion and mercy on people who deserve judgment, as He did with Israel and with Saul on the road to Damascus—showing salvation is an act of grace, not something earned.
Belief in the Death, Burial, and Resurrection
A person must recognize they are a lost child of Adam and genuinely believe Christ died for them, shed His blood, was buried, and rose again; then God makes them a child of God and places them into the body of Christ.
Salvation Is Not a Ritual or Church Procedure
Going through a system, becoming a church member, or walking an aisle does not save; genuine belief in the gospel under the Holy Spirit's power is what makes a person a child of God.
Believing the Gospel, Not a Cliché
Saying 'I've taken Christ as my personal Savior' can be a hollow cliché; the Bible calls for believing the gospel—that Christ died your death and took your punishment.
Recognizing the Need for New Birth
Salvation is an event that begins with recognizing you are spiritually sick; those who think they are good enough for heaven will never be saved.
The Order: Hear, Believe, Be Sealed
After hearing the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—a person believes and is sealed with the Holy Spirit; every child of God first comes as a sinner already condemned.
No Repentance-and-Baptism Formula
Paul makes no requirement of repentance and baptism to be saved; the requirement is believing that Jesus died and rose again, resting on what God has said about the gospel.
Believing Brings New Life
When an individual realizes they are in a cesspool of sin and unable to save themselves, believing the gospel brings God's power to give new life and make them a different person.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
This is the gospel message a person must believe to be saved.
Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The gospel is God's power for salvation, effective through faith.
Ephesians 1:13: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Shows the sequence: hearing the gospel, believing, and being sealed.
Romans 3:22: Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
God's righteousness is available to all who believe, with no distinction.
1 Thessalonians 4:14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Belief in Jesus' death and resurrection is the foundation of salvation.
Romans 9:15: For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Shows that God's mercy and compassion are sovereign, an act of His grace.
No. Les says the person who thinks he is good enough for heaven will never be saved. Salvation requires recognizing that you are a lost child of Adam in need of divine rescue.
Les points out that Paul never makes baptism a requirement for salvation. The requirement is believing that Jesus died and rose again.
The gospel is the good news that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. Believing this from the heart is what brings salvation.
Watch the Teaching: Grace vs. Mercy: What's the Real Difference? (Bible Explained)