"How To Become A Christian"

from various passages

Two authors started me on the road to questioning the modern Evangelical Reformed mechanism for salvation: C. S. Lewis and Donald Miller. The explanation currently popular is basically some combination of "Believe and Repent". However, as I think about the steps the Bible tells us to go through, or steps it shows Bible characters going through, I find that it's much more mysterious than that. Certainly, Believe and Repent are in there, as well as Accept and Receive. But check out this list:

Follow Jesus - Mt. 4:19

Believe in Jesus Christ - Acts 16:31

a). Receive him and b). Believe in his name - Jn. 1:12

a). Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and b). Believe in your heart that he resurrected - Rom 10:9

Repent - Acts 17:30/ 2 Cor. 7:10

Be baptized - Acts 8:36

Listen to someone preach about things Jesus did, then start speaking in tongues - Acts 10:44

a). Repent and b). Be baptized - Acts 2:37-38

Sell your posessions and follow Jesus - Lk. 18:22

Love God - 1 Cor. 2:9

Continue in Jesus' word - Jn. 8:30

a). Know Christ and b) Believe God's promises - 2 Pet. 1:2-4

Walk in the light - 1 Jn. 1:7

Open the door to Jesus - Rev. 3:20

Abide in love - 1 Jn. 4:16

In all, fifteen different mechanisms, some combining each other in different ways. In context, each of these are presented as the way to become a "Christian". I'm not coming to any definite conclusion at this point, but I do think it's apparent that many people in the modern Church have over-simplified the Gospel.