Take heed, don't be deceived! #4

Someone wrote “A Christian is a person who has fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the
only Savior and therefore possesses the Holy Spirit.”

Except for saying Jesus is the only savior, that statement is wrong and misleading. Why?

First: Because we must obey Him: Jesus is
■ “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:9).

Yes, faith is necessary. But faith alone —just trusting, without acting on that faith and obeying— falls short. It’s dead.

Second: because a person does not receive the holy spirit by just trusting. God gives His spirit “to them that obey him”:
■ "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” (Acts 5:32)

What are we told to do?
■ “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30)

For obeying —coming to Him in repentance, confessing and forsaking sin— we receive His promised mercy and we’ll receive the holy spirit:
■ “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)
■ “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
(Acts 2:38)

Otherwise —outside of repentance— we’ll perish, as Jesus warned:
■ “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Jesus, in Luke 13:5)

Key things missing from that definition? Obedience and repentance.