Basic Question: How do I become a Christian?
To desire to be a Christian is to desire to be a child of God, to be a person in a personal relationship with God.
To become a Christian is to partake in the actual event of receiving God, the Holy Spirit within our own human spirit, therefore creating a new Spiritual life inside of us. It is this Spiritual life that unites us and makes us a child of God our Father.
In other words Christianity is not an Idea nor a Philosophy. Christianity is an event, specifically the event of God giving us each personally a new Spiritual Birth. This new Birth is also called “Born Again” or “Born from Above” event.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be Born Again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.
Christianity is the series of actual events that are occurring throughout history.
The Bible tells us what the basic series of events are that make Christianity real time events and not ideas or philosophies about life.
God created mankind to live forever so that we can get to know God forever.
Mankind disobeyed God and entered into a relationship with sin and with sin came death (separation from God).
Mankind is now separated from God. God then came to mankind by taking on the form and appearance of a human. God became a human to interact with humans on a human level.
God’s entrance into the physical world as a physical person was accomplished via the Virgin Birth.
Jesus then died on the cross. Sin requires death and only through death can sin be completely removed. To die is the end and fortunately for us the death of Jesus on the cross is the end of sin as it is His death that we acknowledge was for us. Sin is dead and never to be resurrected again.
Three days later Jesus Resurrected from death to Life providing the opportunity for a new Spiritual life for us in the Resurrection Life of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 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:
Gospel means Good News. Eternal Life in the Resurrection Life of Jesus Christ is the Good News of Christianity.
Since Jesus died for us there is only one thing for us to do and that is to Accept what Jesus did for us. This is called Faith and Trust. We have faith that Jesus is Alive even after He suffered and died. We have faith that the same Resurrection Life that Jesus now lives we too also live.
Faith is a wonderful thing! Faith is trust, we trust Jesus. Faith excludes works. It would seem natural to have to do something in order to gain the attention of God however we don’t. We already have God’s attention. What God desires is for us to have a personal relationship with Him. We can only have a relationship when we acknowledge the existence of the other person, in this case God.
When should we acknowledge God and become a Christian?
The Bible tells us that we are created to get to know God and that every moment in life is an opportunity to know Him. God wants very much for each and every person to acknowledge and to accept Him.
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored (helped/aided) thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
In the Bible when people became Christians they took action, they got Baptized in water, fellowshipped with other Christians, prayed and read the Bible and served and proclaimed Jesus to others. They also took the very important step of destroying in fire the elements of their past life that are unpleasing to God. It is important to rid our lives of the old unpleasing ways and that means destroying whatever does not glorify God. Sometimes it’s drugs, pornography, music, movies, books or clothing. Whatever it is, destroy it in acknowledgment that it has been destroying your soul and your relationship with God.
To become a Christian is to acknowledge that Jesus is God and to acknowledge that Jesus is Alive and with us at every moment. To acknowledge God is to talk to God, this is called prayer.
You can start your journey and talk to God in a prayer like this.
God I acknowledge you in the existence of Jesus and I acknowledge your Love for me to come as a human and to die on the cross for me. I too love you and I desire to live my life in a relationship with you. Thank you that you love me. Thank you that you hear me when I call upon your name. I accept Your death and Your blood as the full penalty for all of my sins and I acknowledge that by the blood of Jesus I am now clean. I ask that you, having cleansed me, will now in Your Spirit come into my life and make me Your child. God I give You my life this day to take and to do with whatever You will. I now walk in faith day by day and moment by moment in the love and Resurrection life of Jesus. To the glory of God and the praise of His Holy Angels and to the delight of all the Saints of Heaven I now confess that Jesus is my God, my Lord, my Savior, my Companion, and also my Friend. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
Please follow your prayer by understanding the following.
1. Admit your need (I am a sinner).
2. Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).
3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.
4. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit.
(Receive Him as Lord and Savior.)
The Roman Road to Salvation
The ROMANS ROAD….is a pathway you can walk. It is a group of Bible verses from the book of Romans in the New Testament.
If you walk down this road you will end up understanding how to be saved. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We all have sin in our hearts. We all were born with sin. We were born under the power of sin’s control. – Admit that you are a sinner. Romans 6:23a “…The wages of sin is death…” Sin has an ending. It results in death. We all face physical death, which is a result of sin. But a worse death is spiritual death that alienates us from God, and will last for all eternity. The Bible teaches that there is a place called the Lake of Fire where lost people will be in torment forever.
It is the place where people who are spiritually dead will remain. –
Understand that you deserve death for your sin. Romans 6:23b “…But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Salvation is a free gift from God to you! You can’t earn this gift, but you must reach out and receive it. – Ask God to forgive you and save you. Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!”
When Jesus died on the cross He paid sin’s penalty. He paid the price for all sin, and when He took all the sins of the world on Himself on the cross, He brought us out of slavery to sin and death! The only condition is that we believe in Him and what He has done for us, understanding that we are now joined with Him, and that He is our life. He did all this because He loved us and gave Himself for us! – Give your life to God… His love poured out in Jesus on the cross is your only hope to have forgiveness and change. His love bought you out of being a slave to sin. His love is what saves you — not religion, or church membership. God loves you!
Romans 10:13 “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved!” – Call out to God in the name of Jesus! Romans 10:9,10 “…If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” – If you know that God is knocking on your heart’s door, ask Him to come into your heart. Jesus said, Revelation 3:20a “Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him…” – Is Jesus knocking on your heart’s door? Believe in Him. Ask Him to come in to your heart by faith, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Open the Bible to the Gospel of John and read what God says about Jesus, about you, and about being Born Again. God will help you. He loves you.
You need to look for a local church where God’s word is preached. The Bible says that we are to desire God’s word like a newborn baby desires mother’s milk. Aren’t you hungry to know the truth? Water baptism is one of the ways you first show that you have been joined to Jesus. This is an action, and actions will not save you. However, it is an act of obedience and a symbol of commitment.
The symbolism is this: When you go down in the water you show that You have been crucified and buried with Him, And when you come up out of the water you show that you have been raised to walk with Him in newness of life. (See Romans Chapter 6) You have been born again. (See John Chapter 3) Your body has become God’s temple. Your heart is where He lives. Forgiveness is yours in Jesus. And you belong to Him. You were sin’s slave. But now… You are a child of GOD! John 1:12 “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name!”
first part of Message by David Anson Brown www.basicchristian.org