How do I become a Christian?
God created us to be with him. But, it comes as no surprise, none of us is good enough to be with God. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Christians:
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
But God has provided a way of rescue, or salvation, through Jesus Christ. This is God’s loving gift to us:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
And to prove that he has the power to deliver what he promises, Christ rose from the dead, fulfilling the ancient prophecies of the Bible. It was an historical event that transformed the lives of its witnesses. They were plain and simple men and women who went on to turn the world upside down, each one of whom paid the ultimate price of martyrdom for refusing to recant the story of the Good News. As Paul wrote:
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
And as with any gift, the decision that every person must make is whether to receive it or not. In this case:
“But to as many as received him — that is, who believe on his name — he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
As a result, there is nothing we can do to “earn” our way to heaven. We can’t give enough money, we can’t be baptized enough times, we can’t go to church often enough. It is a gift, plain and simple, one which we don’t deserve:
“For it is by grace (undeserved favor) you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
So, how do you receive this gift? Open your heart and ask. God will not refuse you:
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans10:13)
You can talk to God, something like this:
“Dear God, I am sorry that I have not been the person you created me to be. I have thought wrong thoughts and done wrong things. I am sorry. Thank you Jesus for paying the penalty for my sins by taking my place on the cross. Please forgive me. I ask that you come into my life and help me be the person you want me to be.”
For those who call on him for forgiveness, Jesus promises to be with them forever. Nothing can ever break that bond. As Paul said:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
God wants you to be assured that if you trust in Christ’s work and not your own work, you will be with Him eternally. As the apostle John, who lived and walked and talked with Jesus for 3 years and was one of the first to see him after he rose from the grave, said this:
And the testimony is this: God has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:11-13)
If you’ve committed your life to Christ for the first time, tell someone. And let us know. Friedens periodically sponsors New Beginnings classes for those new in the Christian faith who wish to grow in their walk with Jesus Christ. These group meet on Sunday or during the week. For more information on when the next class meets or just to talk to someone, call the Friedens church office at 284-2471.
Also, you may be interested in a number of Growth Groups that meet on Sunday or throughout the week where people meet to study the Bible or other books and discuss their faith.