How To Become A Christian

 

I.             Admit your sinfulness.

 

A.    Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

B.    Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

C.    Sin – Sin is simply missing the mark (goal) of glorifying God.  It is failure to please God.  Disobedience to even one of God’s laws makes us guilty of all (James 2:10).  Even our human goodness is sin when it becomes a substitute for confessing our sinfulness and placing our faith in Jesus Christ.  We must admit to God that we are sinners and rely upon God’s mercy and grace for forgiveness.

 

II.           Come to Christ with a repentant heart.

 

A.    Matthew 4:17 – Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”      

B.    Acts 2:38 – “Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

C.    Repentance is one aspect of faith.  It means to have a change of mind.  Unregenerate man is on a path indifferent to or away from God, not bringing glory to Him.  But as a result of deep conviction of sin, he must change his mind and turn toward God, seeking Him and His salvation.  Repentance begins as an attitude of the heart and it results in a changed life.

 

III.         Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

A.    John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

B.    Acts 16:31 – “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved. . .”

C.    Believe that Jesus Christ is God who became flesh. (Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23; John 1:1-2, 14; John 20:28; Hebrews 1:3)

D.    Believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. (I Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; II Corinthians 5:21)

E.    Believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. (Romans 10:9)

F.     What does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?  To believe on Jesus means to be fully persuaded that Jesus is the only way to salvation and to trust God to save us on the basis of Christ’s shed blood on the cross.  The Bible calls this faith.  We are saved by God’s grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

G.    Our substitute.  On the cross Jesus became a substitute for us.  Jesus took God’s wrath for the sin of all who will believe in Him.  At the cross God treated Jesus as if He lived our life and He treats the believer as if he lived Jesus’ life.

 

IV.         Receive the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

A.    John 1:12 – “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

B.    Romans 10:9-10 – “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord. And believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”

C.    Romans 10:13 – “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

D.    Receive Jesus as your Savior and receive Him to be the Lord of your life.

E.    Pray this prayer from your heart:  “Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and have sinned against You.  My life has not brought You the glory You deserve.  I believe that Jesus is the God of heaven who came to this earth in human form.  I believe He gave His life on the cross for my sin, and that He was raised from the dead, proving His deity.  Heavenly Father, forgive me for being a sinner.  Forgive me for all my sins.  Lord Jesus, I receive you as the God, Savior, and Lord of my life.  Take charge of my life and change the attitude of my heart and my outward actions.  My desire is to please You and to order my priorities according to Your Word.  Thank you for loving me, for coming into my life, and for forgiving me of all my sins.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”

 

V.          What Next?

 

A.    Seek Christian Fellowship – Find a church that clearly teaches the Bible as the inspired Word of God.  Christians need a church that believes Jesus Christ is God the Son, the only way to heaven, and the forgiver of sins on the basis of His shed blood.  The church is to a Christian what a family is to a baby.  The church is the spiritual family through whom Christians are fed, nurtured, and provided care.

B.    Be Baptized – Baptism identifies the believer with Jesus and His death, burial and resurrection.  It also portrays what happens spiritually the moment we believe.  The believer’s old life is buried with Christ and we have a new, resurrected life.

C.    Read The Bible – God’s Word is the spiritual nourishment for our souls.  In the Bible we learn about God’s nature, man’s nature, great things God has done, and how God wants man to live.  Begin with the Gospel of John and  I, II, III John.

D.    Rely Upon The Holy Spirit – It is impossible to live the Christian life in our own power.  Daily, through prayer, we must seek the Lord and trust Him to give us victory over sin.  The Christian does not suddenly become perfect.  Perfection will be ours in heaven.  But godliness and a growing relationship with Christ should be the passionate pursuit of our lives.