Becoming a Christian

Becoming a Christian doesn't involve rituals or efforts at morality, but rather faith in Jesus Christ. God has initiated a plan through which we can be forgiven and made into new people by His mercy and love - released from the bondage of guilt, sin, and death in order to live new lives of purpose, freedom, and obedience to our Creator. Consider:

1. God wants you to know Him.

God loves you and created you to have a personal relationship with Him. But, because we break His laws, we cannot fulfill our purpose or enter heaven when we die. Our sins like lust, greed, and pride separate us from God both now and for eternity. Even our best efforts at goodness can't reach God's perfect standard.

The Bible says,

... there is a problem--your sins have cut you off from God (Isa. 59:2).

For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us (Rom. 3:23-25).

God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Eph. 2:8-9).

2. God wants to give you mercy.

Jesus died on the cross as God's payment for sins so that He could become humanity's only bridge to God. He rose again to prove He could save us from sin and death.

The Bible says,

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it (John 3:16-17).

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God--all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God (Rom. 5:8,11).

But then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. He declared us not guilty because of his great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life (Titus 3:4-7).

3. God wants to give you eternal life.

Mercy from God is not automatic for everyone -- a personal decision is involved. God offers forgiveness, new life, purpose, and assurance for eternity to those who will receive His gift by faith . Then, He will help you begin a new life of following Jesus.

The Bible says,

What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did (2 Cor. 5:17-18).

With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed...

...But that isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ. Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness--righteous, holy, and true (Eph. 4:17-24).

How will you respond to God's offer of new life through Jesus Christ?

To learn more about following Jesus, read the gospel of Matthew in the Bible. It recounts much of what Jesus did and taught, and is a good place to begin reading the Bible.

> Download a thorough explanation of becoming a Christian, in an easy-to-print and read format. (PDF, 300k)

> Download a free Bible study tool to guide you as you learn more about Christianity. (PDF, 310k)

Also, if you have more questions about spiritual things, AbsoluteTruth.Net has some helpful resources to explore, or you can always contact one of our pastors for some personal counsel.