How to become a Christian
Creator God
Christianity is the belief in one eternal self-existent God. God as the creator of the world, placed the first two people, Adam and Eve in a garden where He walked and talked with them. He gave them only one rule to not eat the fruit of a certain tree.
A broken relationship
When they disobeyed God’s instruction not to eat the tree, sin and death entered the human race and the relationship with God was broken. Sin is the wrong things we all do which separate us from a Holy and Good God.
God had a plan
God set in motion a plan to save (redeem) us. He gave us the Bible (scriptures) to tell us about himself and about the plan of salvation so we can be reconciled to Him. The Bible tells us that while there is one true God, we can know Him as God the Father, God the Son, (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ, the Son came 2000 years ago and lived as one of us. Although perfect, He was rejected, He stood in our place, He took our sin and our punishment through being crucified by men on a wooden cross. Jesus was resurrected back to life and through faith in Him, our relationship with God is fully restored. Ephesians 2:8-9
A restored relationship
While Jesus is currently in heaven, we await His return to finally put an end to death and the troubles of life and to restore the earth to its original design. In the meantime, God, the Holy Spirit is with us in the hearts and lives of believers. This restored relationship enables us to call God, our Father, a good and wonderful loving Father. We become part of God’s family. 1 John 3:1
Reading through this website will help you understand these things.
To become a Christian, you need to be saved. You might ask: “What do I need to be saved from?” The answer relates to our life after death. The wrong things that every one of us do, such as lying and immoral behavior which make us feel guilty also separate us from God for all eternity. The Bible calls this behaviour sin. We all need to be saved so we can have a relationship with God and live eternally with Him after we leave this life. That relationship can start today.
God wants everyone to be saved
God wants everyone to be saved and to become a believer in Jesus Christ. It is not about joining a religion but about turning your life around from unbelief to belief and having a personal relationship with the living God. It is about your future eternal life in heaven and not bearing the consequences of your sin.
1 Timothy 2:4
…4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
He is a God of infinite love and wants to have a relationship with us. God is someone you can count on, someone you can trust who knows you and loves you. It is up to you to make a free will choice to open your heart to Him.
How to be saved
1. Realize that you are a sinner before God.
Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
The truth is humanity is broken. There is evil in our hearts and none of us deserve God. Even if you have only taken a pen from work, then you are a thief. Have you ever lied? then you are a liar. Have you looked at pornography? We have all done things we are not proud of. You like all of us are a sinner.
2. The consequences of our sin is eternal separation from God.
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If God simply lets our sin go unpunished then he would not be a just and holy God. He is perfect and we are sinful, and it is our sin that prevents us from spending eternity with God, so He provided a solution. Jesus!
Jesus lived a perfect human life and was crucified on a cross for our sins. He took upon himself all the evil and sins of this world and paid the price for all time so that we would not have to. But because He was perfect, Jesus rose from the dead. He conquered death, the spiritual death, that comes as the punishment for our sins and we look for Him to return to one day return to rule the earth as King of Kings.
3. Repent from your sins.
Acts 2:38
38 “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
It starts with repentance. This is not just repentance from sin, but repentance from unbelief in Jesus. It means deciding to take a new direction in life.
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
The Bible promises that if we confess our sins, we will be both forgiven and cleansed. We will need to remind ourselves of this wonderful verse from time to time.
4. Confess faith in Jesus as Lord.
Romans 10:9-10
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
We need to make Jesus Lord (in charge) of our life. We make a step toward this by calling Him Lord.
5. Salvation is a gift.
There is nothing you can do to earn your salvation, it is a gift gained by faith and you can never repay God for this gift.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
A prayer for salvation:
The sinner’s prayer for salvation is less about the words and more about your heart of prayer to the Lord. Here is a suggested prayer.
Dear God,
I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing I can do to save myself. I express faith in Jesus your Son who loved me, took my sin and died on the cross in my place. He then conquered death and rose again. I ask you to forgive and cleanse me from my sins. I ask you to be my Lord and Savior, to fill me with your Holy Spirit, and to lead and guide me from this day forward.
Thank you for hearing my prayer, In Jesus Name, Amen
If you have prayed this prayer sincerely with heart level repentance, then you are saved and the scriptures tell us that the angels rejoiced in heaven.
Luke 15:10
10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Next Steps
Your first step is to make sure you have prayed for salvation.
Your next step would be to Read through the pages on this website Take your time over a number of return visits and ask the Lord to speak to you as you read. You could read 1 or 2 pages a day. This will teach you about your new life of walking with God each day and about how to grow in your faith as a new believer in Jesus Christ.
Welcome to the family of God.