Become A
Christian
How to Become a Christian
The central theme of the Bible is God's love for you
and for all people. This love was revealed when
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world as
a human being, lived a sinless life, died on the
cross, and rose from the dead. Because Christ died,
your sins can be forgiven, and because He conquered
death you can have eternal life. You can know for
sure what will become of you after you die.
You have probably heard the story of God's love
referred to as the "Gospel." The word Gospel simply
means "Good News." The Gospel is the Good News that,
because of what Christ has done, we can be forgiven
and can live forever.
But this gift of forgiveness and eternal life cannot
be yours unless you willingly accept it. God
requires an individual response from you. The
following verses from the Bible show God's part and
yours in this process:
God's Love Is Revealed in the Bible
"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 (NIV)
God loves you. He wants to bless your life and make
it full and complete. And He wants to give you a
life which will last forever, even after you
experience physical death.
We Are Sinful
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God." —Romans 3:23 (NIV)
You may have heard someone say, "I'm only
human—nobody's perfect." This Bible verse says the
same thing: We are all sinners. We all do things
that we know are wrong. And that's why we feel
estranged from God—because God is holy and good, and
we are not.
Sin Has a Penalty
"For the wages of sin is death." —Romans 6:23 (NIV)
Just as criminals must pay the penalty for their
crimes, sinners must pay the penalty for their sins.
If you continue to sin, you will pay the penalty of
spiritual death: You will not only die physically;
you will also be separated from our holy God for all
eternity. The Bible teaches that those who choose to
remain separated from God will spend eternity in a
place called hell.
Christ Has Paid Our Penalty!
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in
this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us." —Romans 5:8 (NIV)
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the sinless Son
of God, has paid the penalty for all your sins. You
may think you have to lead a good life and do good
deeds before God will love you. But the Bible says
that Christ loved you enough to die for you, even
when you were rebelling against Him.
Salvation Is a Free Gift
"For it is by grace 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 (NIV)
The word grace means "undeserved favor." It means
God is offering you something you could never
provide for yourself: forgiveness of sins and
eternal life, God's gift to you is free. You do not
have to work for a gift. All you have to do is
joyfully receive it, Believe with all your heart
that Jesus Christ died for you!
Christ Is at Your Heart's Door
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in and eat with him, and he with me."
—Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
Jesus Christ wants to have a personal relationship
with you. Picture, if you will, Jesus Christ
standing at the door of your heart (the door of your
emotions, intellect and will). Invite Him in; He is
waiting for you to receive Him into your heart and
life.
You Must Receive Him
"Yet to all who received him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God." —John 1:12 (NIV)
When you receive Christ into your heart you become a
child of God, and have the privilege of talking to
Him in prayer at any time about anything. The
Christian life is a personal relationship to God
through Jesus Christ. And best of all, it is a
relationship that will last for all eternity. |
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