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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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