How to Become a Christian
Many people want to become Christians but do not know how. There is no need to undergo long periods of training. Neither is there a need to go to classes. Neither do you have to learn a lot of detail by heart. All of these can be a help, but you can become a Christian by four simple steps:
1. There is something for you to admit
The Bible tells us that we must start at a point of admitting our own need for God. That need has come about because we are separated from God. That separation and alienation from God is known as sin. Sin is not just doing wrong things as most people will say. Those wrong acts and thoughts are in fact known as sins. Sin is the separation between us and God which leads us into doing bad things.
We have to admit that we are sinners. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). There is not one person who has not fallen short of God’s expectation. This is because of our genetic background, the impact of our environment upon us, and the pressure of our peers. Sometimes, our sinfulness has been wilful and deliberate and other times it may have been simply through neglect and indifference. But the fact is that we are apart from God and have not measured up to His standard.
God regards this separation from Himself as our Creator very seriously. If we do not acknowledge Him and live in relationship with Him, then we earn His wrath. The Bible declares “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). Our separation from God results in our death, physically and spiritually. But God wants to give us a free gift, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This eternal life starts here and now and goes beyond death. We start becoming a Christian by admitting our need, our sinfulness and apartness from God. To be sorry for our sin, and to turn from being separate from God, is called repentance.
2. There is something for you to believe
At the heart of the faith is the fact that God out of His love and grace sent Jesus Christ to bring us back to Himself, to bridge the gulf caused by our sin between Himself and us and to relieve from ourselves the penalty of that sin. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) It was for our sakes that he came and died upon the cross. If we believe this we can be brought back to God. The gulf separating us is bridged, it is purely by God’s grace that we are saved and this is appropriated to ourselves through our faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). All we need do is receive this gift from God. There is no way we can earn our place with God, but we can accept it as a free gift.
Lest we feel shy and hesitant about receiving His gift, Jesus Himself encourages us to allow our lives to be changed through His presence. In a beautiful insight He says, “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). He wants to enter your life, and all you need do is invite Him in.
If you do, you have it as a promise from our Lord Jesus Himself that you will become one of God’s children – a child of God, a Christian. The close friend of Jesus, John, put it this way. “To all who receive Jesus, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, children who are born not of natural decent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12) You will be born again, as Jesus put it (John 3:3), when you believe.
3. There is something for you to confess
What you confess is not a list of sins but you confess your belief in Jesus as God’s Son. This enables your sin to be forgiven and your apartness from God to be overcome. Many people think that confession requires a recycling of wrong deeds. But in the Bible confession means to openly witness to the fact that you believe in Jesus. As the Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you can confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10) The Bible is quite clear that your witness to other people completes your act of becoming a Christian.
4. There is something for you to do
Having become a brand new Christian it is important that you now continue to grow as a Christian. This means that you should read your Bible daily. As you read the Bible you learn to grow in God’s understanding of what He wants you to do. It was said of some members of the early church that “they receive the message with great eagerness and examine the Scriptures every day to see if it was true.” (Acts 17:11). By reading God’s word you grow in your understanding of the faith. Start with Mark’s Gospel then go to John’s Gospel and read the full story and meaning of the coming of Jesus. Then read the Acts of the Apostles and see how the early church developed in their faith.
It is important also that you pray and worship God (Philippians 4: 6,7, Hebrews 10:25) together with other Christians. If you have never been baptised then it’s important to listen to the command of Jesus who required of us that we be baptised in order to become one of His followers. The early disciples were told to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them (those who believe) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28: 19-20). Nothing we do makes us a Christian, except for accepting what God has already done for us in Jesus Christ. So we may learn better what He has done, know what is written in the Bible, and find encouragement through praying with others and in the natural worship of God, it does help to meet regularly in church with a congregation of people who love God and who are committed to serving others.
Nothing is more exciting than finding life that is abundant, free and eternal. You can become a Christian and these four steps tell you how.
If you have completed these four steps, pray this simple prayer “Lord Jesus I do believe. Come into my heart and cleanse me from my sin. Help me to witness to my faith as I tell other people and bring to me those people who can help me grow as a Christian. Amen.”
If you have prayed this prayer, I would be happy to send you some further literature that could help grow in your Christian life.
You can write to me:
Rev. Dr. Gordon Moyes A.C. M,L.C.
Parliament of NSW
Macquarie Street
Australia
or by email at: gordon@gordonmoyes.com