How can I become a Christian?
FAQs (030)
Becoming a Christian is very simple, but like many simple decisions it can have far reaching consequences. God has done everything necessary to restore our relationship with himself, but the final choice is ours to make. An illustration may help.
You are travelling on a journey. But something is wrong. You realise you are going the wrong way. So you turn around and start going the right way, continuing until you reach your destination.
Life is the journey; Sin is what is wrong; Accepting Jesus' death for our sin and receiving him is the turn around point. Continuing on the right route is our new life in Jesus.
God has told us he loves us. He loved us all so much that he has sent his son, Jesus, so that whoever believes in him will not die but have eternal life (John 3 v 16). God wants us to have good, full, complete lives here and now, but also eternal life - his life in us, forever.
But we have a problem. It's called sin. Everyone has sinned (Romans 3 v 23), nobody is perfect, none of us reaches up to God's standard.
Sin has consequences. Because God is holy the consequence of sin is eternal separation from God (Romans 6 v 23). Alternatively we can accept God's free gift of forgiveness and new life with him.
Jesus paid the penalty for our sin (Romans 5 v 8). You do not have to be "good" for God to love you, he loves you as you are. That is why Jesus died - to show God's love - and bring us back to him.
It's a free gift! You don't have to work to be saved, you don't have to achieve anything (Ephes 2 v 8-9). God wants to save us and he does it as a free gift - he does for us what we could never do for ourselves.
Receive it - all we need to do is believe what God has said and done and receive it (John 1 v 12-13). When we confess our need of Jesus and the sins that keeps us apart, and accept what he has done for us, God makes us one of his children, part of his family. You become a Christian.
If you want to become a Christian you can pray (talk to God) and say something like the following;
"Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I need your forgiveness. I believe that you died in my place to take the penalty of my sin. Please forgive my sin (mention any particular sin that you are aware of - be specific). Please come into my life as my Saviour and Friend and Lord. Thank you for loving me and making me your child. Help me to go on and live my life for you. Amen"
If you prayed that prayer (or one like it - the exact words don't matter) then you have become a Christian. You may wonder if anything actually happened - but it has, because God promises that it has. You have been saved (Romans 10 v 13); your sins are forgiven (Col 1 v 14); you are a child of God (John 1 v 12); you have eternal life (John 1 v 12-13). Begin to learn to trust what God says.
If you have become a Christian, and anything on this web site has helped you come to that decision, please email us now and let us know. We would love to hear about it.
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