You may have had many questions about this important matter, spoken to many people and received a lot of different answers. But once you have weighed all the evidence, and tested all the arguments, you will ultimately have to answer a basic question that Jesus put to His own disciples in Matthew 16:15:
“But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter replied:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
What is your reply?
If you concur with Simon Peter’s conclusion, you are just a few steps away from having a personal relationship with our loving God. We sincerely hope and pray that you reach this conclusion, because we know and have experienced the fact that true happiness, joy and peace only come when we discover and acknowledge our purpose for existing. ( which is… ) and yield our wills to our Creator. Christianity is not founded on a set of formulae or rituals, or the special building where people meet to worship: it’s a matter of what you truly believe in your heart.
Become a Christian: Step through the Gospel (the “Good News”)
First, you can be sure that God loves you unconditionally and desires to have a personal relationship with you.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 [Read this also in the Living Bible translation]
Second, you need to acknowledge your own sinful nature – your tendency to say and do those things which are contrary to God’s standards, and which are very often harmful to other people – and confess this to God, because this is what separates all of us from Him.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 [Read this also in the Living Bible translation]
Third, you should stop trying to please God through your own efforts, and acknowledge that because Jesus died to take upon Himself the punishment for your sins (and indeed for everyone’s), He offers the gift of salvation, a gift that none of us deserves, paid for through the blood which was shed when He was crucified.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 [Read this also in the Living Bible translation]
Finally, just as with any other gift that someone might offer you, you need to take a step – to reach out to receive it.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12 [Read this also in the Living Bible translation]
Those are the basic steps to becoming a Christian.
Receiving Jesus is not merely an intellectual undertaking, but rather an act of sincere faith and heartfelt determination – asking Him to come into your life, to forgive your sins, and to become your Lord and Savior.
Jesus says,
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 [Read this also in the Living Bible translation]
Jesus also says,
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20 [Read this also in the Living Bible translation]
If you want to take this step of turning your life over to Him to be your Saviour, Friend, Guide, and Lord, you can pray the following prayer: this is not a matter of ritual using specific words or emotion, but a heartfelt expression of your choice and your intention:
“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me to avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38 [Read this also in the Living Bible translation]
If you decided to become a Christian today, welcome to God’s family. Know this: “When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 – TLB)
Now, as a way to grow closer to Him, the Bible tells us how we should follow up on that commitment.
- Get baptized as commanded by Christ. See the footnote below for what this means.
- Find a local church where the Word of God is clearly taught and where you can be given instruction (and be encouraged) as you live your “new life”, and where you can worship God.
- Tell someone else about your decision to follow Jesus and your new faith in Him.
Spend time with God each day. It does not have to be a long period of time. Just develop the daily habit of praying to Him and reading His Word. Ask God to increase your faith and your understanding of the Bible.Finally, let us know if you have made your decision to follow Jesus, and also let us know if you have any questions or need assistance in any of the above steps. Our contact information is on this website.
FOOTNOTE ON BAPTISM
Baptism – by full immersion, as taught in the Bible – is an act of obedience that should be an immediate part of your acceptance of the gift of grace offered by Jesus Christ.Your salvation is dependent on your faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross for your sins – He has already done everything. By definition, His grace doesn’t require us to do anything more (i.e. no additional “works” are necessary). That being said, Jesus Christ does command us to take this action step and to be baptized (see Matthew 28:18-20 in the Living Bible) and therefore, all believers should be baptized.Starting very shortly after Jesus made these statements, and was taken up to Heaven, the Book of Acts describes the activities of the apostles and early church leaders and how they put this instruction into action, administering baptism to almost every group or individual who believed in the preaching of the Gospel. See the following accounts (all from The Living Bible) Acts 2:37-41; 8:5-13; 8:35-39; 9:10-18; 10:34-48; 16:13-15; 16:30-33; 18:8 and 19:1-6.Seek fellowship with other Christians. Develop a group of Christian friends to answer your questions and support you.See also
