How Can I become a Christian?

How Can I Become a Christian?

I’m glad you asked that. God’s eternal purpose for you from before the universe began was for you to have a personal relationship with Him. That is why you were born. No matter how wonderful your life is, or whatever else you achieve, if you fail to discover what it means to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then you have missed the reason for your existence. Jesus called coming to faith him being “born anew” or “born from above” (John chapter 3). We join his family when we come to know God as our heavenly Father.

Peter, the impulsive fisherman who was one of Jesus’ closest followers, tells us how:
38Peter replied, "Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 (New Living Translation.)
In John chapter three Jesus also talks of the necessity of being born again by water and the Spirit, and that if we believe in him we have eternal life. From these passages we see that there are four parts to becoming a Christian: repent, believe in Jesus, be baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit.
1. Turn 180 degrees from sin, to God. Asking for his forgiveness for our rebellion against him, when it is accompanied by a willingness to change, is called repentance. He even provides the help we need to change.
2 Believe in Jesus: that he is who he claimed to be, that he died in your place and rose again to break the power of sin and death. Paul tells us more about this in Romans 10:9-10 (New Living Translation)
9For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
3. Be baptized if you haven’t already done so. Baptism is a public identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It represents the washing away of sin. It is the outward and visible sign of the inward reality of what happens when we become a Christian.
4. Receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is active in our lives before we become Christians, drawing us towards God and making us aware of our need for him. When we ask God for forgiveness and turn our lives over to him, his Holy Spirit comes to live within us. He then helps transform our characters to become more like Christ and gives us various gifts so that we can be effective in serving him and others within the church family. The evidence that he is in our lives is the changed character which we gradually begin to exhibit as his influence bears fruit.
These four aspects rightly belong together. This is most obvious when someone from a completely non-Christian background responds in repentance and faith to the good news about Jesus, is baptized and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit is immediately evident in his/her life.These four aspects may be experienced at different times and not necessarily in that order. Some Christians come to faith but never get around to obeying the command to be baptized. That is like becoming engaged but never actually holding the wedding ceremony. Often those baptized as infants never “own” or appropriate what was promised to them in baptism, thus missing out on a close relationship with God that they could have had. That is like getting married but never moving in together as husband and wife, or like receiving a cheque and never cashing it.
Perhaps you’ve never had the opportunity to put your trust in Jesus, or, perhaps you’ve always thought you were a Christian but now you are not sure. There is a way you can be sure. Simply pray a prayer like this one, or even better, pray one in your own words:
“Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and sending your Son Jesus, to earth to die in my place and to rise again. I am sorry for my sin. Please forgive me and fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I can live effectively for you. In Jesus name. Amen.”
What happens next? Thank God for what he has done. Tell your friends and family. Become part of a local church that is faithful to the Scriptures and where you can be nurtured and mentored in the Christian faith. Ask the pastor or leaders in the church to help you discover or receive the gifts God wishes to give you so you can be an effective part his church. Begin to read the Bible and to pray daily. Be part of a small group or fellowship with whom you can learn to practice the Christian way of life and within which there is mutual support and accountability. We were never meant to follow Christ by ourselves. He has given us his Word, his people and his Spirit to assist us.