Wondering About God?
How do I become a Christian?
The main theme of the Bible is God’s love for you and all people. This love
was shown 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 rose from the dead you
can have eternal life. You can know for sure what will become of you after you
die.
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
“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
God loves you. He wants to bless your life and make it complete. He also
wants to give you a life, which will last forever, even after death.
We are sinful
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
You may have heard someone say, “I’m only human – nobody’s
perfect.” Yes, we all sin and 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 penalty
“For the wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23
Just as a criminal must pay the penalty for his crime, sinners must pay the
penalty for their sins. You pay the penalty of spiritual death: You will not
only die physically; you’re 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
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
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. All you have to do is joyfully receive it.
Believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ died for you!
Christ is at the door of your heart
“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
Jesus wants to have a relationship with you. Picture Him 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 receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the
right to become children of God” John 1:12
When you receive Christ into your heart you become a child of God. You can
talk to Him in prayer at any time about anything. The Christian life is a
personal relationship to God through Jesus Christ.
One other way to look at this...
#1
- God loves you and wants you to have an abundant life.
"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
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly." John 10:10
Why don’t most people have what God has planned for us to have?
#2
- We are separated from God.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans
3:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
God has given us freedom of choice. He did not make us into robots to
automatically love and obey Him. We chose to disobey God and go our own way.
This results in separation from God.
People have tried to bridge this gap between themselves and God with good
works, religion, philosophy and morality.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to
death.” Proverbs 14:12
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have
hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2
No bridge reaches God… except one.
#3
- God’s Answer: The Cross
Jesus Christ is the only answer to the separation between humans and God.
Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave. He paid the penalty for our sin
and bridged the gap between God and people.
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus
Christ.” 1 Timothy 2:5
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me’” John 14:6
#4
– Our Response: Receive Christ
We must trust Jesus Christ for forgiveness and eternal life and receive Him
by personal invitation.
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name he gave the
right be come children of God” John 1:12
“That is you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in
your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Would you like to receive Jesus Christ right now?
You need to:
