How to become a Christian
We’re all equal before God. The rich and famous are born in exactly the same way, physically, as the poorest person. So the most intellectual person must come to God in the same way as the simplest person. There are no exceptions. Jesus said, “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me” John 14:6. We all need a Saviour.
The Bible says that when we were born into the world physically, we were born spiritually dead, and therefore we need a spiritual rebirth. To become a Christian we must be “born again.” Jesus said “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” John 3:3.
The spiritual birth involves two facets. The first is to realise that we can’t get to God or heaven on our own. We are sinners who need help. What is a sinner? A sinner is someone who has chosen to go his own way and is separated from God. “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you” Isaiah 59:2.
Sin can be simply characterised as our own self-centred pride and selfishness. More specifically, sin is the violation of God’s standard of righteousness.
Thus, we must own up to the fact that we need a Saviour, someone who will accomplish all that God requires. The only person ever to do this was Jesus Christ. He lived the only life that was acceptable to God. “He is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” Hebrews 7:26.
He died as a substitute on the cross for our sins, because we have no chance of pleasing God and being acceptable to Him on the basis of our own merit. Thus the initial step is to realise that we all have sinned, broken God’s law and deserve judgment as a result. “For the wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23.
Once a person sees their hopeless and helpless condition and realises that Jesus Christ offers an answer, the next step is to receive that offer personally, for “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord” Romans 6:23. When a person receives Christ as their Lord and Saviour by accepting God’s gift, at that moment they are born into God’s family and become a child of His.
“As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” John 1:12.
“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16.