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How to Become a Christian

By Dale A. Robbins

The most important thing that the Lord Jesus wants you to know is that He loves you! He wants to have a relationship with you, and bless you with His promises of peace, joy, answers to prayer and eternal life... but there’s something that separates you from Him -- Sin. Sin is often thought of as only vile or immoral acts, but the Bible helps us understand that it is much more. It is actually an attitude of rebellion against the ideals of God, intrinsic to our inherited human nature.

In other words, it is the nature for all human beings to think, do or say things that violate God’s holy standards. According to scripture, this is a condition that was passed down to all the ancestors of Adam, the first man... who allowed sin to alienate himself from God’s presence, and which continues to obstruct man’s fellowship from the Lord today. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Not only does sin separate us from God in our present time, but it will also maintain that separation beyond the grave... in a dreadful realm of eternal death and darkness that was never intended for mankind. The Bible says that the Lake of Fire was created as a place of everlasting punishment for the Devil and his angels, who sinned and rebelled against God, and were expelled from Heaven long ago.

Unfortunately, this hellish place will also be the shared destination of all those who remain separated from God when they face death. “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

However, the great news is, rather than to abandon the fallen sinful human creatures that God originally created for His fellowship, God loved mankind so much that He devised a plan to redeem us, giving everyone an opportunity to make a choice... either to continue in sin and apart from God... or to turn to the Lord, receive His offer of forgiveness and walk in His fellowship. A relationship with the Lord brings new spiritual life and assurance of everlasting life with the Lord in Heaven when we die.

To implement His plan for redemption, however, God also had to find a way to comply with His own righteous standards by fulfilling His law of sin and death. In other words, according to God’s values, death is an irrevocable consequence of sin that must be satisfied. So, in order to rescue man from death without violating His own principles, He found an alternate means to fulfill the demands of His law. He sent His son, Jesus, to die in our place. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The only sacrifice acceptable to fulfill this enormous debt in behalf of every man, woman and child on the earth, required a perfect, sinless sacrifice. Jesus, the son of God, was the only one who could take our place, since He is the only man without sin to ever walk on the earth.

So, God makes this amazing offer of forgiveness and salvation available as a free gift to every person, if they will comply with just one thing: To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. “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). To believe on Him means that by faith we accept that Jesus was indeed God’s son, who came and died for our sins upon the cross, rose from the dead on the third day, and was exalted by the Heavenly Father as both our Savior and Lord. Believing in Jesus means that we believe what He taught, that we turn away from our old sinful lifestyle, and will follow His life and example.

The instant you acknowledge this reality in your heart and confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, something extraordinary occurs... in fact, it is miraculous. The Spirit of Christ is born in your heart and you become a habitation of the Lord’s presence. Becoming born-again brings new spiritual life, and God’s promise of salvation and everlasting life. The Lord forgives you of all your sins, receives you as His child, and writes your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. “Rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).

So, are you ready to accept this gift of salvation that Jesus offers you right now? The scripture says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

Here’s a sample prayer that you can put into your own words:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I realize that I am a sinner and that I need your forgiveness. I believe that you died for my sins on the cross and rose from the dead so you could wash me of sin and give me eternal life. Please come into my heart now, forgive me and save me. I confess you as my Lord and Savior and place my faith in you. I turn away from sin, and promise to follow you and your example as long as I live. And I believe that when I die, you will receive me into Heaven. Thank you for your forgiveness, for coming into my heart, for making me a child of God!”

The very moment you sincerely express this prayer to Christ in faith, He will enter your heart by His Spirit. You may or may “not” feel or sense anything different at first... but don’t be too concerned with that right now. For the moment, simply trust in His promise by faith. Jesus promised to save you, to forgive “all” your sins, and to write your name in His book of Life... at the very instant you call out for the Lord to come into your heart! And as you continue to walk in your new faith in Christ, you will begin to sense a growing awareness His inner peace, joy and presence along with other encouraging things in the days and weeks ahead.

After this, it’s important to start reading the Bible each day to see what God has to say to you (start in the New Testament book of John) ... and is equally important to talk to Him daily through prayer. Ask Him to guide your life and to fill you with the fullness of His Holy Spirit.

Be sure to get involved with a good Bible-believing church and attend faithfully. Ask to be baptized in water at your earliest convenience, in obedience to what Lord commanded (Acts 2:38), and by all means continue to live your life daily for the Lord! For more information about how to follow the Lord Jesus in your new faith, please read my article, First Steps for New Christians.

If reading this has inspired you to accept Jesus Christ into your heart, please let us know... so we can be praying for you. Click here to send your message.

This article (VL-182) is copyrighted © by Dr. Dale A. Robbins, 1990-2024 and is a publication of Victorious Publications, Grass Valley, CA - Nashville, TN. Unless otherwise stated, scripture references were taken from The New King James Bible, © Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982. In some references to real persons, pseudonyms may have been used to preserve their privacy. You may download this article for personal use as long as you retain credit to the author. Obtain permission before reproducing copies for any reason, by filling out our simple use permission form. Many of our writings are also available as free pdf tri-fold pamphlets, which can be downloaded for reproduction from our Online Catalog. For media reproduction rights, or to obtain quantities of this title in other formats, email us. If you have appreciated these online materials, help us reach the world with the Gospel by considering a monthly or one-time tax-deductable donation.