Becoming a Christian
“Becoming a Christian” begins with God creating you. As you age, God continues to demonstrate His love by creating in you a desire or longing for him. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said, “Here I am! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me” (Revelation 3:20).
This means that God speaks to your mind and emotions as an unbeliever and he asks through Jesus Christ to be invited into your life. God desires for everyone to have a living relationship with him through Jesus Christ and ultimately to go to heaven (John 14:1-7). Those who want this, respond to God’s love and call.
Here are four simple steps in responding to God’s call and “becoming a Christian.” The order of the steps could be interchangeable. What is important is that you become a “believer” by doing all the steps with a sincere heart.
1. BELIEVE: Romans 10:9 says, “Because if you confess (admit) with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Believe in your heart that Jesus is the risen Son of the living God and state that belief.
2. REPENT: To repent means to be sorry that you have sinned (rebelled in thought, word, and/or deed) against God. All sin is against God (Psalm 51:3-12). To be a Christian, with the sorrow must come the decision to leave the sin. Acts 3:19 says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Repenting literally means to turn your life around. It means turning from a life of sin (rebellion against God) to a life with God, a life that honors a Godly lifestyle that will bring you health and joy.
3. CONFESS: You agree with God that you are a sinner and tell God that you have sinned and that these sins have resulted in a broken relationship with him. I John 1:5-10 says in part, “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
4. RECEIVE: You open your heart and mind and welcome Jesus Christ, not only as your friend, but also as the Lord and Savior of your life. The words in John 1:12-13 show the connection between believing and receiving – “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”