How To Become A Christian
The Bible Tells us of a conversation between Jesus and a man named Nicodemus.
Matthew 3
"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him,
"Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you,
'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and
where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"
10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you,
We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and
you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from
heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son
of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 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. 17 For God did not send His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that
the world through Him might be saved. 18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because
he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest
his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in
God."
As a Christian you will hear the term Born Again.
It is a direct reference to this conversation between Jesus and a religious leader of his day.
In this passage, Jesus makes it clear that a person must choose to live a life connected to God. This connection is made through Belief
in the Son of God, or we call Him Jesus Christ.
As Christians we call this ability to believe Faith. It is a matter of trusting that Jesus is who he says that he is.
The Bible says that he is the son of God.
The Bible says that he came to make a way for us to be in right relationship with God.
What keeps me from being in right relationship with God already?
Sin --- things that are done wrong in life, ultimately against God.
The Bible makes it clear that all of us have sinned in our lives at some point.
In Romans 3:23 the Bible states
"23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
This includes every person you have ever come in contact with. There are no perfect people.
Can I restore a right relationship with God?
YES!!!! This is God’s greatest desire for your life.
Romans 6:23 says this:
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It is a gift offered by God through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
How do I restore this relationship?
John 1:12 says
"12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name"
Acts 3:19 states
"19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of
the Lord,"
Romans 10:9-10 states
"9 that 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.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
You restore the relationship by telling God you are sorry for the sins you have committed in your life, telling God you believe that He raised
Jesus from the dead, and that you are trusting the rest of your life to him.
Example prayer of Commitment:
Dear God …. I believe in your Son Jesus Christ…..I believe he died on the cross, and was raised three days latter… so I could be forgiven
of my sins….I know I have sinned in my life….I ask you to forgive me… I turn from my sins from this day forward…. I am giving the rest of
my life to you as my Lord and Savior…. Thank you for saving me… Amen.
By asking for forgiveness of your sins, accepting that Jesus is the Son of God, and giving your life completely to God, you are becoming a
Christian, which means a follower of Christ. This is how you take the first step toward becoming a member of the family of God.
