How-to Become a Christian and Follow Jesus
Find Salvation in Christ and Have Everlasting Eternal Life in Heaven
Sep 10, 2009
Christians believe that Jesus came to save the world - each and every person on earth, who ever was, is, or will be - by dying on a cross, because He loves. The Amplified Bible says in John 3:16, "For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life."
In the Bible, Jesus even says in John 15:13, "No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends." He took on all the sin and shame of every individual on earth in order to rescue him or her, simply because He loves. Christians believe that God's will is for everyone to enter into a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus.
Christians Admit to Being Sinners
According to the Bible, everyone falls short of God's expectations. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives."
Christians believe that no one is perfect and that no one can be. Because of this, they believe that people are separated from God and that there is nothing anyone can do to save himself or herself. The very best that a person can do is still less than the very least God will accept. According to Christian faith, people are completely hopeless apart from God.
Christians Believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior
According to the Christian faith, hopeless is not where God leaves a person, because God has made it possible for each person to know Him intimately. In Romans 6:23, in the Bible, it says, "For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord."
A Christian believes that this personal relationship happens through God's Son Jesus, by believing in Him (believing that He is who He says He is and that He does what He says He can do). Romans 5:8 says, "But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us."
In the Bible, Romans 10:9-10 tells a person how he or she can become a Christian. It says, "If you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation."
First, a Christian believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Second, a Christian believes that Jesus died on the cross to save him or her from his or her sin. Third, a Christian believes that Jesus rose again on the third day. And fourth, a Christian believes that Jesus will come again someday to take His people to heaven to be with Him forever.
Christians Commit to Follow Jesus
A Christian believes that as a result of this new belief in Jesus Christ as personal Savior, the next act is to commit to follow Jesus. The Bible says that if the change in the heart of a person is genuine, then this person is a new creation. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!" This passage means that the old self has passed away, and he or she has become someone else entirely.
A Christian believes that when Jesus takes up residence in his or her heart, there is peace, love, and joy like never before. A Christian also believes that God will take him or her on an amazing journey and teach him or her to trust, love, and follow Jesus.
There is a steadfast hope for the believer in Jesus Christ, because no matter what life's circumstances, the Christian believer knows that God has a plan and that Jesus is with him or her. Philippians 4:7, in the Bible, says, "And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
A New Life Begins for a New Christian
If a person wants to become a Christian, he or she must admit his or her sin, believe in Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior, ask Jesus into his or her life, and then commit to follow Jesus. This does not require fancy words; a sincere heart is all it takes. If that is someone's choice today, then life will never be the same again for that person.
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