How Do I Become a Christian?
All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory God had in store for us.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
Sin separates us from our Heavenly Father, so He sent His only Son to earth to atone for our sins by dying on the cross. Deciding to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior is the most important decision anyone can ever make, because at the end of life those without Jesus are doomed to live in damnation — Hell — for all eternity.
If your life suddenly ended today, do you know where you would spend eternity? Don’t put off this decision another second. Take your Bible (or borrow one from a friend) and learn how to become a Christian by following the outline below.
1) Admit you are a sinner and turn away from your 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.”
Repent literally means “a change of mind that results in a change of action.” To repent, then, means to admit you are a sinner. You change your mind to agree with God that you are a sinner. The resulting “change in action” is, of course, the turning away from sin.
2) Believe Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you from your sins and give you eternal life.
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life .”
Believing in Jesus is also a part of repenting. You change your mind from unbelief to belief, which results in a change of action.
3) Come to him by faith .
In John 14:6, Jesus says: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Faith in Jesus Christ is a change of mind that results in a change of action–coming to him.
4) You may pray a simple prayer to God.
You may want to make your response to God a prayer. Prayer is simply communicating with God. Pray using your own words. There is no special formula. Just pray from your heart to God, and believe that he has saved you.
Simply share the following prayer with God in your own words:
- Lord, I admit that I need you. (I have sinned.)
- I want forgiveness for my sins and freedom from eternal death. (I repent.)
- I believe Jesus died and rose from the grave to forgive my sins and to restore my relationship with you. (I believe in Jesus.)
- By faith, I invite Jesus Christ into my life. From this time on, I want to live in a loving relationship with Him. (I receive Christ as my Savior and Lord.)
“But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name.” (John 1:12)
5) Don’t doubt.
If you made a decision to accept Jesus Christ as your savior today, please let us know.