BECOMING A CHRISTIAN:

To “become a Christian”, there are some things you need to grasp..

Becoming a Christian is not like joining a club, nor is it like finding a new group to hang out with, or a hobby or a society. This desire has to be an urgent overwhelming necessity, and such a desire will not be sparked by a casual interest in God and his working in your heart and mind.

You cannot say a “special prayer” and make yourself a Christian. You can decide to call yourself a Christian, but that is not the same as being one as defined in the truth of scripture. By definition a Christian one who is “in Christ”, one who loves the Lord Jesus Christ with all of his heart, mind, and soul and seeks to live his life according to his Savior's teaching. This is contrary to all that we are by our ‘fallen nature, so our nature has to be changed if we are to be Christians, and only God can do that.

Both these points lead us to see that only God can make us Christians. This is why Paul in Ephesians 2:10 in describing himself and other believers said, “We are God's workmanship.” Each Christian is the result of an extraordinary work of Almighty God. Does this mean then that there is nothing we can do, and we must just wait for God to work in us? It is true that there is nothing that we can do to save ourselves, this is by grace of God alone, but still the Bible teaches that if God is beginning to work in us, one of the first things we will feel is a burning desire to have our sins forgiven and to have peace with God. The Bible tells us to seek the Lord first in all things.

We must first and foremost recognize these things:

1. Our sin separates us from God and will eventually take us to hell. Sin, guilt and judgment are truths that we do not like to think about, but they are the explanation for the state of the world today and for the state of our own hearts. These are the reasons why we need to become Christians.

2. It can only be done God's way, which is through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is not one of many ways to God; He is the only way. Our culture tries to convince you of many ways, but these are all seriously wrong.

3. When Jesus died on the cross, it was to fulfill God's plan of salvation for sinners. God made Jesus responsible for our sin, and he gladly accepted that responsibility. So when He died on the cross, He did so as a sacrifice, bearing our sin and our guilt and taking the punishment for that sin. He died in our place. In this way God satisfies His own holiness in that our sin is dealt with legally and justly, and at the same time those who are in Christ partake in the things of Christ, wherein God is able to forgive the guilty sinner and fully pardon all our sin.

4. To seek the Lord means that we acknowledge our own sin and guilt, and plead with God to save us from its consequence. This He can and will do because of what the Lord Jesus did on the cross.

5. God makes us Christians by not only forgiving our sin but by also dealing with the root of the problem which is not merely our sinful behavior but our sinful nature which dictates our actions. He changes our nature by creating in us new desires, new longings, new ambitions and new attitudes. This is done by the power of His Holy Spirit becoming the motivating force in our lives. When someone becomes a Christian, he is a new person. Christ now rules and reigns in his heart. The view of the world is through the eyes of Jesus Christ which He reveals to us by His Word, the Bible.

If you believe these things and you really want to become a Christian, then it leaves you with only one thing to do. Hat your sin and trust in Christ alone to save you. Plead with God to have mercy on you. Do these until you know God's peace in your heart. When you seek the Lord in this way you can be sure that He will not turn you away. Draw near to Him in all things, and He will draw near to you. Become a disciple, make Him Lord of all things in your life, not just those you are willing to yield.

Read His Word daily, get a good book of devotions, study with mature Christians, learn from them, attend worship and fellowship with a good Bible based church. Pray to Him about a relationship. Research churches in your area, for this is the age of false teachers.

If you have any questions email me at pastortcotton@gmail.com . If you want to pray with someone live go to http://truthandway.org/Prayer.htm for the phone number or submit though the web.

Your eternity is at stake.