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How do I become a
Christian?
How do you become a
Christian? First of all, you don't become a Christian by joining a
church, adopting a creed, or by believing in God. There are lots
of false churches, false creeds, and even the devil believes in God.
Becoming a Christian means you need to understand what the real issues
are. Let's take a look.
Jesus
Hopefully,
you've already read the page on Jesus. But by way of review, Jesus
is the most important figure in all of human history. He is God in
flesh (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9), physically risen from
the dead, Lord (Luke 24:34;
John 2:19-21) and Savior
(Acts 5:30-32). He came to
die for sinners (Rom. 5:8) to
deliver people from the righteous wrath of God upon us.
Are you a sinner?
I ask you, are you a sinner? Have you ever lied, stolen, lusted,
coveted, or been angry with someone unjustly? If so, then you have
broken the Law of God. God has said "You shall not steal; You
shall not lie; You shall have no other gods before Me; You shall not
murder, etc.," (Exodus 20). He has given the standard
of righteousness and if you have broken any of God's commandments
then you have fallen short of that standard and are under the
inevitable judgment of God. When you die you will face Him
and on the Day of Judgment He will punish all sinners.
If you do not like this teaching, then throw away your
Bible and turn from Christ, for this is the message of God's word --
that Jesus came to die for sinners and to save them from the wrath
to come. God is holy and righteous and He must deal with those
who sin against Him.
Jesus is the One you need. He alone. Not
your works (Rom. 3:10-12; Isaiah 64:6). Not your
sincerity. Not your goodness. You have nothing to offer
God except your sinfulness. It is only by the love and grace
of God found in Jesus and His sacrifice that you can be delivered
from the righteous wrath of God upon all who have broken His law.
Jesus saves you from God.
God's wrath on
the Day of Judgment is upon sinners
On the Day
of Judgment God will judge all people for their sins against Him.
He will judge all who have lied, stolen, cheated, lusted, dishonored
their parents, etc. He will do this because He is holy and
righteous. God must punish the sinner. God cannot and
will not ignore the person who has broken His righteous law.
The Law is a reflection of the character of God. Therefore, to
break God's law is to offend God and deny the holiness of His
character. He will be vindicated. He will judge.
The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). That means that
your sins have caused a
separation between you and God (Isaiah
59:2) and
the result is death (Rom.
6:23) and wrath (Eph.
2:3). The only way to be saved from the wrath of God, is to be saved
from it by faith in Christ (Eph.
2:8-9; Rom. 5:1). You must
trust in what Jesus did on the cross to forgive you of your sins and
not trust anything else, not even your own sincerity or works.
It is Jesus and only Jesus who can turn away the righteous judgment
of God upon the sinner.
The Gospel
The gospel
is that Jesus died for sinners on the cross, was buried, and rose
from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4). His death was a
sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God (1 John 2:2). This is the only way
to be saved.
Jesus is the one who died for the sins of the
world (1 John 2:2). He is the only way to the
God the Father (John
14;6). He alone reveals God
(Matt. 11:27). He has all
authority in heaven and earth (Matt. 28:18).
It is only through Him that you can be saved from God's wrath (Eph.
2:3). He can forgive you of
your sin (Luke
5:20; Matt.
9:2). He can remove the guilt that is upon your soul.
Jesus can set you free from the bondage of sin that blinds your eyes,
weakens your soul, and brings you to despair. He can do this because
He bore sin in His body on the cross (1
Peter. 2:24) that those who trust in Him would be saved.
If you are not a Christian, and want to be delivered
from the righteous judgment of God upon you due to your sin against
Him, then come to the One
who died for the sins of the world. Come to the One who died for sinners (Matt.
11:28). Turn from your sins. Believe and trust in Jesus. Receive
Jesus, who is God in flesh, who died and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4)
as your Lord and Savior. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your
sins. Receive Christ (John 1:12).
Only He can wash you clean from your sins and only Jesus can deliver
you from the righteous judgment of a holy and infinite God. Pray
to Jesus. Seek Him. Ask Him to save you.
He will.
Here is a sample prayer you can offer to Jesus.
It does not have to be exact, but you will get the idea.
Lord
Jesus, I know that I have sinned against you. I know that I am
not perfect and that I cannot please you through my own efforts.
I know that I deserve to be judged according to my sins. And,
I know that I have nothing to offer you.
Lord Jesus, I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Please
cleanse me and make me right before you. I trust in what you
have done on the cross. I do not rely on myself but only on
you and I receive you as Lord of my life and as savior of my soul.
Lord Jesus, save me. I look to you alone.
I would like to note,
that the Jesus of Mormonism (the brother of the devil), the Jesus of the
Jehovah's Witnesses (an angel made into a man), the Jesus of the New Age
(a man in tune with the divine consciousness), etc., cannot save you from
your sins. Faith is only as good as who you put it in. Only
the Jesus of the Bible can do that. Jesus is God in flesh, the
creator. God is a trinity and
Jesus is the second person of the trinity.
If you
have prayed and asked Jesus to deliver you from your sins and save
you from God's wrath, then please email us
at CARM and let us know.
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