Question:   Who Can Be a Christian?
Answer:     Anyone!

 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16

Question:  What is a Christian?
Answer:     A Christian is a Christ-follower
A Christian is child of God – John 1:12
A Christian is one who is born again – John 3:3

Indian Man Praying

Question:    How do I become one?
Answer:      The easiest way to say how is to say we must agree with God. Agree to what?  We agree to what God says about the state of mankind, and us in particular, and also what He says about Himself.

What the Bible says about all people…

“There is none righteous, not even one”
Rom 3:10

“All have sinned and come short of God’s glory”
Rom 3:23

“The wages of sin is death” (separated from God)
Rom 6:23

“By observing the law no flesh will be justified
Gal 2:16

“For by grace are ye saved thru faith and that not of yourselves, it is the ‘gift of God’, not of works lest any man should boast”
Eph 2:8,9

What we learn from these verses is that no one is good enough for Heaven.  When we compare ourselves to others we might look pretty good, but compared to a Holy God we fall short.

If we are honest we will admit that we have broken God’s commands.  Sin has destroyed our relationship with God.  God’s righteous standard is perfection (see James 2:10).  He does not grade on the curve.  This was a surprise to me.  I always hoped I was O.K.  The Bible says “none righteous!”  If I’m not good enough, if I can’t pay or work for my salvation, there must be another way.  The Bible says (Eph 2:89) the way is “Grace through faith.”

Jesus Christ, being fully God, was born into this world as a man.  In His own words He came “to give His life a ransom for many.”  The Bible says though Jesus was tempted as we are, He was without sin and He came to fulfill God’s law.  He had met God’s standard. This made it possible for Christ to offer His life as a sacrifice for the sin of the world.  Remember we said the “wages of sin is death.”  God’s justice demanded “blood sacrifice for sin.”  The sacrifice had to be innocent and we are not!  That is why Christ came to earth.

That is why we call Him the Savior.  He lived the life we couldn’t live.  He died in our place to pay for sin and He satisfied the demands of God’s justice and wrath against sin.  This payment for sin allows God to extend to us mercy, grace (unmerited favor) and forgiveness.  Payment for sin can only come to us through faith in Christ and His completed work on the cross.

 

Oh, the power of the gospel!
So what must I do to be saved?…to become a Christian?

1…Acknowledge our separation from God and our need of Jesus to deliver us from our sin.

2…We repent of our sin and our wicked ways, we turn away, we change direction.

3…We call out to Jesus to save us from our sins (Rom 10:13), to give us eternal life.  We truly, sincerely trust in Him alone to restore our relationship with God.  We submit to Him as the Lord of our lives.  We receive the gift of eternal life.

4…We believe in His resurrection from the dead.  The Bible says “sin brings death” but Christ had never sinned therefore “the grave could not hold Him” and that He was “seen of many witnesses” having “conquered death” by rising from the dead.  Because He is a victor over death, when we place our faith in Him, death can no longer hold us captive.  Heaven is our destination, to be with the Lord is our reward and ‘hell/satan’ has been defeated!

5…We ask God to control/lead our lives and to work out His plan for us.  We thank Him for all His goodness to us.

Sounds too simple?  A gift is not earned, it is received.  When we turn to Christ, God makes you a new person.  We call this transformation being “born again.” This is not reformation, but transformation.  Not a remake of the old you, but a brand new creature in Christ. Judgment for sin must fall.  It will either fall on us and we will be found “guilty” or it has already fallen on Jesus at the cross. A Christian is one who has abandoned all hope in their own goodness, and has put their faith, trust, belief, and hope in Christ alone.
Jesus said “I am The Way, The Truth, The Life.  No one comes to the Father but through me”- John 14:6
“And he that cometh to me I will no wise cast out ”   -John 6:37

Agree with God.  Call out to Jesus. He is waiting.  He will hear.  He keeps His promise.

Sometimes ‘would-be Christians’ do more harm to God’s reputation that we would like.  As you contemplate a decision for Christ, do not have your eyes fixed on people but keep your eyes on the Cross and see The Savior who died for you.

If you have any questions, please call us at 541-536-7524.  Or email us at needJesus@crosswalklapine.com.