HOW DO I BECOME A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST?
1. You become a follower of Christ, or a Christian, by admitting to God that you have fallen short of His standard and that your sin is separating you from God.
- "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23
- "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23
2. You must believe that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sin when He died on the cross and rose from the dead.
- "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit." -1 Peter 3:18
3. Accept that He did all that was ever necessary for you to stand before God, and transfer your trust from yourselves or from others to the Lord Jesus Christ. He has promised to receive you in spite of your sinfulness.
- "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." - John 1:12
4. Call on Jesus.
- "But what does it say? 'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,' that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." - Romans 10:8-10
- "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" - Romans 10:13
- The important issue is to place your trust in Jesus for the
forgiveness of your sins. There is nothing magic about the following
prayer, but it is a sample prayer to help you express that trust:
- PRAY THIS PRAYER:
- "Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank you for dying
on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as My
Savior, my leader, my Lord, and forgiver. Thank you for forgiving me of my
sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life.
Make me the kind of person you want me to be. In Jesus' name. Amen."
Now What?
Remember, Christianity is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, I encourage you to grow in your love relationship with Jesus by:
- Reading the Bible and praying each day. The Gospel of John is a good place to begin reading.
- Telling your pastor or a Christian friend about your commitment to follow Jesus.
- Finding a good church that will help you grow in your relationship with God.
- Living by faith (trust) in God and His Word which do not change, rather than by your feelings which often change with your circumstances.
- God's Word, the Bible, gives us great hope and confidence:
"Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." - 1 John 5:10-13
