How do I become a Christian?

(Although the author and I prefer the KJV bible, I personally believe any bible is better than none.) By: J.P.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Every one of us is a sinner. Every one of us have come short of God’s glory.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Because of our sin, we deserve death, eternal punishment, the wrath of God. But God, because He loves us, has provided a means to have eternal life with Him. That means is the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

You must receive him. Nobody is born into salvation. Nobody deserves it.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

You must call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, believing on him, in his sacrifice for YOUR sins.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

1 Tim 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Jesus Christ was God Himself. He was God, the Son. The Word. He came and died for your sins and mine.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

There is nothing you can do to earn salvation. You must be saved by the grace of God, in receiving him (the Lord).

1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

You may pray to the Lord now, Ask Jesus to come into your heart and give your life to Him.

Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and because of my sin I know I deserve to go to hell. I know you paid the price for my sins, so I'm accepting what you have done on the cross as the payment for my sin. Come into my heart and save me, and take me to heaven when I die. Thank you Jesus for saving me. In your name I pray, Amen.

Once you receive the Lord, believe on him, that he was sacrificed for your sins, and rose again never to die, you KNOW you are saved.

Prayer is an important part of your Christian life, but it has nothing to do with salvation. If you are trusting in a prayer or other "act" then you are not trusting in Christ.

"What must I do to be saved?" Simply believing in the Lord's completed work, and relying completely on him for your salvation.

Now it’s time to get to know God. You do that by reading His words. In the Bible. As a new Christian, you must be aware that you have just earned one big enemy. Satan will do what he can to discourage and confuse you. Don’t let him. Start reading God’s words. God’s words (in English) are found in the Bible. Be aware that there are a lot of fakes out there claiming to be God’s words. Satan is a great imitator of God, He can and will come as an angel of light, pretending to be of God (2 Corinthians 11:14). He will do his best to deceive you into accepting something less that God’s words. The Bible is God’s words. Read it and study it (2 Timothy 2:15), and believe it. Realize that God is revealing Himself in that Book. Start your reading in the book of St. John. The Bible is not your means of salvation either. Realize that only Christ's completed work on the cross gives you salvation.

You also need to find a Church to help you grow spiritually.

What about baptism?

As a new Child of God, one of your first acts of obedience should be to follow Christ's example and be baptized. There is nothing in the Bible about waiting for "baptism Sunday" or many of the other rituals we tend to practice these days. In the Bible, baptism is a very simple and direct act where a new believer is dunked in water to symbolize the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not the means of nor a requirement of Salvation. Anyone telling you that you must be baptized to be saved is telling you that Christ's work on the cross was not enough. They will quote to you Acts 2:38: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." They mean to tell you that "baptism for the remission of sins" means that the act of baptism is what gets you the remission of sins. The most simple explanation of this error is one of understanding English. Take for example speeding: if you get a ticket for speeding, the ticket is not the cause of speeding, is it? No, it is something you get after speeding. Baptism is an outward expression of something that has already happened, not a direct cause of your salvation. Salvation exists without baptism, but the Christian who does not seek to be baptized is clearly disobeying scripture and certainly isn't starting his walk on the right foot.