How does one actually
become a Christian?
Up to now, my articles have been a defense for Christianity or an
answer to certain questions which challenge the validity of the
Bible. I encourage such questions because I do not
believe
we should accept any religion or teaching (Christianity included)
through blind faith. However, for those who are intrigued
enough
to give Jesus a chance, let me explain what the Bible means when it
asks us to “become a Christian,”
“convert,”
“get saved” or be “born again.”
(All different
ways of saying the same thing.)
The Gospel message is actually a very simple one. Gospel
means
“good news,” specifically the good news that God,
at a
certain point in history became a man and walked the earth (John
14:8-10). This man (Jesus) was crucified for His
teachings.
Three days later, He rose from the dead, appearing to many
eyewitnesses, proving that both his claims and standards were of God (I
Cor. 15). But His death was not an accident. He
died
deliberately and in some unexplainable fashion, paid for the sins of
all people (I Pet. 2:24 I John 2:2). His
resurrection
points toward the hope of an after life, a time when forgiven sinners
can be bodily resurrected themselves and completely recreated or
“born again” (Rom. 6:5, John 1:12-13).
These brand
new people, will live without sin in the presence of God and fellow
repentant human beings for the rest of eternity (Rom. 8, I
Cor.
15). As a promise or down payment of this future relationship
with Christ, God’s Spirit takes up residence within our own
soul,
proving His existence and helping us to live a better life by changing
and eventually transforming our inward hearts and motives (Rom. 8:
1-17, Eph.1:13-14). The resulting relationship with God is
something people must choose to enter into (John 3:36).
The Bible defines sin as selfishness. (Matt 7:12) This is
something every human being is guilty of and selfishness manifests
itself in many forms, from unwarranted anger, to gossip, to lust, to
jealousy to greed. Even if I watch my actions carefully, I
don’t have a button I can push to make my inward emotions go
away. I mentioned last month how we can usually discover our
sin
by facing our inner hearts and motives. Not that everything
in
the heart is bad. People feel all kinds of wonderful things
and
do many good works. But if I’m half clean and half
dirty, I
still need a shower.
When one turns to Jesus, the penalty of eternal death and separation
from God is taken away, very similar to the way a judge might remove a
sentence. Supposing you were found guilty of a crime and the
judge said to you, “$500,000.00 fine or life
imprisonment.”
Of course you don’t have that kind of money and the judge
knows
this. But then, in an act of compassion, he takes out his
check
book and writes a check for $500,000.00. He hands it to
you
and says, “Take this to the cashier.
You’re fine has
been paid.”
What goes through your mind? “What’s the
catch?” “ This is too good to be
true.”
“Life doesn’t work like
this.”
“People don’t love like this.”
Well, God loves you just that much. He loves you not because
of
deeds but because He created you in such a way that you are personally
loveable to him. If you had been the only person on this
Earth,
He would have come down and died just for you. He not only
wants
to forgive your past, He wants to give you a new future, a future with
him. He wants to adopt you as his son or daughter.
Being
born again not only means that you become a new person, but that you
now have a new parent.
Imagine living in an orphanage for several years of your
childhood. One day, the caretaker calls you into her
office. “A very loving, very powerful man wants to
adopt
you. If you go home with him, he will take custody of your
life
and raise you as his own son/daughter. If you get out of line
he
will discipline you. But he will only want your best. You
don’t have to go with him. You can remain an orphan
if you
wish. But once you sign the dotted line, you belong to
him.” Becoming a Christian is signing the dotted line.
I’m not saying that God is a male. God’s
eternal
essance is a mystery. But the Bible does use a parenting symbol when it
calls God our Heavenly Father. The idea behind this is that
we
have all had parents. These relationships were meant to serve
as
an example of what a relationship with God would be like.
Some of
you had good parents who raised you right, protected you and always
made you feel loved. Others had terrible
relationships. But
even in these cases, you frequently imagine in your dreams what it
would be like to have a parent who took care of you, spent time with
you and loved you unconditionally, loved you regardless of what you
looked like, what kinds of grades you got, etc.
“You’re talking in terms of a relationship with
God.
What about the people who believe they became Christians by joining a
church?”
The New Testament does talk a lot about the importance of church but we
mustn’t put the cart before the horse. Church literally means
“assembly .” This
assembly of other
believers is a place for growth, mutual accountability, joint worship
and fellowship. This is where we flourish after we have
become
born again. Once we have our new life in Jesus, we will need to be
around others who have this same relationship. But the
transformation comes first.
When the Apostle Paul wrote the Corinthian church, he was aware that
some who attended had not honestly given their lives to
Jesus.
That’s why he reminded them of what it meant to be a true
disciple of Jesus:
2 Cor 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old
has gone, the new has come!
Some in the Corinthian church were continuing to live lives of
selfishness and rebellion against God but they still enjoyed
participating in church because the church was a friendly community and
a community that took care of them by offering food/ shelter
etc.
You should read both letters to the Corinthians in their
entirety
to get the rich full picture, but for now, notice in this next verse
how Paul gives a chilling rebuke for those who would continue to live
in sin.
1 Cor 6:9
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Then, after giving an example of a wide variety of sins, he adds in
verse 11;
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and
by the Spirit of our God.
I italicized the word were to highlight a deliverance which took place
in the past. It was already a done deal, not something that
was
starting to happen because of church attendance. No, we do
not
become sinless until we reach heaven, but in this life, we are at least
on a road moving away from sin, as God takes our hand and helps us.
Now some do go to church seeking God and sometimes a pastor,
counselor or friend explains what it means to be saved.
Others
attend church thinking they are Christians already and discover over
the passage of time that there is a spiritual door they
haven’t
gone through yet. . In these cases, attending church may indeed have
been a step toward finding Jesus. But meeting Jesus is still
where the rubber meets the road.
“What if I was born into a Christian family? Does
that mean
I’m a Christian already?”
I do respect and appreciate the parents who raise their children in
such a way that they can respond at an early age to the teachings of
Christ, but respond is the operative word here. These
children
are not saved until they make up their own minds. And while
some
church going parents have a relationship with Jesus, others are going
to church out of habit or tradition. So sometimes,
a
“Christian upbringing” is not really a Christian
upbringing
at all.
Hopefully this brief piece helped to clarify the gospel message.
Suggested prayer: “Jesus I have recently become more aware of
my
selfishness, my unclean thoughts and my insincere
motivations.
Please forgive my sins. I want to change but I recognize that I
can’t, apart from a relationship with you. I want
you to
become my parent and adopt me as your child. I believe that
you
died for my sins and rose from the dead. Now I ask that your
Spirit come into my heart, making your presence known and helping me to
live a better life. I may not be positive that
you’re out
there but if you are, if you come to me and make yourself known, I
promise to serve you the rest of my life, so long as you are there to
pick me up when I fall.”
By all means put this prayer in your own words.
I’m
just offering the crucial points that need to be conveyed.
And
then, if you make such a prayer, let somebody know, a Christian friend
perhaps. At this point, church now becomes extremely
important. You will want to get into a good church.
If you
feel uncomfortable about visiting a lot of weird Sunday morning
services, perhaps you can start with something simpler and
less
threatening such as a small group or Bible Study.
May the peace of God find its way into your hearts.
More Questions
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Have your own question?
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From the
column, "What About It, Bob?"
By Bob Siegel
© 2002 by Bob Siegel
This article is not to be reproduced without written permission from
the author.
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