Features
How Can I Become a Christian?
A Christian is a person who trusts in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and the
gift of eternal life. The problem all of us must face is that we have sinned.
God’s word says: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God" (Romans 3:23). God has perfect moral standards that we all fail to
meet in our actions, speech and thoughts. Since God is a perfectly righteous
judge He must punish sin. God also describes the punishment: "For the wages
of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). The payoff for our sin includes biological
death, but goes beyond that to eternal judgment in hell, which the Bible calls
the second death.
If the Bible had only this to say, the message would be true but hopeless.
But there is very good news, which is also true. Romans 6:23 goes on to tell us
that news: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The good news, the gospel, is that God the
Son came as a human being, lived a perfect life, and then offered his perfection
to God the Father on our behalf. Jesus loved us so much He took the punishment
for our sins on the cross and offered His perfect life as a saving sacrifice.
Though Jesus died, He rose from the dead on Easter morning and is now the living
Lord of the universe. He now offers the gift of forgiveness and everlasting life
in heaven to all who will trust in Him alone. Jesus made the promise about
Himself clear in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life."
One thing we must be clear about is that Christians trust Jesus alone as the
only way to be justified. "Justified" means declared righteous before
God the holy judge. Romans 3:22-24 teaches: "This righteousness from God
comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely
by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Note the
words "from" and "to" above. Many people think Christianity
is taking our righteousness (our good works) and offering them FROM us to
God. The problem is, even our best efforts fall short of perfection.
Christianity is actually the opposite of this approach. The righteousness does
not move from us to God; it comes down FROM God TO us. It is a
gift that God gave us when He sent His perfect Son to earth for us. If you are
trying to offer up your own righteousness to God, then you will fail and face
judgment. But if you will trust the righteousness that Christ brings down as a
gift from God, you will have a sound hope in the face of death and peace with
God forever. The reason this is called "grace" is because we do
nothing to earn or deserve this gift of life.
In addition to giving us heaven by the gift of eternal life, God begins to
change our life here and now. Writing to people who had received the gift, Paul
said this in Ephesians 2: 8-10: "For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith - - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by
works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
While we are not saved by good works, we are saved for good works. Good works
are not the way one becomes a Christian; they are evidence that one has become a
Christian by God’s unearned grace. God makes Christians to do good works, but
only after God has done His unaided good work of forgiving us and giving us the
ability and direction to live right.
God calls us to turn from our sin and self-reliance and to turn to Him in
humble faith. Those who do are Christians. If you have never placed your
personal trust in Christ alone for forgiveness and the gift of life, you may do
so now in prayer. Don’t let anything stop you, including pride or guilt. You
need to be forgiven no matter how good you may think you have been. You can be
forgiven no matter how bad you may have been. God’s love, grace and peace is
available to all who ask. While there is no ritual prayer you must say, if your
heart cries out to God something like this, He will hear you and give His great
gift: "God, I know I am a sinner. I need to be forgiven. I turn from my sin
to you. I now trust in the death of Jesus on the cross to pay for my sins and to
give me the gift of eternal life."
If you made that decision or would like further help, we would love to be of
assistance. As a fellowship of the forgiven it is our delight at Faith Church to
share the good news and help those who have believed it to grow in faith. We can
direct you to a Bible study, provide helpful materials and answer your
questions. Feel free to call the church today at 610-395-4731 to make an
appointment with a pastor, or e-mail us at info@faithefc.com
or fill out the Inquiries Form.
|
