4. TELL ME more about becoming a Christian

Question and answer: “If I am a good person will I get to heaven?”

NO! Even good people do bad things that hurt others. Have you obeyed all the commandments? Is God always first in your life? Everyone has sin and this separates us from God. But we can be saved, because Jesus came to forgive us, if we will repent and turn to Him. Exodus 20, Matthew 5:27-28, Romans 5:15-18.

1 John 1:9 ‘If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’

1. Jesus said that you must be born again, John 3:3-18. It means starting your life once again, with the view of loving God first. First pray in your own words and ask Him in as Lord of your life.

2. You need to repent of all your sin (say you’re sorry and have a change of mind – I will not live like this anymore). Mark 1:15, 6:12. Sin is all the wrong things that you say, think and do. Jesus died on the cross for our sins; He took the punishment that we deserved, so that we could go free.

Think: Is there any reason why I should not give my life to Jesus?

Romans 10:9-10 ‘…. if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation’

Wisdom: I can trust God with my life in every situation.

I want to be a Christian. This involves four elements: repenting towards God; believing in the Lord Jesus; being baptised in water; receiving the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38.

Be honest with God and say a prayer similar to this with all your heart. (If it is not from your heart, then don’t pray it! God is listening and will only take you seriously if you are serious with Him. But if you are real with God, He will be real with you. That is why people say; “I have tried Christianity, but it did not work for me”. They were not real with God, and so God was not real with them.) “Dear Jesus I am sorry for all the bad things that I have done and thought (sin). I now choose to turn away from my sin. I believe that you died on the cross for me and after three days you rose again. Please forgive me and come into my life to be my best friend and from now on I want to follow you. AMEN.”

To be a Christian means you now support Jesus and you want to live your life for Him. You have been accepted into God’s family and you are now a child of God. You can even call God ‘Father’ when you pray and talk to Him. John 1:12 and Romans 8:15.

More Info: Acts 4:12-13, Romans 3:10, 23, 5:8,12, 6:23, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10, Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 3:10, Hebrews 9:27-28, 1 John 1:9, 5:12, Revelations 3:20.

Visit the interactive version of this course online. www.byfaith.co.uk Copyright © 2003 ByFaith Media.