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How
to become a Christian…..By Billy Graham.
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How to Become a Christian
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The central theme of the Bible is God's
love for you and for all people. This love was revealed
when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the
world as a human being, lived a sinless life, died
on the cross, and rose from the dead. Because Christ
died, your sins can be forgiven, and because He
conquered death you can have eternal life. You can
know for sure what will become of you after you
die.
You have probably heard the story of God's love
referred to as the "Gospel." The word
Gospel simply means "Good News." The Gospel
is the Good News that, because of what Christ has
done, we can be forgiven and can live forever.
But this gift of forgiveness and eternal life cannot
be yours unless you willingly accept it. God requires
an individual response from you. The following verses
from the Bible show God's part and yours in this
process:
God's Love Is Revealed in
the Bible
"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." —John 3:16 (NIV)
God loves you. He wants to bless your life and make
it full and complete. And He wants to give you a
life which will last forever, even after you experience
physical death.
We Are Sinful
"For all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God." —Romans 3:23 (NIV)
You may have heard someone say, "I'm only human—nobody's
perfect." This Bible verse says the same thing:
We are all sinners. We all do things that we know
are wrong. And that's why we feel estranged from
God—because God is holy and good, and we are
not.
Sin Has a Penalty
"For the wages of sin is death."
—Romans 6:23 (NIV)
Just as criminals must pay the penalty
for their crimes, sinners must pay the penalty for
their sins. If you continue to sin, you will pay
the penalty of spiritual death: You will not only
die physically; you will also be separated from
our holy God for all eternity. The Bible teaches
that those who choose to remain separated from God
will spend eternity in a place called hell.
Christ Has Paid Our Penalty!
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in
this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us." —Romans 5:8 (NIV)
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, the sinless
Son of God, has paid the penalty for all your sins.
You may think you have to lead a good life and do
good deeds before God will love you. But the Bible
says that Christ loved you enough to die for you,
even when you were rebelling against Him.
Salvation Is a Free Gift
"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." —Ephesians
2:8-9 (NIV)
The word grace means "undeserved favor."
It means God is offering you something you could
never provide for yourself: forgiveness of sins
and eternal life, God's gift to you is free. You
do not have to work for a gift. All you have to
do is joyfully receive it, Believe with all your
heart that Jesus Christ died for you!
Christ Is at Your Heart's
Door
"Here I am! I stand
at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice
and opens the door, I will come in and eat with
him, and he with me." —Revelation 3:20
(NIV)
Jesus Christ wants to have a personal relationship
with you. Picture, if you will, Jesus Christ standing
at the door of your heart (the door of your emotions,
intellect and will). Invite Him in; He is waiting
for you to receive Him into your heart and life.
You Must Receive Him
"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 (NIV)
When you receive Christ into your heart you become
a child of God, and have the privilege of talking
to Him in prayer at any time about anything. The
Christian life is a personal relationship to God
through Jesus Christ. And best of all, it is a relationship
that will last for all eternity.
If you are making this commitment to Christ today,
please
let us know. We would like to send you Bible
study materials to help you grow in your faith.
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