How can I become a Christian?

The very first thing one must acknowledge is the fact that you are a sinner. What is sin you ask? Sin is anything in your life that is not pleasing to God. It can be as simple as a bad thought or as complex as immoral act. Sin is what blocks the path between you and God. Everyone has sin in his or her life. The Bible says, "There is NONE righteous, no, NOT ONE" (Romans 3:9-20). The Bible also tells us in Romans 6:23 that "the wages of sin is death", but fortunately God has given us a way out of this "death".

In Old Testament times, animal sacrifices were made for the atonement of sin. The Old Testament says this, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the BLOOD that makes atonement for the soul." (Leviticus 17:11) This old covenant was not working so God made a new one to be as simple as He could make it. He sent a perfect sacrifice, free of sin to be our atonement for sin. What was this sacrifice? It was the ultimate, for it was His Son.

Next, realize that God loves you and wants you to be with Him. The Bible tells us "For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."(John 3:16) God's love is the greatest of all; it must be, because in scripture we see the agony He had to watch His Son go through for our redemption.

Let's take some time to see just what Jesus went through at the time of crucifixion.

Scripture accounts tell us that after Judas betrayed Jesus, "the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. And having blindfolded him, they struck Him on the face saying "Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?" And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him."(Luke 22:63-65)

This was not the only violent beating that Jesus would endure for we notice in another place in scripture gives an account of a more severe and humiliating beating. "So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd...delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified. Then the soldiers led Him away... and they called together the whole garrison (approx. 600 men). And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing knee, they worshipped Him... and they led Him away to be crucified."(Mark 15:15-20 paraphrased)

Now comes the crucifixion, without which there would be no salvation. The Bible says this, "And He bearing His cross (approx 200 lbs.), went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which in called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him...."(John 19:17,18 paraphrased).

No gospel account gives a vivid description of the crucifixion, but Christian writer John MacArthur tells this of the history of the crucifixion;" Roman crucifixion was a lingering doom by design. Roman executioners had perfected the art of slow torture while keeping the victim alive. Some victims even lingered until they were eaten alive by birds of prey or wild beasts. Most hung on the cross for days before dying of exhaustion, dehydration, traumatic fever, or most likely suffocation. When the legs would no longer support the weight of the body the diaphragm was constricted in a way that made breathing impossible. That is why breaking the legs would hasten death (John 19:31-33), but this was unnecessary in Jesus' case. The hands were usually nailed through the wrists and the feet through the instep of the Achilles tendon. None of these wounds would be fatal, but their pain would become unbearable as the hours dragged on. Jesus was made to lie on the ground while his arms were stretched out and nailed to the horizontal beam... The beam was then hoisted along with the victim and fastened to the vertical beam. His feet were then nailed to the vertical beam... Having been stripped and beaten, Jesus could hang in the hot sun for hours if not days. To breathe, it was necessary to push with the legs and pull with the arms creating excruciating pain. Terrible muscle spasms wracked the entire body; but since collapse meant asphyxiation, the struggle continued." (John MacArthur - from the MacArthur Study Bible).

Now with this in mind, can you see how much God loves you? He loved you enough to send His Son only to watch Him die the most horrible death known to man, so that you could spend eternity with Him. And had you been the only person on earth, it still would have taken place because He loves you. Along with this Jesus loves you because He knew His purpose was to die for you. The Bible says, "While we were still sinners Christ died for us. Much more than having now been justified by His blood we shall be saved from wrath through Him."(Romans 5:8,9).

This brings us to the third part of salvation. You must realize that you can only be "saved" by Jesus Christ. The Bible says this, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12). Furthermore Jesus Himself had this to say, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through Me."(John 14:6).

Christ's death and resurrection are the only things that make salvation possible. How good of a person you may have been in your life or what good deeds you have done, none of that matters because salvation cannot be earned. The Bible says, "For by GRACE you have been saved through FAITH, and that not of yourselves; it is the GIFT of God, NOT OF WORKS lest anyone should boast."(Ephesians 2:8,9) "Saving" yourself because of what you do in life would allow you to be able to brag about doing so. Being prideful is a sin according to scripture and because of this, that method of salvation would not work (see Isaiah 14:12-21 on the fall of Lucifer (satan)). That's why it is a gift of God for ALL people, so that not one can boast about it.

Furthermore, we can directly see that salvation is granted by faith in Jesus Christ and Him only, by this account of the Bible. In Luke 23:39-41, Jesus was crucified between two thieves and scripture records the fact that one of the thieves mocked Jesus and the other thief rebuked the one that mocked Him. What happens next though is where the proof of salvation comes into view, "Then he said to Jesus, 'Lord remember me when You come into Your kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.'"(Luke 23:42,43)

Notice what got the thief into "paradise"? It was his faith in Jesus. How do we get this? Look at the wording used in this passage of scripture, "remember me WHEN You come into come into Your kingdom". The thief didn't say "remember me IF You come into Your kingdom". Jesus noticed the faith of the thief by his statement and rewarded his request with the gift of eternal life.

So what will it be? Salvation or separation?

The Bible says, "anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire (hell)" (Revelation 20:15). Hell is described as " the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."(Matthew 13:32,50) and is a place where unbelievers "will be tormented day and night for ever and ever " (Revelation 20:10).

You might ask, "How could a "loving God" let me spend eternity in torture and torment separated from Him?" The answer to this question is very simple, He doesn't, YOU DO!!! It is of your free will that you either accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior or reject Him as such.

You may be at a point where you are struggling in your life or asking yourself questions that you aren't sure what the answers are.

Questions like:

Do you want to continue facing this world alone without a loving God to support and be there for you on a personal level?

Are you longing for something more in your life?

Do you want to spend the rest of eternity separated from God who loves you?

You may have other questions in your head that need answered. The answer for all of them is Jesus Christ. He is there to help lead and guide you through all that life may offer. It doesn't mean there still won't be obstacles in life. It means that He will be a friend who is there always.

Accept Him and your reward is eternal life and a friend forever.

Reject Him and you WILL spend eternity in hell.

Think of what Jesus said to Nicodemus "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the kingdom of God (Jesus-John 3:3)". To be born again is to be renewed in the eyes of God and spiritually fresh.

So with this in mind you must answer this question and it is the biggest question you will face in your life.

Do you want to be saved?

If you have made the choice to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Click Here! It's so easy you can do it right from your computer screen!!