How Does One Become A Christian?

Common Answers:

                  Join a church

                 Be a good person

                 Be kind and loving toward others

     Be baptized

                 Read the Bible

 A person may do all the above, yet this would not make one a Christian. And why is this so?

Consider the Apostle Paul. He was faithful and zealous for his faith, Judaism, as we read in Galatians 1:11–24. Here are some key verses from this letter Paul wrote to churches in the area of Galatia, now central Turkey, in about 33 A.D.

Verse 12: “For I did not receive it (the gospel) from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (The account of this event is found in the Book of Acts, chapter 9)

Paul severely persecuted the early Christians, these Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah. Here is how he put it:

“For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.” Verse 13

Then, while so engaged, God revealed Jesus to Paul and for the purpose of presenting Him to the Gentile world. (See verses 15 and 16) Paul became the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Gospel is an old English word that simply means Good News. The core of which is the crucifixion of Jesus on a cross, His burial, His resurrection, and His ascension.

The central piece being the death of Jesus on the cross. Right there all our sin, past, present, and future, was laid upon Jesus. Sin brings forth death, that is, separation from God and heaven forever. Jesus died in our place, and every sin, great or small, is removed forever.

No one can become a Christian by means of anything they believe, think, or do. It is always by grace, and grace means that God gifts us with forgiveness of our sin without anything we do. Here is how Paul put it:

“When he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me…” (verses 15 and 16)

In a way we do not fully understand, and how could it be any other way, God’s Holy Spirit reveals who Jesus is to us and we accept and believe that. We become aware, often suddenly or sometimes slowly, that Jesus is our Savior, and we are attracted to Him, want to learn of Him, find a Bible and start reading, even attending gatherings of other Christians, and want to be baptized. This is how it typically goes.

How does one become a Christian? Trust that Jesus died on the cross to save you from eternal death in hell. Trust that He is your Savior.