Questions About Becoming a Christian
HOW TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN
The first place to start is in understanding that we matter to God. He made us, and He wants to have a relationship with us.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
However we rebelled against God. Both actively and passively, we have all disobeyed Him and our sins have separated us from Him. Our relationship with God is therefore broken off.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.? (Romans 3:23)
To varying degrees, most of us are aware of our distance from God. And so we start doing all kinds of things to try and get back to Him, like being a helpful neighbour, paying our taxes, going to church, and giving money to charities. There is nothing wrong with these things but the Bible makes it clear that none of them can earn us God's forgiveness or reestablish our relationship with Him. Furthermore the sins we've committed must be punished, and the penalty we owe is death, which means both physical death as well as spiritual death from God for eternity in Hell.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.? (Romans 6:23)
The good news, as was referred to earlier is that we matter to God. In fact, He loves us so much that He did for us what we could never do for ourselves. He provided a bridge over which we can find His forgiveness and restore our relationship with Him. He built it by coming to earth in the human form of Jesus Christ, and died on the cross to pay the death penalty we owed.
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God." (1 Peter 3:18)
This is a picture of what the central message of the Bible is all about. And that is what God wants each of us to understand. But it's not enough to just know about this or even agree with it. We have got to act upon it. God wants us to move over to the other side. We can move to the other side by humbly admitting to God that we have rebelled against Him and need His forgiveness. When we truly repent of our sins, that simple act of trust and obedience results in our sins being pardoned and our debt being paid. Our relationship with God is firmly established, because we're immediately adopted into His family as His son or daughter.
I AM READY
If you're ready to make a commitment to Christ right now, and turn your life around, you can by praying this simple prayer:
Dear God, I recognize that I am a sinner - that I have broken your commandments and I am sorry for what I have done. I believe that Jesus Christ is your son and that He paid for my sins through His death on the cross. I want to turn away from my sin and ask for your forgiveness. I invite you to come into my life. I want to trust you and follow you as my Lord and Saviour. In Jesus' name, Amen.
It's really that simple! If you truly believe in the power of Christ's death to forgive your sin, and turn away from your sinful past, you'll be forgiven and restored and enjoy an eternal life with Jesus that begins today!
If you prayed this prayer with a sincere heart, the Bible promises that:
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)
If you made a commitment today to follow Christ, please let us know! We would love to encourage you and provide you with the support and community you'll need to continue to growing in your relationship with God.
Please contact us by phone at 705-474-0448 or send us an email.
The first place to start is in understanding that we matter to God. He made us, and He wants to have a relationship with us.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
However we rebelled against God. Both actively and passively, we have all disobeyed Him and our sins have separated us from Him. Our relationship with God is therefore broken off.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.? (Romans 3:23)
To varying degrees, most of us are aware of our distance from God. And so we start doing all kinds of things to try and get back to Him, like being a helpful neighbour, paying our taxes, going to church, and giving money to charities. There is nothing wrong with these things but the Bible makes it clear that none of them can earn us God's forgiveness or reestablish our relationship with Him. Furthermore the sins we've committed must be punished, and the penalty we owe is death, which means both physical death as well as spiritual death from God for eternity in Hell.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.? (Romans 6:23)
The good news, as was referred to earlier is that we matter to God. In fact, He loves us so much that He did for us what we could never do for ourselves. He provided a bridge over which we can find His forgiveness and restore our relationship with Him. He built it by coming to earth in the human form of Jesus Christ, and died on the cross to pay the death penalty we owed.
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God." (1 Peter 3:18)
This is a picture of what the central message of the Bible is all about. And that is what God wants each of us to understand. But it's not enough to just know about this or even agree with it. We have got to act upon it. God wants us to move over to the other side. We can move to the other side by humbly admitting to God that we have rebelled against Him and need His forgiveness. When we truly repent of our sins, that simple act of trust and obedience results in our sins being pardoned and our debt being paid. Our relationship with God is firmly established, because we're immediately adopted into His family as His son or daughter.
I AM READY
If you're ready to make a commitment to Christ right now, and turn your life around, you can by praying this simple prayer:
Dear God, I recognize that I am a sinner - that I have broken your commandments and I am sorry for what I have done. I believe that Jesus Christ is your son and that He paid for my sins through His death on the cross. I want to turn away from my sin and ask for your forgiveness. I invite you to come into my life. I want to trust you and follow you as my Lord and Saviour. In Jesus' name, Amen.
It's really that simple! If you truly believe in the power of Christ's death to forgive your sin, and turn away from your sinful past, you'll be forgiven and restored and enjoy an eternal life with Jesus that begins today!
If you prayed this prayer with a sincere heart, the Bible promises that:
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)
If you made a commitment today to follow Christ, please let us know! We would love to encourage you and provide you with the support and community you'll need to continue to growing in your relationship with God.
Please contact us by phone at 705-474-0448 or send us an email.
