Are you a Christian?
It's a simple question, isn't it? And it's a question that only you can answer. I can't tell you if you are a Christian or not. What I can tell you is what I understand a Christian to be.
The word "Christian" was first used as a kind of shorthand to describe a "Disciple of Christ". { Acts 11:26 } A Disciple is someone who learns from a master, and whose desire is to follow the master, in other words the Christian life is not just gaining knowledge about Jesus but also living out what Jesus taught.
And Jesus taught that "no-one can come to the Father except through me" { John 14:6 }. To become a Christian you have to come to Jesus. It's a simple surrender. You acknowledge that you have done things your own way and not God's way, that you have hidden from God, not sought after Him. You have let yourself be "seated on the throne" of your life, taking God's rightful place. And you ask Jesus to forgive you and to establish a relationship with the Father - adopting you as a son or daughter. Jesus earned the right to forgive you your sins when he died on the cross. He died for you - personally!
Jesus said we all needed to be born again to enter the Kingdom of Heaven { John 3:3 }. This takes place when we truly repent of all our sins and surrender our entire lives over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Jesus died for our sins and when we ask Him to forgive us He will forgive us all our sins and the Blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sins { 1 John 1: 7 - 10 }
Jesus said that all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God { Romans 3:23 } . And the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ { Romans 6 : 23 }. God demonstrated His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Jesus Christ died for our sins. { Romans 5 : 8 - 10 }.
God said the word is in our mouths and in our heart ... that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is our personal Lord and Saviour and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead , we shall be saved. And whoever calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved { Romans 10: 8 - 14 }.
And when God forgives us our sins we must forgive others who have sinned against us { Matt 6: 14 - 15 }. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven that is given among men , by which we must be saved , apart from the name of Jesus Christ. { Acts 4 : 10 - 12 }
So if you are ready to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, you could use the following prayer
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" Lord Jesus please forgive me of all my sins , I believe you died on the cross for my sins , and by your sacrifice and shed blood I have forgiveness of all my sins. As you forgive me I choose to forgive all those who have sinned against me and surrender my will and life over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. His will be done , not mine. I receive Jesus into my heart by faith and confess with my mouth that He is my personal Lord and Saviour. I choose to follow Him all the days of my life and today I take up His cross as a disciple of Jesus Christ and I will honour him all the days of my life. I pray this in Jesus precious name. And I invite the Holy Spirit to fill me to over-flowing with the tangible presence of Jesus so I can live a Holy and Pure life serving my Lord and Master. { 1 John 5 : 10 - 14 } |
What does the term "born-again" mean?
In the teachings of Jesus he said { in John 3 : 3 } that unless you are born again you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Which means we have a rebirth in our spirit & that our heart opens up to Jesus and we ask Him to be Lord of our lives. { Rev 1 : 20, 1 John 5 : 10 – 13 }. Peter also taught { in 1 Peter 1 : 3 – 4 } that we are born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Paul taught { in Romans 10 : 8 – 13 } that if we believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives we shall be saved from all our sins. John taught { in 1 John 1 : 5 – 10 } that God is light and if we are to have fellowship with God we must be cleansed of darkness in our lives. And that if we confess our sins to Jesus his son God will forgive us of all our sins and the Blood of Jesus will cleanse us of all sin & unrighteousness.
Many people believe that if I am a good person and follow the 10 commandments then God will let me into heaven because I am a good person and have done nothing wrong. But the bible teaches that there is none righteous, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God { Romans 3 : 10, 19 – 23 }, and that none have fulfilled the Law of Moses { the 10 commandments } – only Jesus has. And so we can only get to heaven by the new covenant in Jesus' sacrifice { Romans 5 : 8 – 10 }. For Jesus is the end of the Law of Moses for all those who believe by faith { Romans 10: 1 – 13 }.
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Looking for God is a website that is helping people discover more about who God is, His love for every person across the planet, and what it means to be a believer and follower of His Son, Jesus. |
You could also have a look at Ray Comforts website where you will find helpful advice about becoming and growing as a Christian.