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How can I become a Christian?



    
    

Clarify Share Report Asked July 01 2013 Mini Anonymous (via GotQuestions)

Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.

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Shea S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries
The first step to become a Christian is to understand what the term "Christian" means. The origin of the term "Christian" was in the city of Antioch in the first century A.D. (see Acts 11:26). It i...

July 01 2013 2 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Cindy Jennings Supporter Disciple
All that it takes to become a Christian is to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, that He died for your sins for your redemption, thereby creating a personal relationship between you and God.

Baptism is an outward manifestation of your confession of Christ as your Savior but isn't required to be saved.

The thief on the cross had only to profess that Jesus was the Son of God and he was saved and acknowledge his need for Him. He's the model. It's that easy.

September 14 2014 14 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini jimmy boyle Supporter
John 3:16 is the answer "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Confirmed in acts "Act 16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
Act 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Confirmed in 1 John "1Jo 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jo 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." "Believe" is the path if salvation by grace not of works,"Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. "

January 27 2014 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini James Kraft Supporter 74 year old retired pipeline worker
To become a Christian is to believe on Jesus as the only way of salvation. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believes on Him has everlasting life. Everlasting life means eternal life and we can never be lost.

When we first believed it we were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise and can never be lost. It is by grace, through faith, without works, (what we do) so no one can boast. Jesus paid the price for all sin so that we would not have to go to hell to pay for them. He took the punishment for all our sin.

We are all sinners and can only be saved by His life, death, and resurrection. First John 1:8 says, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. So we are all sinners but Jesus blood sacrifice covers us from all sin.

So to become a Christian is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. It is by faith alone. Jesus said it, and if you believe it, you have eternal life and are a Christian.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says salvation is a free gift of God to all who believe on Him who saved us by grace. Jesus gives us His righteousness, and covers us from all sin by faith alone in what He did for us on the cross. John 6:47

Some say this is just easy believeism, but it is easy to believe. How hard is it to believe that Jesus paid the price for all our sin. We are justified sinners by faith in Christ alone and have eternal life given to us as a free gift. It is easy to believe. 

So all of those that have put their faith in Christ alone have become Christians, and have eternal life through Him who saved us by grace. 

Paul said that if we preach any other gospel than the gospel of free grace, we should be accursed. So though I or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel let them be accursed. Jesus paid our sin debt in full so that we do not have to. To add anything to salvation by grace is preaching another gospel.

March 17 2017 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Stringio Vincent Mercado Supporter Skeptic turned believer, Catholic, father of 3
One becomes a Christian by being baptized - the initiation to the faith is Baptism.

Acts 2:41 - Peter during Pentecost preached to the crowds, and the crowds received his preaching, were baptized and were counted as Christians that day.

October 10 2013 2 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Bryan Myers Supporter Minister of the Body of Christ
To become a Christian one must follow the Biblical example: hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; believe the gospel of Jesus Christ; repent; be baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of sin; continue to follow Christ. Do this, and you cannot go wrong, these actions are fully supported by Scripture.

June 18 2014 1 response Vote Up Share Report


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Data Danny Hickman Supporter Believer in The Gospel Of Jesus Christ
The faith-righteousness we receive speaks to us in these words of Moses: "God's living message is very close to you, as close as your own mouth."And what is God's "living message"? It is the revelation of faith for salvation, which is the message that we preach. For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will experience salvation. The heart that believes in him receives the gift of the righteousness of God----and then the mouth confesses, resulting in salvation. For the scriptures encourage us with these words:
(here it is) "Everyone who believes in him will never be disappointed." (Romans 10:8-11) TPT

I like the way this bible version explains it. Before saying the above, Paul said this: 

Moses wrote long ago about the need to obey every part of the law in order to be declared right with God: "the one who obeys these things must always live by them." (vs 5)

"But we receive the faith-righteousness that speaks an entirely different message:

Don't for a moment think you need to climb into the heavens to find the Messiah and bring him down (vs 6), or to descend into the underworld to bring him up from the dead."(vs 7) 

Did you catch that? Paul said, 'we receive righteousness by faith, which is an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MESSAGE' than what Moses preached to God's people who were given the Law. 

How do you "become a Christian"? By faith...

The same question (well, the same sort of question) was asked of Paul and Silas by a jailer who witnessed a miraculous jailbreak, pulled off by the Holy Spirit in Cesarea Phillipi, in the midnight hour one night, back in early AD. 

When an earthquake shook the foundations of the prison and every cell door flung open, and the chains of all the prisoners came loose, every cell door standing open, he assumed that all the prisoners had escaped. Drawing his sword to kill himself, Paul stopped him shouting, "Stop, don't hurt yourself. We're still here."(Acts 16:26-28). TPT (don't get it wrong, Paul meant he and Silas was still there, the other prisoners had undoubtedly fled).

After he called for a light, he gathered himself and took Paul and Silas outside and fell trembling at their feet and asked, "What must I do to be saved?"

What was he really asking? Was he asking about an "eternal life" salvation, or was he asking Paul and Silas what could possibly save him from his superiors who he thought would surely put him to death for allowing the whole prison population to escape? If the miracle of the earthquake opening every cell door and loosening all the chains had been enough to enlighten him to the power and presence of God and the miracle of salvation, he wouldn't have thought to take his own life. Miracles don't change hearts and minds; it is the power of the truth of Jesus the Christ that that saves our soul from destruction. 

Their answer is why I ask this and point this out: 

(verse 31) They answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved---you and all your family." Then they prophesied the word of the Lord over him and all his family. (they preached the gospel to him and his family and they believed).

The Bible says that even though it was late, the jailer took them to his home and washed their wounds, he and his family were baptized, and he set them at his table and fed them. 

He and his family were filled with joy in their newfound faith in God (vs 34).

Note: when he was told he could be saved by believing in Jesus, they threw in, "you and your whole family." They meant 'when you and your family ALL believe,' not that him believing would encompass the salvation of his family. I believe they said it that way to ease his mind about the consequences he was afraid he would face about the jailbreak. 

An ordeal that the jailer initially saw as a reason to die, a reason to end his own life was really a painful experience that God was using to bring salvation and new life to him and his entire family. 

Lesson #1: look for God in painful places! He's always there to be found. It's one of his most popular calling cards. 

Jesus tells us that he 'stands at the door of the church and he knocks.' (Revelation 3:20) "If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."

He goes on to say, "to the one who conquers I will give the privilege of sitting with me on my throne, just as I conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. The one whose heart is open let him listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying now to the churches" (vs 21). 

How do we conquer? How did he conquer?

This he said to the Church at Laodicea, whose name means "the rights of the people." To that church, that person if you will, the Lord is saying, 'this I will do for the person who surrenders his /her rights to me.'

You want to become a Christian? You want to have the joy of having eternal life begin right now? You want the everlasting life of him who is from everlasting to everlasting? (Psalm 90:2)

SURRENDER! That's what Jesus did to overcome; he humbled himself and became vulnerable, choosing to be revealed as a man and was obedient. He was a perfect example, even in his death --a criminal's death by crucifixion! (Philippians 2:8)

Because of that obedience, God exalted him and multiplied his greatness! He has now been given the greatest of all names! (vs 9) TPT

Finally, I will say, 'put your focus and trust on and in Jesus, and not yourself.'

July 10 2023 1 response Vote Up Share Report


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