Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
How to Become a Christian

How to Become a Christian

Last updated on: June 12, 2020 at 10:24 pm by Adrian Warnock

How to Become a Christian 2020-06-12T22:24:19+01:00 Adrian Warnock

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The content on this page is from Hope Reborn. Copyright. Used with permission.

The heart of our book Hope Reborn – How to Become a Christian and Live for Jesus is the following chapter which answers the critical question,

How do I become a Christian?

The Bible explains the story of humanity and the way God saves us in three stages. This is summarized in Ephesians 2:1-9 which is explained in three diagrams below:

stepone We are all trapped in a pit called sin, which separates us from God. Nothing we can do ourselves will ever save us. All our efforts to please God are hopeless.

step2

While we are still dead in our sin, Jesus came into our pit to rescue us. Through His death and resurrection Jesus provided us with the only way out. Many rejected Him, but, “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

step3

When someone becomes a Christian, they are made alive with Jesus, who lifts them out of the pit, and he or she is now in a relationship with God. The above process needs to become real and personal in an individual’s life.

An example of where a group of people became Christians is found in Acts 2, on the day the Church began. Early that morning, 120 people made quite a scene as they burst out of a prayer meeting on to the streets of ancient Jerusalem. They were the followers of Jesus who had remained loyal to Him despite His death. “Drunkards!” someone yelled at them, because they seemed full of joy, almost intoxicated.

The Apostle Peter, often the spokesman, answered in their defence that it was surely too early for bars to be open, and gave the true reason for their happiness. He described what a terrible wrong had been committed when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was tortured and publicly executed. The Savior that the world had been waiting thousands of years for had been rejected in the worst possible way.

It was our sin that drove Jesus to the cross. If we had lived in Jesus’ time, we might like to think we would have been part of the crowd that welcomed Him into Jerusalem, singing, “Hosanna to the son of David!” But just days later, the very same crowd shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

The Apostle Peter’s conclusion was remarkable: Jesus had been raised from the dead! He was now seated at God’s side in heaven, ruling the universe. Peter’s hearers were familiar with how kings in those days would avenge themselves brutally. Full of the sudden realization that they had sinned against God Himself, they asked, “What shall we do?”

Peter’s reply is compelling in its simplicity, and demonstrates that God is not the kind of person who delights in taking revenge. Strikingly, he explains that God offers mercy and forgiveness, even to the people who had demanded the Romans execute Jesus:

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit … there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:38-41)

In this passage we find four steps that should mark the beginning of the Christian life:

Steps to begin your Christian life

STEP ONE: REPENT AND BELIEVE

Make a choice to think differently about Jesus and live for Him.

This step is broken down into three parts in the following verse:

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

a. “Confess with your mouth” Tell someone you want to become a Christian.

b. “Jesus is Lord” Choose to worship Jesus as God and follow Him as your Lord. Admit that you have sinned against Him. Ask Him to forgive you.

c. “Believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead” Thank Jesus for dying for you and rising from the dead for you.

Once you have decided to follow Jesus, there are three further steps which naturally follow:

STEP TWO: BE BAPTIZED

Make a public declaration of your new faith in Jesus. This is explained further here

STEP THREE: RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Be empowered to live your new life as a Christian. This is explained further in this section of chapter 4.

STEP FOUR: BE ADDED TO A CHURCH Become part of Jesus’ family.

STEP ONE: REPENT AND BELIEVE MAKE A CHOICE TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT JESUS AND LIVE FOR HIM.

This first step underpins all the others. The word “repent” is not often used today. There are four components to what it means: a change of mind, a change of heart, a change of behavior, and a change of direction.

Repentance means changing what you think about Jesus, and apologizing for ignoring Him, belittling Him, excluding Him, and not trusting Him. It is a radical change in perspective.

Repentance involves your heart being miraculously renewed so that you now love and value Jesus above everything else and are satisfied in Him. Repentance includes turning from your sins. However, Christianity is not primarily external behavior, but an internal conversion. The outer works flow from the inner work.

Repentance means reorienting your life around Jesus, and asking Him to rescue you and to be in charge from now on. It means changing from a life that is all about you, to a life that is all about Jesus.

Repentance is such a simple concept, yet it does demand that your whole life change direction. You stop going your own way, and turn around; you convert.

You must count the cost of such a decision. But the choice is between living your own way forever, apart from God and under His judgment, or following Jesus and enjoying His presence. Jesus warned us often that hell is a real place (e.g. Matthew 10:28). Why would anyone want to end up there? Sometimes repentance can be accompanied by strong emotions, but the key element is a sober decision to start on a lifetime of following Jesus:

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

In some of the other messages recorded in Acts, hearers are urged to “believe” in place of the word “repent” (see Acts 15:7 and Acts 16:31). While repentance is about more than just agreeing with certain truths, it does begin with what we must believe:

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

According to this verse there are three components to the decision to believe in and trust Jesus, which is at the heart of repentance:

The first is that you must openly say something, or “confess with your mouth.”

The second, is what you must say: “Jesus is Lord.”

The third, is what you must “believe in your heart”: God has raised Jesus from the dead.

This is how to begin the Christian life. Without this response you will never be saved. With it, even if what the Bible calls “fruits in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:8) are not yet visible in your life, you can be sure that they will begin to appear.

Let’s look at each of these components of our response to the gospel in more detail:

A. “CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH”

Usually the best person to tell first will be another Christian.

The idea behind this phrase is similar to a marriage service, where a couple declares their commitment to a lifelong relationship with one another. Some people argue that marriage is an unnecessary piece of paper. But we are changeable beings, and in years to come it is helpful to have a memory of the day we acknowledged our love before other people. Also, something actually changes inside us when we openly make such a declaration.

In the same way, we must tell God, ourselves, and other people that we will now follow Jesus. This solidifies our commitment to a relationship with God and transforms us.

It is very possible to become a Christian right now in private. But you will need to tell somebody, and as soon as possible. Usually another Christian will be the best person to tell first.

Many new Christians feel so full of love for Jesus that they want everyone else to share in their newfound joy. Despite our enthusiasm and passion to tell others, there are times when you need to be wise about who you tell and how.

The biblical account of Esther is interesting in this regard. Esther was a Jew living in exile in a hostile country. When she was taken to the king’s palace Mordecai wisely advised her not to tell anyone that she was a member of God’s people (Esther 2:10). If she had, she might well have been instantly killed. At the right time, in the right way, when Esther admitted her identity to the king, it led to a miraculous rescue of her people from genocide (Esther 7:3-4 and 8:4-12).

It may help you to find a mature Christian to talk through the wisest steps for you to take as you begin to tell others about your new faith, especially if you are concerned about negative consequences. Pray that God will help you know who to tell, and when.

It is sometimes hard to say, “I am a Christian.” However, to do so is liberating. There comes a point in everybody’s faith journey when what may have happened secretly in their heart must be declared openly. In fact, telling somebody that we now believe is an essential part of becoming a Christian. Jesus also warns,

Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)

B. “JESUS IS LORD”

Choose to worship Him as God and follow Him as your Lord.

Admit that you have sinned against Him. Ask Him to forgive you.

There is rich meaning in these three words. The word “Lord” is used all over the New Testament as a name for God. At the heart of Christianity lies the belief that Jesus is God, and following His triumphant resurrection, He is the ruler of the universe who will one day return to earth to reign as King.

The Christian God is three in one: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Apostle John begins his Gospel by saying that Jesus, who he calls, “The Word,” is God:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

Christians explain this by the concept of the Trinity: God has always existed as three persons, but one God, and we worship them all.

Perhaps one of the clearest demonstrations of their personhood was at Jesus’ baptism, when they each had distinct roles. The Son was the one getting wet, the Father spoke from heaven, and the Spirit appeared in the form of a dove (Luke 3:21-22).

The Bible tells us that “God is love” by His very nature (1 John 4:16). This was true even when only the Trinity existed, and there was no one else to love.

God has eternally been a community of three people, and so we should never foolishly imagine that He was lonely before the universe was created.

From eternity past the members of the Trinity have loved and indwelt each other. Jesus said, “The Father is in me and I am in the Father” (John 10:38).

There are several illustrations commonly used to describe God. While these are all helpful to some extent, they all have weaknesses which help us realize what God is not like.

The Trinity is often compared to water, which can exist in three forms: liquid, steam, and ice. However, God is not sometimes the Father, sometimes the Son, and sometimes the Holy Spirit. He is all three all at once. Another illustration that is used is a man who may be simultaneously a husband, a father, and a son. However, the man is only one person, who functions in different ways. In contrast, God comprises three persons, rather than three manifestations of the same person.

Ultimately, God is incomparable and all we can finally do is worship Him. The three persons of the Trinity are distinct from each other, yet together they make up one God.

This truth has been expressed for centuries in a diagram we include on this page. This is a profound mystery. Yet it is a simple truth.

Calling Jesus “Lord” also declares that He is in charge of you and that you will live for Him. Many today do not want to surrender the control of their lives to anyone, let alone to Jesus.

The Bible is clear: you cannot be a Christian and carry on living for yourself. If Jesus is your Lord, you must obey Him and give Him your total allegiance.

How you choose to respond to Jesus is the most important decision you will ever make. Some say, “He was a great teacher, the best the world has ever seen.” Even secular historians recognize that Jesus was the most influential man in all of history.

Others go further saying, “He was a great prophet.” But Jesus claimed to be God, accepted worship, and proclaimed that He would rise from the dead.

Good teachers don’t claim they are the only way to God; instead, they point to their teachings. What He said was either true, or else He was foolish, or a liar. Jesus, it is often said, was either bad, mad, or God.

If you are not yet a Christian, recognizing Jesus as God and choosing to worship and follow Him as your Lord is the crucial turning point.

Declaring Jesus to be your Lord and meaning it requires the help of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). It is crucial that you admit to Jesus that you have sinned, and ask Him to forgive you, and help you to follow Him from now on.

Tell Jesus about your life: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recognize that you have lived your way with no reference to Him. Specifically list and repent of all your sins. Thank Him for promising to forgive you, even for the sins you have forgotten to confess. Invite Jesus into your life. Ask Him to take full control, not coming as a friend but as your master. Surrender all authority to Him.

C. “BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD.”

Thank Him for dying for you and rising from the dead for you.

One definition of a Christian is: “Someone who believes in the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and lives their life in light of the implications of that event.”

The idea that Jesus’ physical resurrected body left behind an empty tomb is the foundation of Christianity. Why would we follow a dead man? Only Jesus’ resurrection could have convinced the frightened disciples to begin the fastest growing movement the world has ever known. They did not gain riches, fame, or power, but rather persecution, torture and death, and yet none of them denied their faith.

Nothing other than Jesus’ resurrection can make sense of the phenomenal growth and persistence of the Church throughout the ages, despite many attempts to stamp it out. Almost anywhere you go in the world today you will meet Christians. They worship in different ways, and even believe some different things. But they all agree that Jesus rose again, He is alive! There is no more important question than, “Did Jesus rise from the dead?” This is the foundation on which the Christian faith stands or falls. As Paul explains, if Jesus were still dead then we would have no hope (1 Corinthians 15:14-19).

If you find the idea of Jesus conquering death and leaving behind an empty tomb difficult to believe, ask God to reveal the truth to you. An article which examines the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is available free online at adrianwarnock.com/resurrection. If you want to become a Christian you must change your mind about Jesus, and accept Him as the risen Lord. God does not ask you to repent, become perfect, and then one day He might be pleased with you. He promises that if you simply trust in Him, then He accepts you already. The most quoted verse in the Bible promises us that if we have faith in Jesus we will live forever with Him:

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)

CONCLUSION We hope this page has made it clear that becoming a Christian is neither learned nor earned. It is a free gift from God. This is the simple gospel message. Don’t let anyone tell you it is more complicated than this:

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13)

If you are ready to become a Christian right now, pray to Jesus: Thank Jesus for dying for you on the cross. Tell Him you believe in His resurrection. Talk to Jesus about your past, the good and the bad. Repent of your sins by asking Him for forgiveness. Acknowledge Jesus as Lord of your life and tell Him that you will worship Him. Invite Him to take control of your life and live in you. Tell Jesus that you will now follow Him for the rest of your life.

If you prayed something like this, and believed it in your heart, you are now a Christian, and may we be the first to welcome you into God’s family.

Who will you tell first?

KEY BIBLE VERSES: Acts 2:37-41, Romans 10:9-13, John 3:1-21

Download PDF

Previous Post

July 10, 2014

Introducing my new book, written with Tope Koleoeo

Next Post

July 18, 2014 What does it mean to "receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" ?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1 and 2 Corinthians 1 and 2 Thessalonians 1 and 2 Timothy 1 John 300 Leaders A Life of Joy Abortion Acts of the Apostles Adrian on radio Adrian on TV Adrian's Story Albert Mohler Amazing Grace Arminocalvinist Spectrum Assurance Atonement Atonement Series Attributes of God Barnabas Best of the Blog Bible Bible Software Bible Translation Biblical Inerrancy Billy Graham Bob Roberts Books C. J. Mahaney Calvinism Cessationism Charis Warnock Charismatic Spectrum Charles Simeon Charles Spurgeon Church Leadership Colossians Complementarian - Egalitarian Spectrum Complementarianism Conferences Culture Daniel Debates Deuteronomy DGM08 DGM13 Discernment Doctrine Don Carson Ed Stetzer Eddy Leo Ephesians ESV Bible Translators Interview Evangelism in a Post-Christian World evolution Exodus Expository Preaching Ezekial Faith and Feelings Family Florida Galatians General Genesis Get Wisdom - Proverbs sermons Gifts of The Holy Spirit Gifts of the Holy Spirit 2006 Global Faith Forum Godly Attitudes Gospel Gospels Grace Greg Haslam Grudem vs Piper: The Baptism Debate Healing Heaven Hell and Rob Bell Hebrews Henry Tyler Henry Warnock Holy Spirit Holy Spirit Baptism Hope Reborn Hugh Palmer Irresistable Grace Isaiah J. I. Packer Jack Hayford Joel Joel Warnock John John Lanferman John MacArthur John Newton John Owen John Piper John Smyth Jonathan Edwards Josh Harris Justification Justin Taylor Kenneth Ulmer Leadership Leadership Lessons from 1 & 2 Samuel Lex Loizides Liam Goligher Lig Duncan Limited Atonement Lou Fellingham Mark Dever Mark Driscoll Martyn Lloyd-Jones Matt Chandler Mental Health Missionary Methods: St Paul’s or Ours? My Story N. T. Wright Nehemiah NWA08 NWA09 NWA10 Opinion OT History Books Pentateuch Personal Personal Revival Philippians PJ Smyth Podcast Politics Preaching Prophecy Proverbs Psalms Raised With Christ Reformed Charismatic Regeneration Relationships Resurrection Resurrection & Salvation Revival Rice Broocks Rich Man and Lazarus Rick Warren Rob Rufus Roland Allen Romans Sam Storms Sanctification Series Sermons Sermons on Philippians Serving Jesus at Work Sexuality Sin St Paul Steve Chalke Strange Fire Suffering T4G T4G Statement TAB09 Tamasin Warnock Teamwork Terry Virgo The Atonement Debate - Chalke book The Soulwinner The Spirit-Filled Church The Traitor Within Theologcial Spectrums Theosis Tim Challies Tim Keller Titus TOAM06 TOAM07 TOAM08 TOAM09 TOAM10 TOAM11 Todd Bentley Tope Koleoso Total Depravity Video Water Baptism Wayne Grudem Worship

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 May 2025 April 2025 January 2025 November 2024 October 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 August 2023 May 2023 April 2023 February 2023 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 August 2021 May 2021 April 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 June 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 June 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was Barnabas' original name?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Timothy Silas Mark Joseph

Books by This Author Books by Adrian Warnock

See All Titles »