In order to make this explanation somewhat brief, I have to assume you already think certain things are true. If not, then I've included some links to other articles on the Web that might be of interest to you.

 

Here's what I assume you think is true:

      Becoming a Christian isn't like joining a club – you can't just pay some dues or sign some form or recite an oath. In order to become a Christian you have to come to believe some things to be true and in believing these things, somehow you are changed. It isn't magic, but it is spiritual and it is natural.

     The best explanation I can give as to why you have to believe these certain things is because that in order to believe them, you have to make decisions about yourself, your view of life, and your perception of God and others.

       Let's start with your idea about God. If you don't really believe that some kind of supernatural, super-powerful, invisible being exists who is aware of you and can somehow hear you and even communicate back with you, then you would find it hard to believe that this being can care about you or perhaps care about anyone. And if you don't really believe, it would make it really hard to think that any of the stories about amazing things that happened in the Bible could be true or that God might want to do something personal in your life.

       However, if you do believe that God exists, then you also can begin to see that the world might have some good in it. You can begin to see that there is meaning in our relationships with each other. You can begin to see that pain and suffering might have a purpose. You can begin to see that the beauty we see in the sunset, or in the look of joy on a child's face, or in the hand that reaches out to help someone in need is somehow a reflection of this being's true nature.

       Beginning to see these things in this way gives you a perspective on life that others who don't believe in such a being can't have. Others who don't believe in such a being may see beauty in a child's smile, but it is meaningless. Quaint, cute, but only relevant in that it stirs something in their heart.

      Hopefully now you can get a glimpse of how the way you look at life changes as you believe certain things. You may not know for certain about this. But as you spend time considering these things your perspective should change and your uncertainty begin to fade.

       In this process of considering God's existence, you will also start to consider what God is like. I don't mean is he like a cloud or like a giant brain; I mean, is he good, is he merciful, is he caring? For instance, the Bible teaches us that God is concerned about the poor, the lonely, the weak, and the needy. He got angry with the people of Israel when they ignored those concerns of his heart. A story later in the Bible tells us that Jesus chose to forgive a woman caught in adultery rather than to participate in killing her (as was the potential legal punishment). And if, as Christians believe, Jesus represents the exact nature of God, then we would believe this heart of forgiveness represents the true heart of God.

       As you begin to consider God and his nature, you may also start to consider your life and how this nature of God is reflected in your own life. You may begin to see that there are things that you do, and things that you have done, that are not beautiful, were not helpful. Perhaps you caused others pain by a careless remark. Perhaps you took something from someone you should have loved or cared about more. Perhaps you did things that you wouldn't want anyone else to know about and want to keep hidden. This sensitivity is also a good thing. It is part of a learning process. I also think that it is a way in which God speaks to your heart.

         When you think about these things, you may begin to see that you aren't the way that you could be, or even the way you ought to be. No one that you see around you is perfect either. People who are really Christians know this. Although many people try to act like they are living just fine, the truth is that we all fail to live up to God's standard as he showed us in Jesus. As a result, we are all separated from God's love and subject to his punishment for the wrong things we have done.

        The primary way Christians believe God showed that he loves us is by the way that Jesus died. I don't mean because he was killed by hanging on a cross, but rather because he was really innocent of wrong-doing, and was killed for speaking about the merciful nature of God. Christians believe that his death was the way God exercised justice—that God punished Jesus instead of us for the wrong things we have done. Christians believe Jesus volunteered to take our place, so that we could be forgiven, and we would no longer be separated from his love.

        The Bible also teaches us that God can't really be an intimate friend with someone who really dislikes him and doesn't want to think the way he does about good and evil. I imagine it would be hard to fall in love with and marry someone that you thought was really mean or nasty or kicked dogs and stole crutches from disabled people. It is like that with God. He really wants us to want to be kind and love others.

        Unfortunately our human nature makes it really hard for us just to wake up one morning and decide to be pure and kind. Christians believe that is where God helps us supernaturally. When we are ready to be changed and to be freed from those behaviors and habits we have started to hate, God can change us in our inner person.

        That change can happen only when we are really ready to change and really have begun to see that we want to be like Jesus and reflect the nature of God. Then our thinking about God and Jesus becomes more of a trust and a desire to rely on God to do something in and through us that we can't do ourselves.

        You may then reach a point in your life and are able to talk with God about that and ask him to make you into a new person and follower of Jesus and God. When you come to that place, you will begin to understand the words in the Bible, and understand how true they are for you. One thing that is important to help you see your future unfold and that your life is in God's hands is that Jesus not only died, but he also came back to life and therefore is able to really free us. Even death no longer has to be frightening or final.

       That changed nature is what happens when you become a Christian. It doesn't mean you are perfect; instead, now you can be free to do things that are right. You can fail, and get up and try again. You will start to want to do things that please God.

HOW DO I BECOME A CHRISTIAN?

1. RECOGNIZE THAT GOD'S PURPOSE FOR YOU IS THAT YOU BE IN RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

John 1.12: To all who believe in Jesus and accept him God gives the right to become his children.

John 3:16: God loved the world so greatly that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.


2. OUR PROBLEM  IS THAT WE ARE SEPARATED FROM GOD BOTH BY OUR SIN NATURE AND THE SINS WE COMMIT.


God created us in His own image to have a relationship of love with him. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him, but gave us a will and freedom of choice. We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God.

Romans 3:23: No one is perfect. Every individual has sinned and falls short of the glory of God.

 

     A person's thought is always of the punishment that will come to him if he sins, but God's thought is always of the glory man will miss if he sins. The result of sin is that we forfeit God's glory.


Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

3. GOD'S REMEDY WAS TO DIE ON THE CROSS IN OUR PLACE.


Jesus Christ is the only answer to our sin problem. He died on the cross and rose from the grave, paying the penalty of our sin and bridging the gap between God and man.


Romans 5:8: But God showed his great love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

4. OUR RESPONSE IS TO LOVE GOD, FOLLOW CHRIST, AND LIVE A LIFE OF FAITH AND OBEDIENCE TO HIM

Mark 8.34-35: You must put aside yourself -- your pride and self-centeredness -- take up your cross, and follow Jesus. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. but if you give up your life for God's sake and in obedience to God's teaching, you will find true life.

Luke 10.27: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul, and your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

 

John 14.15: If you love Jesus, you will show that by obeying what he teaches and by living the same principles and motives he lived.

 

How to receive Christ:


1. Admit your need (I am a sinner).
2. Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).
3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave.
4. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life (receive Him as Lord and Savior).