The Bible has a lot to say about becoming a Christian. In this article, you will learn how to use it as a reference point as you explore Christianity.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: The Bible Standard
Step 1. Study and you will see that the Bible was actually inspired by God
If you want to be a Christian and base your life on what the Bible says, then you need to believe that it was inspired by God Himself, and that it really is His word.
Step 2. Born again as the writing says:
“… Because you were generated not from a corruptible but an incorruptible seed, by means of the word of living God which endures forever. […] But the word of the Lord remains forever; and this is the word that was announced to you”. (1 Peter 1:23, 25)
Step 3. Repent of your mistakes, that is, your sins, as Jesus said:
“ No, I tell you, if you do not repent [change the way you think and act], you will all perish in the same way”.
(Luke 13: 3)
- Repenting means change your way of thinking And get away from old habits, listen and believe as the scripture says in Romans 10:17: "Faith therefore comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the word of God". "And how will they hear, if there is no one you preach?" (Romans 10:14).
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Jesus said: "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it" (Luke 11:28). You will be blessed if you actively follow the words of the Lord Jesus Christ …
"Also for this we do not cease to give thanks to God because, having received the word of God from us, you have received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, as the word of God, which works effectively in you who believe" (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
Step 4. Receive the words of the Bible as "inspired of God," and "not" as the words of men, here is what the Bible says about it:
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" Each scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, reprimanding, correcting, educating to justice:
(2 Timothy 3:16)
- "Why become a Christian?". Here is what the Bible says about sins (wrong actions):
- Twice, in Deuteronomy 5:11 and in Exodus 20: 7, God says, "Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him innocent who takes his name in vain."
- Jesus, in Matthew 12:36 says: "I tell you that for every idle word they have said, men will give an account in the day of judgment."
- Christ teaches that your thoughts have value. It is not just about written laws and physical acts. The Ten Commandments say: "Thou shalt not kill", "Thou shalt not commit adultery …". But in the famous Sermon on the Mount, Christ went beyond actions, and pointed out that your attitude also matters; for example, if you hated someone, then you are guilty of murder, and if you have a sinful thought you are guilty of adultery, all of which demonstrates how essential God's grace is (Matthew 5: 21-28).
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To be a Christian, therefore, one must change one's heart to accept God's plan and live according to his word, and moreover:
"And indeed it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; and this does not come from you; it is the gift of God. Not by virtue of works so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2: 8-9)
Step 5. Believe what the Bible tells you about God's identity
- In 1 John 4: 8 we read: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Yes: God is patient, but often people are convinced that precisely because he is loving he will not punish sins.
- The Bible says that God is a God of righteousness as well as mercy. And when God "will make the heavens and the earth as we know them withdraw as if they were a parchment all those whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the slain lamb" will appear before God to be condemned to the second death (ie the 'hell). Only those whose names are written in the book will not suffer the same condemnation.
Method 2 of 2: Becoming a Christian
Step 1. Here is how the Bible answers the question “How can I become a Christian? . Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is the son of God. And the only way to become a Christian is to believe in Jesus, obey his commandments, and through faith receive his blessings.
- "He who did not know sin, he made it become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Three days after his death, he rose from the dead and was seen by more than 500 people.
- "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Believing in Jesus includes the need to be born again of water and the Spirit (the breath of God) (John 3: 5).
- "He has saved us, not by righteous works we did, but by his mercy, through the bath of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3: 5).
Step 2. Remember that God asks everyone to repent:
" The Lord does not delay the fulfillment of his promise, as some claim; but he is patient towards you, not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3: 9). He wants to save each of us, to allow us to be born again.
Step 3. Make sure you receive your gift, reserved for all who believe and seek it:
be saved from the punishment for their sins, through the atonement of Jesus Christ his son. When Jesus the Messiah died, he did so of his own free will, according to the plan of his Father, who is the God of the Universe and of those who live there.
Step 4. To love God with all of yourself is the first commandment, and to love your neighbor as yourself the second:
you have to be able to do both to abide by God's law. However, this Not is humanly possible, otherwise Jesus would not have had to die, so as a Christian you must accept the gift of God's grace (His Holy Spirit), and thanks to this gift you will receive guidance and remission from sin if you love God with everything your heart, soul, strength and intelligence - even when the rest of the world will not be up to the glory of God, including you. And the gift of God's love is contained in the commandment to love one another as he loves us.
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God grants us grace in Christ if we love one another, even if imperfectly:
"This is my commandment, love one another as I have loved you" (John 15: 2)
Step 5. A key step in becoming a Christian is to believe and be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, or according to some in the name of Jesus Christ (John 3: 5), and be filled with His Holy Spirit, such as seen and explained in the book of Acts (Acts 2: 4)
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"Or are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him by baptism into his death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too walk in newness of life. Because if we have been totally united with him in a death similar to his, we will also be united with him in a resurrection similar to his. We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body sin was annulled and we no longer serve sin; for he who died is free from sin "(Romans 6: 3-7).
As an additional note to the statement on baptism, immersion is the main practice in the Bible and in churches that base their doctrine on it. Baptism by immersion or sprinkling (when only a little water is sprinkled on the head) is a necessary step to be saved. However, baptism by sprinkling contradicts the biblical example in which one must be completely covered in water for a moment to symbolize rebirth
Step 6. Being a "true Christian" does not imply joining a church
You can be an "independent" and still be a "real" Christian.
Step 7. Accept and understand the gospel of Jesus Christ as God has revealed it:
- "To open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, and receive, by faith in me, the forgiveness of sins and their share of the inheritance among the sanctified" (Acts 26:18).
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"But the natural man [without the Holy Spirit] cannot discern [evaluate] the things of the Spirit of God, because they are madness to him; and he cannot know them, because they must be judged spiritually" (1 Corinthians 2:14). We have already said what the source of faith is:
"So faith comes from what one hears, and what one hears comes from the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17)
Two Simple Keys
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Study Jesus' life and build a testimony of his death and resurrection as our Savior, then pray for remission of sins through repentance. An example of prayer could be this:
“Heavenly Father, I want to repent and turn away from sin, rejecting all my mistakes; I just want to do your will, and I am truly grateful to you for all you have done for me, for your full forgiveness and salvation from my sins, a free gift that allows me to live a new life. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus”.
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Walk in the light; announces to others that "There is a Mediator for all of us, namely the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who will save anyone who believes in him, repenting and following his teachings and therefore walking in the light".
Following Jesus Christ involves going to meetings with people of the same faith, being baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to celebrate your new life, praying, reading the Bible, and showing God's love with kindness, forgiveness, peace and maintaining loving relationships with all (do not judge anyone harshly, not even yourself; live and walk in the Spirit of Christ, in faith, hope and charity). So, live by the spirit and you will see Jesus' words fulfilled: "and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28). But when you fall into sin, repent, asking God's forgiveness, expecting consequences for your mistakes and continuing your path as a child of God, the only judge of all good and bad things. God's love is perfect, and it can banish all your fears.
Advice
- Love your neighbor. Make your words uplifting for the benefit of others according to the needs of the moment, so that they "bestow grace upon the hearer" (Ephesians 4:29).
- Seek blessings for yourself and others. Follow the golden rule: treat others as you would like to be treated.
- There will always be temptations, but there is a difference between the temptation to give up everything and that of sinning. There are temptations from God and temptations from Satan, but if you can control your desires they will lose their power.
- Receive the power that comes from having faith in God: "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith, so that you may abound in hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
- The presumption is to be abandoned. On what basis? These: "for we hold that man is justified by faith without the works of the law" (Romans 3:28).
Warnings
- Beware of those who teach things contrary to the principles of the Bible, or seek the glory of men rather than God's.
- We have already listed many benefits of being a Christian, however you shouldn't make the decision to convert just to get these benefits! Christ teaches us to "carry our cross every day", and follow him. It is not always simple; your life won't always be plain sailing. But no matter how hard it gets, Jesus will always be by your side!
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Don't read the Bible without seeking understanding through the Holy Spirit. A summary interpretation that does not take into account traditions is out of context and could lead to disappointments. Many people have studied the Bible for centuries… and still discuss it. This should make it clear how necessary it is to find out how to understand some parts of it. Get help from trusted friends and commentaries, always seeking the guidance of the Holy Ghost.
However, even though friends, mentors, and commentaries are useful tools, don't let someone's word become more important than God's word in the Bible! Always refer to the Bible to check that the various comments are correct! The best way to understand the Bible is to simply read it, read it, and read it again! The more you read it, the more you will realize that the Bible itself helps you interpret it! If you don't understand a passage, read the next or previous one. If you still don't understand, read the entire book of the Bible (all Deuteronomy or Genesis, for example). You may be surprised when the incomprehensible verse comes to mind and one word in particular strikes you as it never has before. Or, years later, reading a section of the Bible might grab your attention and explain the original passage you have memorized
- Always try to think logically about the things you are asked to do. Always ask for a scriptural reference before accepting a Word as divine.
- The scriptures interpret themselves. In many parts of the Bible there are scriptures that seem vague or cryptic, but if they deal with something important, perhaps another point is always given.
- “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Do we gather grapes from thorns, or figs from brambles? Thus, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. You will therefore know them by their fruits”(Matthew 7: 15-20).
