What is a Christian and how can I become one?

A: To become a Christian you have to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. A Savior is the one who saves us, who redeems us, who delivers us from our sins. A sin is a disobedience, a transgression against God’s law of love and also an intrinsic part of our human nature. According to the Bible, the Word of God, written by His prophets and Jesus' disciples under the anointing of God, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. We are all born with sin and will die in sin if we do not accept Jesus Christ as our savior. Salvation brings peace and joy to our lives now and the promise of Eternal Life, heaven and happiness for eternity. In simple terms: God is our Heavenly Father, we are his children. If we are disobedient and “naughty”, we deserve to be punished. However, our Heavenly Father loves us so much, that He sent Jesus to receive the punishment for us, the death of the cross, so that we do not have to 'pay' (to be punished) for our disobedience and sin, but we are cleansed from those through believing and receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Salvation

Admit – In order to be saved we have to admit or acknowledge that we are sinners, separated from God and that we do not know God's Love.
You might say: “...Actually, I am pretty good, at least a lot better than many others…” – Sorry, that is not enough – you cannot go to Heaven unless you are perfect and nobody is perfect, everybody makes mistakes, everybody has sinned. Here is what the Bible says: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” - [click on the reference to see the verse in the Bible] Romans 3:23;“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:23; “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” - Ephesians 2:8,9.

Believe and Receive – Simply believe on Him as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. – “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” – John 3:16; “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved” - Acts 16:30-31. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” – John 1:12; “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” – John 3:36. We receive Christ by personal invitation. Jesus is nearby us waiting to be invited to come into our hearts and that we accept Him in our lives. Jesus says: “behold, I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come into him” - Revelation 3:10.

Confess –The Bible says: “That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” - Romans 10:9-10. We must proclaim or confess our salvation, in other words, we must not deny it. Jesus said: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” - Matthew 10:32.

Here is a simple prayer you can say (pray) to make sure you are saved:

- Dear Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner, and I ask you for forgiveness, I believe you are the son of God and you died for my sins. I receive you into my heart, and confess that you are my savior and my Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.

And here is a prayer you may pray when you doubt or when you fear. The prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples:

'Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. [For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.' Amen. Matthew 6:9-13]

It is good to remember that our relationship with Christ could be compared with a marriage, as mentioned in the Scriptures (Matthew 25:1-13, John 3:29, Isaiah 62:5, Ephesians 5:25). The real test in a marriage is the love, faithfulness, endurance, and eventually fruitfulness of the relationship. The formal ceremony is accessory, not fundamental to a happy and fruitful marriage. Even the signature of a contract is no guarantee that it will last forever. Would a man and a woman be married before God if they lived together in a desert island, with no means or reason for a formal wedding? Of course, they would. Thus, no matter where one may be, or the circumstances, getting to know and accepting Christ as our Lord and savior is the key to salvation. (as many people know, one of the thieves, on the cross, was saved, even though he never went through a formal ceremony or ritual for salvation). This is synthesized in the words of our Lord who said: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:21