What is a Christian?

How to Become a Christian

What is a Christian? Is a Christian a person who goes to church? Well we would certainly hope so! Is a Christian a person with good morals? Well this is obviously important! Is a Christian devoted to his or her family? Well this is certainly expected of a Christian! How does a person become a Christian? By attending church, acting morally and being devoted to his or her family?

No. This sort of good behaviour is expected of a person once he or she becomes a Christian but it is not how he or she becomes a Christian in the first place. Consider this question for a moment: how does a woman become a mother? Is it by changing diapers? Is it by dressing her child warmly? Is it by feeding her child good food? No. This is the behaviour we would expect of a mother, but it is not how she becomes a mother in the first place. In the first place, she becomes a mother by having a baby!

Many people think that if a person lives a certain way, it makes that person a Christian. But this is simply not true. A good life is expected of the person who has become a Christian but it is not the good life that makes a person into a Christian in the first place. In the first place, to become a Christian, you must be born again.

The Need to be "Born Again"

Regretably, the term "born again" has become much confused in today's society. If I say I am born again, many people will automatically think I subscribe to a right wing political agenda, am politically active and watch a lot of "televangelists" on television. However, the term "born again" is a phrase used by Jesus, and I prefer to use it in the same sense as He used it, not the modern sense.

In the first 7 verses of John chapter 3 we read:

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'

Nicodemus was a Pharisee. He was a religious leader, and certainly would have been thought of as a moral man. He would have known the first 5 books of the Old Testament (the Jewish Law) like the back of his hand. Surely if anyone could become a Christian by their own good works, it would have been Nicodemus. But what did Jesus say to him? "You must be born again." Jesus went on to describe what He meant. If a person is going to be alive physically, he must have a physical birth. And similarly, if a person is going to be alive spiritually, he must have a spiritual birth. This is what it means to be "born again". It means that there has been a time in your life when you have had a spiritual birth.

How to be "Born Again"

So how can I be born again? In John 3:16-18, Jesus goes on to describe this concept, and what a person must do to be born again.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

To "believe in him" obviously doesn't mean to simply believe He exists. Even the Devil believes that much! But rather, to "believe in Him" means to trust that He died to pay the penalty for your sins, and that through trusting in Him, you can be certain you will go to Heaven.

But What About My Good Works?

If you have read carefully to this point, you will notice that I have declared that forgiveness of sins and the assurance of going to Heaven when you die can be obtained simply through personally trusting that Jesus Christ died in your place. But what about your works? Can good works get you into Heaven? Can they at least help you get into Heaven? Here was Paul the Apostle says about this in Ephesians 2:8,9:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.

Grace is unmerited favour. It is not something you can earn. Salvation is a gift from God, not something you can earn by your good works. But you might ask, "Aren't good works important to God? Isn't it important that I attend church?" To both these questions we must reply, "Yes, they are certainly important, but they don't make you into a Christian. They don't earn you forgiveness." To be saved from your sins, to become a Christian, to have the assurance of going to heaven when you die - these things are obtained through faith in Jesus Christ, that He died to save you. Doing good works, praying, attending church - these things are expected of the person who has exercised faith in Jesus Christ. They are the effects of salvation, not the cause.

Do You Need to Become a Christian?

Perhaps you were raised "Christian", or perhaps at some point in your life you came to the conclusion that you needed a spiritual aspect to your life. Does this make you a Christian? No. Becoming a Christian is a personal faith and trust that you exercise in Jesus Christ. It is the relationship between a Saviour and someone needing salvation.

How Can I Be Saved Right Now?

You can be saved right now, if you want to be. The best way I know of to be serious with God is to get down on your knees and pray to Him. What should you say?

1. admit that you are a sinner. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Admit that you have sinned in your life and that you need forgiveness.
2. admit that you can't save yourself through your good works. Remember Ephesians 2:8,9 which says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast."
3. admit that God is forced to judge you for your sins. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
4. repent of your sin. The Bible says in Luke 13:3, "But unless you repent, you too will all perish." To repent not only means to feel sorry, but also to have a change of mind about sin. Instead of trying to get away with sin, the repentant person will try to avoid it!
5. believe! Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died to save you and to bring you to Heaven to be with Him. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Will you respond to this message right now. Will you enter into Eternal Life this day? What will prevent you from obtaining salvation today?

Shawn Abigail

All quotations from the New International Version of the Bible. This translation is available in most bookstores, both religious and secular, and is used by a wide variety of Christian denominations.