Are you a Christian?

Many people respond hesitantly, “I guess,” but they cannot really explain why or why not they consider themselves a Christian.  Others would answer such things as:

• I've gone to church all my life.

• I'm a pretty good person. At least I've tried, and I haven't done anything too terribly bad.

• My parents are Christians, and brought me up in church.

• I believe in God.

If you answered any of these, please read on.

 

Church?  We may have attended church our whole lives, we may believe the creeds, we may even be a theological student or an ordained minister ... and still not be a Christian!

 

Morality? Surprisingly, being a Christian has nothing to do with “being good”, as important as this is in its place. God does not “grade on a curve,” where the better we are, the better our chances are at getting into heaven! Our feeble attempts at being good are like filthy rags in the presence of God’s holiness.

 

Heredity? Being a Christian cannot be inherited or passed down from one generation to the next.  Jesus said we must each be born again of the Spirit in order see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3).  This comes by believing in Jesus Christ (John 3:15-16).

 

Believing in God? The Bible says, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder." -- James 2:19. So even believing in God does not make us a Christian.
 

What then is a Christian?  A Christian is one who has received Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior, and trusts in Him as the only true way to please God and have eternal life with God.  Christianity is about having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

 

But then, who is Jesus Christ, that I may have a personal relationship with Him?

 

Jesus is the Way:  Jesus claimed to be “the way.”  Note, He did not claim to be “a way,” but the one and only way to God  (John 14-6).  So, if we have not yielded our lives to Jesus and are not following Him, we have lost our way -- or in other words, we are lost.

 

Jesus is the Truth:   The truth is sometimes very difficult.  And the truth is that many people, even in church, do not know Jesus as their Lord, Master, Savior, and Best Friend.  Jesus claimed to be “the truth” (John 14:6), so if He does not live in our hearts, we do not have the truth in our hearts.

 

Jesus is the Life:  Some would prefer to think of Jesus as just a “nice man” or a “good teacher” about life.  After all, He healed people who, by society’s standards, did not deserve healing.  He taught crowds of people, with seemingly great wisdom.  Yet Jesus claimed to be “the life” (John 14-6).  Jesus claimed that He was God in human form (John 8:58, John 10:9, John 10:30, and many more); that He was the Messiah, the Christ of God (John 4:26).  He claimed that He came to give eternal life to any person who would believe in Him, and confess Him as Lord (John 6:40, Romans 10:9, and many more).

 

God’s Love; Our Rebellion: God loves us like a parent loves a child. He loves us with a passion. He loves you and I  for who we are: His creation. Unfortunately, we have chosen to rebel against God, despite His great love for us. This is what is called, “sin,” which separates us from God forever. God’s Word says that none of us are immune to sin: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”(Romans 3:23).

 

God’s Plan:  Our sin separates us from God. However, God did not give up on us, but implemented a specially designed plan in order to save us and bring us back to Him. This plan is described in this way: “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.” Who is this Son of God? His Name is Jesus Christ. Jesus is God in human form, who came to earth almost 2000 years ago. He chose to die on a cross as a sacrifice for all the sins we have committed. But the story doesn’t end there! Jesus rose from the dead, appearing to many people who had witnessed His death on the cross. He proved His victory over death and sin, and wants to give us the same victory. This victory is called, “salvation.” God’s Word says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

 

Our Response: Our response to God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ is to accept it! God’s Word says, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Our salvation is through an active decision of our will, heart, emotions and intellect to allow Jesus Christ into our life. And, not to decide is to decide against Christ. Therefore, neutrality is not an option.

 

The Bad News & the Good News: So either Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be, or He was not (and was a liar and a lunatic, not to mention extremely arrogant!).  But if Jesus is who He claimed to be, there is both bad news and good news.

 

The bad news is that without Christ, we don’t have truth, we are lost, we thirst for meaning in our lives and find little, we are separated from God because of our sin, we have little hope, we have doubts of God’s love for us, and have no real assurance of eternal life.

 

But the good news is that we can have all of these things through Christ, who died for our sins, and was resurrected to give us life.  To the one who receives Him, to the one who opens the door of their heart, He promises to save, to give hope, to reveal truth, to give assurance of eternal life, to give strength, to quench the thirst of their heart and soul, to forgive all sin, to wipe away all guilt, to give meaning, and to provide peace with God.  Through Christ, we can have complete assurance of our salvation.  This is because we are trusting in Christ rather than ourselves.

 

Would you like to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?

It is a decision to accept or reject Christ as Lord and Savior.  God gives each one of us the free will to accept or reject Him, because without free will, it would not be true love.  That decision may take the form of a gradual understanding over a period of time, or it may occur in a moment’s time. But the important thing to God is your heart.  Jesus Christ says in His Word, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with me.” Which side of the door is Jesus Christ in your life, inside or outside? Are you willing to make this decision to open the door so that Christ can come into your heart?

 

What do you need to do to be saved? We need to admit our need for God’s gift of salvation, and then accept that gift. You might find it helpful to echo in your heart this prayer (although God’s concern is your heart, not any specific words): “Lord Jesus, I need You. I admit that I am a sinner and I need You to save me. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins and failures. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in as my Savior, to cleanse me. Come in as my Lord and Master, to take control of me. Thank You for forgiving my sins, taking my burdens, and giving me eternal life. Please take control of my whole life, and make me the kind of person You want me to be. Amen”

 

What now? If you have prayed and meant it, quietly and humbly thank Christ that He has come into your heart forever. He has pledged His Word that He would. Disregard your feelings; trust His promise of salvation and eternal life in heaven; and thank Him that He has kept His Word.

If you have just made a commitment to Jesus Christ, praise God!  Please contact us (Rev. Tom Bentum), because we want to pray for you, and would like to help you with your first steps in your new life as a Christian!

It takes only a few minutes for a husband and wife to be married, but it may take years for two strong wills to be dovetailed into one. Likewise, commitment to Jesus Christ is almost instantaneous, but the adjustment to Him will take some time. Regardless of where you are in your faith journey, we would love to pray for you, and help you in any way possible.

 

Personal Reflection:

If you are not quite ready to commit your life to Jesus Christ, please take a moment to consider the barriers:

a) I do not see the need for making such a commitment
b) I do not understand enough
c) I am afraid
d) I feel that God could not accept me because of my past
e) Other:

What would it take for you to believe and make this commitment? Pray for God to meet that need.  Please contact us so we can answer any questions you may have.

If you have prayed to receive Christ, please contact us to let us know so we can pray for you and help you in any way we can!

May God bless you every day!