How do I become a Christian?
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Matt Slick of www.carm.org explains how a person can become a Christian.
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- How do you become a Christian? Well, first of all, you don't become a Christian by joining a church or adopting a creed, or even by believing in God.
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- There are lots of false churches, lots of false creeds, and even the devil believes in God. You see, becoming a
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- Christian means you need to understand what the real issues are. So, let's take a look.
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- We're going to start with the person of Jesus, because you need to know who He is in order, really, to become a
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- Christian. Now, hopefully, you've already read some of the pages on the QARM website on the person of Christ.
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- But, just to make sure, by way of reveal, Jesus is the most important figure in all of human history.
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- He's God in flesh. That's John 1 .1, verse 14. Also, Colossians 2, verse 9. He is physically risen from the dead.
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- He is the Lord. That's Luke 24 .34 and John 2 .19 -21. He is the
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- Savior, Acts 5 .30 -32. He came to die for sinners, Romans 5 .8,
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- and He came to deliver people from the righteous wrath of God upon us. So, I ask you, are you a sinner?
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- Have you ever lied, or stolen, lusted, coveted, or been angry with someone unjustly?
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- If so, then you have broken the law of God. God said in Exodus 20,
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- He said, You shall not steal, you shall not lie, you shall have no other gods before Him, and you shall not murder.
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- He has given the standard of righteousness in the law, and if you have broken any of God's commandments, then you have fallen short of that standard and are under the inevitable judgment of God.
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- When you die, you will face Him, and on the day of judgment, He will punish all sinners.
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- If you do not like this teaching, then all you have to do is throw away your
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- Bible and turn to Jesus. For this is the message of God's word. The message is that Jesus came to die for sinners and to save them from the wrath to come.
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- Remember, God is holy, and He is righteous, and He must deal with those who sin against Him.
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- Jesus is the one you need. He alone. Not your works. Romans 3, 10 -12 and Isaiah 64, 6 condemn your works.
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- Not your sincerity either. Not your goodness. You have nothing to offer God except your sinfulness.
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- It is only by the love and grace of God, found in Jesus and His sacrifice, that you can be delivered from the righteous wrath of God upon all who have broken
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- His law. Jesus saves you from God. God's wrath on the day of judgment is upon sinners.
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- On the day of judgment, God will judge all people for their sins against Him. He will judge all who have lied, who have stolen, who have cheated, who have lusted, who have dishonored their parents.
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- He will do this because He is holy and He is righteous. God must punish the sinner.
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- God cannot and will not ignore the person who has broken His righteous law.
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- The law is a reflection of the very character of God. Therefore, to break
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- God's law is to offend God and to deny the holiness of His character.
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- He will be vindicated. He will judge. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
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- Romans 3, 23. That means that your sins have caused a separation between you and God.
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- Isaiah 59, 2. The result of this separation and sin is death. Romans 6, 23.
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- And wrath. Ephesians 2, 3. The only way to be saved from the wrath of God is by faith in Christ.
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- Ephesians 2, 8, 9. Romans 5, 1. You must trust in what
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- Jesus did on the cross. You must trust Him to forgive you of your sins. And you must not trust in anything else, not even your own sincerity.
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- That's right. Sincerity. See, it isn't good enough. Why? Because sincerity is an appeal to God based on the goodness of your own heart.
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- If you're appealing to God based on the goodness of your own heart, then you're being prideful.
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- Sorry. Salvation is either based on Christ alone or it is not. This is why it is
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- Jesus, and only Jesus, who can turn away the righteous judgment of God from the sinner.
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- The gospel is that Jesus died for sinners on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15, 1 -4.
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- His death was a sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God. That's 1 John 2, 2. This is the only way to be saved.
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- Jesus is the one who died for the sins of the world. 1 John 2, 2. He is the only way to God, the
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- Father. John 14, 6. He alone reveals God. Matthew 11, 27. He has all authority in heaven and earth.
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- Matthew 28, 18. It is only through Him that you can be saved from God's wrath. Ephesians 2, 3.
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- He can forgive you of your sins. Luke 5, 20. Matthew 9, 2. He can remove the guilt that is upon your soul.
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- Jesus can set you free from the bondage of sin that blinds your eyes, that weakens your soul, and brings you to despair.
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- He can do this because He bore sin in His body on the cross. 1 Peter 2, 24.
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- That those who trust in Him would be saved. If you are not a
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- Christian and you want to be delivered from the righteous judgment of God upon you due to your sin against Him, then come to the one who died for the sins of the world.
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- Come to the one who died for sinners. Matthew 11, 28. Turn from your sins.
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- Believe and trust in Jesus. Receive Jesus, who is God in flesh, who died and rose from the dead.
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- 1 Corinthians 15, 1 -4. You must believe and trust Him as your Lord and your Savior. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins.
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- Receive Christ, John 1, 12 says. Only He can wash you clean from your sins, and only
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- Jesus can deliver you from the righteous judgment of an infinitely unholy God. Pray to Jesus.
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- Seek Him. Ask Him to save you. He will. Now, here is a simple prayer you can offer to Jesus.
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- It does not have to be exact, and this isn't a formula, but you'll just have to get the idea from the prayer.
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- Because what we're doing is we're appealing to Christ. We're looking to Jesus as our Savior. Now, I would suggest something like this.
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- If you want to pray and receive Christ as your Savior, then follow along with me. Repeat after me if you'd like.
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- Remember, this isn't a formula. It's an appeal to God, to the Lord Jesus Christ, to save you.
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- Pray like this. Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned against you. I know that I am not perfect, and I cannot please you through my own efforts.
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- I know that I deserve to be judged according to my sins, and I know that I have nothing to offer you.
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- Lord Jesus, I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Please cleanse me and make me right before you.
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- I trust in what you have done on the cross. I do not rely on myself, but only on you.
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- And I receive you as Lord of my life and as Savior of my soul. Lord Jesus, save me.
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- I look to you alone. Now, I have to say something here at this point.
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- If you've done this, praise God. You need to contact us. Please do. But I need to make something very clear.
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- There are false Christs and false Jesuses out there. Jesus warned us about this in Matthew 24.
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- So, I'd like to say that, for example, the Jesus of Mormonism can't save you.
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- You can't trust in the Jesus of Mormonism because the Jesus of Mormonism is false. He's the brother of the devil.
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- The Jesus of the Jehovah's Witnesses is an angel made into a man. The Jesus of the New Age is a man in tune with the divine consciousness.
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- See, these are false Christs, and they cannot save you from your sins. Faith is only as good as who you put it in.
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- Only the Jesus of the Bible can do that. Jesus, who is God in flesh, who is the creator.
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- Jesus, who is the second person of the Trinity. This is the
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- Jesus you must trust in. Not the Jesus of Mormonism. Not the Jesus of the Witnesses. No one else but the
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- Jesus of the Bible. Now, if you've trusted in Christ as God in flesh, believed
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- He's risen from the dead, you've trusted and received Him as your Savior, you've asked Him to deliver you from your sins and save you from God's wrath, then you're a