How to Become A Christian

Thank you for letting us share with you the greatest news on earth.  That great news is how a person can come to know God personally in this life and have eternal life in Him in heaven.

There are three approaches people take when it comes to seeking eternal life.  One is to believe that they can live in such a way that they can earn by their performance the right to go to heaven.  The second approach is to believe that they can have eternal life by believing in Christ, plus living a good life.  That may sound correct, but it is not the teaching of the Scriptures.  The third approach, the one found in the Scriptures, is as follows:  It is to believe in Jesus Christ alone.  That is, to trust in who He is and what He did for us when He died on the cross and arose from the dead.  When a person trusts in Christ alone, something transforming takes place in his life.  He comes to know God and to love Him.  He has the desire to follow God's teachings as found in the Bible.

Why is it necessary to trust in Christ alone in order to know God personally and have eternal life?

In your mind, think of two separate circles - one over the other.  The top one represents God.  The bottom one represents you.  These two circles are separated by a barrier, such as a rectangular block.  This represents what separates us from God.  It is called sin.  Sin is any thought, word or deed that offends God, hurts our fellow man, or hurts our own life.

Sin is so serious that it separates us from God in this life and in the life to come.  It is so serious that God must bring His just judgment against us.  That paints a very gloomy picture for our future.

However, there is the greatest news a sinner can hear.  It is the news that God loved sinners so much that He sent Christ to pay the penalty for their sins.  Sin results in death, both physical and eternal.  But when Jesus died on that cross, He took that penalty of death for the sinner once and for all.  He removed that barrier.  Now, go back in your mind to the two circles and the rectangle that separates them.  Remove the barrier and unite the two circles.  When Christ removes the penalty of sin from us, we are united with God.  We are accepted by Him and given eternal life.

How does one receive Christ and the gift of eternal life?  By simple faith.  That's it.  Faith in Christ alone.  This is more than a mental faith - it is a "heart thing".  It happens when God's Spirit shows us that we are sinners.  It happens when we repent of our sins.  That is, when we have a genuine sorrow in our hearts concerning our sins.  A sorrow that causes us to ask God to forgive us of sin.  It happens when we trust in Christ alone.  Christ, plus nothing.  Christ minus nothing.  Christ alone!

If you would like more information on becoming a Christian, or to talk with someone more in depth, please call us at (423) 842-1911 and press "0" for the church office.  If no one is available, please leave a message.  We look forward to sharing with you!