How Do I Become a Christian?
Jack Radcliffe
10/18/2009

When we decide to join a group or organization, one of the first things we want to know is what do we have to do? What paperwork do we have to complete, what references do we need, what are the membership fees, who has to approve me? Basically, what hoops do I have to jump through? For many, becoming a Christian is synonymous with joining a church with all its hoops and expectations.

It’s interesting that Jesus made no such connection. Yes, the Christian faith is to be discovered and nurtured in the community of faith and there are certain expectations for believers in the church. However, the road to faith in Jesus Christ is much simpler than we may imagine.

It starts with God. Not only did God provide the way in Jesus, God invites us. Jesus invited people to follow him. The Bible doesn’t tell us what they said but my guess is it went something like this: after taking a few minutes to talk it over with each other and maybe asking Jesus a few questions, they said, “Okay.”

In Acts 2:38, someone has asked Peter a question about becoming a Christian and he replies, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (NLT).

In Romans 10:9, Paul tells the church in Rome, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (NLT).

There are no prerequisites, no fees, no one to give approval except God, and that happens before we even respond. We can do nothing to become a Christian. It’s a free gift, and just like at Christmas, when a gift is given, the appropriate response is to simply receive it.

There are several ways of receiving the gift of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ disciples said yes. Peter says it’s reversing the direction of our lives when we hear God call us and moving toward him. Being baptized confirms that choice and allows the church to celebrate with us. Finally Paul adds surrendering to the lordship of Jesus and believing that he was raised from the dead—the one thing fact separates Christianity from every other faith.

From my reading of the Scripture, becoming a Christian seems to look like this: when God gets our attention, we respond by moving toward God, trusting in what the Bible says about Jesus, who has shown us God’s love, and celebrating our new faith with our church family by being baptized. That’s it. There’s nothing we can do except say yes in word and action.

If you have more questions, talk to another Christian. That’s what we’re here for.

Jack Radcliffe is a husband and father, a pastor, and a ministry consultant with Youth Ministry Architects in Nashville, TN. He is also an adjunct professor at Martin Methodist College and a seminar presenter for ParenTeen (www.parenteen.com). He has an MDiv from Ashland Theological Seminary in Ohio and a DMin in Youth and Family Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary.