The most important question anyone can ask was the one the Philippian jailor asked Paul and Silas, "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). How can I become a Christian and be saved from the penalty and the power of sin?
What is sin?
Sin is breaking God's law. Sin separates us from God because He is holy and sinless.
How do I become a Christian?
a) We must admit that we are sinners:
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...
1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us...
b) Realise the consequences of sin
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death...
Rev 20:15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
c) We must realise that we cannot be saved by good works, because we are sinners.
Isaiah 64:6 ... all our righteous acts are like filthy rags...
Eph 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.
Salvation has to come from God. It is a free gift.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
d) Understand that God loves us and has made a free way of salvation through Jesus' death on the cross where he paid the price for our sin.
John 3:16-19 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.
2 Cor 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Heb 9:26-27 ... But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
e) We must believe that only Jesus can save us.
Rom 10:9 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.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
f) We must put our faith in Jesus.
John 3:16 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.
Believing in Jesus doesn't just mean believing that He exists. It means putting our trust and hope in Him.
g) We must confess our sins and ask God to forgive us.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Rom 10:13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
h) We must repent (i.e. not only be sorry for our sins but turn our back on our sinful life)
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." When we do this we are freed from the penalty of sin and made clean in God's sight.
Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
What to do after becoming a Christian
1) Pray to God every day
2) Read your Bible
Read your Bible daily and put into practice what you read. If you have never read the Bible before, start with the book of John in the New Testament. Here are some links to online Bibles:
Bibles
and downloadable Bibles:
sermon-archives/Bible
3) Find other Christians to fellowship with, be baptised in water and ask God to fill you with his Holy Spirit
4) Tell others about your faith in Jesus
Look at the following articles on our website.
The doctrine of Salvation - sermon-archives/536
Are you prepared for eternity? - sermon-archives/729