Becoming a Christian

1. GOD LOVES YOU! AND OFFERS A WONDERFUL PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE.

A. God’s Love

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
 

B. God’s Plan

(Christ speaking) “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” (that it might be full and meaningful) (John 10:10).
Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life? Because…

2. MANKIND IS SINFUL AND SEPARATED FROM GOD. THEREFORE, HE CANNOT KNOW AND EXPERIENCE GOD’S LOVE AND PLAN FOR HIS LIFE.

A. Man Is Sinful

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

B. Man Is Separated

“For the wages of sin is death” (spiritual separation from God) (Romans 6:23).
God is holy and man is sinful. A great gulf separates the two… man is continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through his own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion.
The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf.

3. JESUS CHRIST IS GOD’S ONLY PROVISION FOR MAN’S SIN. THROUGH HIM YOU CAN KNOW AND EXPERIENCE GOD’S LOVE AND PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE.

A. He Died in Our Place

“But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

B. He Rose from the Dead

“Christ died for our sins… He was buried… He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures… He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred… ” (I Corinthians 15:3–6).

C. He Is the Only Way to God

“Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6).

God has bridged the gulf which separates us from God by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.
It is not enough just to know these three laws…

4.  WE MUST INDIVIDUALLY RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST AS OUR SAVIOUR AND LORD; THEN WE CAN KNOW AND EXPERIENCE GOD’S LOVE AND PLAN FOR OUR LIVES.

A. We Must Receive Christ

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).

B. We Receive Christ through Faith

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that no of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

C. When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth (Read John 3:1–8).

D. We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation

(Christ is speaking) “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him” (Revelation 3:20).
Receiving Christ involves turning from self to God (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us the kind of person He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience.