How To Become A Christian | Dunkard Brethren Church

How To Become A Christian

What have you done with the free gift of salvation offered to you from Jesus Christ? That is the one question every person will have to answer when they stand before God. There are only two possible answers! I have received Jesus' free gift of salvation by grace through faith or I have rejected this gift and rejected Him.


What Is A Christian?
A Christian is one who has fully trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior and follows Christ in the obedience of His Word.


How Do I Become Christian?
1. First, you must understand your wretched, sinful condition through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. You must realize you are lost and living in your tresspasses and sins. You must recognize that within you, there is no goodness, no righteousness, and no possible way for you to save yourself. You must understand that to die without receiving the forgiveness of your sin means you will spend eternity in hell separated from God as punishment for your sins. For you to be saved means you must be forgiven of your sin and you have no power or authority to forgive yourself. Only Jesus Christ and Him alone has that power and authority. You cannot work for your salvation because you could never do enough to earn your forgiveness. You cannot buy your way to Heaven. You can only be saved because Jesus' blood cleanses us from ALL sin!

The Bible says "There is none righteous, no not one!"
(Romans 3:10)


"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.""
(Romans 3:23)


"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
(Romans 6:23)


"To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin!"
(James 4:17)

Do you recognize your sin? Do you realize that you are a sinner? Do you understand that you desperately need Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin? There is hope in Jesus Christ!


2. You must understand Jesus loves you. He loves YOU! He loves you so much He left a perfect Heaven and was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. He lived a sinless life. Even though He was 100% human, He was also 100% God. He is the only one who could pay the severe punishment for your sins. It was either Him receiving the punishment for your sins or you receiving it! That's how much He loves you! He knew there was no way for you to save yourself. He knew you would go to hell and be punished for eternity for your sins, so He stepped out of heaven and came to earth to take your punishment so you could go to heaven and live for eternity.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)


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


"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
(Luke 19:10)

Do you see how much Jesus loves you? The reason Jesus loves you so much is because He created you. He desperately wants to have a relationship with you. Religion won't save you. Being good won't save you. Joining the church won't save you. Being baptized won't save you. Only calling on Jesus Christ can save you!


3. Once you realize your sinful condition and recognize you are lost, you must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. To be saved, you must repent of your sin toward God and place your complete faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ's death on Calvary and His resurrection. How do you do this? Simply call out to God and by faith, ask Him to forgive you of your sin and trust Him to save you. God cannot lie, and He promises that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved! You can trust Him with your eternal life! Call on the name of the Lord, and you shall be saved!

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
(Romans 10:13)


"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
(Ephesians 2:8-9)


"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
(I John 1:9)


"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name (Jesus) under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
(Acts 4:12)


"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
(Romans 10:10)

There is incredible joy that trusting Jesus Christ with our salvation brings! There is peace that passes all understanding when we trust Jesus. We are clean and made new.


So what's next?
Once we are saved, it's just the beginning. Now we are walking with Jesus. We are getting to know who He really is. We are seeking to know Him more by reading His Word, the Bible. There is a command that Jesus compels for us to obey once we have been saved. It is the command to be baptized. We are to follow the Lord in believer's baptism for (because of) the remission of sins. (Acts 2:38) Understand that baptism doesn't save us. Baptism does not remit our sins.(1 Peter 3:21a) It is an act of obedience toward God once we are saved.(1 Peter 3:21b) We are commanded to be baptized to identify in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ because HE has remitted our sins through His blood. (Hebrews 9:22) Only Jesus Christ's blood can wash away our sin.

Once we are baptized, it is important to belong to a Bible-Believing, New Testament church where you are taught the entire Word of God. It is important to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ. We grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus by reading His Word, the Bible. (II Peter 3:18) We also begin our walk with Jesus by DILIGENTLY adding these things to our faith in Jesus: (II Peter 1:5-7)

  • Add to your Faith - Virtue (Determine to live a good moral life in Jesus Christ.)
  • Add to Virtue - Knowledge (Read God's Word and ask Him to help you understand it.)
  • Add to Knowledge - Temperance (Learn to have self-control when tempted. When tempted, determine not to give into the temptation)
  • Add to Self Control - Patience (Remember God is working in you to conform you to the image of His Son, Jesus. Growing doesn't happen overnight. However, be diligent in growing.)
  • Add to Patience - Godliness (Determine to live a Godly life. Work to please the Lord in all aspects of your life everyday.)
  • Add to Godliness - Brotherly Kindness (Love those around you. Treat them kindly and compassionately. Treat them like Jesus has treated you!)
  • Add to Brotherly Kindness - Charity (A lost man can treat others with kindness, but a lost man cannot love like Jesus loves. Love others the way Jesus has loved you! Love them to Jesus)

If you pursue these things listed above in this order, you will grow as a Christian. It's a promise from the Word Of God. Again, growing takes time. No one has ever gotten saved and knew everything there is to know immediately. As a matter of fact, no one has ever gotten saved and ever perfectly mastered and understood all of the mystery of the Gospel and the Church. Keep growing in Jesus.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
(II Corinthians 5:17)

How can we help?
We want to know about your salvation experience! We would love to hear from you. Please contact us and let us know when you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and how we can help you grow in your relationship with Him.