How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian
Page Two
3. Christ's Answer
Because our sin has separated or disconnected us from God, we have been left with a God-shaped vacuum, or spiritual emptiness, within. As Augustine put it, "You have made us for yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you." The world's many religions are all evidence of man's endless search to find God and fill this vacuum. However, because God loved us so much, he sent his own sinless Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our predicament.6
Christ did this by dying on the cross in our place to pay the consequence of and ransom price for our sins—death. Thus, Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin, and he is the only way back to God and the only door into eternal life.7
God's Word, the Bible, says, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men."8 Had there been any other way to save mankind, Christ wouldn't have had to die for us. Because he was without sin, he was the only one qualified to die for our sins.
4. Your Invitation
If you were found guilty of a serious crime and were condemned to death, and if offered, would you accept a free unconditional pardon?
Because of Christ's dying for us, that's what God offers us, and with it the gift of eternal life. All we need to do is to accept his pardon. Here's how to do this:
First: Confess. God's Word says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins."9
Second: Repent. That is, we need to turn from sinful and selfish ways to follow God and his ways. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe."10That is, we need to turn from sinful and selfish ways to follow God and his ways.
Third: Believe. "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,"11 declares the Word of God.
Fourth: Receive. God also said, "To all who received him [Christ], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."12
Admitting our sinfulness, believing that Jesus died for our sins, inviting him into our lives as Lord and Savior, and accepting God's forgiveness is what makes us real Christians. The following prayer will help you do this:
| "Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Amen." |
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YOUR RESPONSE: "YES, I prayed and invited Jesus Christ to come into my life to be my Savior. I want to learn more about the Christian life." To do so, click on the PASSPORT link below, fill in the form and we will send you a FREE printed copy of the pamphlet, How to Grow and the URL for the "Living, Loving and Learning: Steps for Spiritual Growth" web articles).
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Inviting Jesus into your heart and life as your personal Savior is your Passport into Heaven. Whatever, you do, don't leave Earth without it!
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5. Here's Great Assurance
If you genuinely prayed the prayer to invite Jesus Christ into your life and truly meant it, you are now a true Christian and have the gift of a new spiritual life as well as eternal life. You are also a child of God and a member of his family.13 God promised this. Choose to accept it. Take it by faith and not feelings. Feelings change but God's Word never does.
God's Word says, "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."14
When you pray to receive Christ into your life, you have a brand new spiritual life and this life needs care and nurturing just as your physical life does. Again, if you prayed to invite Christ into your life, be sure to click on the PASSPORT link above, fill in and submit the coupon and we will be happy to send you helpful free literature.
FOOTNOTES: 1. John 3:16; 2. John 10:10; 3. Romans 3:24; 4. James 4:17; 5. Romans 6:23; 6. See Ephesians 2:8-9; 7. See John 14:6; 8. 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 9. 1 John 1:9; 10. Matthew 3:2; 11. Acts 16:31; 12. John 1:12; 13. See 2 Corinthians 5:17 and John 1:12; 14. John 5:11-13.
Copyright © by Dick Innes
More than 3,000,000 of this article in print
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Dick Innes, M.A., was for several years the Director of Publications editor of Psychology for Living magazine for the Narramore Christian Foundation and is the Founder/Director of ACTS International.
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