How to Become A Born Again Christian
Becoming a Born Again Christian
Although God can communicate with people in various spiritual states, God wants disciples: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-19). A disciple can be defined as a dedicated follower of Jesus.
A lot of factors can contribute to a person deciding to be a disciple. These can include objective evidence for the God of the Bible and observations of how God has worked in others. The latter can include family upbringing. Along these lines, the apostle Paul writes to a man named Timothy: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5). Ultimately, though, whatever brings a person to the point of decision still requires a further step of faith (a trust that goes beyond objective reasoning). The Bible says this comes through a personal revelation or speaking from God. This isn’t usually an out loud voice, and it may not even involve a strong emotional experience. However, it does involve a person getting some sense that this is what she or he wants to do. The following Bible verses give examples that such a personal leading initiates a disciple relationship with God:
- After Peter confesses faith in Jesus Christ, Jesus tells him that this was not revealed to him by flesh and blood, but by the Father in heaven (Matthew 16:17).
- Jesus said that nobody can come to him unless the Father draws him (John 6:44).
- The apostle Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16).
- Paul also wrote: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:4).
- Jesus said: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).
The initiation of this relationship with God has been given various terms including being born again and coming to salvation. Salvation can be defined as follows. A person expresses faith that Jesus died on the cross to pay for she or he missing the mark (which Bible English translations calls sin). In response to that faith, as a free gift, God saves a person from the penalty of sin and saves she or he from a broken relationship with God. Then, a repaired relationship with God begins. This relationship culminates in heaven, but begins here, especially through the work of the Holy Spirit. So, we are saved from something (sin) and saved to something (a relationship with God). Jesus called this process being born again because a person leaves a life under the penalty and power of sin to a life of forgiveness and a relationship with God (John chapter 3). Some of the scriptures on being saved from the penalty of sin as a free gift are:
- “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45).
- “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” (John 3:16).
- “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).
- “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6).
- “What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation.However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness…. This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone,but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 4:3-5, 4:22-5:2).
- “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:21).
Here are some scriptures on being saved to a relationship with God that starts now through the Holy Spirit:
- “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 13:17).
- “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18).
- “The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance, which is applied toward our redemption as God’s own people, resulting in the honor of God’s glory” (Ephesians 1:14-16).
- “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – the things God has prepared for those who love him – these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit” (I Corinthians 2:9-10).
A prayer for salvation doesn’t have to follow a standard script, but 3 elements should be involved (what I call the 3 As).
- Admit that you fall short of God’s standard (you are a sinner).
- Accept that Jesus took your punishment by dying on a cross (this pardon comes as a free gift).
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live a holy life and have a relationship with God.
After praying such a prayer, a person may have a powerful experience or not feel anything. Either way, this prayer seals a commitment to God and God to us. Also, telling someone that you said the prayer helps settle the commitments in one’s mind: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10). Telling someone also helps bring you into a community of believers where you can love and be loved as well as serve.
Once this prayer is prayed, a person typically finds that they start becoming more aware of the right things to do. Doing good works doesn’t bring us into a relationship with God. That comes as a free gift. However, good works, including helping others, should follow as they are part of a growing relationship with God. Jesus talked about this in the parable of the sower and the seed (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23). Some people accept the truth about Jesus, but never progress in their relationship with God just like seed that lands on rocky soil, grows a little but has no roots and dies. Other seeds grow and bear fruit which is like true believers who show spiritual fruit in their lives.