Bryce Avenue Presbyterian Church
How Do I Become A Christian
“For
God
so
loved
the
world
that
He
gave
His
only
begotten
Son,
that
whoever
believes
in
Him
should
not
perish
but
have
everlasting
life.”—
John 3:16
John
3:16
is
probably
the
best
known
Bible
verse
in
the
whole
world.
It
contains
the
Christian
Gospel
in
a
nutshell,
God’s
saving
work
for
sinners.
Its
message
is
clear:
some
people
are
perishing,
but
God
saves
from
death
the
people
of
the
world
who
trust
His
Son
for
life.
Here,
indeed,
is
the way to heaven made plain for sinners. Let us take a closer look.
SOME PEOPLE ARE PERISHING
The
Bible
views
us
in
terms
of
our
relationship
with
God.
Human
beings
have
“life”
only
through
God
and
they
enjoy
it
only
when
they
live
in
the
presence
of
God.
Therefore,
they
perish
when
they
are
separated
from
God. This is because:
We are creatures, totally dependent on God, our Creator.
God
alone
sustains
us
and
keeps
body
and
soul
together.
In
Adam,
we
were
created
true
persons,
self-conscious,
free,
responsible
before
God,
and answerable to Him.
“So
God
created
man
in
His
own
image;
in
the
image
of
God
He
created
him; male and female He created them.”
[God
is
not]
“worshipped
with
men’s
hands,
as
though
He
needed
anything,
seeing
He
gives
to
all
life,
and
breath,
and
all
things...
For
in
Him
we
live,
and
move,
and
have
our
being...”
(Gen.
1:27;
Acts
17:25,28)
We refuse to acknowledge our dependency on God.
Adam
and
Eve
thought
they
could
get
along
without
God.
As
the
“parents”
of
human
kind
they
rejected
the
Creator
and
plunged
themselves
and
all
the
rest
of
us
into
a
sinful
condition
of
prideful
rebellion
against
God.
True
to
His
Word,
God
punished
sin
by
separating
Adam
and
us
from
Himself.
Thus,
our
lives
are
spoiled.
We
sons
and
daughters
of
Adam
no
longer
really
live.
We
merely
exist
in
what
could
be
called
a
kind
of
living
death.
We
have
forfeited
and
lost
life
with
God,
that is, the “eternal life” referred to in John 3:16.
“And
the
LORD
God
commanded
the
man,
saying,
‘Of
every
tree
of
the
garden
you
may
freely
eat;
but
of
the
tree
of
the
knowledge
of
good
and
evil
you
shall
not
eat,
for
in
the
day
that
you
eat
of
it
you
shall
surely die.'
“Therefore...
through
one
man
sin
entered
the
world,
and
death
through
sin,
and
thus
death
spread
to
all
men,
because
all
sinned..."
(Genesis 2:16-17; Romans 5:12)
We are fallen.
We
are
totally
unable
to
help
ourselves
—
that
is,
to
get
ourselves
back
into
fellowship
with
God
—
because
sin
and
death
pervade
every
aspect
of
our
beings.
We
are
not
even
true
men,
whole
and
free,
as
God
intended
us
to
be.
We
are
alienated
from
ourselves,
from
other
men,
and,
most
importantly,
from
God.
Every
relationship
is
perverted.
All
our
faculties
are
deadened,
rendered
useless
as
instruments
by
which
we
might
please
God
and
be
restored
to
His
favor
and
fellowship.
We
are
lawbreakers,
condemned
to
perish
in
our
sins,
incapable
in
our
own
strength
of
fulfilling
the
law.
We
are
slaves,
helplessly
mired
in
the
muck
of our sinful natures.
“Because,
although
they
knew
God,
they
did
not
glorify
Him
as
God,
nor
were
thankful,
but
became
futile
in
their
thoughts,
and
their
foolish
hearts
were
darkened.
Professing
to
be
wise,
they
became
fools...”
(Rom. 1:21-22)
SALVATION FROM PERISHING IS BY WAY OF FAITH
John
3:16
clearly
teaches
that
those
who
are
saved
from
perishing
are
those
who
“believe
on”
the
Son
of
God.
The
Bible
is
very,
very
clear
on
this
point:
we
are
saved
by
God’s
grace
alone
through
faith
alone
in
Jesus
Christ
alone.
We
cannot
be
saved
by
keeping
the
Law,
for
the
Law
demands
perfection
and
we
cannot
be
perfect.
The
Law,
therefore,
condemns
us
—
it
reveals
all
our
deadly
imperfections
and
pronounces
God’s
curse
upon
them.
As
a
mirror
reveals
our
blemishes
but
cannot
heal them, so the Law exposes our sins but does not atone for them.
“Therefore
we
conclude
that
a
man
is
justified
by
faith
apart
from
the
deeds of the law.”
“For
by
grace
you
have
been
saved
through
faith,
and
that
not
of
yourselves;
it
is
the
gift
of
God,
not
of
works,
lest
anyone
should
boast.”
(Romans 3:28; Ephesians 2:8,9)
FAITH LAYS HOLD ON THE SON OF GOD
Who Jesus Is
Jesus,
the
Son
of
God,
is
God.
But,
in
order
to
save
His
people,
He
became
a
man.
He
was
a
real
man,
everything
that
Adam
was
(and
lost)
and
more.
This
astounding
fact
is
at
the
heart
of
Christianity,
and
is
one
of
the
keys
to
understanding
the
Good
News
of
salvation
—“God
so
loved
...that
He
gave
His
only
begotten
Son.”
The
person
we
must
look
to
for
our
salvation
is
the
God-Man,
fully
God
and
fully
man
at
the
same
time.
As
God,
His
life
was
of
such
great
value
that
He
could
pay
the
penalty
for
the
sins
of
a
great
multitude
of
sinners.
As
a
man,
He
could
receive
in
Himself
God’s
wrath
due
to
men.
He
humbly
identified
Himself
with
us
sinners
and
experienced
our
weaknesses
and
infirmities,
but,
and this is important, without any sin of His own.
“In
the
beginning
was
the
Word,
and
the
Word
was
with
God,
and
the
Word
was
God
...and
the
Word
became
flesh
and
dwelt
among
us,
(and
we
beheld
His
glory,
the
glory
as
of
the
only
begotten
of
the
Father,)
full
of grace and truth.
“But
when
the
fullness
of
time
was
come,
God
sent
forth
His
Son,
born
of a woman, made under the law...
“For
such
a
High
Priest
was
fitting
for
us,
who
is
holy,
harmless,
undefiled,
separate
from
sinners,
and
has
become
higher
than
the
heavens” (John 1:1,14; Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 7:26).
What Jesus Did
•
Jesus Christ lived a perfect life. God requires anyone who would
fellowship with Him to be perfect, just like Him. But, sin makes this
impossible for us! So Jesus Christ came as a man and perfectly
obeyed the law for His people. His perfection was substituted for
theirs.
•
“For
Christ
also
has
once
suffered
for
sins,
the
just
for
the
unjust,
that
He
might bring us to God...” (I Peter 3:18).
•
Jesus Christ died a perfect death. He not only lived for His people,
but died for them, too, giving Himself as a sacrifice to satisfy God’s
justice. And, since His life is so precious, His sacrifice was accepted
by the Father as of sufficient value to pay the penalty for the sins of
every one of those for whom He died.
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners; so by the
obedience of one many shall be made righteous...
“So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many..." (Romans 5:19;
Hebrews 9:28).
•
Jesus Christ conquered death. Though He died and was buried, He
arose! Later, He returned to Heaven as the great King of the
universe. One day, according to His promise, He will return and
gather all believers to Himself. Thus, everyone who receives eternal
life now will enjoy it forever in Heaven with the Son of God.
•
“For I delivered to you ...that Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day
according to the Scriptures...
“ This same Jesus ...who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come
in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven...
“ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive
you unto Myself; that where I am you may be also” (I Corinthians 15:3,4;
Acts 1:11; John 14:3).
JESUS CHRIST OFFERS SALVATION AS A GIFT TO BE RECEIVED BY FAITH
•
Faith. Now, how may one receive this wonderful eternal life of
which John 3:16 speaks? The answer really is quite simple: by faith.
Not by works. By faith. But, what is faith? Maybe we first should
consider what faith is by thinking about what it is not:
o
Not facts alone. Faith is not mere intellectual assent to a
group of facts. It does indeed accept as true what the Bible
says about God, and sin, and Christ, but it is more than this.
After all, the Bible says that even “the devils believe and
tremble...!” Intellectual assent alone is not all that is meant by
“saving faith.”
o
Not favors alone. Faith is not merely trusting God for favors.
Some people think that because they look to God for health,
or safety, or financial solvency, or guidance, and because they
do indeed enjoy some of these things in measure, they
therefore possess saving faith and God must truly love them
as His children. Again, this is not so. God is so good that He
does love all men with a common love. But this common love
is not saving love. Just because one receives temporal favors
from a good God does not mean he has been given eternal
life.
o
Not feelings alone. Saving faith is not to be identified with
religious feelings. There are people who get all mushy and
teary when they hear “Silent Night,” or “The Old Rugged Cross.”
Others really “get into” religious services and almost explode
with enthusiasm for “the cause.” But such emotional
experiences are not necessarily evidences of a true
conversion. Don’t forget that Esau wept buckets of tears, but
he was not saved. Faith certainly touches our emotions, but
feelings alone do not prove it genuine.
o
Trusting Christ alone. So what is saving faith? It is trusting,
receiving and resting on Jesus Christ alone for salvation as He
is offered in the Gospel. It is transferring your trust for eternal
life from yourself — your own goodness or goodnesses — to
Christ. It is believing that you are truly guilty and justly
condemned for your sin, and calling upon Jesus Christ for
salvation, knowing all the while that it is in His righteousness
alone that you are made acceptable to God.
o
Repentance Saving faith is always accompanied with
repentance. When you turn to Jesus, you turn away from
yourself. You grieve over your guilt and the pollution in your
soul. You hate what you are without Christ. You discover a
new, holy desire to love and serve your Creator and Redeemer
with your whole heart and life.
THE GIFT
And,
when
you
do
this
—
when
you
turn
to
Christ
by
faith
—
the
Savior
accepts you and gives you eternal life!.
“Believe
on
the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
and
you
will
be
saved,
you
and
your
household...
“All
that
the
Father
gives
Me
will
come
to
Me,
and
the
one
who
comes
to Me I will by no means cast out." (Acts 16:31; John 6:37).
BE A BELIEVER
Now,
how
might
YOU
receive
this
wonderful
gift?
Ask
for
it.
Pray.
Right
this
minute
—tell
God
that
you
recognize
how
sinful
you
are,
and
how
totally
unable
you
are
to
please
Him
in
yourself
or
your
works.
Ask
Him
to
enable
you
by
His
Spirit
to
believe:
to
embrace
Jesus
Christ
and
trust
Him
alone
for
your
eternal
salvation.
Then,
thank
Him
for
keeping
His
promise.
Now,
go.
Live
for
Him.
Study
and
obey
His
Word.
Pray
often.
Worship
with
His
people
in
a
Bible-believing
church.
Share
your
new
faith
and
life
with
other
Christians.
Serve
Him
in
the
church
and
in
the
world.
Talk
about
Him
to
unbelievers.
It
won’t
be
easy;
the
cost
of
following
Christ is great. But it is the only life. It is eternal life.
_____________________________________
This
article
was
authored
by
Rev.
Paul
Settle.
For
more
information
or
spiritual
assistance
please
contact
Bryce
Avenue
Presbyterian
Church
|
333
Bryce
Avenue
|
Los
Alamos,
New
Mexico 87544 | 505.672.3364 | info@bapca.org