Are you curious about who Jesus is, how to start a relationship with Him, or what it means to be a Christian? Are you a Christian wondering how to better understand or communicate your faith to others? In this episode, I get into those questions, share my personal story of coming to know Jesus, and I’ll lead you in a prayer to become a Christian if you’re ready to take that step too. Whether you’re exploring faith or looking for a resource to help introduce people in your life to Jesus, this conversation is for you.
See below for episode notes and Bible passages.
Episode Outline and Bible Passages
What Being A Christian Is NOT (Misconceptions About Being A Christian)
Being a Christian is not:
- Inherited from family or by cultural association (Romans 2:28-29)
- Only about going to church (Acts 2:42-47)
- Only about doing good deeds and trying to be a good person (Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 3:9-20)
- Only about believing in God in a casual or theoretical way (James 2:19-20; Hebrews 11:6; John 20:31)
What Being a Christian IS
So, what does it mean to be a Christian? A Christian is someone who has personally put their faith in Jesus to forgive their sins and surrendered their life to following Him.
- John 1:12
- Ephesians 2:8-10
- Romans 3:23-25
- Romans 10:9-13
- Lule 9:23
The Gospel (How to Become A Christian)
The gospel is the Good News message of who Jesus is and how He saves us from our sins so we can have a relationship with Him.
God created this world and He created people to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him.
- Genesis 1:26-28
- Acts 17:24-28
- John 1:1-4
- 1 Timothy 2:3-6
But our sin creates a rift in our relationship with God. Sin is disobeying God’s commandments. We all have sinned against God, falling short of His righteous standard, and strayed from His paths to follow our own. God is perfectly holy, set apart, righteous, and morally pure. And we are guilty before a holy God for breaking His law.
- Genesis 3
- Isaiah 53:6
- James 2:10-11
- 1 John 3:4
- Romans 3:1-23
- Romans 6:23
Example of sinful actions (wrong things we should not do)
- Mark 7:20-23
- Romans 1:26-31
- 1 Corinthians 5:10-11
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
- Galatians 5:19-21
- Ephesians 4:17-32
- Colossians 3:5-9
- 1 Timothy 1:9-10
- 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Examples of righteous actions (right things God says we should do):
- Romans 12:9-21
- Galatians 5:22-23
- Colossians 3:12-17
- Ephesians 4:17-32
- Titus 3:1-2
The wages (result or consequence) of sin is [spiritual] death, which is separation from God in this life and in eternity in a place called Hell.
- Romans 6:23
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
- Galatians 5:19-21
God doesn’t want anyone to be separated from Him in this life or eternity, or to have to bear the eternal consequence for our sins. So He did something to rescue us from our sin and separation from Him, and to repair our broken relationship with Him.
God loved the world so much that He sent His Son Jesus–God in the flesh–into this world to be our Savior. Jesus faced all the same test, trials, and temptations we experience as humans yet lived a life of perfect obedience to God’s commands without ever sinning–something we could never do in our human weakness and sinfulness. Then, Jesus willingly sacrificed His life on our behalf to pay the penalty for our sins so we would not have to. He was crucified and died on a cross and rose from the dead three days later, and He ascended back to Heaven. And He is alive in Heaven today. Jesus fully lived up to God’s standard for us. Jesus conquered the power of sin and death on our behalf and made a way for us to be reconciled to God. The Bible says God wanted to save us through Jesus. It was His plan before He even made the world. And it brings Him pleasure to brig into His family when we believe in Jesus. God doesn’t save us reluctantly. He saves us joyfully because He loves us.
- Ephesians 1:4-5
- Ephesians 2:1-10
- John 1:1-14
- John 3
- John 17:23-24
- Romans 5:6-11
- 1 Timothy 2:3-4
- 2 Peter 3:9
Jesus did all this so anyone who would repent (turn from) their sins and believe in Him could be saved.
What happens when we are saved?
Firstly, He forgives your sins and grants you eternal life. He removes the eternal penalty for your sins and declares you blameless and righteous in His sight—not because of any goodness of your own, but because you trusted in what Jesus did for you. You have the promise that after death, your spirit will immediately go to Heaven to be in the presence of Jesus and you will get to spend eternity with Him instead of spending eternity in Hell separated from Him because of your sins.
- Colossians 1:20-22
- 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
- John 3:16
- 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Secondly, He gives you new life spiritually and a new relationship with God. He makes you a new creation and gives you a fresh start. He empowers you, teaches you, and changes you over time so you can become more like Him and joyfully follow His commands. He brings healing, freedom, hope, and peace to broken places in your heart and life that need mending. And you get the privilege of knowing God, loving Him, being loved by Him, and interacting with Him personally in a real relationship, every day, just like a friend.
- John 1:12-13
- 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
- Ephesians 4:21-24
- Luke 4:18-21
- Matthew 11:28-30
- Romans 8:31
- Romans 5:10-11
- Colossians 1:9
- Romans 5:5
- Ephesians 3:16-19
What Jesus did makes salvation available to anyone who would trust in Him, but He gives us free will because He wants us to love, obey, and follow Him by choice, not force. So we each have to personally choose to RECEIVE His free gift of salvation in order for it to apply to us.
How You Can Become a Christian and Receive Salvation
What the Bible consistently teaches about how to take that step to become a Christian and receive salvation: Repent of your sins, and have faith in the Lord Jesus.
Simply…
Acknowledge that you have sinned against God and need a Savior.
Believe that Jesus is that Savior, that He died on the cross for your sins, and that He rose from the dead.
Confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior and call on Him to save you.
- Acts 3:19
- Acts 20:21
- Mark 1:15
- Romans 10:9-13
Sometimes people get confused about this. Repenting of your sin and putting your faith in Jesus doesn’t mean you have to clean up your life or have it all together before you can come to Him for salvation. Not at all! Remember, salvation is a free gift from God that we receive through faith in Jesus and what He’s done to save us. None of us can earn salvation by our actions or merit, or change ourselves in our own strength.
Repenting of your sins and putting your faith in Jesus means now that you’ve heard and believe the Good News about Jesus, in response to that, you are making a decision to turn away from unbelief and living for sin and for yourself and instead you’re now turning towards Jesus, to believe in Him, trust in Him for salvation, and choosing to follow Him with your life from now on, as He helps you and teaches you how to do that.
Becoming a Christian is not a decision you make in a moment and then forget about, or a flippant confession of faith you don’t really mean. It’s the beginning of a daily, lifelong relationship with Jesus and it’s the first step in a daily, lifelong journey of following Him. Jesus said “if any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
- Luke 9:23
Ready to Begin Your Relationship With Jesus? (Salvation Prayer)
If If you’re ready to put your faith in Jesus and give your life to Him, you can say a prayer like the one below asking Jesus to save you and confessing your faith in Him. Use these words but your faith. And Jesus will hear you and answer your prayer right now, and you will be saved.
Jesus, I recognize that I am sinner and that you are the Savior. I believe You died on the cross for my sins and rose again from the dead. I repent from my sins and turn away from them, and I ask You to forgive me. I receive You as my Lord, my Savior, my God, and my Friend, and I choose to follow You from this day forward. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and teach me to follow You. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for saving me. In Your name I pray. Amen.
Resources for New Christians – Next Steps!
If you prayed with me to give your life to Jesus for the first time or to recommit your life to Jesus after a season away from following Him, congratulations! Leave a comment on the podcast episode and let me know! You can also DM on Instagram or TikTok @jasmin.everydaywalk or contact me HERE. I’d love know about your decision to follow Jesus so I can celebrate with you and be praying for you!
Below are a few tips and resources to help you begin your journey with Jesus! If I were personally helping you learn to start following Jesus, I would take you through these books!
1. Harvest.org/knowgod + You Version Bible App (Free Bible)
Click HERE to view the Know God page curated by Harvest Ministries. You can enter your address and they will mail you a free Bible (with some special study notes in it written by Pastor Greg Laurie) if you need one. They also have some great blogs and video content to help you understand what your new faith in Jesus means and help you know what to do next as a new follower of Christ.
If you want to buy a Bible on your own online or at your local Christian bookstore, I recommend you get a New Living Translation or New International Version. They communicate the truth of God’s Word in easy-to-understand, contemporary language. You can also download the You Version Bible App for free and have access to a digital version the Bible anytime! They also have a bunch of Bible reading plans and devotional studies you can do to encourage you in your faith.
2. The New Believer’s Guide to Effective Living by Pastor Greg Laurie
This is a short, easy-to-read book that you can read in less than a day. It explains what it means for you practically now that you are a Christian, and the key things you need to do to help you grow in your faith like reading the Bible, prayer, dealing with challenges in life, living a new life, and going to church. Get the book HERE.
3. One2One: Personal Discipleship Guide by Steve Murell
This is another short, easy to read book. It walks you through seven key concepts like salvation, discipleship, baptism, church etc. that you need to know to understand your new faith in Jesus and how to grow in your relationship with Him. It’s great! Get the book HERE.
4. Biblical Foundations Series by DOVE International
This twelve book series will take you a little deeper in the concepts you learn in the One2One discipleship guide above, so I think it’s a great follow up resource for you! Each book is focused on a topic in your faith and broken down into daily readings and Scriptures you can take your time working through. Get the books HERE.
I hope these help! If you’re a new Christian, welcome to the family of God! And if you’ve been a Christian for a while use these resources to help you share the gospel with others and to help new Christians in your life grow in their faith.
LET’S TALK!
What did you learn about what it means to be a Christian from this episode? If you prayed with me to become a Christian either for the first time or to return to your faith in Jesus, let me know in the comments! Discuss this episode in the comments below.
