A Christian for real?

 

Becoming a Christian

The experience of conversion varies from person to person. But the two basic truths involved are important. The Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul preached "repentance toward God and Faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ".

All of humanity are born with the problem of sin – the inclination to go our own way without God. This may vary from simple selfishness to rebellious evil. Many are told that they are in themselves good and that they just need Jesus to go through life with them. Well, God has a different conclusion. From His perspective, we are all Adam's children – lost. More than that, God sees our independence and self directed ways as sin. Things that are often obscure to us, like pride, hypocrisy and devotion to other things are like idolatry to God.

When we remember that we were made for God, then it is appropriate that Jesus said "Repent". Repent means to recognize that we have sinned, failed to give God the honour due to Him, then to turn from our own way to Him with true heart surrender – "Yes Lord  you are right, I have been wrong".

For those who seek the Lord, there is a very definite solution to the problem of our disconnection from God. Repentance is good, but not enough. Faith in Jesus Christ, is God's universal solution. Keeping the law and commandments will not work. Doing one's best is insufficient. The only way to forgiveness and acceptance with God is by His way. His way is by Faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. Faith means to believe that God the Father sent His  Son into the world as Jesus. Faith understands the need to be saved by someone greater than ourselves and looks to the perfect person, Jesus Christ. Faith is to trust HIM to reconnect us with God.

The Jews and the Romans did not understand the events of crucifixion of Jesus . The Lord Jesus explained it many times.  He said He was as the Good Shepherd, giving His life for the sheep. Again, He was paying the ransom price to set guilty sinners free.

He said, after He rose to life again, that now through faith in Him, forgiveness of sins is freely available.

 

Faith in Him is to trust Him and His sacrifice, to make us right with God.

Faith also believes that He who died, rose again and is now seated in the place of highest honour at God's right hand.

 

This repentance of self and sin may seem crushing. But this faith in such a wonderful person enables us to be so much better than our best selves. To be 'in Christ' gives eternal security and everlasting blessedness. Gods' actions for us , in us , lead to the abundant life of being in the safe keeping of the great shepherd who said "My sheep hear my voice and they follow Me. I give unto the eternal life and they shall never perish"  John 10

 

God by the Holy Spirit interacts with each person individually but the principles of conversion remain the same – repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

I trust that my readers are definitely connected to God, not hoping for heaven by some other way. Feel good gospel is no gospel. Religious observance will not do. Good living will not measure up.

I  encourage all to take the Bible and read through the letter of the Romans, there discovering the Gospel from God's vantage point.