How to Become a Christian
The Gospel in Three Circles
The World is Broken
One does not need to look far to realize that our world is broken. But the world was not always this way. In fact, when God created the world, He created the world perfect, good, and free from both sorrow and suffering.
The Bible teaches us that God originally planned and created a world that worked perfectly – where everything and everyone fit together in harmony and where God and humans had perfect fellowship.
What the Bible Says
Genesis 1:31 – "God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good."
Psalm 19:1 – "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands."
So What Happened?
So if God created a perfect world, why is the world we currently live not the same as when God designed it? Sadly, we are the ones to blame for living in a not-so-perfect world.
Life does not work when we ignore God and His original design for our lives. We selfishly insist on doing things our own way. The Bible calls this sin. We all sin and distort God's original, perfect design. The consequence of our sin is two-fold – living in a broken world and separation from God during this life and eventually, all of eternity.
What the Bible says:
Romans 3:23 – "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Romans 6:23a – "For the wages of sin is death..."
Sin leads to the place of brokenness
We see brokenness all around us and in our own lives. When we realize life isn't working, we tend to begin looking for a way out – a way to escape the brokenness. We tend to go in many directions trying different things to figure it out on our own.
Brokenness leads us to a place of realizing a need for something greater. What are we looking for, though, is the question that we must answer next.
What the Bible Says
Romans 1:25 – "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator."
Proverbs 14:12 – "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."
WHAT'S THE REMEDY for THE BROKENNESS?
At this point, we need a remedy – some good news.
Because of God's love, He didn't leave us in our brokenness. Jesus, God in human flesh, came to us and lived among us. Unlike us, Jesus lived perfectly according to God's design.
Jesus came to rescue us – to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He took our sin and shame to the cross, paying the penalty of our sin by His death. Jesus was then raised from the dead – proving that He is God and providing the only way for us to be rescued and restored to a relationship with God.
What the Bible says:
John 3:16 – "For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – "For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
Colossians 2:14 – "He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross."
WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS GOOD NEWS?
Simply hearing this Good News – the message of Jesus coming and dying for us – isn't enough.
We must admit our sinful brokenness and stop trusting in our efforts to free ourselves. We don't have the power to escape this brokenness on our own. We need to be rescued.
We must ask God to forgive us, which involved turning from sin to trust only in Jesus. This is what it means to repent and believe. Believing, we receive new life through Jesus and God turns our lives towards a new direction, trusting that God will fulfill His promise to save us.
What the Bible Says
Mark 1:15b – "Repent and believe in the good news."
Ephesians 2:8-9 – "For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift – not from works, so that no one can boast."
Romans 10:9, 13 – "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR LIVES ONCE WE DECIDE TO FOLLOW JESUS?
When God restores our relationship to Him, we begin to discover meaning and purpose in the broken world where we still live. Although we still live in a broken world, we can now pursue God's design in all areas of our lives.
Even when we fall, we understand God's pathway to be restored – this same Good News of Jesus. God's Holy Spirit empowers us to pursue His original design and assures us of God's presence in this life and for all eternity.
What the Bible says:
Philippians 2:13 – "For it is God who is working in your, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose."
Ephesians 2:10 – "For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them."
What Should I Do With This Message?
Now that you have heard this Good News of Jesus, God wants you to respond to Him. You can talk to Him using words like these:
My life is broken – I recognize it's because of my sin. I need you to save me.
I believe Christ came to live, die, and was raised from the dead – to rescue me from my sin.
Forgive me. I turn from my selfish ways and put my trust in you.
I know that Jesus is Lord of all, and I will follow Him.
