The school year is drawing to a close and we are in the middle of our leadership application process in FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). We have the students spend 2 months shadowing the current leaders so they can see all that is expected of them if they are chosen as leaders. We also use that time to watch the applicants carefully, listen to their prayers, and try to determine who truly has an intimate relationship with Jesus and who wants to be a leader for self elevation.
One of the final things we do in our application process is the personal interview. It amazes me how many young people call themselves Christians, yet don’t know how they became one. We ask each of them what they would do if a fellow classmate approached them and said he had heard a lot about Jesus at FCA and wanted to become a Christian, but didn’t know how to do it. We get anything from “go to church” to “be a good person” to “hang out with people who are Christians.” It made me realize that parents, the church, and Para church ministries like ours aren’t spending enough time teaching what the Word says about how you become a Christian.
Scripture is very clear about what needs to take place for you to enter the Kingdom of God. Romans 10:9 says “That 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.” 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” John 3:16 says “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.”
Very simply put, to become a Christian, you must follow your ABCs. Admit that you are a sinner, believe that Christ died for you, and commit your life to Him. Going to church, being a good person, and hanging out with other Christians are things that tend to follow your commitment to Christ, but they don’t get you into heaven. In any other world religion you are born into it. If you are born to Jewish parents, you are Jewish. If you are born into a Muslim family then you are Muslim. Christianity requires you to make an individual choice. You aren’t a Christian because your parents are Christians and you can become a Christian even if your parents aren’t. It all boils down to a relationship.
So when someone asks you how they can become a Christian, how will you respond? Do you know your ABCs?