No one is born as a Christian, even if they are born into a Christian family. A person becomes a Christian when they ask God to forgive them of their sins, and ask God to help them live a life that is more holy. After a person becomes a Christian they love God and Jesus more than ever. A person who accepts Christ as Lord and Saviour will be happy. They will feel like a heavy weight has been lifted off of them. They will feel like their sins have been forgiven and they will know that they are going to heaven when they die. A person who becomes a Christian will want to share their faith with other people because they are so happy that they are saved.
What does it mean to be a Christian?
A Christian is someone who has been born again by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God goes into a person after they accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. A Christian is someone who believes “Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said” – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.
Converted means that you are born again by the Holy Spirit
God is the one who makes people Christians. A person can ask God to come into their lives but only God can cause that person to be born again. A person can ask Jesus Christ to forgive them of their sins. A person can believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for their sins. But it is only God who can decide to give the person the Holy Spirit so that they are born again by the power of God.
To be a Christian means your sins are forgiven
When you become a Christian Jesus Christ forgives your sins. This is a real event. This really happens. Jesus washes away your sins and forgives them by the power of His blood. You experience this. You feel it. To be a Christian means that your sins have been washed by the power of Jesus’ blood.
“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin” – 1 John 1:17.
To be a Christian means you stopped sinning
To be a Christian means that you stop doing the sins that you used to do. We are all sinners. A Christian receives the Holy Spirit and starts to live a life that is more pleasing to God. The Bible teaches us:
“Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
A Christian becomes happier and wants to please God
When a person becomes a Christian they see changes in their lives. These changes are positive ones. A person who becomes a Christian wants to live for God. They want to live a more holy life. They want to go to church, read the Bible, and pray. They want to talk about Jesus and what He has done for them. They usually want to start a family and teach their children about Jesus.
The Bible teaches us about a man named Zacchaeus who accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour. Then Zacchaeus’ life changed. This is what the Bible says about Zacchaeus:
“I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” Luke 10:8-10.
You are spiritual and not of the flesh
When you become a Christian you no longer want to live for the flesh, you no longer want to live for your sinful desires. When you become a Christian the Holy Spirit inside of you gives you new desires. As a Christian you want to follow the Holy Spirit and do what is right and holy. The Bible teaches it this way:
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions….”
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control….
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another” – Galatians 5:16-26.
Accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and God will make you a Christian
So if you want to live by the Holy Spirit of God then you need to humble yourself and give up control of your life. You need to give your heart, and mind, and soul and body to the Lord Jesus Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and your desires. Once you are born again you will become a Christian.