How do we come to Christ?
Recognize you are a sinner. First and foremost you must recognize that you are a sinner in need of God’s mercy and grace. The Bible tells us in Romans 5 that because of Adam’s sin, we are all separated from God, spiritually dead, and in need of His salvation. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” In other words, you DO NOT deserve salvation, because you are not sinless. The only sinless person who ever walked the earth was Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15). You cannot save yourself, only Christ can save you. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
The penalty must be paid. For you to come to the Lord, the penalty for your sins must be paid. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Since Christ is infinitely perfect and holy (1 Peter 2:22), and since “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him,” (2 Corinthians 5:21) His sacrifice on the Cross is infinitely sufficient to pay for the sins of all who will receive Him. Why did He do this? Because He loves us so much! He is our Creator and He created us to have a relationship with Him for His own glory.
Believe Jesus rose from the dead. Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:3-5, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” This passage is the entire gospel summed up. Paul is clearly teaching that Christ’s resurrection is essential to our salvation, and that without it, there is no resurrection of those who have believed.
You must also realize that Christ is the only one that can save you. Acts 4:12 says “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” But thankfully we have Christ to turn to when we are spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins.
Repent and Believe! You must repent of your sins. Luke 13:5 says “…unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Repent means to completely turn from your sins, a change of heart, a decision to obey God. John 1:12 says “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” In Acts 16 when asked the question, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Peter told the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved...” (Acts 16:31) God gives you the power, (the right) to repent and believe when you receive the Gospel.
So now what? You have just read the Gospel message, and if you truly believe it, a typical response would be to pray and thank God for saving you. Confess to Him that you are a sinner, and tell him that you truly want to follow Him. Thank Him for sending His Son to die on the cross for your sins, and raising Him from the dead that you may have life through Him. Talk to Him from your heart. You must truly mean what you say to Him.
Rejoice! “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”(John 10:28) “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)