Becoming a Christian.
How does a person become a Christian? Let's see how this is done.
In order for us to understand how to become a Christian,
first, we need to understand the consequence of sin.
When humans were first created, they were designed to live forever
in a beautiful paradise with God.
But the first couple--Adam and Eve-- they sinned against God.
They were thrown out of this beautiful paradise.
As a consequence of their sin, they lost the ability to live forever,
and they learned that they would die.
However, God told them-- He informed them.
The said that the seed of woman would one day come,
and He would save humanity from the fear of death.
From that very first sin, humans have been looking for the Messiah.
He was also called the 'Anointed One' who would come and save them from sin and from death.
There are many very detailed prophecies that told exactly where this Messiah would be born,
how He would live, how He would die, and how He would come back to life.
In the first century A.D., a woman named Mary in Bethlehem of Judea
gave birth to a child who was named Jesus. He fulfilled all of those prophecies.
He was the savior that was sent to deliver humanity from sin and from the fear of death.
And while He was on Earth, many people recognized Him as the Messiah--the Lord's anointed.
He was called Jesus Christ.
Numerous historians later referred to Jesus as 'the Christ.'
In fact, the early disciples were first called Christians.
Christ-ians in Antioch.
So then, becoming a Christian means to become a follower of Christ.
It means we must do what Jesus says and live how He taught mankind to live.
His teachings are recorded in a book called the Bible.
It's the most accurate and best source of information
about His life, His death, resurrection and His teachings.
You see, He taught that in order to be His disciples--
in order to be a Christian-- a person must hear His story.
That's why so many Christians become missionaries and take the story of Christ all over the world.
And Christ also taught that a person must believe that story with all of his or her heart.
People choose what they want to believe.
Christ's story is backed by evidence that can't be denied.
And the evidence shows Jesus the Christ to be the son of God.
And once a person believes in Christ, this person must confess that belief.
Do you know there are many people-- even during Jesus's lifetime here on Earth...
They believed in Christ, but they weren't willing to confess their belief.
They loved the praises of men more than the praise of God.
There were people like that during Jesus' lifetime on Earth,
and there are still people like that today.
But not only must a person confess Christ,
that person must be willing to repent of his or her sins.
You see, sin is breaking God's command.
Jesus said that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.
Repenting means that not only are we sorry for those sins,
but we're willing to turn away from them and turn toward God.
And after a person decides to repent, there's something else that needs to be done
in order for a person to become a Christian.
Jesus explained that to be a Christian, a person must be immersed--
or completely buried in water-- which is called baptism.
Now, He said this because baptism figuratively reenacts His death, burial, and resurrection.
In baptism, people die to sin. They're buried in water,
and they come out of that water as a new creature--a Christian.
This is how one becomes a Christian.
And if a Christian remains faithful until death,
then that person can look forward to hearing Jesus Christ say,