There are many Christian in the world. Christian is the largest population in the world. But most Christians are nominal Christian. They become Christian because they are born from Christian parents or live in Christian society.
A Christian, according to the Bible, is :
1. one among “….children of God.” (John 1:12);
2. one who believed and follows Jesus Christ.
3. “… the disciples of Jesus Christ.” (Acts 11: 26);
4. one who accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour, have been born again spiritually and “….have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
One can not become Christian in his/her effort. Only God can make one Christian.
God created man to be with Him and enjoy His blessings. But man separated himself/herself from God by disobeying God’s command. Living away from God, all people of the world suffer from miseries.
God is Love (1John 4:8). God love His created human beings. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to make us His Children again by restoring our relationship.
The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.“(John 3:15–18).
‘The world’ here means ‘people of the world’. One become Christian (follower of Jesus Christ) when he believed and received Jesus Christ and when God accepted us by giving us the right (legal right) to be called His children( John 1:12).
Therefore, one can not earn ‘salvation’ or ‘the right to be accepted as ‘the children of God’. Only God can make us Christian. If God does not accept what we do – the ‘believe’, we can not become His children. Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44)
But God is faithful and merciful. He promised us that He will accept if we believe and give us the right to become His children. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God “ (John 1:12)
God never fail in His promise. He is all powerful and merciful, full of grace. He will accept what you do – the believe’ if you ever believe in Him and make you His child. But you can not boast, you can not own the credit of becoming God’s child because of your ‘believe’ as if it is the reward of your work – ‘the believe’. It is the gift ( free gift) of God.
“ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. “( Ephesians 2:8–9);
If you believed, you become God’s child and a Christian. You will have eternal life. Therefore, believe in Jesus Christ, that He died for you. Call on Him in prayer and received Him. Pray that He forgive your sin and makes you God’s child.
God bless you.
