Becoming a Christian

¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Mark 1:14–15

What does it look like to become a Christian? I’m afraid we sometimes say, ‘It looks like to say a prayer that I’m a sinner.’ Did I mention the conversation we had with a family member who is curious about Christianity? He is wondering how one church can say, ‘You don’t have do a thing to become a Christian except believe.’ While others seem to make obedience a necessary thing. And still others expect an ecstatic and energy filled Spirit transformation. So which is it?

It’s important to not make our form of conversion the one and only definite form of conversion. The problem I see with so many of these varying expectations of becoming a Christian is that they begin with what a person does. And it is right and good for a person to repent and believe like Jesus preached! But no one would have done a thing without Jesus first visiting his people and then dying for his people and rising from the dead and sending his divine Spirit to dwell and transform his people. When we think of becoming a Christian, we have to begin with, ‘God saved me!’ It can’t begin with ‘I prayed a prayer.’ We all too often as a dead guy put it confuse ‘human agency with the work of the Spirit.’ When would we ever want to claim God’s work as our own?! 

So take care and be patient with how God works to change hearts and bring them to himself. Sometimes it is like a flash of light on the Damascus road, and other times it is through grandma Lois who diligently discipled and prayed for little Timothy from a young age. And he also is doing the same in his own way for you too.